My Blood Legacy: Bloodlines

Chapter 118: Rumors? What nonsense.

The enormous outer corridors of the Valentine training area were bustling with activity on that artificial afternoon in vampire territory. Hundreds of cadets circulated among the combat fields, training platforms, and military buildings scattered throughout the central area of ​​the property. The metallic sound of clashing weapons, explosions of blood energy, and shouts of instructors constantly echoed through the environment as a common routine of that place.

Victor walked alone amidst the commotion.

His hands remained in his pockets as he calmly followed the enormous black stone road that led directly to the Lavender Palace, the main building where Eleonora Thorne maintains order over all the Palaces and the Training Area.

He didn’t seem rushed... Nor worried... But the looks around him were different.

Cadets interrupted conversations when they noticed him passing by. Some quickly looked away. Others stared directly at him without even trying to hide their curiosity, disdain, or amusement.

And then the whispers began.

"It’s him..."

"Is that Victor Valentine?"

"It seems much more normal than I expected."

"Normal?" another replied quietly. "I heard he’s been hiding for weeks."

Victor continued walking as if he hadn’t heard anything.

But he was hearing.

Clearly.

His hearing at that point was already too heightened to ignore nearby human and vampiric sounds. Even whispering, those people were practically speaking directly into his ear.

"They say he was isolated by his own mother."

"Because he provoked the Cross Family and then chickened out."

"That makes sense."

"Of course it does. The Cross Family destroys anyone below the great clans."

Victor heard that.

And he started laughing to himself.

Quietly at first.

Then more clearly.

The sound immediately caught the attention of some nearby cadets who looked uncomfortably when they realized he was probably listening to the whole conversation.

But that was precisely the problem.

That was so absurdly idiotic it was almost funny.

Victor continued walking as the laughter slowly subsided.

Fear?

Of the Cross Family?

He literally killed Ethan Cross.

Not just killed him.

He ripped his head off.

He directly challenged the pride of that entire family in public.

Furthermore, he even forced an internal investigation into them after the incident involving human trafficking and illegal experiments.

And now...

Rumors said he was hiding out of fear.

It was truly impressive how quickly rumors spread within vampire society. Especially when influential families began manipulating narratives behind the scenes.

"I heard he won’t even properly participate in the Ritual."

"Of course he will. Edgar Valentine will probably force him."

"Even so... if he had real talent, he wouldn’t be hiding behind his mother."

Victor heard this as he passed a small group of cadets near the main training field. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

None of them dared to speak directly to him while looking him in the eye.

They all expected him to keep walking.

Victor did keep walking.

But then he stopped.

The four cadets froze instantly.

Silence fell over that part of the corridor almost instantly.

Victor turned his face partially toward them.

He didn’t seem angry.

In fact... he seemed genuinely amused.

"You know," he commented calmly as he looked at the group, "I really like the part where they made up that I’m scared."

No one answered.

The four remained as rigid as funerary statues.

Victor let out another small nasal laugh before continuing:

"Especially because Ethan died crying."

Silence.

Heavy.

One of the boys immediately paled.

Another looked away at the same instant.

Victor simply resumed walking as if nothing had happened.

The entire corridor became absurdly silent as he slowly walked away. Because, unlike the rumors...

Many people there remembered exactly how Ethan Cross died.

They remembered the spilled blood.

They remembered the public challenge.

They remembered the forced investigation.

And most importantly...

They remembered that Victor Valentine never tried to verbally defend himself against any rumors.

Which honestly only made things worse.

The whispers returned after he was already far away.

But now they were different.

Lower.

More cautious.

"He heard..."

"Of course he heard..."

"His aura is different."

"Did you feel it too?"

Victor completely ignored the rest of the conversations as he continued walking towards the Lavender Palace.

The enormous building could already be seen in the background, standing out above the military structures of the training area. The dark violet walls shimmered discreetly under the artificial lighting of the territory, while countless Valentine House flags fluttered slowly above the towers.

He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked calmly.

Still smiling slightly.

Because honestly...

The idea of ​​Jake Valentine ever hearing those rumors would probably be far more dangerous than the Cross Family itself.

Victor continued walking through the central corridors of the Lavender Palace as the surrounding activity gradually decreased. Unlike the training area, this part of the Valentine estate was absurdly quiet and organized. The servants circulated discreetly through the enormous corridors without making almost any sound, while vampire guards stood positioned near the main doors like living statues.

The entire atmosphere conveyed that exaggerated aristocratic feeling typical of the Valentine lineage.

Too much luxury.

Too much silence. People too dangerous.

