The Rules of Blood

Volume Two ; Chapter 93 (309) - The Lies We Tell

That night, after another long stretch of walking, Blanc allowed for a pause of an hour for Sera to close her eyes, if only to regain some of her energy.

He knew well enough that her exhaustion was not only of the body.

Months locked away in the estate of Blood Seraph, months of cruelty and mistreatment, months where death had seemed to her as the only escape… such shadows lingered, no matter how brightly she smiled now.

And who could blame her for not being back to her former selfish self?

That kind of torment would have broken many, causing them to succumb to the sadness.

It was a miracle in itself that she had not followed through on those dark impulses. So an hour of rest here and there, dangerous as it was, seemed a price worth paying.

For Blanc had a reason to stop, a duty beyond duty: a sister to care for.

And that, he thought, was countless times better than having to bury her, and not have her at all.

“We are two days away from the Domain’s edge,” said Blanc to the people around the fire, despite two of them not understanding a word he was speaking, “Although that would only be if we were continuously walking, but since we cannot, it will take us an additional day to get to the edge.”

“Not an issue, my dear,” smiled Velakia, “We are near the end of the journey either way.”

“It will take a few more weeks, but yes,” Blanc grabbed her hand, “Soon, you will get to go home.”

Velakia's lips widened even more, grabbing his hand tightly, “Will you miss me?”

“I refuse to think about that while you’re still here,” Blanc pulled her hand close to his lips and kissed it, “But I fear that I will, very much so.”

“Good,” Velakia smiled, turning towards the others who watched this with different reactions.

Luckily for both Blanc and Velakia, Sera was not there to judge them as she slept in a tent nearby.

“Now that I’ve seen you two act like a married couple,” the Daughter began, getting to her feet, “I need to go pray. Will you join me, Lord Blanc?”

“I’m afraid not, Daughter,” Blanc shook his head lightly, “Better to have eyes on all our surroundings. Go, and we’ll make sure nothing disturbs your prayer.”

“A wonderful thought,” the Daughter bowed lightly, “Thank you.”

With that, the Daughter got to her feet and moved further away, leaving Blanc, Velakia, Tahreni, and Lendros near the fire.

[Translated from Iskahese]

“My Princess,” Lendros spoke, “I have a bad feeling about how relaxed we are.”

“Why?” Tahreni frowned, “We’ve barely seen a villager passing.”

“I don’t know,” Lendros shrugged, “But I do not like this.”

“You are overthinking, Lendros, perhaps even homesick,” Velakia taunted. “But we cannot hurry. Blanc’s sister, Sera, is not able to travel for long distances like we are.”

“It may be true that I am homesick,” Lendros smiled sadly. “I have barely seen my newborn daughter before I left. I barely remember her face, her eyes.”

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“Soon, my dear friend,” Velakia tried to comfort him, “But we cannot act recklessly now.”

“Forgive me, Princess,” Lendros sighed, “But is it safety, or are you trying to prolong the time you have with your lover?”

“Careful, old friend,” Thareni warned, “I do not wish to give your wife a strand of your hair, instead of her husband.”

“Threatening me again, Tahreni?” Lendros got to her feet, “You know I have our interest at heart.”

“And so do I,” Velakia got to her feet, her voice cold and sharp, “The fact that you are questioning me, Lendros, is breaking my heart.”

“...You are mistaking me, Princess,” Lendros sat back down in the grass, “I am not questioning you, only where your heart stands.”

“On the beaches of Iskahul,” Velakia replied, her back straight, “Where it always stood.”

Lendros and Tahreni did not utter another word, only looking at the princess whom they had sworn to serve.

“I need a walk,” Velakia sighed, scratching at her left eyebrow. “Do not follow us, understood?”

“Understood,” Lendros and Thareni nodded.

“Walk with me,” Velakia said, turning towards Blanc.

“Walk? But I-”

“Please,” Velakia whispered.

“Lead the way, my dear,” Blanc smiled, getting to his feet.

With a nod, they walked in silence away from the fire into the darkness through black grass and gray rocks. In the distance, one of the Dragon Manors spewed smoke and lava.

A beautiful torch, illuminating the night in a bright, dark orange.

Despite being able to see in the dark, they did not focus on their eyes, enjoying the darkness overtaking their senses as they walked towards the manor in the distance.

It led their way towards the edge of the Domain.

But now, they just enjoyed the view as they walked a few hundred feet away from the fire.

“What’s wrong? Blanc asked, “You three seemed like you were arguing.”

Velakia looked forward, “Lendros… he questioned why we delay our journey for Sera. He thinks I do it because I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”

“The damn bastard,” Blanc clicked his tongue, wanting to turn back.

But Velakia’s hand stopped him, “Don’t. Stay with me.”

Blanc watched the orange reflection that came from her eyes, and agreed to her request, “Very well. But why would he say that?”

“Because, although I denied it, I fear that there is truth in his words as well,” Velakia sighed.

Blanc moved forward, sitting down on the edge of a large boulder.

He placed his hand forward. When she accepted it, Blanc pulled her close to him, their faces inches away from one another.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I hate the Empire, but… I love you. For you, I would stay, even for a day longer,” Velakia placed a hand on his chest.

“Back at the estate of Blood Seraph, the last time I slept, I had a dream,” Blanc smiled, “I woke up near you, Celine, and Miyanna, and that’s it. I stood there, in that dream, in that bed, watching you three sleep. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. So you see, my dear, I, too, would wish for you to remain with me. But will that really convince you, or just be another burden on your shoulders?”

Velakia chuckled lightly, moving her hand upwards, towards the back of his ear, “A selfish dream, you know?”

“I know,” Blanc replied, grabbing her waist, “But at least on the matters of love, I allow myself to be selfish.”

“The matters of love, you say?” Velakia grinned, “Does that mean you love me?”

“I do,” Blanc nodded calmly, “Of course, I love you.”

Velakia’s eyes widened in surprise at how easy the answer came out of his mouth.

That was the first time he ever said it to her. Reasoning crumbled quickly in her mind because of it.

She looked around.

They were far away from the fire.

“Show me,” Velakia said, “Show me you really do.”

“Right here? Now?” Blanc asked, surprised, “I don’t mind, but what if-”

“Enough what ifs,” Velakia muttered, pulling him into a kiss.

“There are plenty of places and plenty of ways to show that I love you,” said Blanc once his lips departed Velakia’s, “And I told the Daughter we’ll keep watch.”

“Then we'd better hurry, no?” Velakia grinned, “You wouldn’t want to be caught lying.”

“I guess so,” Blanc chuckled, as he pulled Velakia into another kiss.

One that intensified, over the next hour, into quite the intense love letter, overextending their break by a fair bit.

But the two were barely aware of their surroundings.

After all, they had a sight that matched their intensity, as lava spewed from the Manor miles away from where they were.

A Manor where dragons flew upward and dashed back into the volcano, over, and over, and over again.