Leah tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm. I see I've overlooked another detail."
Everyone turned to stare at her, waiting for an explanation.
"You don't understand," she continued, her tone almost clinical. "Sixty-five years ago, I tried to save a young girl who'd suffered a fatal wound. In my desperation, I used ogre blood, believing its regenerative properties could stabilize her."
She paused, her gaze distant.
"We did save her," she admitted quietly. "But the clash between her natural blood and the ogre's drove her insane. She lost all sense of herself—and she started killing."
A cold hush settled over the room. I studied her expression, wondering if there was any remorse behind her detached recounting.
"So that's what you gave her," the Duke said at last, nodding slowly as if piecing together a long-unsolved puzzle.
"Yes," Leah said evenly. "But that was then. In the decades since, I've learned exactly why the reaction occurred—and more importantly, how to prevent it."
For a moment, I almost felt a grudging respect for her determination. Almost.
The Duke's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "You've continued experimenting after causing that massacre?"
"Of course," she scoffed, lifting her chin. "I'm a scientist. I don't abandon my work because of one setback."
Andreas slammed his palm against the table so hard the wood creaked. "How many have died because of your so-called research?"
He glanced down, surprised the table hadn't splintered. The Duke looked up and caught my eye—and to my amusement, I realized I was smiling.
"Andreas, calm down. Let her continue."
"Thank you, Uwe. That incident occurred because, at the time, I was unaware of how strongly their blood characteristics would clash. Therefore, in order to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, I have altered the characteristics of the blood."
"Oh, like you did with your succubus blood?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Correct."
"Then you took out the aggression of black dragons?" I inquired, uncertain if they had indeed demonstrated such aggression.
"Indeed, had I not intervened, she would have exploded. Or, I think so. Dragon blood is tough to work with." Leah spoke, sighing at the memory.
The Duke's expression hardened. "That still doesn't answer the real problem. How will you keep anyone else from trying to create more fake dragons?"
Leah folded her arms. "We're buying up every drop of black dragon blood we can locate. I've placed a standing bounty on any that turns up in old ruins or private vaults. Once we have it, we destroy it."
"Buy it?" The Duke roared, his fist crashing down on the coffee table with a dull crack. "You expect me to condone funding this madness?"
"Gods, will you stop smashing the furniture every time someone proposes a solution?" I sighed. "Seriously—are we sure this man can handle arranging travel without throwing tantrums?"
He turned a glare on me, his voice low and dangerous. "Are you questioning my leadership?"
"Absolutely," I shot back. "Look at yourself. The moment we present a workable plan, you lose your temper. She's already collected more dragon blood than anyone thought existed."
To prove the point, I flicked my wrist. Four wooden crates materialized on the table with a muffled thump.
Finally getting my control back, I thought, feeling a satisfied grin tug at my lips. Teleporting used to be so much harder.
The Duke leaned over, his eyes narrowing. "What is this?"
Leah didn't bother to look up. "Ren insisted on showing you. These crates hold all the dragon blood I've gathered over the past month. More shipments are still on the way."
He swallowed, voice tight. "How much?"
"Sixty-five vials so far," she replied calmly.
The Duke exhaled through his nose, eyes locked on the crates. "So… you already have most of the supply. Or at least the known stock."
"Yes. I'm negotiating with the remaining fifteen owners as we speak."
He closed his eyes for a moment, shoulders tense. Then he nodded once. "Fine. I'll accept this—for now."
'Right, there is no way he will just let this go for a few crates. At least he doesn't know that she has worked on these vials as well.' I considered taking a quick look at the crates.
A soft knock at the door broke the silence. Nyx stepped inside, her expression as composed as ever, until she realized we all were staring at her in complete silence, making her hesitate for a second before walking forward.
"Ah. I'm finally here," she said evenly, her gaze sweeping the room as if taking quiet stock of each person.
I blinked, realizing with a jolt that I'd forgotten about her entirely.
"Welcome," I said, forcing a polite smile.
Nyx walked forward with measured steps and stopped beside her father, the Duke, who was still glaring at the crates of dragon blood.
"Seems I missed most of the discussion," she observed, her voice as calm as ever. She settled into a chair by the window, her hands folding neatly in her lap.
I thought absently that her voice was really soothing, but the look Selena shot me from across the table suggested she found nothing soothing about this situation.
"Yes, but we've reached a resolution," the Duke said, his tone clipped. He didn't waste time. "Nyx, you don't have any pressing duties these next few months, do you?"
"I don't, Father. Do you require something of me?" Nyx straightened slightly, but for a brief moment, her composure appeared to falter—just enough to suggest that she already suspected what was about to happen.
"You'll be supervising Princess Ren," he announced.
