Vacuse blinked.
The one who spoke was none other than Zephyr Vorrakyn, the so-called legitimate son of the Dragon.
Drenvar's children are twins, a boy and a girl.
And their characters are as nasty as their father's, but at least Lyra was better. She didn't try to kill Vacuse, fail, and cut his hand from the elbow instead.
Yes, Zephyr Vorrakyn was the one who cut his hand in the previous life during the Blood Heart Rite.
Vacuse frowned. He didn't feel as much anger as he felt when he looked at their father. The Blood Rite is a competition of deaths, and they're expected to kill each other.
Vacuse was simply weaker then. That was why he lost his hand.
But.
Another wave of anger shone in his eyes. It made his eyes light up, and when he smiled, he indeed looked like an animal, a wild one.
A beast.
Zephyr was responsible for catching the sacrifice and pinning them on the magical formation. He was with his father when they betrayed him.
That wasn't fair, and Vacuse would mete his vengeance on the son, same as the father.
He lifted the knife he was using and pointed it straight at Zephyr. The whole table quieted down immediately. What he was doing was inappropriate, but he didn't care, and he loved the shock on Zephyr's face and his mother's.
They turned to Drenvar, but he pretended as if he didn't see what was happening.
Vacuse understood what Drenvar was playing at.
He wanted to use Vacuse as a hook, a bait to make the twins fight harder. Admittedly, the twins were good enough, and even in their past life, they were able to bind A-ranked beasts like their father.
He did the same thing in his previous life, took a bastard girl, then treated her well and let her disrespect his children, thereby creating a competitive environment.
The last time, the girl was the first to die, and she was killed by Lyra.
Vacuse played along with Drenvar. "You spoiled brat, I will deal with you during the rite."
Zephyr's face turned red immediately, and his eyes flashed with anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Vacuse didn't give him the chance.
He turned to their mother and smiled softly. "My Lady, the food is the most delicious."
She smiled back in return, her face warm. "Oh? It's been a while since I've been complimented about the food I bring to the table. It was made by my chef. I will pass the compliment along."
Vacuse drew attention away from Zephyr, and the boy all but began to spew fire from his mouth. Even Lyra stopped eating to look at Vacuse.
Everyone noticed what he did, and they took note. He first behaved like a fool to draw Zephyr into a conflict and then quickly turned attention from him as if he didn't matter.
A cunning beast has joined their table.
Everyone in the room was potentially dangerous, and so was Isolde Vorrakyn. Originally Isolde Vetra from one of the few human noble families.
The Vorrakyn family would marry like that so as not to introduce another beast family into their own.
Maybe that was one of the reasons nobody suspected she was a spy, planted since marriage and holding no love for her husband or children. She was one of the reasons House Vorrakyn fell and what forced Drenvar to use the forbidden technique.
Vacuse nodded and cut his food as it should be in a noble house, with fork and knife. His earlier display was a ruse.
Suddenly, Lyra stopped eating and smiled at him. "Brother, do you know the significance of the food on the Blood Rite day?"
Zephyr whirled on his sister. She was taking the side of the barbarian over him? And calling him brother?
Vacuse looked at her.
Of all the Vorrakyn family members, he was most wary of her because he didn't know what she wanted. She appeared calm and reasonable on the surface, but she was ruthless and scheming.
In the past life, she was all but named the heir of the Vorrakyn. Already, she controlled the surrounding towns, and her spy network was rumored to spread throughout the entire empire.
Vacuse nodded. "It's the mark of what might be the last meal with a family."
She smiled and nodded. "Before, the Blood Rite was opened to all the children of the lords under the Vorrakyn, and so a lot of families usually lost their children."
Vacuse nodded.
Now, the only thing those lords get are incomplete pathways. They could only bind to a rank-A beast.
For the rest of the meal, every other person at the table was quiet as Vacuse and Lyra made small talk.
Only Zephyr glared daggers at Vacuse, seething.
Vacuse smiled at him now and then.
Later in the day, they were taken to the wilderness where the Blood Heart Rite would take place.
Kragthar was at the far edge of the Empire, right at the border and next to the warring barbarians. So, not only does the Vorrakyn have to preserve their family, they have to protect against the invasion of the barbarians.
At least the barbarians are not as aggressive as they were in previous hundreds of years.
Mostly due to the high-level dungeon that spawned between them in the wilderness of the border.
But that just means that the Vorrakyn have to keep fighting the monsters that spilled over.
They have different outposts in the wilderness, and one of the strongest outposts there was one that was created to protect the blood fruits.
The bastards were loaded in large carts that were bigger than the average houses, pulled by Soulbearers that manifested their beasts, Dragonets, E-ranked beasts.
But for Vacuse, he followed Drenvar's family in their fancy carriage that was pulled by majestic flesh-eating horses that ran in the wilderness as if they were wolves.