Chapter 263: Dragon-Slaying Sword makes a great engagement gift.

Chysis looked at Grace, who was already standing in the center of the room, trying to lower her own body temperature without letting the ice spread into the surroundings.

"Continue your training. My grandson and I are going to have a little chat."

Grace nodded, although she looked quite uncomfortable. A thin layer of ice was beginning to cover her arms, and she had to control her own energy to prevent her regeneration from completely negating the effects of the training.

"Yes, Master."

"And don’t cheat by creating a heat barrier inside your body."

Grace looked up.

"I hadn’t even thought of that!"

"Now you have."

Victor laughed as Chysis pointed toward a side door, indicating that he should follow her.

The two left the training room, and Chysis closed the door behind them. The corridor on the top floor was practically empty, probably because no one wanted to walk around near a room where Grace was releasing enough freezing energy to turn the place into a blizzard.

Chysis began walking at a leisurely pace.

"So, what did that brat suggest?"

Victor kept pace with her.

"You already know Anette spoke to me?"

"I’m the one who sent the messenger, idiot."

"Ah, right."

Chysis gave him a sidelong glance.

"Knowing Anette, it’s probably something involving the destruction of Vlad’s political power."

Victor grew thoughtful.

"Not exactly."

"No?"

"But I think it might end up having something to do with that."

Chysis raised an eyebrow.

"Now I’m curious."

Victor put his hands in his pockets.

"She asked me to marry her."

Chysis stopped walking.

Victor took another two steps before realizing she’d fallen behind.

He turned his head.

"What?"

Chysis was staring at him with an expression of complete disbelief.

"How can you say something like that so casually?!"

Victor shrugged.

"Well, what did you want me to do?"

"She asked you to marry her!"

"I heard her. I was there."

"Victor!"

"What?"

Chysis brought a hand to her face.

Victor watched her for a few seconds before continuing.

"Besides, I’ve already performed the marriage ritual with Carmilla, Scarlet, and Rowena. So, technically, Anette would be my fourth wife?"

Chysis slowly lowered her hand.

"Is that how you’re counting them?"

"Well, I’m trying to keep track."

"Do you even like her?"

"No."

"Then why are you talking as though you’ve just bought a new sword?!"

Victor let out a small laugh.

"Because the important part isn’t the marriage. It’s what she wants to accomplish with it."

Chysis continued staring at him for a few seconds.

Then she sighed and resumed walking.

"Come into my office. You’re going to tell me this story properly."

Victor nodded and followed her down the corridor.

A short while later, they arrived at a spacious room with a desk near the window, several shelves of documents, and a sofa reserved for small meetings. Unlike Serafall’s office, the place was perfectly organized.

Victor looked around.

"Damn. You should teach my mother how to look after her office."

Chysis closed the door.

"What did she do this time?"

"I could barely see the floor."

"Ah."

Chysis seemed to understand immediately.

"Is she still looking for those records?"

"Looks like it."

"Then it’s going to stay that way for a while longer."

Victor walked over to the sofa and sat down, while Chysis took the armchair across from him.

"Now explain." She crossed her legs. "Why does Anette want to marry you?"

Victor rested an arm along the back of the sofa.

"It’s a fake engagement."

Chysis fell silent.

"She wants to announce that we’re engaged to create news big enough to divert attention from the attack on the palace. The population is worried because a royal property was destroyed during a ball, and that’s made a lot of people start questioning the Capital’s security."

Chysis nodded slowly.

"Go on."

"She thinks an engagement between the Crown Princess and the vampire who saved the guests would be enough to change the subject. The nobles would start discussing the wedding, possible alliances, and my connection to the Crown."

"And while everyone’s looking at you..."

"She gets room to act without so many people paying attention."

Chysis rested her chin on one hand.

"That sounds exactly like her."

Victor nodded.

"That’s what I thought."

"She’s always liked making people look one way while she takes care of something somewhere else."

"Seems so."

Chysis remained silent for a few seconds.

"But you know this could also be a way for her to get closer to you, right?"

Victor grimaced slightly.

"I don’t think so."

"You don’t?"

"No."

Chysis smiled.

"Victor, she could’ve chosen any other important vampire."

"She explained that. My name would attract more attention because of what happened at the ball."

