26 Plans for the future

Considering they were already on the topic, Valentina decided to broach the subject of her mother's lineage as well as her own bloodline. She mentioned offhand how her mother's bloodline wasn't actually the griffin, though something stopped her from going so far as to explain that Dahlia might technically be royalty. Instead, she focussed on the story of how Dahlia's bloodline was tied to an ancient, powerful, and totally unknown monster via a contract.

Contrary to her expectations though, she hardly seemed fazed by this point.

"I mean it's a little surprising, but not as much as you might think. I always assumed something was weird considering I didn't inherit the griffin or Burning Lion bloodlines. They were both potent in their own right, so it made no sense to not get either. I assumed there was something suspicious but just never expected it to be quite so… mysterious?"

She gave it another moment of thought before shrugging.

"I'm really curious what my bloodline might be, but it's not like I can figure it out right away. Later down the line I might try to find some materials to help purify my bloodline, but until that happens I really won't have the faintest clue. Right now I just feel like a boring human. There's also the risk that if we look too far into this, it might actually raise suspicion and put a target on my back, so I'd rather not rush into things."

What she said was true. Bloodlines could be manually purified by special rituals or the use of rare materials. Typically more potent bloodlines required extra or specific resources and the same goes for higher purities. An example from Valentina's experience was that she had been born with only 82% vampirism, but after consuming a soul gem from a demi lich, her bloodline responded and skyrocketed by 7% at the time.

Things like this were situationally specific however. If someone else consumed the gem, it could have done nothing or even killed them. Meanwhile, now that she was a higher purity, consuming another would likely only increase her bloodline by a percent or so. The rule of thumb was that bloodline purity development had logarithmic returns.

Dahlia's bloodline at 20% was so low that she may quickly develop it to 50% where some signs of what her bloodline is might be able to be detected, but in the case of Valentina, unless she was particularly lucky in finding materials, it could take a century to get just another 5%. Plenty of older individuals with potent bloodlines dedicated hundreds of years to perfect their bloodline and very rarely were there ways to make shortcuts.

Despite the temptation of power however, Dahlia truly didn't seem all that interested. She asked questions and was intrigued by the concept of having such a powerful origin, but considering how big of a deal this ought to be, she seemed shockingly nonchalant. Valentina was struggling to understand why until she finally explained.

"You see, I knew my bloodline had low purity since I was twelve and I also knew that I had neither of my parents' lineages so… I just decided to ignore it. So even if I increase its purity and it's super strong, my schema won't mesh well with it. I can still gain benefits from my bloodline, don't get me wrong, but it'll be in a much smaller capacity. Other than it being a reason for people to target me, I'd like to just pretend it doesn't exist for the time being."

The Archduchess nodded a bit but was lost in thought. Dahlia may not seem to care, but she was already trying to think of the best materials to bring in order to help her. Even if it wasn't integrated into your magic, bloodlines could increase strength, stamina, resistance to disease and poisons, rate of recovery from injury and more. Most pressingly, plenty of bloodlines increased longevity and, considering she was a vampire, Valentina wanted to help extend her partner's life span as much as possible.

"Right, so I guess I care more about your bloodline than you do. So what now? That leaves you mostly with your schema and aspect to get under control. It makes me wonder what you want to use them for though. I mean no offence, but you don't exactly strike me as a fighter."

Dahlia blushed shyly a little and put on a fake offended expression before breaking into a grin.

"And is there anything wrong with doing magic for magic's sake? My parents always wanted to make sure that my schema was flexible enough to be applied in combat, but I never really wanted to fight. I just like magic theory and never really thought past the stage of getting my magic."

That response really wasn't a surprise. Valentina looked at the girl and there was hardly any muscle on her. Now after reading through the schema, it was clear that Dahlia was much more of a scholar than anything else.

"Well, I certainly won't fault you for enjoying it. It just feels like a waste to not utilise your skillset. Also, this isn't a pressing issue, but down the line if you want to stay here, you'll almost certainly have some combat training and you'll probably pick up a job or something as well."

She looked and saw the girl confused so continued in a slightly placating tone.

"I'm not telling you to work, I'm just suggesting it. Whether I like it or not, I have a ton of work to do constantly so I can't always stay by your side. Events like what happened with Esmé are fairly common too so I may even be gone for days or, gods forbid, weeks. Having something to keep you occupied and give you a sense of purpose would be good for you."

She seemed a little uncertain, but after a moment nodded slowly. 'Good, she needs to be able to accept future events, or else there will be lots of problems early.'

"So, with regards to combat practice, this one isn't optional. I can tell it doesn't appeal to you and I'm sorry, but this is something that everyone in the castle needs at least a minimum of experience with. There are too many monster attacks and assassination attempts for me to feel safe leaving you alone unless you can defend yourself. I'll arrange for a trainer that you can trust, so don't worry, ok?"

Once again, Dahlia gave a slow nod. She really didn't like the idea of fighting, but the idea of being killed off by some random monster on the road or an assassin as they targeted the Archduchess was an even worse thing to think about. She had come to accept her fate and future training, but she wouldn't look forward to it. She let out a dejected sigh and nuzzled close to Valentina.

