Bloodline is a Cheat Code - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3
I had just stumbled upon a truth I never wanted to know.
My gaze had simply drifted naturally toward someone with hair color similar to mine.
And wasn’t this a far more staggering revelation than my sister having regressed, my future self being short-lived, or Minabell being able to see status windows?
It was a secret that could determine the very future of The Empire.
“Minabell, do you know what red eyes generally signify?”
“Ah, even if I came from somewhere else, that much is basic knowledge. According to the oracle, only those with red eyes are qualified to inherit the throne. Right now, only the First Prince has red eyes.”
“That’s what’s officially known, at least.”
Throughout history, there were plenty who painted their eyes red to usurp the throne, and many who sparked rebellions out of resentment at not having red eyes.
It was no wonder rumors circulated that those red eyes were stained with the blood spilled before ascending to power.
“But why suddenly? Don’t speak so ominously. It terrifies me when you say something and it feels like you’ve uncovered some secret.”
I chose silence over a hasty response. Though my silence seemed to amplify Minabell’s anxiety, speaking would mean my death.
Crown Prince Vincent possessed brown hair and red eyes.
To anyone’s eye, his impression was neat and warm, yet his gaze alone was hollow—as if he had lost everything.
Yet the people could not read that emptiness in his eyes at all, instead praising his legitimacy and cold judgment.
They spoke of glimpsing the qualities of an emperor who could command the masses.
In any case, one thing was certain: Crown Prince Vincent had brown hair.
But the person I had just seen possessed hair that was unmistakably close to white.
“Tiae, why are you staring so intently?”
“…I’ve come to have a question for my sister.”
“Hmm?”
“Once I’m certain, I’ll tell you too.”
Minabell, thinking I was devising some grand scheme, nodded solemnly in agreement.
* * *
“Between changing hair color with magic and changing eye color, which is more difficult?”
“Yes?”
“Why? Who covets your hair and eyes? Who did this?”
My sister’s face, which had been delighted at my arrival, hardened in an instant.
She was clearly already mentally eliminating some formless villain in her mind for coveting her younger sister’s eyes and hair.
Before an innocent person could be quietly murdered, I hastily waved my hands.
“No, it’s not me—it seems someone else did something like that.”
“Someone concealed their identity and approached you? And they tried to harm you?”
I grabbed my sister’s wrist as she seemed ready to draw her sword and overturn The Empire itself, shaking my head desperately.
“Tiae.”
“With you protecting me like this, what could possibly happen? Don’t worry. Besides, the person I want to ask about is completely unrelated to me. Or rather, I’m asking because I want them to be unrelated. Please, just answer my question so they can remain unrelated?”
Only after my desperate explanation did my sister begin to ponder seriously, soon reaching her conclusion.
“The eyes.”
“Hair isn’t that difficult?”
“If it’s about permanently changing color, that’s different, but temporary color-changing magic for hair is considered basic. However, with eyes, you risk going blind if you’re careless. The duration isn’t very long either.”
So I had locked eyes with him at precisely the moment his magic’s duration had expired.
“….”
Yes, this is entirely my problem.
The world seems determined to reveal every hidden secret to me, and there’s no way I can escape that with mere human effort.
Serpina Rosena hurried over, noticing how my expression darkened by the moment.
“Why do you look like that? There’s definitely something wrong, isn’t there? If you don’t know their name, just describe their appearance. I’ll handle everything.”
“No, Serpina Rosena.”
If this counted as ‘something happening’, my sister’s enemies would be the entire world itself. Though she’d already fought them once before.
“There’s only one member of the Imperial Family with silver hair in The Empire right now, isn’t there?”
Serpina Rosena’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if asking why I was bringing this up now.
“Lucian Advein has silver hair. He inherited his mother’s hair color directly.”
“And his eyes are blue, right?”
“That’s right.”
I’d only seen him from a distance, so I hadn’t gotten a clear look at his face, but the circumstances made it certain.
