Chapter 67: Fake It ‘Til You’re Nobility
It didn’t take long for the news to spread across Underzen. Within just a few hours, the entire estate was cleaned up, the mess dealt with efficiently as if nothing had happened. The incident had been buried under urgency and silence, and now everything seemed... settled.
Lilian had returned to her clan, though not without leaving behind a new political dilemma for the Baroness to manage. Her return wasn’t the end of things—it was simply the beginning of another storm brewing behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Rose, Trish, and Irsted were still occupied with a new assignment. When Corven had asked Aisha about it, she simply waved it off with a faint smile. "Just a simple task," she’d said—but she didn’t offer any further detail.
And now, Corven found himself seated at a massive stone table perched at the highest peak of the Baroness’s mansion—an architectural marvel that balanced precariously between the upper and lower parts of the city. The view alone screamed power and oversight, as if anyone sitting here could watch the entire city rise or fall with a glance.
A meeting of clan lords was underway.
’This is way too fast for my liking...’
’I expected a smooth integration, not a full blown political meeting...’
Corven thought, slouching slightly as he sat beside the Baroness—who, during the short time that passed, had formally introduced herself as Aisha Thorne Cromwell. The name Thorne echoed again in his mind, unmistakable.
’That name just keeps popping up...’
Around the long table sat vampires of varying strength and influence, both from minor and major clans. Among them were two of the most notable and powerful: Clan Heist and Clan Reduvian—the latter led by Heinrich, a broad-shouldered patriarch with snow-white hair, ghostly pale eyes, and the physique of a battle-hardened warlord. A long scar crossed his left eye, resisting every healing spell or potion, marking it as something beyond mere physical trauma.
The other, seated directly across from him, was cloaked in a hood, his features obscured, and his voice subtly distorted. The patriarch of Clan Heist had never officially revealed his identity, not even once—just like the lorebooks claimed. His presence alone exuded an eerie authority.
"Why did you bring us here?" Heinrich growled, his tone heavy and gravel-like. The irritation in his voice was clear.