Harem System In A fantasy World

Chapter 257: Outrage

“Well,” he said lightly as he brushed a speck of dust that had fallen from the ceiling onto his sleeve, “judging by the state of the castle, I assume I arrived just after something… memorable.”

Lucius huffed quietly.

“I suggest you mind your tongue,” he said, though there was no real bite behind it this time.

Dorian raised his hands slightly in mock surrender before his attention returned to Celeste.

“…You feel different,” he said, his voice lowering slightly

Celeste met his gaze calmly. “I suppose I do,” she replied.

Dorian’s eyes narrowed slightly, and for a brief moment, the room seemed to still as he reached out with his senses, probing just enough to confirm what he was already beginning to suspect.

The reason Dorian’s eyes were an abyssal black colour with no division between pupils, sclera, and iris was not as natural as people assumed. He possessed a special set of pupils that appeared once in a few generations in the vampire bloodline.

They were simply known as the abyss eyes, and while there was nothing too heaven-defying about their abilities, they did grant the one who possessed them a few useful skills.

If there was one person who would probably be able to see the changes in Celeste without needing to be told, it was him.

He peered into her bloodline constitution, and his expression changed.

“Well now…” he muttered.

Lilith smiled faintly at his reaction, clearly enjoying the moment now that she was no longer the only one caught off guard.

“Go on,” she said lightly, “say it.”

Dorian exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly as a small smile formed on his lips.

“You’ve broken through,” he said, looking directly at Celeste now

Celeste gave a small nod.

“I have an Ancestor bloodline now,” she confirmed.

Dorian let out a low whistle.

“That… is not something one hears every day,” he said, though there was a clear note of approval in his voice now, “it seems the academy has been more fruitful than we anticipated.”

Lucius crossed his arms, watching the exchange carefully.

“There is more,” he said bluntly.

Dorian glanced at him. “Oh?”

Lilith chuckled softly.

“There is quite a bit more, actually,” she said, her tone almost teasing now as she glanced at Celeste.

Dorian raised a brow.”…Should I be concerned?”

There was a brief pause.

Then Lucius spoke again. “She is with child.”

Dorian froze.

He glanced at Celeste again and confirmed it.

“…I see,” he said after a moment, though the way he said it made it very clear that he did not, in fact, see at all.

His gaze slowly shifted toward Celeste’s stomach.

“…That is…” he began, but then stopped, clearly reconsidering whatever he had been about to say.

Lilith laughed softly at his reaction.

“Yes, that was more or less our response as well,” she said.

Dorian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his earlier composure returning as he began to piece things together.

“And the father?” he asked.

Lucius’s expression darkened immediately.

“Elion,” he said, the name coming out like something unpleasant on his tongue.

Dorian blinked.

“…Human?”

“Yes.”

“…Ah.”

There was a brief silence.

Dorian walked to sit down, folding his arms as he let out a slow breath.

“Well,” he said after a moment, “this is certainly… complicated.”

“That is one way to put it,” Lilith replied dryly.

Dorian’s gaze returned to Celeste, “And what do you intend to do?” he asked.

Celeste did not hesitate.

“I will proceed with the bloodline trial,” she said calmly.

Lucius frowned slightly at that, clearly about to speak again, but Dorian raised a hand subtly, stopping him before he could interrupt.

“…Even now?” Dorian asked, his tone careful.

“Yes.”

Dorian studied her for a long moment.

Then he nodded.

“I see,” he said quietly.

Dorian leaned back slightly as he folded his arms, his gaze resting on Celeste with a thoughtful look.

While the earlier shock had settled, the situation itself had only grown more complicated the more they spoke about it, and after a moment, he voiced something that Lucius had already been turning over in his mind.

“Well,” he began casually, though there was a subtle seriousness beneath his tone, “since the trial takes place within the mind rather than the physical body, it technically should not affect your body… or the child.”

“But,” he added, tilting his head slightly, “I would not recommend it… just in case.”

He gave her a long look after saying that, studying her expression carefully, before a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“…Though something tells me you are going to do it anyway.”

Celeste nodded grimly.

“Why are you so invested in this?” Dorian continued, his voice more probing now, “Do you truly only wish to aim for the progenitor bloodline… or is there another reason behind this?”

Celeste shook her head.

“I feel like this is an opportunity,” she said calmly, though her eyes carried a quiet intensity, “what are the chances that my bloodline evolves at the exact same time that I am called back to undergo the trial?”