What I saw was the Third Prince, and he was hiding his eye color.
Taking this secret to the grave wouldn’t be difficult.
But there’s one common thread among those whose truths I’ve discovered.
Somehow, I always become entangled with their existence.
What will it be this time?
If a prince is merely hiding his eye color, surely The Empire I live in isn’t on the verge of collapse?
“Tiae?”
Serpina Rosena called my name seriously, as if noticing my vision darkening.
“Why are you asking this suddenly? Before you wither away from worry, we’d better quickly get to the root of this.”
No. If we root it out now, it becomes treason.
Or wait—if we root it out successfully, is it revolution instead of treason?
Ah, no. I shouldn’t think about this anymore.
“No, I just thought I saw him passing by while I was playing with Minabell earlier! There’s no reason he’d be in a place like this! But I could have been mistaken!”
As I waved my hands frantically in protest, her expression finally softened.
“Ah, I see.”
Fortunately, my sister was relatively lenient about my words and let it pass.
After that, exhausted, I lay on my sister’s bed and talked about this and that before falling asleep.
To be precise, my sister fell asleep first, and I watched her sleeping face.
Perhaps because I’d learned such a tremendous truth, even with my heavy body, I couldn’t easily drift off to sleep.
Now that I think about it, something felt off.
I could simply assume that he was wandering around the Duke’s Residence without any particular business because he was a reckless prince searching for taverns or women.
But shouldn’t I first consider why, and why no one else had noticed?
Besides, my entire life has always slipped by like this—under the guise of coincidence.
Moreover, I thought that if my sister, the young duchess, heard my words, she would immediately report to Father.
But my sister focused on reassuring me, as if she’d expected exactly this.
And something she murmured before falling asleep bothered me.
‘Don’t worry, Tiae. No matter what happens, our family will be safe. We’re already prepared to leave whenever we need to.’
My sister’s words—”preparations are nearly complete”—echoed through my mind like a persistent hum.
It sounded as though she intended to extract our family from some impending catastrophe.
I needed to understand what was actually happening.
But how could I find out?
My mind began racing frantically.
“I’ll set aside my sister’s plans for now and focus on getting help for myself first.”
There was an easy solution for situations like this.
Ask someone intelligent for assistance.
Though I would need to prepare a bit beforehand.
* * *
The next day, I summoned Minabell and shared our usual tea time together.
Minabell Cherita—the first person I could turn to for help.
“Tiae, did you not sleep well? You look exhausted.”
“A little? Why, is it that obvious?”
“Hmm, sleep deprivation. Worries weighing on you. A secret about the Third Prince… Wait? Tiae! Don’t tell me you saw the Third Prince’s eye color? Lucian Advein’s crimson eyes?”
She truly was a living encyclopedia.
I had summoned Minabell before asking my sister for help precisely because of this.
“So you did know all along and chose to keep quiet about it?”
“Ah, oh no, gasp.”
She was the only person who could confirm what I had deduced.
And.
“I want to apologize for hiding the truth from you all this time… Can I still remain your friend?”
She was someone who loved and worried about me as deeply as my sister did.
“No matter what you tell me, our friendship won’t crack, Minabell.”
“Then I’ll tell you. The truth is… this Empire is destined to fall, and your sister is planning an escape to save you.”
I had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed was another matter entirely.
“I approached you because I wanted to save my own life by relying on your sister. I know it’s selfish, so please don’t hate me.”
Thanks to her, I had discovered what my sister was preparing—but that couldn’t be right!
“Everyone wants to survive. I understand.”
Perhaps it was my sincere smile that eased her tension, for Minabell began pouring out other information she possessed.
That this place was a world within a book, and that in that story, my sister had not regressed.
“But your sister now has returned through time! That’s why she bears the title of a regressor who refuses to have regrets. Your maid Elian carries the title of keeper of Imperial secrets.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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