"And you believed her?"

"That part, yes."

Chysis tilted her head slightly.

Victor continued.

"I know when a woman is interested in me."

"Oh, you do?"

"I do."

He pointed at her.

"You, for example."

Chysis stared at his finger.

Then she smiled.

"What about me?"

"You don’t exactly try to hide it."

"Why would I?"

Victor laughed.

"Exactly. Anette doesn’t seem to be trying the same thing. She’s concerned about power, influence, and the state of the Realm. I think that, to her, I’m simply the option that would produce the best results."

Chysis shrugged.

"Everyone has their own way of showing their feelings."

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"Are you trying to convince me she likes me?"

"I’m saying you shouldn’t be so certain that she doesn’t."

"She tried to punch me in the back."

"And then she apologized."

"That’s not exactly romantic."

Chysis laughed.

"I didn’t say it was."

Victor shook his head but decided not to continue that discussion.

"Anyway, I didn’t come here to find out whether Anette likes me."

"What a shame."

"I came to ask what you think of the idea."

Chysis grew a little more serious.

Victor continued.

"I talked to Carmilla and Scarlet. They both think I should refuse because this engagement will put a huge target on my back. Then I talked to my mother and Natasha, and they both think it’s worth accepting."

"So it’s a tie."

"Two to two."

Chysis raised an eyebrow.

"Are you holding a vote on your marriage?"

"On a fake engagement."

"It’s still an engagement."

"I know."

Victor leaned forward slightly.

"I want your opinion. You’ve known Anette much longer than I have, and you understand how the Crown works better than I do. Should I accept or not?"

Chysis answered immediately.

"Accept."

Victor blinked.

"You didn’t even think about it."

"I don’t need to."

"Why?"

"Because you can demand a dowry."

Victor stared at her.

Chysis smiled.

"A very good dowry."

He sighed.

"Did you all plan something together?"

"Who?"

"You, my mother, and Natasha."

"No."

"Because those two said exactly the same thing."

Chysis started laughing.

"So they thought of Vlad’s Vault too?"

Victor closed his eyes for a moment.

"Fuck..."

"HAHAHA!"

Chysis looked quite pleased.

"Of course they did! That collection contains things even I haven’t managed to get my hands on."

Victor looked back at her.

"Natasha said Gram is in there."

Chysis’s smile widened.

"It is."

"The Dragon-Slaying Sword."

"Exactly."

Victor rested his chin on one hand.

"She said it would make a good engagement gift."

"It would make an excellent gift."

Chysis leaned back in her armchair.

"If you manage to get into that vault, I recommend asking for Gram before anything else."

Victor raised an eyebrow.

"Is it really that good?"

"It’s one of the best weapons Vlad possesses."

"And he just keeps it locked away?"

"You know Vlad."

"Fair enough."

Chysis crossed her arms.

"But there’s a problem."

Victor looked at her.

"Of course there is."

"Gram doesn’t accept just anyone."

"A picky sword?"

"Very."

Chysis raised a finger.

"Fafnir’s soul is trapped inside it."

Victor became more attentive.

"Fafnir?"

"The Greedy Dragon Queen."

Victor remained silent as he tried to remember whether he’d ever come across a reference to that name.

Chysis continued.

"Her soul was sealed inside Gram, and the sword hates practically everything and everyone who tries to touch it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a talented warrior, a Blood King, or someone with a powerful bloodline. If Fafnir doesn’t like you, the sword will reject you."

Victor grimaced slightly.

"What a pleasant personality."

"You have no idea."

"And you want me to choose that one?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Chysis smiled.

"Because if you can make Fafnir bow to you and accept you as her wielder, the increase in power will be absurd."

Victor grew thoughtful.

Chysis pointed at him.

"And you seem to have quite an affinity for sealed souls."

Victor looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Carmilla."

"She was sealed, but—"

"Scarlet."

Victor closed his mouth.

"And now that she-wolf inside your ring."

He instinctively looked at his hand.

Chysis continued.

"You have an irritating talent for finding troublesome women, earning their trust, and making them decide to stay by your side."

Victor remained quiet for a few seconds.

Then he laughed.

"When you put it like that, it sounds like I collect sealed souls."

"Don’t you?"