Victor already partially knew the way to Eleonora’s office at that point, so he walked without hesitation through the corridors covered in dark carpets while red crystal chandeliers dimly illuminated the room above him.

Some employees immediately looked away as he passed.

Others seemed nervous.

Probably because of the rumors.

Or perhaps because in that place any direct member of the main family naturally frightened ordinary people.

Victor didn’t care.

He just kept walking until he finally reached the corridor reserved for Eleonora Valentine’s main office.

And immediately noticed something strange.

Calindra was standing in front of the door.

The woman remained motionless, wearing her usual impeccable black uniform, arms crossed while maintaining that serious and tired expression that made it seem like she hated existing socially. But at that specific moment there was something different.

She seemed... tense.

Victor raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That usually means trouble."

Calindra immediately raised a hand before he even got close to the door.

"Don’t come in."

Victor stopped a few steps ahead of her.

"...Okay."

Silence hung for a few seconds.

Then he looked at the enormous double doors behind her.

"Why?"

Calindra closed her eyes for a brief moment, like someone gathering mental strength to explain some extremely irritating situation.

"Lady Eleonora is busy."

Victor nodded slowly.

"With?"

Calindra opened her eyes again.

"...Guests."

Victor immediately noticed the slight delay before the answer.

"...That didn’t answer anything."

She sighed.

It was a genuinely tired sigh.

"Eccentric guests."

Victor was silent for two seconds.

Then he slowly looked at the door again.

Noise was coming from inside.

A lot of noise.

Someone was laughing loudly. Another voice seemed to be shouting something about rare blood.

And somewhere in the background, someone was apparently crying.

Victor slowly turned his face back to Calindra.

"...What kind of eccentric?"

Before Calindra could answer, a male voice exploded from the other side of the door with such force that part of the wood vibrated.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO DENY ME?!"

Another bang echoed inside the room.

"YOU DAMN WHORE, WE ARE THE CROSS FAMILY!"

Victor was silent for a second.

Then he slowly turned his face to Calindra.

"...Let me guess." His gaze grew slightly bored. "They called them because of the rumors about me?"

Calindra didn’t answer immediately.

Which was answer enough.

She let out a small, tired sigh before finally nodding. "Things are bad around here." Her voice was low, professional, but clearly irritated. "Someone spread these rumors too fast. Now it’s become a political snowball."

Victor listened calmly.

"The Cross family is using this as a public narrative," she continued. "They’re saying you provoked Ethan, caused the incident, and then were hidden by your own mother because you panicked."

Victor almost started laughing again.

"They’re profiting at the expense of your honor," Calindra concluded, crossing her arms. "And Lady Eleonora is trying to stop it from getting worse."

Victor looked directly at her.

"...And since when is that a problem?"

Calindra frowned slightly.

Victor simply shrugged.

Honor.

Public image.

Rumors.

It really didn’t mean anything to him.

In the future that no longer existed, the entire Valentine House had turned to ashes. People had died. Clans had vanished. Monsters had emerged. The vampire world had descended into open war.

Compared to that... half a dozen gossipy nobles calling him a coward honestly seemed pathetic.

Victor then placed his hand on the doorknob.

Calindra’s eyes immediately widened.

"W-wait."

She partially grasped his arm.

"Lady Eleonora only wants to protect you—"

Victor simply pushed her aside without actual violence, but firmly enough to break her resistance.

"I like her protection," he commented calmly as he pushed open the double doors. "But I can defend myself."

BOOOOM.

The doors swung open.

The entire office fell silent instantly.

Victor entered.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

The room was exactly as chaotic as the noises suggested.

A destroyed chair lay slumped against the wall.

Part of Eleonora’s main desk had visible cracks.

Two absurdly elegant women observed the situation from a side sofa as if it were live entertainment.

A huge man wearing exaggerated aristocratic clothing stood in the center of the room with a partially released blood aura and a completely furious expression.

And behind him were three members of the Cross Family.

Eleonora remained seated behind the desk, staring directly at Victor now.

Her expression shifted for an instant.

Irritation.

Worry.

Then a slight, silent weariness.

Victor completely ignored the rest of the room as he calmly walked a few steps forward.

Then he looked directly at Eleonora.

"I appreciate your protection, Miss Eleonora..." he commented in an absurdly casual tone given the heavy atmosphere. "But I can defend myself."

The silence grew even worse.

Victor then put his hands in his pockets.

He slowly looked around the room.

Then he asked in the most natural way possible:

"...So."

His red eyes scanned the members of the Cross Family.

"Who are we supposed to kill?"

Absolute silence.