Chrysis’s private drawing room remained imrsed in an almost supernatural tranquility, completely different from the oppressive atmosphere normally associated with the central domains of the Valentine family.
The room was spacious, silent, and elegantly decorated in dark and bluish tones, illuminated only by the soft glow of cold flas scattered in tal holders attached to the walls.
The temperature of the place was low enough for small particles of ice to discreetly accumulate in the corners of the ceiling, as if the room itself breathed constant winter.
In the center of the room, Chrysis remained comfortably seated in her enormous black velvet armchair, holding a goblet filled with blood while calmly observing the figure seated on the other side of the low table.
Grace Valentine maintained an impeccably straight posture even when relaxed.
Her legs crossed elegantly, her hands resting on her lap, and her long, light hair falling neatly over her shoulders gave her an almost artificially perfect appearance. Her red, cold, and attentive eyes observed Victor’s grandmother without any hesitation or discomfort.
Chrysis took a small sip from her glass before casually asking,
"Where are your parents?"
Grace looked away for a brief mont, organizing her thoughts before calmly replying, "In the north."
Her voice was calm. Controlled. Without emotional exaggeration.
"They’ll probably be back shortly before the Ritual." She paused briefly before continuing. "Despite everything... they are quite present parents."
A slight smile appeared on Grace’s lips at that mont, too small for an ordinary person to easily notice.
"Which is relatively rare among vampires," she comnted, relaxing a little.
Chrysis imdiately let out a low laugh. "Relatively rare?" she repeated playfully. "That’s practically a genetic anomaly in our race."
Grace didn’t reply this ti, only maintaining the small, discreet smile as she watched Chrysis relax even more in the armchair.
"That man is completely obsessed with his daughter," Chrysis comnted in an amused tone. "Your father tries to appear serious, powerful, refined... but the mont you show up, he turns into a complete emotional idiot."
Grace sighed silently, as if too accustod to that reality. "He’s protective."
"He’s a doting father," Chrysis corrected imdiately. "There’s a difference."
The response caused a brief, comfortable silence to fall between them before Chrysis slowly swirled the blood in the goblet again.
"Despite being one of the Blood Kings, I sincerely doubt he even personally attended that eting."
Grace raised her eyes slightly.
"He did."
"Physically?"
"Technically."
This elicited another small, amused laugh from Chrysis.
"Ice clone?"
Grace nodded calmly.
"Yes."
"Of course he did." Chrysis rested her face on one hand while laughing discreetly. "That man would rather face an entire war alone than participate in family political etings."
Grace looked away for a mont before adding, "He ntioned sothing about avoiding irritating environnts."
"Translation: Edgar would be there." Chrysis joked, looking at Grace, "They hate each other more than anything in this world."
Grace didn’t deny it.
Chrysis smiled slowly, clearly pleased with her own conclusion. "I imagine Rakshasa gave a relatively effective warning then, your father must be happy now, he’ll be skipping back."
Grace watched Chrysis’s amused expression as small flakes of ice slowly began to form on the surface of her goblet by pure unconscious reflex of blood energy.
"The news spread fast," Grace comnted.
"Of course it spread." Chrysis seed genuinely amused. "A creature like a Rakshasa showing up at a Blood Kings eting to threaten to wipe out an entire bloodline? That’s literally the kind of gossip that keeps vampires emotionally alive for weeks."
Grace calmly ran a hand through her hair, brushing a few light strands away from her face before comnting, "Edgar probably didn’t like that; it’s going to cause problems."
"Edgar probably almost shit himself with fear," Chrysis replied bluntly.
Grace remained silent, but a small smile played at the corner of her mouth. Then, unexpectedly, Chrysis began to laugh more openly.
It was a low, elegant laugh... but genuinely amused.
"The funniest thing," she comnted between small laughs, "is how these people think they’re absolute gods just because they can crush ordinary vampires."
Her eyes then took on a colder glint.
"But as soon as true power appears..."
The laughter slowly faded.
"...and everyone falls silent."
Grace watched calmly as small frozen particles slowly began to form around Chrysis’s armchair.
"It’s always like this," Chrysis continued quietly. "The Blood Kings love to act like unreachable monsters until soone truly monstrous enters the room."
Grace slowly rested her chin on her hand. "I’ve been told Rakshasa is terrifying. I’ve never seen her, but... there are many stories."
"Rakshasa is problematic," Chrysis corrected imdiately. "She’s too different from the Vampires of House Valentine, since she cos from another continent."
Grace was silent for a few seconds before calmly asking:
"Have you known her for a long ti?"
Chrysis smiled slightly, "Long enough to know that her threats are just predictions of the future that she herself will ensure cos true." The air in the room seed to grow slightly heavier at that mont.
"If she said she’s going to exterminate Edgar and his nephew..." Chrysis took another gulp of blood before casually concluding: "...then she’s probably already decided where she’s going to keep the corpses, and how she’s going to explain to the Patriarch why she did it. In fact, just the fact that she bet shows she already knows what’s going to happen."
Grace let out a small, silent sigh; these conversations exhausted her more than training, mainly because Chrysis wasn’t direct when necessary, she just kept rambling and embellishing the stories behind the reality.
Chrysis then slowly turned her eyes back to Grace.
"But honestly? Jake was an idiot."
Grace nodded imdiately.
"Going to Rakshasa’s domain alone just to find out her intentions was reckless."
"Reckless?" Chrysis raised an eyebrow slightly. "That was social suicide with extra steps."
Grace discreetly looked away, almost hiding a small smile.
"The worst part," Chrysis continued, clearly amused, "is that Edgar is probably now desperately trying to figure out how to prevent an inevitable disaster without looking desperate."
"Politically complicated."
"Extrely."
Grace slowly crossed her legs as she watched the bluish reflection of the cold flas on the dark floor.
"You seem to be having quite a bit of fun with this."
"Of course," Chrysis replied imdiately. "The Valentines spend centuries acting like perfect, superior aristocrats. It’s healthy to rember occasionally that there are creatures capable of ripping their heads off effortlessly."
Grace remained silent for a few seconds before asking:
"Do you think Rakshasa will actually participate in the Ritual?"
"Participate directly? No." Chrysis slowly swirled the goblet in her hands. "But observe? Absolutely."
She then smiled slowly.
"Especially since she’s interested now."
Grace noticed the slightly different tone in that last sentence.
"Interested in?"
Chrysis’s smile widened a little.
"In entertaining Edgar by trying to manipulate the Ritual to win the bet," she replied calmly, "This ritual will be quite fun, since Edgar’s family branch is at risk... I wonder how far he’ll go. Will he give Jake a cursed sword? Or will he put several infiltrators in Jake’s shadows to support him... That will be interesting, right?"
Grace looked at the madness in her mistress’s eyes and sighed wearily, "Mistress, you’re making that face again..."
Chrysis blinked, "Oh... I’m sorry." She said, returning to normal.
"Cough-Cough" Chrysis cleared her throat and stood up slowly. "I’m going to see my grandson now, rest and go train when you wake up."
Grace nodded, and disappeared in a cloud of icy mist.
Chysis smiled, "She’s grown stronger... I wonder what she’ll awaken during the ritual."
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