Chapter 233: The Valentine Ball

Grace Valentine sat at one of the tables reserved for the younger members of the family, maintaining perfect posture while Emma and Charlotte argued beside her for the fifth time since they had entered the hall.

The twins looked so alike that night that, if not for the different ways they wore their hair, anyone who did not live around them would probably have had trouble telling them apart.

Both wore elegant dresses chosen by their own families, although neither looked particularly happy to be there.

"I still don’t understand why we have to attend this," Emma complained, idly moving the glass in front of her. "We don’t hold any political position, we aren’t negotiating territory, and I’m definitely not looking for a husband."

Charlotte rested her face on one hand.

"You say that now. Wait until some old man shows up saying his son has a wonderful bloodline."

"I’ll say I’m allergic to marriage."

"Is that a thing?"

"It will be today."

Grace let out a quiet sigh.

"I didn’t want to be here either."

Both twins immediately looked at her.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"But you dressed up quite a bit."

Grace slowly rolled her eyes.

An image of her father from that very afternoon appeared in her memory, entering her room without permission and dropping a huge box onto the bed.

"Wear this."

"I’m going to train."

"No, you’re not."

"I am."

"Grace."

"Father."

He had then crossed his arms and remained in front of the door until she finally accepted the dress.

Grace returned to the present with a slightly irritated expression.

"It wasn’t exactly my choice."

Emma smiled.

"Of course."

Grace opened her mouth to answer, but the announcer’s voice crossed the hall before she could.

"Marshal Chysis Valentine."

The movement in the room immediately diminished.

The enormous main doors opened, and Chysis entered the hall with the calm of someone who did not need to prove absolutely anything to anyone.

She had abandoned her usual military uniform for a long, elegant dark formal dress with discreet red details along the sides.

There was no excess of jewelry or ornamentation.

Chysis simply did not need any.

Her presence alone was enough to change the posture of dozens of people at once.

Grace watched her entrance until she realized she had been staring for far too long.

She lowered her voice.

"Master actually made an effort to look pretty."

Emma heard her.

"Was that a compliment?"

"No."

"It sounded like one."

"It wasn’t."

Charlotte smiled.

Grace decided to ignore both of them.

Farther away, in another part of the hall, Leon Valentine had completely different concerns.

He sat among members of his own family branch but barely participated in the conversation.

His eyes remained fixed on the main doors as new guests were announced one after another.

His jaw was tense.

Don’t come.

Another name was announced.

It was not Victor.

Leon relaxed slightly.

That arrogant little shit might simply decide not to show up.

He knew it was unlikely.

After the Ascension Ritual, Victor had become one of the most discussed names among the younger Valentines.

Worse, the amount of strange information surrounding him had only increased since then.

Training with Rakshasa, closeness to General Serafall, Chysis’s recognition, and rumors about abilities Leon still did not fully understand.

Leon drank from his glass.

Just don’t come.

At a table near one of the main columns, Eleonora looked much more comfortable.

She sat with Sable and Silvia, drinking calmly while the two tried to pull details out of her about the intruder captured a few hours earlier.

Silvia leaned forward.

"So?"

Eleonora took another drink.

"So what?"

"Don’t play dumb. The werewolf."

Sable added:

"Did they find out anything?"

Eleonora placed her glass on the table.

"Quite a lot."

Silvia immediately leaned closer.

"And?"

"He came through a route connected to one of the outposts already under investigation."

Sable became more serious.

"You’re sure?"

"He resisted quite a bit, but eventually cooperated."

Silvia looked at her.

"Cooperated?"

Eleonora smiled.

"Eventually."

Sable decided not to ask how.

"And now?"

"They already know where he came from."

Eleonora picked up her glass again.

"They’ll exterminate the infestation soon."

The casual way she said it made Silvia let out a short laugh.

"You make it sound like they’re fumigating a kitchen."

"To me, there isn’t much difference."

Before they could continue, the announcer raised his voice again.

"General Serafall Valentine."

This time, practically the entire hall turned its attention toward the entrance.

Serafall appeared in the perfectly fitted dark dress she had chosen for that night.

The General walked without hurry, greeting only a few people as she crossed the hall.

Her position alone would have been enough to attract attention, but that year there was another reason.

Everyone knew who her son was.

Leon tightened his grip around his glass.

Grace subtly straightened her posture.

Emma noticed.

Charlotte did too.

Neither commented.

The following minutes passed slowly.

Other captains, family heads, ancient nobles, and representatives from different Valentine branches were announced.

The hall became progressively more crowded, and the volume of conversation increased as people began forming small groups.

Then the announcer received another name.

He hesitated for a moment.

Not because he had trouble reading it.

But because he knew perfectly well the impact it would have.