My stomach dropped. "What? Supervision? Again? I don't need a babysitter!"
Ignoring me, Nyx inclined her head with a grave nod. "Understood."
She rose without another word, her expression sliding back to smooth neutrality as she followed the Duke and Chief White out. They didn't so much as glance back.
The door closed behind them with a soft click that somehow felt final.
"Wait, aren't they both generals? How can he just order her to do something like that?" I asked, imagining a kind of loophole and looking at Leah for some hope."
"Ren, there are ranks between generals, too," Leah said, making me click my tongue.
"Ah, well, sh*t." I cursed.
"Sorry, but it is best to have this go smoothly." Leah said, tapping my shoulder.
"I understand, and it's not too bad. We are getting a baby to live with us. Selena, I am also being serious here. You've got to climb out before it's too late." I continued, glancing back at Selena and encouraging her. Although I am unsure of her specific preferences, I do know that she is attracted to girls.
"GRRRRR."
"You know you aren't less of a baby than her, right? And stop teasing Selena like that. She might actually kill you in your sleep." Sara said, shaking her head.
"What are you doing about her climbing out of the closet?" Uwe inquired, eager to stay informed. Uwe inquired, determined not to remain in the dark.
"I'm saying Selena is into girls like me," I said.
"I am not! I like guys and their big muscles, that's for sure!" Selena yelled, storming off.
"See, you're just making her mad by lying like that," Uwe said, looking a bit angry at me.
Smack.
Hearing his words, all of us facepalmed.
"I'm asking again, how the hell did he get married to you two?" I asked, but all I got was a shrug from the two women in question.
"Well, anyway, once that's done, we will be leaving. Sorry for the garden. By the way, we didn't know where to land." Uwe expressed apologies.
"There is a big platform with yellow and red on it. Land there next time." I clarified my explanation to the three, and they nodded in understanding.
"Will do, bye, guys," Uwe said, leaving the room.
"See you guys at dinner tonight," Leah said, leaving as well.
With that, only Sara and I stood awkwardly in the living room, waiting for something to happen.
"You should stop teasing her for a bit," Sara said, breaking the silence.
"I will. Like you said, she might really try and kill me at some point." I replied, shrugging.
"Okay, with that out of the way, let's go find her and leave for the city," Sara said happily, walking in the direction Selena stormed off in.
"She is under the gazebo," I said, not moving.
"Alright, let's walk there," Sara said, ensuring I heard the walk.
"Fine, so what do you know about Nyx White?" I inquired, eager to learn more about our new member of the house.
"Not much is known about her, just some stories about how she became a general," Sara shrugged.
"She looks serious, but I wonder if that's just a mask she has on in front of her father," I said thoughtfully.
"I won't be surprised if Artemis has anything to go off of," Sara said, knowing how casual Artemis can be around us three if we are alone.
"Yeah, I knew she was serious, but today's expression made her totally unprovable."
"Yes, I believe it's more significant, which is why we didn't speak to her in front of the Duke."
"Anyways, where is she going to stay?"
"The room next to Selena," I said, grinning.
"Sigh, thankfully, we told you to make more rooms," Sara said, laughing.
"That's true. Luckily, I also listened to you guys, but we only have 7 rooms, including mine." I expressed my gratitude to those who listened to our ideas for the warehouse.
"You think you should make more?" Sara said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's so you know we can only have so many guests," I said, staring at her.
"Why would I? Never mind, my friends will invite themselves," Sara said, mumbling, remembering how her friends can act sometimes.
"Remember, this is my home, my platform. My rules. If you go too far into the gray, you lose everything, okay?" I said this, looking thoughtfully at her.
"Tsk, there's no need to be so serious," Sara laughed at me.
"I am not. I am just warning you." I replied, shrugging.
"That's being serious."
"There she is."
"Big sister Selena, are you ready to go out?" Sara yelled, running towards Selena, who was sitting in her chair.
"Hmm, so Nyx, are you ready to go out as well?" I asked, glancing sideways as Nyx approached us from the barn.
"Where were we heading?" She asked, standing next to me and looking around with a serious demeanor.
"Well, you don't need to act like a bodyguard," I said, looking at the light white armor under her coat.
"You're the one who looks even more like a bodyguard," Nyx said, pointing at the swords on my waist.
"It's my casual clothes," I said, looking down at myself.
"Is it?" Nyx said, eyeing me.
"Yeah, it's very comfortable," I said, flexing my muscles to demonstrate.
"If you say so," Nyx said, shrugging.
"Okay, guys, we can go," Sara said, cheerfully rejoining us with Selena at her side. However, Selena didn't seem too thrilled about the prospect of going out.