"Right… so I guess once I heal and recover enough, I'll prioritise your training as well as getting my schema worked out. Obviously I'm more excited for the latter, but if it will make you happy I'll do combat training. Just don't expect too much!"

There were times when Valentina completely forgot that this girl had been treated so poorly. At times like this, as she made a little 'hmph!' like a spoiled child, Valentina was just tempted to pinch her cheeks and tease her to get as many cute reactions as she could. Resisting the urge, she pet Dahlia instead and the girl instantly turned to a satisfied pile of jelly.

"Hmmm, and as for work… I have no clue. I think you're right that a job will let time pass and also give me a sense of purpose, but I never imagined working or anything similar. I just felt like I'd always be locked up. If you have any job ideas let me know. Maybe I could be your maid or secretary?"

The vampiress paused as images flashed in her head before she just chuckled.

"No, as much as having a sexy maid or secretary is deeply appealing to me, there are a few issues with that. First of all, if the purpose of the job is to give you something to stay busy while I'm gone, tying it to my presence is a bad idea. As for the second reason… Sweetheart, I want you to be respected. By both yourself and others. If at all possible, I'd like you to find a position where you don't need to be subservient. I want you to shine like the diamond you are."

That came as a bit of a shock to Dahlia. It may have been mentioned before that Valentina wanted her treated as an equal, but actually imagining that she would have a role to match that was rather daunting. She tried to hide the nervousness from her face, but was clearly failing as the vampiress caressed and soothed her.

"Alright, how about this. You wanted ideas, so I'll give you some that suit you. The most obvious role you could take is the role most spouses typically take in noble households. You could be in charge of managing the castle, controlling finances, etc etc. Now that I know how bright you are, I'm certain you'd do amazingly. Hell, if you did well enough you could start managing the grand duchy itself. Gods know we need someone to take the mantle on that."

Dahlia was back to squirming uncomfortably but Valentina just smiled. It wasn't a surprise that such a massive responsibility would be frightening, but she knew without a doubt that Dahlia could do it and excel. It was to the extent that the Archduchess suspected that Dahlia could revitalise the duchy and bring it back to a golden era all by herself if given the opportunity.

"Alright, while I might actually try to push you towards that job eventually, you don't need to feel pressured to take up that mantle just yet. Let's see… once I officially make you my wife, then that seems suitable~"

A tiny squeak came out of Dahlia at that and her face went about as red as a tomato. She hid her face in Valentina's abs before muffling out an indecipherable amount of gibberish.

"Aww, does my sweetheart feel flustered by that?"

Fervent nods.

"Does that mean you don't like the idea of being my wife?"

A resolute shake of the head.

"Pffhahaha, well that's good at least! Seriously though, you need to not let yourself get flustered so easily. It's so tempting for me to try and make you faint from being flustered alone, and one day I may give into temptation"

The girl's ears were beat red and if she hid her face any tighter against her stomach, she may have left an imprint. Valentina just loved it though. She ran her hand through the girl's silky hair as she tried to consider alternative job options in the short term.

"Well, how about this? You'll be multitasking for a bit with your magic and training anyway, so picking up some smaller jobs wouldn't be too bad. The castle has multiple libraries as well as an arcane repository. I'm not certain how to best integrate you in, but that seems right up your alley. I don't think it'd be too time consuming, but I was also thinking of making you involved with the gardens here. Based on your love of plants, it seems suitable, no?"

Dahlia perked up after hearing both of those. Instead of hiding her still blushing face, she looked up and put on her best begging face that she could while still being blind.

"I'll do it! Both! Getting to be involved in either of those would be amazing, and I'll start as soon as I can!"

Her face basically radiated an unadulterated joy that nearly blinded the vampiress, but it sure did make her smile. Pulling Dahlia away from her abdomen and back face to face, Valentina gave her a long kiss that left the two both grinning ear to ear.

"I'm glad you can be happy here love. I hope you can come to love this place and feel like you belong. I'll be with you all the way, so let's make you love this new life of yours, alright?"

Dahlia kept pecking away at Valentina. Basically any place above the shoulders wasn't safe and she laid little kisses wherever she could as she revelled in delight of her new future.

"Hehe, I really don't think we need to worry about me being discontent~ With the way you treat me, I'm going to get spoiled, you know that?"

Valentina responded with a long and gentle kiss of her own before pulling her in and holding her tight.

"Good, I'd rather cherish you too much rather than too little. Besides, you act like you're doing nothing for me while the reality is that it's been only half a day and I'm already happier than I can ever recall. I think spoiling you a bit is the least I can do."

They both continued to just flirt and enjoy the other's presence. While the day continued and plenty more remained to be worked out eventually, now wasn't the time. Instead they just relaxed, let time pass, and languished in the affection and company of the other.

Things wouldn't always remain peaceful. Valentina was regularly overworked and Dahlia would soon be swamped with her own duties and studies. These were only the issues that were planned for as well. The Archduchess was regularly attacked by political rivals both through overt and discrete means, meaning there was no telling how long they could enjoy each other in such a blissful and relaxing way.

So it was under the understanding that the future could easily be ruthless and cruel, that the two treasured each other until night came and sleep took them while they remained in eachothers arms.