"Victor Valentine... accompanied by Rakshasa."

The entire hall fell silent.

Leon closed his eyes.

Damn it.

Grace immediately turned toward the entrance.

The doors opened.

Victor appeared first, wearing the dark outfit with blue and gold details chosen for him.

The formal cut emphasized the build he had developed over the last few months of training, and his posture held absolutely none of the discomfort he had felt when trying on the clothes for the first time.

But almost no one kept looking only at Victor.

Rakshasa was beside him.

The black dress Victor had chosen hugged her body completely, with a deep slit along one side and a daring neckline that descended through the center of her torso.

Around her neck was the blood jewel Victor had made, glowing in a deep wine-red hue.

Rakshasa walked calmly, holding his arm as though that were the most natural thing in the world.

Whispers started immediately.

"It’s really her."

"Rakshasa?"

"She came with Victor?"

"Are they together?"

"Wasn’t he only her disciple?"

Grace went still.

Emma looked at her.

Then at Rakshasa.

Then back at Grace.

"Oh."

Charlotte murmured:

"This is going to cause trouble."

Grace tightened her fingers against her own leg.

"Shut up."

Victor seemed to completely ignore the looks.

Rakshasa, on the other hand, appeared almost amused by them.

The two had barely advanced a few meters when the announcer spoke again.

And this time, his voice carried far more formality.

"Her Highness, Crown Princess Anette Alucard Tapes."

The hall died.

Anette appeared a few steps behind Victor.

Her long silver hair followed her movements as she crossed the entrance with a calm expression.

She wore clothing worthy of the royal heir, but what truly dominated the hall was her presence.

A red-violet pressure appeared.

It did not explode.

It simply descended.

The air seemed to become dozens of times heavier.

Glasses trembled on the tables, some guests choked, and hundreds of vampires bent their knees almost immediately.

It was not merely fear.

It was blood recognizing blood.

Royalty.

One by one, the guests knelt before Vlad’s heir.

Emma and Charlotte dropped to the floor.

Grace resisted for several seconds before one knee finally touched the marble.

Leon could not even fight it.

Eleonora inclined herself.

Sable and Silvia did the same.

Even several high-class vampires bowed before that presence.

In the middle of the entire hall, however, two people remained standing.

Victor.

And Rakshasa.

The pressure passed through both of them without producing any apparent result.

Victor felt the force strike his blood, attempting to demand a submission that simply did not come.

His body remained straight.

Rakshasa did not even blink.

Victor discreetly turned his face toward her.

Rakshasa understood the silent question.

Should we?

She slowly shook her head.

No.

Victor shrugged.

Anette saw it.

Her steps slowed.

She passed dozens of kneeling vampires without paying attention to any of them until she stopped directly in front of Victor.

The silence became absolute.

Victor finally got a close look at her.

She really was beautiful.

Nearly white hair, pale skin, extremely delicate features, and eyes that did not seem to possess exactly the same color.

There was something strange about her, though.

Her blood felt immense, ancient, and deep, yet incomplete at the same time, as though part of something had been torn away.

Anette was studying him as well.

Especially his blood.

Up close, it was worse.

Far worse.

That sensation she had felt from a distance had not been imagination.

Victor’s entire body seemed to carry a structure she did not recognize.

Anette smiled.

"Hmm..."

Rakshasa narrowed her eyes slightly.

Anette stopped less than a meter away from Victor.

"You are a good man."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

The Princess continued:

"Be mine."

No one breathed.

Serafall went still.

Chysis ran a hand over her face.

Vlad, farther away, slowly closed his eyes.

I told you.

Grace blinked several times.

Leon simply lost any ability to comprehend what was happening.

Rakshasa did not move a muscle, but the emotional temperature around her dropped drastically.

Victor looked Anette up and down.

Beautiful.

Extremely beautiful, actually.

Princess.

Powerful.

Probably problematic as fuck.

He thought for less than two seconds.

"Not interested."

Anette blinked.

Victor took Rakshasa by the arm.

"Let’s go."

Rakshasa allowed herself to be pulled along, and the two simply continued walking toward the tables, passing the Crown Princess as though she had just asked where the kitchen was.

Anette remained standing there.

Her mouth was slightly open.

For the first time since awakening, someone had refused an order from her without arguing, without showing fear, and without even seeming interested in negotiating.

She slowly turned her head and watched Victor walk away with Rakshasa.

"..."

Vlad covered his mouth.

He could not laugh.

Not there.

Anette finally managed to speak, almost in an incredulous whisper:

"He said no?"

Chysis, still kneeling a few meters away, answered without raising her head:

"He did."

Anette kept staring at Victor.

"To me?"

Chysis bit her tongue to keep from laughing.

"To you."

Anette was left open-mouthed once again.