Bloodline is a Cheat Code - Chapter 88

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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 88
The inability to consult with Serpina Rosena about certain matters felt closer to the unknowable than I could have imagined.
Since I had been so young and she had not yet returned to this timeline, except for those awkward periods early on, we had done nearly everything together—to a degree that others found almost excessive.
“Tiae, if someone comes looking for me from now on, could you tell them I’m not here?”
“Mm, you mean specifically about your male suitors, right?”
“…I won’t bother denying it.”
But watching Serpina Rosena scramble to evade her men—let alone prepare for the betrothal ceremony—made it clear I couldn’t expect any help from her on this matter.
The day before the betrothal ceremony finally arrived, and as I settled in for a rare moment of reading without much fanfare, Serpina Rosena burst through my door.
More precisely, she had fled into my room to escape her suitors.
‘Anyone may move freely throughout the mansion, but if you set foot inside our family’s chambers, I will kill you all.’
Since Aden and Kalik had limited freedom of movement, the warning was essentially aimed at Cruide.
I had expected him to whine and stubbornly insist on his right to visit, but Cruide Den yielded far more readily than I anticipated.
‘You shouldn’t assume I’d come and go through the Duke’s Residence as I please, Seri.’
‘That’s exactly the kind of person you are, Rudy.’
‘Aha, but I’m not like that with the one I love—couldn’t you be a bit more lenient? You know my nature better than anyone, I’d think.’
In truth, whenever he visited our home, he sent almost excessively formal advance notice, and even when he did come, his actual time spent there was remarkably brief.
He would ask the obligatory question about how the betrothal was progressing, give a brief report on what he’d learned about the curse, and then depart.
“Serpina Rosena, but none of them should be here today—so why did you run away?”
“The people may be absent, but their gifts aren’t. They all want me to wear the dresses and accessories they gave me, but I only have one neck. I can’t distribute necklaces across my wrists and ankles.”
“That’s true enough.”
Aden couldn’t attend since his very survival had to remain hidden, but the other two planned to show their faces at my betrothal ceremony without hesitation.
Serpina Rosena even argued that since she had two hands, she could accept the escort of both men.
Of course, she tried to use the excuse that I, as the main subject, would be overshadowed—but both Lucian Advein and I found it amusing enough to actually support the idea.
‘Besides, everyone will be curious about who you are anyway. If the Tower Master attends, it won’t take long for the truth to come out.’
‘Asteron might come as well. Though aside from him, everyone who remembers my face should be dead by now. Even if the Lady and His Highness’s cursemaker might have seen my name in historical records…’
‘Did you use the name Cruide Den even back then?’
‘It was much longer than that. I shortened and prettified it into Cruide Den.’
So while the chances of his identity being discovered were low, Cruide Den was confident he could easily identify the one who had cast the curse.
Thanks to this, I got to enjoy a rare moment of worrying over something trivial—but Serpina Rosena seemed to find this very “triviality” strange and burdensome.
“It would honestly be easier to decide which assassination target to eliminate first. If I’d ever discussed things like this with those men, I could at least pretend to know what I’m doing.”
“What kind of things did you talk about before?”
“Vague promises, like if we managed to survive and return this time, then you’d tell us about the Elven Kingdom where you were born.”
“I see.”
“Or pacts we’d made—if one of us fell from our horse during our escape and could no longer move, we’d mercifully end their suffering before they could be captured and tortured. That sort of… loving sentiment.”
I was grateful I hadn’t asked Serpina Rosena to teach me about romantic love between men and women.
In this world, saying such things would only cement the Young Duke’s madness as inevitable.
I slipped down from my seat and took Serpina Rosena’s hand.
“Serpina Rosena, you already know this better than anyone without me saying it—but we’re working toward a world where we don’t have to call such things love. Right? For instance, by going back to your room right now and struggling to choose accessories.”
“But helping ensure that someone’s death isn’t painful or meaningless is also a form of love, Tiae.”
Serpina Rosena still dragged her feet about returning to her room full of gifts, but she gently countered my words.
“Shouldn’t preventing her death be the priority? And aren’t your men just showering you with gifts trying to adapt to this peaceful era? You should enjoy it too.”
“Ah, I’ve only ever cursed, raged, been irritable, behaved poorly, and schemed with those people—I’ve never given them anything else. I can’t suddenly act affectionate now. That’s not who I am.”
Fine wrinkles creased my sister’s brow. Her smile was more beautiful than anyone’s, but certainly… she was someone who found smiling awkward.
“Ask them directly.”
“Huh?”
“Go ask what kind of love they’d prefer to receive.”
“What if they think I’m a woman who doesn’t even understand such basics?”
They already know you don’t understand such basics, don’t they? They loved you anyway…
I forced down the words rising to my throat and pulled my lips into what I hoped was a smile. I was just as awkward at smiling as my sister, so I wasn’t sure if it worked.
“Any man whose feelings for you would cool over something like that—I’d oppose it.”
“Oh…”
“In my past life, I never had to oppose my younger sister’s relationships, so I didn’t know I could, but I do know how to oppose marriages and romances.”
Of course, I had no intention of opposing anything.
Even if my sister kept thirteen men, thirty men instead of three, I’d tell her to go ahead—but anyway, I made my expression as intimidating as possible.
My sister glanced at me cautiously, then settled naturally into her seat.
“For example?”
Was she trying to buy time this way?
But it wouldn’t work. My sister should taste the bitter pain I’d endured. I’d grown into such a sister, and I was sorry for it.
“I’ll tell you that later. First, we have things to do. Go pick out accessories quickly. My sister’s spiritual death won’t be in vain. Think of this as my love.”
My sister was eventually dragged away by the maids like a cat being forced to bathe. What a foolish person.
If those men’s love would cool over something like that, would they have followed a woman who would destroy the Empire because her sister died?
Even when given a chance to live again, they came back on their own two feet, spouting words of love and begging to be loved in return—it was obvious to anyone.
“Miss, what are you thinking so hard about?”
Elian, who had been staring at the door through which my sister was dragged away, asked with a soft smile.
She was probably thinking something similar to me.
“I was just thinking my sister worries about strange things.”
“Indeed. It would be nice if you two were mixed together half and half.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh my, it’s time for you to sleep, Miss.”
“I just had breakfast though?”
* * *
For the betrothal ceremony of a youngest daughter who wasn’t even the heir, it was excessively splendid, yet for a Crown Prince’s betrothal ceremony, it somehow felt modest.
Vincent, who had arrived early with his face hidden by a robe, surveyed his surroundings.
Until now, all Crown Princes and Imperial Princes had held their betrothal ceremonies at the Palace, but Rosena and the Third Prince had decided to hold theirs at Duke Rosena’s Residence.
‘It’s probably because of the attempted poisoning of the Duke.’
‘Lady Flotie Rosena would have been poisoned if she’d arrived just a bit later there. Because of that, Tiae House almost had to close its doors, but Duke Rosena apparently stopped it directly. They say Violet wasn’t behind it.’
‘Still, Violet won’t be able to show her face anywhere. The Duke almost died from poisoning there.’
An unusual configuration where far more attention was directed toward Flotie Rosena than toward Lucian Advein.
Yet no one found this strange. Not even Vincent himself.
If there was anyone receiving more attention than Flotie at this very moment, it would be exactly one person.
The clear sound of Lady Rosena tapping her wine glass with a spoon drew everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce our eldest daughter, Serpina Rosena.”

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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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