Chapter 195: A Ceremony in Flames

“I’m nervous, Sis.”

“You’ll be fine, Victoria, don’t worry.”

“But the people are watching.”

“Of course, you’re beautiful but don’t look at them. Just keep your head up and your chest out.”

“Okay.”

The two of us, me and my twin sister, were walking down the large, spacious room, with dozens and dozens of nobles dressed up and sitting in their seats, waiting for the ceremony to begin. A long red carpet lay on the ground, leading to the stage. At the front was our grandpa in awesome-looking armor.

‘I’ll ask him later where he forged this armor.’

To his right was my father, Vladimir, and my mother, Veronica. They had smiles on their faces, yet in their eyes, I could see a shine of pride.

To his left was my aunt Maria and my uncle Alexander. As for their kids, they were sitting in the front row, along with a dozen foreign guests. I can’t say I know who the ruler of the counties or duchies is—I just have basic info Victoria knows better. What was my reaction when I saw them in the flesh for the first time? Well, I had mixed feelings, yet a chill ran down my back seeing them staring at me with smiles or hidden emotions and secret plans. It was… exciting.

The new countess liked to play with swords.

I’m well aware that these stupid nobles can’t fully accept my behavior, which is something I can’t understand. Why should a noble—or anyone for that matter—care if a woman wields a sword? Yet even after six years, the nobles, the church, and most of the commoners still see the idea of a female warrior or knight as disgusting. I hate those old minds and thinking, seriously.

They demanded on multiple occasions that my grandpa either forbid me from holding a sword or replace me with a more suitable candidate, like my own sister, Victoria. My grandpa’s answer was always the same:

“Defeat Morgana in combat, and I’ll give you what you seek.”

Damn, I fucking love this old man. He knows how to solve problems: just use your fists, and the winner is right. To this day, after more than one hundred and fifty duels, I have never lost a single one. Soon enough, the noble pricks stopped asking and began treating me with more respect.

“Congratulations, Lady Morgana, and Lady Victoria.”

“Happy birthday, my ladies.”

Walking down the red carpet, the nobles and the guests had to follow the rules and the customs. They would stand, give us a bow, and say congratulations with fake smiles. However, deep down, they were thinking about something else—maybe trying to find a way to turn this event in their favor and, in the end, their benefit.

‘Ugly bastards.’

“I hate them,” my sister muttered.

“I feel you, Vicky.”

“Sshh,” Mina hissed from behind us, reminding us not to speak. The maid sometimes really forgot her place, but that was my fault. From bathing and sleeping naked together many times—and with naughty activities.

‘Fuck… I’m horny as fuck. When can I have sex?’

The six bloody years were dry years for me. No cocks until I’m an adult. Staying a virgin in this trial for a breeder like me was hell on earth, yet I had to do it for one simple reason: the trial. There was a possibility that I would fail the trial if I lost my virginity. Aunt Maria yelled at me many times to save myself until after I became a countess since I’d undergo a check-up after this ceremony by the best doctors to make sure I was fit to rule.

‘Ugh… fuck the county. I need SEX!’

“Sis, are you okay?” Victoria whispered, squeezing my hand a little and waking me up from my thoughts.

“Yeah… I’m fine,” I whispered back, realizing that we had just walked all the way from the entrance to the center of the room.

The nobles sat down, the curtains closed, and all the lights focused on the stage, where the main personas stood: my grandpa, my parents, my aunt, and my uncle. The five of them stood beside one another, and I quickly noticed the symbol carved on the big wall at the end of the hall. It was the symbol of the dragon, and today that symbol would be engraved on my armor.

“Good morning, everyone,” my grandpa began the opening. His tone was loud yet kind and cheerful. He knew how to talk to people and bring up the mood, something I had to work a lot on to do myself.

“This fine and splendid morning brings us all together to witness the coming of age of my lovely granddaughters and the crowning of the daughter of Lady Veronica and Lord Vladimir, and the descendant of the honorable and wise ancestor, Dracula.”

“…”

‘Grandpa, that man was a crazy asshole.’

“All of the lords here, or their representatives, are free to enjoy our wonderful hospitality, as long as their intentions are noble and not under the sin of malice,” the old man finished with a wide grin, his finger pointing to the five old men sitting in the front row to the left. I guess he was telling them something.

“Why do you bring this in now, old man?” one of the three that came from England said. However, instead of addressing my grandpa or anyone of higher status, he addressed his friend.

“Can’t you just admit that you lost?” another one said with a mocking laugh. He was one of the representatives of some small county in the east.

“Never! You won by cheating,” my grandpa replied, making his grin grow wider, showing his surprisingly white teeth. “We’ll have a rematch after the ceremony. Don’t run away.”