She paused briefly.

“At the same time… I am aware of how desperately we need a bloodline of that level,” she continued, her tone firm, “especially now. It has been so long.”

Her gaze steadied.

“I am hoping… that person can be me.”

Lucius and Lilith exchanged a glance before nodding slowly, their expressions turning serious, because there was truth in her words, a truth they could not deny even if they wished to.

“But… are you sure?” Lilith asked after a moment, her voice softer now, carrying more concern than before, “You can wait until after you give birth, would that not be the safer option?”

Celeste shook her head again.

“No,” she said simply, “who knows what will happen by then.”

She glanced briefly at Lucius.

“Besides… father said the trial does not take long.”

Lilith nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she said, her tone thoughtful, “time flows differently within the trial; it is never the same for any two individuals, for some, only an instant passes in the real world before they awaken, while for others… it may take weeks.”

Celeste nodded in understanding.

She knew the risks.

She was not ignorant of them.

And yet, even she could tell that this was unlike her.

She had always been someone who relied on logic, on calculation, on weighing every outcome before making a decision, and yet now, she felt… compelled.

As if this was her only chance.

As if missing it would be something she could never recover from.

She did not question it further and simply accepted it as her own will.

Unbeknownst to her, that feeling was not entirely her own.

Somewhere far beyond their awareness, a certain powerful entity watched and quietly fed those thoughts into her mind.

…

They spoke for a while longer after that, the discussion slowly shifting from shock and reaction into something more structured, as they began to outline what needed to be done moving forward.

By the time the conversation came to an end, they had reached a decision that all of them, though not entirely at ease, could agree upon. Celeste would undergo the bloodline trial in a week’s time.

It was a compromise of sorts, a balance between urgency and caution.

It would give them enough time to make the necessary preparations, to account for as many unknown variables as they could, while still ensuring that her pregnancy did not advance too far, since none of them truly knew what risks that might introduce.

That uncertainty alone was enough to make them wary.

As far as any of them knew, it was unheard of for a pregnant woman to willingly undergo such a trial, and while it was possible that some might have done so unknowingly in the past, no such cases had ever been recorded in their history, and that lack of precedent only added to the weight of their decision.

Once that matter was settled, Dorian offered to take responsibility for informing the rest of the council, suggesting that it might be more efficient if he handled it on their behalf.

But Lucius declined without hesitation, because this was not something he was willing to delegate, and not something he would allow to be presented as secondhand information.

He made it clear that it was both more proper and more fitting for him, as both king and father, to deliver the news himself.

When the day came, Lucius summoned the elders and explained the matters one by one.

He did not soften the truth in any way, nor did he omit a single detail, because he knew well enough that anything less would only invite more problems later on.

There were ten of them present, excluding Dorian, and Sienna, who was still away, and their reactions unfolded much as one would expect given the circumstances.

When it came to Celeste’s bloodline evolution, they were elated, their excitement barely contained as they processed what it meant for their race, because an ancestor-level bloodline was not something that appeared often, and it signaled strength, stability, and a future that could be secured.

But when the topic shifted to her pregnancy, the mood changed immediately, and what had been excitement turned into outrage among several of them, Oberon and Morgana most of all.

They voiced their displeasure openly, questioning the implications, the timing, and the recklessness of it, though even in their anger, they knew there was little that could be done to undo what had already happened.

In the end, they had no choice but to reluctantly come to terms with it.

And with that acceptance came the inevitable conclusion that the arrangement with the Kletis family would have to be called off, regardless of the political consequences that decision might carry.

Then came the final matter.

Her decision to undergo the bloodline trial regardless of everything else.

And strangely enough, whatever respect they had momentarily lost for her due to the unplanned pregnancy was immediately restored, because that decision reaffirmed her resolve, her ambition, and her willingness to take on the burden of pushing their bloodline even further, possibly even reaching the level of a progenitor, something that had not been seen in millennia.

Still, they did not let the matter of Elion rest so easily.

They made it clear that the young man who had fathered a child with the princess would need to be brought before the council, where he would be evaluated and assessed, not only for his strength and potential, but also for his suitability moving forward.

Depending on what they found, he would either be deemed worthy of becoming the princess’s official husband or reduced to the status of a mere consort.

Lucius agreed to this without much resistance.

With that settled, the matter was closed.

Days passed by quickly, and before long, the day of the trial was upon them.