CHAPTER 397: RINA’S LITTLE CONJECTURE

Third Person’s POV

At that, Altheria’s eyes brightened ever so slightly, a small

"Ohh..." slipping from her lips.

Sensing permission to continue, Rina hopped gracefully from the floor and, with a ripple of unnatural magic, her form began to twist.

Shadows gathered around her small body before bursting apart to reveal long limbs and pale skin.

In moments, the bat was gone, replaced by a strikingly beautiful young woman.

She stood tall and busty with her blonde hair forming a ponytail down her back, and her sharp red eyes gleaming behind a pair of thin-framed spectacles.

The tight-fitting black dress she wore accentuated her curves while exuding the formality of a scholar or attendant.

Adjusting her glasses with a practiced motion, she bowed low with both respect and unease.

"My lady," Rina said in a clear, dignified tone now, her voice carrying the weight of restrained worry.

"This matter may not end so simply."

Across from her, Altheria remained curled in her oversized rocking chair that swayed gently as if her world moved at a slower rhythm.

Yet the subtle gleam in her eyes betrayed that her mind was already weaving possibilities from what she had just learned.

"It is said that he dearly loves his sister, and it is partly due to his protection and his deliberate turning a blind eye to her endless shenanigans that she has grown so unbridled and arrogant.

She has already committed countless offenses against her fellow academy peers, including crippling and humiliating many people regardless of their gender.

That evil girl especially bullies and disfigures girls she finds beautiful than her and has a gentle personality.

As a result, many have left the Sanctum altogether, fearful of further retaliation from the siblings outside its walls that could very well turn fatal, as they are aware of the family behind her.

And I think that many are especially fearful that you, my lady, the family head of the Sangrials, and also this academy’s headmaster might be silently backing their actions.

And now, Mister Ethan has done what no one else dared before him.

He has humiliated her in public, and that is something she will not easily forgive.

She will surely run crying to her brother, and if he chooses to answer her plea, then Mister Ethan will undoubtedly be challenged to a duel within the Crimson Kill Tower.

Such a confrontation could very well turn deadly."

After finishing her grave explanation, Rina cast a cautious glance toward the little duchess, who was not only the headmaster of this Sanctum but also a forbidden existence in her own right as she sought even the faintest sign of alarm, or perhaps outrage, on her face.

She had been expecting cold fury or stern disapproval, especially about the fact that siblings might be using her name as a silent intimidation in their horrid activities, but to her shock, she found none of it.

Altheria was nodding slowly to herself, and her lips were curved in a faintly pleased manner, as if savoring the prospect of conflict.

Seeing such a scene, Rina’s scarlet eyes widened in disbelief, but before she could second-guess her own senses, the little duchess spoke in a lazy, yet oddly decisive tone.

"It is not a problem, Rina. You don’t have to worry about Ethan.

This is a fine trial for him.

In fact, it will be good for him. If through this clash he can put those infamous siblings in their place, then all the better."

The words struck Rina like a slap, and she started to reel inwardly from the shock she was feeling.

The little duchess showed not even the faintest shred of favoritism toward the siblings, though they were supposedly her kin by blood due to the same clan they shared.

Instead, she openly placed her faith in Ethan, an outsider of no notable background.

The conclusion in front of her was undeniable, and Rina was now fully sure that in her heart, Altheria clearly valued Ethan more.

A chill prickled down Rina’s spine as a multitude of thoughts swirled in her mind.

’Why? What is it about this boy?’

She did not know Ethan well, nor had she found anything concrete about his origins.

Yet here was the little duchess, a being whom even ancient vampires dared not speak of lightly, showing a level of interest and concern she had never shown for anyone of the Sangrial bloodline who was supposed to be her own family.

Her mind spun, and a daring, dangerous thought wormed its way inside, which she couldn’t suppress, no matter how ridiculous or blasphemous it sounded.

’Could it be... Is that boy her illegitimate son?

Yes... that must be it. What else could explain it?

Why else would an existence of her stature, so aloof and detached from worldly ties, bend even the slightest of her attention toward a boy who appeared from nowhere, most likely an orphan of no lineage, no connections, and no traceable past?’

Rina’s eyes flickered as her conviction grew, and the more she thought about it, the more plausible it became.

That would also explain why all her personal investigations about that boy had yielded nothing but dead ends.

Every root, every record, every trace of his past seemed to have vanished into mist, or to be exact, no trace of it seemed to exist anywhere.

If the boy was tied to this forbidden lady herself, then naturally, all such matters would be hidden beyond reach to someone like her.

The weight of her own realization struck her with a suffocating intensity as her breath quickened, and her hands trembled slightly.

’I think I have stumbled onto a forbidden secret... a truth I was never meant to know.

If my lady ever learns that I have guessed this, how will she react?

Would she silence me for knowing too much?’

A cold sweat ran down her back, and she forced her face into careful neutrality, yet despite her efforts, the flicker of understanding in her eyes could not be entirely concealed.