"Not intentionally."

"Great. Then find one more."

Victor looked at the ring again.

Rowena would probably have something extremely unpleasant to say if she found out Chysis had just suggested that he try to earn the trust of another soul trapped inside an artifact.

He preferred not to think too much about it.

"I already have a good sword," Victor commented. "Lilith is practically an extension of my own blood."

"I know."

"So I don’t know whether it’s worth replacing her."

Chysis immediately shook her head.

"You’re comparing two different things."

Victor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Lilith is a blood sword created from your own power. She develops alongside you because she depends on your essence, your ability to control her, and the energies you can use."

Victor nodded.

"Yes."

"Gram doesn’t work like that."

Chysis leaned forward slightly.

"It’s an indestructible sword, bathed in a dragon’s blood. Its structure already exists independently of the power of whoever wields it. You don’t need to keep strengthening the weapon with your own blood so it can withstand a confrontation against someone stronger."

Victor began paying even closer attention.

"Indestructible?"

"Yes."

"Completely?"

"You can try breaking it once you get your hands on it."

Victor smiled.

"Now I’m interested."

"When we’re talking about the quality of the weapon itself, Lilith is useless compared to Gram."

Victor grimaced slightly.

"You don’t have to humiliate my sword."

"I’m serious."

Chysis continued.

"Gram was born to kill. Its destructive capability doesn’t depend solely on its wielder’s energy. The weapon itself possesses monstrous power, and that’s before we even consider Fafnir’s soul."

Victor remained silent for a few seconds.

"So, if I can get Fafnir to accept me, I’d have an indestructible sword with a draconic soul inside it."

"Exactly."

"And I can still use my own power."

"Yes."

Victor rested his forearms on his legs.

That already sounded like a much greater reward than simply obtaining a rare weapon.

But Chysis wasn’t finished.

"There’s another reason I’m recommending Gram."

Victor looked up.

"What is it?"

"Draconic energy."

He fell silent.

Chysis pointed at his chest.

"You recently discovered that you can absorb and manipulate Yggdrasil’s Natural Energy. Your blood not only withstands that energy but seems to accept it naturally."

Victor nodded.

"Rowena said that shouldn’t happen with a vampire."

"And she’s right."

Chysis crossed her legs again.

"But you’re already doing it. So instead of trying to understand everything using only Natural Energy, it might be interesting to find out how your body reacts to another source."

Victor began to understand.

"Fafnir’s energy."

"Yes."

"You think it could come into balance with Natural Energy?"

"Gram’s draconic energy has properties that could combine very well with what you’re already capable of manipulating."

Chysis raised a hand.

"I’m not telling you to absorb everything at once like an idiot."

Victor opened his mouth.

She pointed at him.

"I know how you think."

He closed his mouth.

Chysis continued.

"But if you can gain access to the sword’s energy, you’ll be able to study how your blood reacts to it. Depending on the result, that could help your body adapt better to Yggdrasil’s Energy and allow you to absorb more power without depending exclusively on the amount you can control right now."

Victor remained silent.

Anette’s proposal had started as an unnecessary political problem.

Then it had turned into a possible way to enter Vlad’s Vault.

And now Chysis was telling him that one of the items inside could directly help develop his bloodline.

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Holy shit..."

Chysis smiled.

"Interesting, isn’t it?"

"Very."

Victor thought for a few seconds.

Carmilla and Scarlet were right about the risks. An engagement to Anette would put his name in the spotlight and probably attract the attention of people he’d rather keep far away.

But refusing would also mean giving up an opportunity that might never come again.

He had already decided that he needed to grow stronger.

And Gram could help him do that.

Victor looked up at Chysis.

"All right."

She raised an eyebrow.

"All right what?"

"I’ll accept."

Chysis smiled.

Victor rose from the sofa and straightened his clothes.

"I’ll accept the engagement to Anette."

He let out a small sigh as he imagined Carmilla and Scarlet’s reactions when they found out that his grandmother had broken the tie.

"I’m going to get engaged to the Vampire Princess."

Chysis started laughing.

Victor pointed at her.

"But I’m going to demand access to the vault."

"Of course you are."

"And Gram."

"Especially Gram."

Victor smiled.

"Then I guess I have my answer."