Bloodline is a Cheat Code - Chapter 60

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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 60
“Your Majesty, what you’re saying is that you simply don’t engage in engagements or marriages that are merely contractual arrangements.”
“That’s correct.”
“But with me, you’re saying you’re fine with not just an engagement, but a future that goes beyond that.”
“The word ‘fine’ seems too inadequate to express it, but yes, that’s also true.”
“To summarize, Your Majesty holds affection for me not as a friend, but as a woman. Or rather… is that right?”
I know intellectually that conversations like this shouldn’t be delivered so mechanically, as if merely organizing thoughts, yet I can’t understand why my mouth refuses to cooperate any other way.
Every word that tumbles out seems to clatter like a poorly crafted magical artifact, and I have no idea how to fix it.
The only saving grace is that Lucian Advein, observing my state, seemed to lack any inclination to mock or point out my awkwardness, simply nodding his head gently.
“So that’s why I’m seeking your answer. For what it’s worth, even if you refuse, our friendship will remain unchanged, and I won’t release you from the oath of loyalty you’ve sworn to me.”
Of course that would be the case.
But if I decline this, I might actually end up having to personally select a bride for Lucian Advein and present her before him.
Suddenly, that reality came crashing down upon me. Since Lucian Advein hadn’t even come of age, I’d vaguely thought it a distant future, and I’d only dimly assumed it would be a long time before such feelings could arise within me.
“Your Majesty.”
Lucian Advein gazed at me intently.
“I will accept the engagement until I come of age.”
I couldn’t think of a more elegant response. If I were to answer with genuine emotion in this private space, I should be honest about the attraction and affection I’m currently feeling toward you.
Instead, all I managed was to say I’d maintain the engagement with you until I came of age.
Lucian Advein blinked.
“And after you come of age?”
“If at that time you still wish to marry me, you’ve successfully become Emperor, and I’ve safely passed nineteen, then we can become husband and wife.”
Serpina Rosena’s dream is to see me as an adult.
At my answer, Lucian Advein let out a soft laugh. It was his usual smile, but I could tell from his face alone how genuinely happy he was.
He wore the happiest expression I’d ever seen from him, and I almost found myself laughing along without thinking.
“Of course, this is my personal answer, and the actual procedures will be something Your Majesty must handle.”
“Ah, the difficult parts can be left to Haeston, so that’s fine. The Young Duke will probably start waiting for you soon, so shall we go?”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t see Lord Haeston.”
“Ah, I sent him off to conduct some investigations as soon as we arrived here.”
* * *
Before the Crystal Palace, Melissa stood alone waiting for us.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Our conversation ran longer than expected. My apologies.”
She shook her head lightly, dismissing the need for apology, and gestured toward the Palace.
In truth, it was a space that felt somewhat peculiar to be called a Palace.
A dome so transparently brilliant it dazzled the eyes, refracting light into a prismatic display of radiant beauty.
It was a building that evoked the image of an indoor Garden rather than a Palace. Strangely, despite appearing utterly transparent, the crystal revealed nothing of what lay within.
“It seems my inability to see inside has piqued your curiosity.”
Melissa continued speaking calmly, as if reading my wonderment directly.
Embarrassed at having my thoughts exposed, I felt my face flush, and she smiled softly before offering an explanation.
“This place is not merely a building—it is the greatest sacred relic of this land.”
“A sacred artifact… you say?”
“Yes, it means it was created by combining magic and divine power. From outside, one cannot see within, but from inside, one can see out. And except for me, no one else can properly remember the path to reach this place. You two simply followed my presence, did you not?”
Lucian Advein nodded. Then immediately, his expression turned puzzled.
“Certainly, I did follow the traces, but I cannot recall any distinct path.”
“Do not worry. The master of this Palace will see you out and ensure you find your way back.”
“So I need only meet the one within this Palace?”
Lucian Advein spoke as though he had already deduced who resided here. I too gazed at Melissa with rough suspicions forming in my mind.
She nodded quietly.
“All things unfold according to the will of God… and I have merely guided you in the direction His words indicate.”
“Is the master of this Palace His Majesty’s treasure?”
Without thinking, I posed the question. It was the first time I had properly asked Melissa something.
Melissa gazed at the Palace with an expression tinged with tenderness before answering.
“I believe it to be the final treasure God left behind. I shall return once your conversation concludes.”
As she withdrew, seeming to lack the energy for further discourse, I found myself propelled forward by some invisible force, stepping into the Crystal Palace.
What absurdly overwhelming matters awaited me within these walls?
I felt no anticipation—only dread.
The interior proved far more expansive than its exterior suggested, momentarily catching me off guard.
From the Palace grounds, complete with a proper Garden, birdsong echoed, and flowers I had never seen before bloomed in profusion.
Moreover, compared to the other Palace spaces in the Holy Kingdom, this place received far less sunlight and felt considerably cooler—almost like the climate of the Empire—which allowed me to breathe more freely.
“Magic truly is remarkable.”
“I too am visiting in person for the first time, so I find myself with many impressions….”
Lucian Advein murmured, surveying the surroundings. He must have received a brief introduction through letters from Aden Advein.
Following him, I stepped carefully into the Garden. This was because of his suggestion that I might lose my way if I entered the Palace alone.
As I peered about, assessing the situation, Lucian Advein suddenly shielded me, blocking my path forward.
“The atmosphere feels decidedly wrong.”
“What do you mean….”
Before I could ask further, Lucian Advein scooped me into his arms and bolted forward.
Without thinking, I clung to his neck with all my strength. The scenery blurred past in a moment I would never experience again in my life.
Crack!
With a sound unmistakably like a hand strike, Lucian Advein came to an abrupt halt.
Turning toward the source of the sound in terror, I saw….
Serpina Rosena standing there.
* * *
“Did you think I would come running with joy at this? Or perhaps shed tears of gratitude? I’m sorry, but as you well know, I possess such wretched character that such thoughts have never even crossed my mind. Even now, I am consumed with rage and cannot bear it!”
Serpina Rosena was screaming as though possessed by fury itself.
It was the first time I had witnessed her lay bare so many accumulated grievances with such raw honesty, struggling visibly beneath their weight.
Moreover, I had never actually seen her strike anyone before. I had only witnessed her draw blades, kill with words, or dispose of people in unseen places.
She had even questioned why she should bother with such tedious methods when magic would be cleaner than bloodying her hands.
She had also made dangerous remarks about how such methods left no trace and were efficient.
“Ser….”
“Wait.”
While I couldn’t call myself a pacifist even in the kindest interpretation, I had never displayed anger so blatantly before.
“Your Majesty, Serpina Rosena is in quite an agitated state right now. At this rate, the person standing before her could suffer serious injury.”
Obscured by grass, trees, and Serpina Rosena’s form, I couldn’t see the face of the person receiving her blows.
Yet based on the circumstances I’d pieced together from what I’d heard, it was painfully obvious who stood there.
Aden Advein.
Serpina Rosena had struck the man she loved in her previous life the moment we arrived here. Apparently, their conversation hadn’t gone well.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
Before being the man Aden loved, he was a prince of The Empire and the Holy Kingdom’s king’s one remaining treasure.
What were you thinking, hitting him like that, Serpina Rosena? We’re ruined now.
“You need to stop her, I’m telling you.”
Did it seem like I was taking your side? I’m saying this entirely for your sake.
Desperate for her to understand my sincerity, I poured out my panic and grievance through every fiber of my being, which only made Lucian Advein begin to worry about me instead.
“Your expression looks terrible. Did you perhaps exert yourself too much by running so quickly all of a sudden?”

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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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