“Bring it on!” the five of them replied, nodding and cheering as the old man’s friends. The entire hall exploded in laughter and cheers. However, as quickly as that, the hall was silenced again by a cough and the wave of my grandpa’s hand.

“Alright, alright.”

“Now, it’s my pleasure to finally introduce you to the new countess,” the old man said. A small smile crept on his face as he turned to look at me with a warm, loving gaze, which made me really happy. Not a lot of people will have their grandpa loving and accepting their decisions and choices. The only ones I know that had such a grandpa are me and my sister.

‘Hugs and kisses for the old man later.’

“Come, come,” my grandpa called me and Vicky to the stage with a wave of his hands.

There was not a single sound, and the looks of everyone were on us. Every pair of eyes was watching, scrutinizing, judging, and studying. I was used to them by now and had no fear because I was confident. More than that, I was sure that there would be no one that could come close to me. I worked too hard to make sure this county was under my grip.

The laws, the religion, the army, the court, the economy, and politics—there were things that even my aunt could never think of or comprehend. The world is an unkind place. The cold, hard fact is that the more one has, the more one has to lose. A kingdom that stands alone falls alone. And those words stayed true to this day. The moment of victory can lead to a false sense of security, which allows others to slip in and cut one’s throat, and the very country that one stood tall on would fall to its doom.

Fortunately for me, I don’t stand alone. My twin sister Victoria was a true monster at managing everything. We came to an agreement: I’ll take military matters, politics, war, and such, while she takes care of internal affairs, the economy, social norms, religion, and people.

“Kneel, both of you,” my grandpa’s voice ordered as he showed me a big box with the symbol of the family crest on its top, along with an image of the dragon.

As my sister and I kneeled, we heard his footsteps going forward and then stopped in between the two of us.

“For Victoria Tepes,” my grandpa began the traditional ceremony for a princess that reached eighteen years old, “do you hereby swear by the name of your forefather, the honor of your family, and the will of God himself that you shall hold these lands and its people, their livelihood and well-being, until your death?”

“I do, Grandpa.”

I smiled hearing the words coming from my sister’s lips. The determination that was shining in her blue eyes and her eagerness was contagious. It brought back so many good memories of just the two of us.

The old man opened the box, revealing a familiar necklace—a gold necklace with a blue diamond in the center, similar to the one my mother gave me six years ago. The old man pulled the necklace from the box and, with slow, gentle movements, put it around my twin’s neck.

“Then I name thee,” my grandpa placed both his hands on top of her head, “Victoria. May you serve the land with honor and glory.”

“Yes, Grandpa,” the small lady answered as she rose with her head held high and a soft, polite smile on her face. “With honor and glory.”

“Now it is your turn, Lady Morgana Tepes, heir to the Dracula line,” Grandpa turned to look at me and took another box from my mom. “For Lady Morgana Tepes, I repeat,” taking out a crimson crown this time and placing it on top of my head, “do you hereby swear by the name of your forefather, the honor of your family, and the name of God himself that you shall hold these lands and its inhabitants and the people’s wealth and well-being until your death?”

I was about to give him an answer when a low, strange noise caught my attention coming from beneath me. Looking down for a second, I was shocked.

“!!!” Living normally for six years made me forget a lot of things. One of them was something that should not exist in this world—not yet at least.

“GET DOWN!” I yelled, wasting no time, jumping forward and pushing my sister, mom, and auntie away while my father, uncle, and grandpa reacted fast enough on their own, rolling to the sides. In the next second:

BOOOOOOOM!

The center of the stage, where my sister and I were kneeling a few seconds ago, exploded in bright crimson flames. The explosion wasn’t a normal one—no, it was a magical one caused by a magical circle that was hidden on the stage floor. A trap designed to target the main and important figures.

“ARH!!! MY HAND, MY HAND!!”

“FUCK, HELP ME!!”

Screams of pain, agony, and cries came from the smoke as the crowd and everyone fell into chaos.

“HAHAHAHAHA,” the voice of a man laughed madly. It wasn’t a scream of panic or one of shock, but one of madness.

“UGH!…” Swiftly jumping to my feet, my eyes scanned through the dense cloud of black smoke and finally located the source.

It was a middle-aged man, dressed in dark robes with a silver dagger in one hand dripping with fresh blood, and a black staff in his other. A body was lying at his feet, likely used as an offering based on the terrible condition of the corpse.

“Who are you?” I shouted. “How dare you set an explosion in the middle of the castle?”

“Hahaha… the end is near, the end is here,” the madman continued laughing. Raising his arms, a channel of magic began forming around the black metal staff.

“Prepare for your end, Tepes family.”

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