The Rules of Blood

Volume Two ; Chapter 100 (316) - Sophie, The Golden Tongue

After enjoying a breakfast in silence with everyone, Sophie stood, trained, and drank tea with her younger sisters outside the mansion until a maid came looking for her.

She had been summoned by Lucien.

A smile appeared on her lips, pleased with the news.

After bidding goodbye to her younger sisters, she was taken inside her father’s private quarters, where the maid excused herself.

Sophie didn’t linger and went straight in front of the largest of the two doors.

“Come in, Sophie,” said Salina, her birth mother.

When she heard her, Sophie sighed as she grabbed the handle, but by the time she opened the door and entered the room, a wide smile replaced her earlier displeasure.

“So good to see you two so close,” Sophie nodded towards the two parents present.

“Take a seat,” Lucien smiled, “We have prepared what you requested.”

“Wonderful news, thank you,” Sophie bowed lightly to the two of them.

“However,” Salina spoke, “I am not satisfied with ‘Trust me.’”

“Take Father into his bedchambers and solve it,” Sophie laughed, covering her mouth.

Lucien choked on the water he was drinking, his eyes wide at what his daughter just said casually.

“You get ahead of yourself, daughter,” Salina muttered, her eyes steady, “Do not forget who you are speaking with and why.”

“I already told Father I will explain everything when the time is right,” Sophie sighed, “And I will also return all the gold given. What? Want to add interest to it?”

“No-” He coughed. “Nobody is saying that,” Lucien cleared the last of the water from his windpipe. “Your mother just wants to make sure you are not carelessly spending the gold.”

“But I already said I plan on making gold. How can I carelessly spend it if I intend to make more?” Sophie tried to explain, “And you, Mother, since when can you trust me so little? Have I wronged you in any way?”

“You have not,” Salina shook her head, “And that is the issue, Sophie. You have done nothing besides train, hunt, read, sleep, and play pranks all your life. What changed all of a sudden? Is Celine coming back the reason?”

“Nothing changed, and I’m getting tired of people thinking Celine has anything to do with it.” Sophie clenched her jaw, taking her mother’s words as an insult, “And since when is someone wanting to do more an issue? Not all of us were the High Monarch’s advisors before, and neither will all of us be when the next one sits on the Sedes, so why is it an issue that I want to do something for myself?”

The half-truth she spoke went unnoticed, her anger overshadowing the fact that what she wanted to do for herself was not as noble as she made it sound. Still, her cunning worked wonders even against two of the most brilliant minds of the Empire.

“Do you promise you will tell us?” Salina began. “Not only when you are done, but also if you need our help. Can you promise that?”

“I promise and swear to the Vita that once I am done, I will tell everyone,” Sophie straightening her back, “And I promise that I will ask for help if need be.”

Salina turned to Lucien and gave him a light nod.

At that, Lucien stretched his hand behind his desk, pulling ten coin purses filled with gold.

“May this gold be what brings you happiness, Sophie,” Lucien smiled warmly.

Sophie got to her feet, walking towards her father’s desk.

“Do not worry, Father,” Sophie smiled, barely keeping her composure, “I will make sure it will.”

After she bid farewell to her parents, she rushed to her room, hiding the gold in a safe place.

Once done, she decided to go and take a bath to pass the time and enjoy herself, washing her body of both sweat and tension.

By the time she was dry and satisfied, Olivia’s carriage seemed to have already arrived at the mansion.

The perfect opportunity to check on their guest.

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So she dressed up quickly, donning a clean dress, and was out the door, heading straight towards Celine and Miyanna’s room, making sure she had everything ready for her own discussion with Olivia.

By the time she got to their room, she stopped near the door, listening in on the conversation.

“Yes,” Celine approved, “Around twenty more people should be enough. Once their training is done, the caravans should be ready to depart. How long would twenty more people take to properly train, sister?”

“Pff,” Miyanna sighed audibly, thinking on Celine’s question, “Depends on how much experience they have with combat before this.”

“Say that they have none at all, how about then?” Olivia asked curiously.

“A year to confidently say they won’t die the first time they see a group of damn bandits,” Miyanna replied, audibly displeased.“But if we rush, it would all have been for fuck all.”

“Yeah,” Olivia replied, “I’ll see if I can find more combat-experienced people.”

“That would be best then,” Celine concluded. “Well then, Olivia, how about we take a break for today and continue this tomorrow morning?”

“A good plan,” Olivia replied, before the sound of a chair scraping the floor made Sophie panic.

