Bloodline is a Cheat Code - Chapter 8

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

Chapter 8
“Haeston.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I thought perhaps you had forgotten me, since you weren’t listening to a word I said, but it seems your memory remains intact. Please, speak your command.”
“Didn’t you let slip what you were thinking a bit too easily?”
“Not at all, Your Highness. You simply heard things that weren’t there.”
“Things that weren’t there.”
“Ha, as you wish, Your Highness.”
Lucian, who had been muttering about actually tearing him apart, let out a sigh.
“I’m thinking it might be time for a change.”
“If you become any more troublesome here, the situation will become irredeemable. If that’s your intention, you might as well take my head first.”
Seeing Lucian eagerly drawing his sword to honor his loyal subject’s request, Haeston hastily withdrew the neck he had offered and stopped him.
“I meant it as a figure of speech—I don’t actually want my head severed. It was merely a metaphor.”
He cleared his throat with a soft sound and gazed upon his master’s face.
Blue eyes regarded him in silent contemplation.
Reading the thoughts that rippled within those eyes, Haeston’s expression grew troubled.
“Your Highness.”
“The very sources from which I gathered information have betrayed me. No matter how carelessly I conduct myself, I cannot find a place where I can breathe freely. Instead, I find myself increasingly cornered. Silence does not protect me.”
Haeston’s face contorted with anxiety.
Lucian smiled gently and touched the corners of his eyes.
“What is hidden cannot remain hidden. I was discovered in the most absurd manner imaginable. They even had the audacity to ask me, quite casually, whether prolonged changes to my eye color might cause vision damage.”
“If anyone attempts to pry into Your Highness’s secrets, you need only command it. I will ensure that what must remain secret does so.”
A glint of murderous intent flickered in Haeston’s gentle eyes. Lucian, observing such steadfast loyalty, smiled with satisfaction.
“No, I think….”
In that moment, Flotie’s violet eyes flashed through his mind.
‘We shall meet again before long.’
“Your Highness?”
“I believe the time has come.”
He had always known that endless flight was impossible.
* * *
After spouting sophistry before Lucian, I only regained my composure once I returned home, and found myself consumed by practical concerns.
“Ah, but I spoke with such conviction—what on earth do I do now?”
It feels hopeless. Rosena’s power is formidable, but I cannot wield it directly myself.
Yet I cannot rely entirely on Serpina Rosena and Minabell for everything.
They will do their utmost to help, but there are limits. Serpina Rosena is not a perfect duke, and Minabell will not inherit the marquessate.
And if I do not move of my own accord, I become nothing but an irresponsible person who commits acts without any means to address them.
I began formulating plans, muttering to myself as I wrote letters upon parchment.
“First, I must cultivate connections. Truly, that is all nobility amounts to.”
“Connections?”
“Yes, Rosena’s power itself is formidable, but…that does not mean I can wield it freely. And even if I could, I need a house that can lend authority to the imperial prince’s position.”
For someone like me—not even a minor duke—to become a force in my own right, I must acquire far greater renown and power.
As merely the youngest daughter of a noble house, the most obvious place for me to build connections was….
Yes, it had to be high society.
What I could participate in was at best gatherings of young ladies, but behind them lurked the influence of powerful families.
“Bell, honestly, you’ve already conquered the social scene. The most famous lady.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to call myself famous, but I need to accumulate goodwill points to use the shop….”
Minabell blinked her eyes with an expression of bashfulness, though something seemed to puzzle her.
“Then next time, could I come along too? I think charity galas or recitals would work. It would be even better if the attendees’ families have neutral leanings.”
“What’s the development? Um, yes, I’ll look into it! Will Sister Lepina be coming with us too?”
It seemed Minabell had begun to feel affection for Serpina Rosena since that day.
“I want to follow wherever Tiae goes unconditionally, but the social scene is a no.”
For the first time, Serpina Rosena wore an expression of reluctance about accompanying me.
“But I understood that you need allies. I can’t just sit idle.”
Serpina Rosena spoke with an air of grim determination. What on earth was she thinking?
“Lady Cherita, while I’m away, please look after Tiae. If anything happens, tear this handkerchief. I’ll come running immediately.”
Serpina Rosena pressed a pale lavender handkerchief into Minabell’s hands.
Not long ago she seemed to dismiss Minabell as little more than an assassin—this was truly moving progress.
“Tiae, I’ll give you a magical artifact that can kill anyone instantly if something happens. Make sure to carry it with you. I’ll place a curse so powerful that even ancient magic cannot break it.”
It seemed her suspicion of others hadn’t diminished much—Minabell was simply an exception.
At least she wasn’t objecting, which was a relief.
* * *
“Now, Tiae. Do you remember what I told you?”
“If you nod your head, people will admire the young lady’s insight. If you take a sip of tea, laugh briefly. If you tuck your hair behind your ear, just follow the reactions around you. If none of that works, maintain a blank expression and blame it on feeling unwell….”
Minabell nodded seriously.
The rumor that I, who had barely appeared in society since my debut, was returning spread like wildfire.
Of course, about half of it was practically spread by Minabell herself as she ran about.
Thanks to that, countless invitations poured in for what would be my momentous return to society.
‘I never thought so many people would take interest in me.’
‘Sometimes it seems you significantly underestimate your family’s influence.’
‘No, that’s not it!’
‘You can’t separate the Rosena Duchy from yourself. You’re trying to take over society starting with the young ladies’ family factions.’
I was reminded anew that Minabell possessed a remarkable ability to silence me with a single remark.
Well, that’s probably why she had such a grip on society.
As Minabell carefully examined the flood of invitations, she offered practical advice.
‘Charity galas would look good, but you’d have to stand for quite a long time, which would be too much for you. If you went to one of those, Sister Lepina would cut me down with her sword on the spot. So I chose places where you can sit for as long as possible, with fewer people, and where the real connections are.’
‘Real connections?’
‘Well, I mean substantive places. Kill two birds with one stone, everyone wins… never mind. Just let it go in one ear.’
The place we settled on was Lady Lillian Faneshula’s Reading Circle.
‘A reading circle? It seems like the kind of place where only constructive conversation would happen to build proper connections.’
‘In this world, there is never a gathering of people where only constructive conversation takes place, Lady Rosena.’
Minabell smiled as though she were about to reveal a great secret.
‘Ah, of course, if that constructive content doesn’t need to be moral, it would be a very beneficial place indeed.’
‘Is it perhaps a place where truly terrible deeds are committed? I’m still quite inexperienced in political intrigue.’
‘If anything, it’s where countless terrible schemes have their genesis. But since words hold power there rather than actions, it’s also the place where you can exert the strongest influence.’
Minabell offered me a brief explanation of what that place truly was.
Ostensibly it was the Reading Circle, but in reality it was where all manner of vicious gossip originated.
And whether something qualified as such depended entirely on the whims of Lillian Faneshula, who presided over the Reading Circle.
In any case, once you made a good impression there, exceptional special treatment was guaranteed, so most people were desperate to join the Reading Circle, and the current membership was apparently quite elite.
‘The fact that the Reading Circle sent you an invitation first really does show how remarkable Rosena is.’
‘I didn’t want to be praised as a great house in this manner.’
As I wondered whether the Faneshula Earldom also dealt in information, Minabell let out a soft laugh.
‘They’re quite skilled at spreading false information. And Lillian Faneshula is particularly fond of asking questions to young ladies she finds disagreeable.’

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