She dashed back into the hallway, as quickly and as silently as possible.

“I’ll be seeing you at dinner,” said Olivia as she left the room of Celine and Miyanna’s room.

But Sophie was already by the stairs, climbing them again as if for the first time, coincidentally bumping into Olivia as she reached the top.

“Oh my,” Sophie muttered, taking a step back, “Olivia?”

“Sorry, Lady Sophie, I did not hear you coming,” Olivia muttered apologetically.

“Water under the bridge,” Sophie waved her apology off. “But what’s wrong? You were lost in thought.”

“Ah, well, business as usual, you know?” Olivia smiled, “How about you? Were you heading to Celine and Miyanna?”

“Yes, I planned to have a word with my older sister, but now that you’re here…” Sophie muttered.

“Do you need my help with anything?” Olivia asked, curious.

“Actually, I do,” Sophie smiled, “How about we head back to my room and talk about it. I have time to talk with my sister after.”

“Sure, why not?” Olivia nodded.

“In that case,” Sophie grabbed Olivia by her armpit, “Let us make sure we do not bump into anyone else.”

“Quite right,” Olivia began laughing as they began descending the stairs, slowly walking towards Sophie’s room.

Once they arrived, they sat right away at the table.

“Tea?” Sophie asked, grabbing the hot teapot she had prepared in advance.

‘Yes, please,” Olivia nodded, not noticing.

“So,” Sophie changed the subject before Olivia had the opportunity to notice, “Any more gifts, trying to convince the two?”

“Ah, haha, not anymore, after the fifth gift, Celine and Miyanna got mad,” Olivia sighed, “We’ve decided to talk about it when Blanc returns, although I’m not sure when that will be. How many days have passed since he left?”

“Seventy-eight,” Sophie replied casually, “But if all goes well, he should be back in a few weeks.”

“We’ll see then,” Olivia nodded, her emerald green eyes looking at Sophie’s hands as she poured the tea.

“But you do not really like the man, no?” Sophie started, slowly moving the conversation where she needed it.

“The man looks good,” Olivia chuckled, “But no, I’m not one for romance, especially when I’m against two others.”

“Three, actually,” Sophie smiled, pushing the teacup towards Olivia, “Velakia, who helped him rescue you, got pregnant.”

Olivia’s eyes grew wide.

“Damn,” she muttered.

“Oops, that’s supposed to be a secret, so if you could-”

“Ah, yes, yes,” Olivia interrupted, “I will not say anything, but damn, really?”

“Mhm,” Sophie smiled, “The man is busy.”

“Even more so, then,” Olivia muttered, “I don’t think I will be happy in such a relationship. But…”

“But it would be nice to know you had the option available to you if things went south for the Rotunda Merchant Company,” Sophie finished her sentence.

“Something like that,” Olivia smiled wrily, “Sounds weird, no?”

“I mean, everyone has different views on the way things work for them, especially in matters of love,” Sophie shrugged, “I’m not one to judge.”

“If it were you, would you be fine with three more women?” Olivia asked curiously.

“But of course,” Sophie grinned, “It would be boring otherwise. But that’s just how I was raised, so do not take my word for face value.”

Olivia sighed, now more unsure than before.

But she shook her head, trying to throw the thoughts away, “Let’s move on. What can I help you with?”

The perfect sequence of events for the first part of her plan.

Sophie got up from her chair, moving towards her bed.

From below her pillow, she pulled a parchment containing a list and gave it to Olivia.

“I need your Merchant Company to help me get everything written there,” she explained.

“This…” muttered Olivia, looking over the list with a conflicted expression, “Not only will it be expensive, but it will also raise many eyebrows, you know?”

“I know,” Sophie was still on her feet, slowly approaching Olivia.

“What do you need all these things for? What are you trying to do?” Olivia muttered, worry now clearly painted on her face.

“Olivia dear, what if I told you I can help you with your situation, if you help me with mine, hm? A partnership between you and me, one in which we help each other,” Sophie smiled as she stopped a foot away from Olivia before grabbing her chin, and going in to kiss her.

Olivia’s eyes went wide as their lips connected, but all she saw was the golden yellow of Sophie’s own eyes watching her.

She was unable to move, the entirety of her skin feeling itchy, her brain in a dense fog as the kiss continued, their tongues intertwining.

And for a second, Olivia was not sure if she hated or enjoyed what was happening.

But when she felt close to finding out the answer, Sophie let go, finishing her earlier sentence, “In secret, of course.”