Chapter 297: The Blood Offering
Aliana’s gaze drifted toward the others who had quietly filed into the chamber, several of whom had not been in the room earlier. Something in her gut warned her not to speak of her abilities in front of an audience, so she offered a calm deflection. "Nothing. I was only curious."
Jade, who was already fully aware of Aliana’s secret, kept her mouth shut. She was having just as difficult a time processing the overwhelming truth behind everything.
Eventually, Jade shifted her gaze toward her own parents, her posture stiffening as she finally found her voice. "I understand why the Vanderbilts felt they had no choice but to continue on this path. But what about you?"
Jade asked because the others present were either close friends or distant relatives who were not bound to the exact same pact as Alester and Portia.
Alec, still visibly angry with Jade, replied sharply. "Even if we are not bound to that specific pact, we made our choices to secure our livelihood."
Jade scoffed. "So you are saying you did it solely out of greed?"
"Jade! How can you accuse us of such a thing when everything we did was to give you a comfortable life? Besides, we are not the kind of cult you encountered on that island," Nina interjected defensively.
"And what is that supposed to mean? Are you telling me you don’t perform human sacrifices? Or feast on them?" Jade retorted, her anger flaring once more.
"No. We only ever..." Nina looked away, her voice dropping as she finished her thought. "We only ever offer our own blood. And whenever a ceremony requires a sacrifice, we use animals."
"Like that makes me feel any better." Jade averted her gaze, unable to look her parents in the eyes any longer.
Staring at them only brought an overwhelming wave of disdain and resentment to her chest. To Jade, what Aliana’s parents did was driven by a tragic lack of choice, a terrible burden carried to prevent their family’s destruction. They were paying the price for an ancestor’s mistake.
But her own parents?
They had chosen a dark shortcut to wealth instead of earning their success through honest work.
"You insolent child!" Alec had had enough of his daughter’s defiance, taking a menacing step toward her as if to discipline her.
Before he could reach her, Alester stepped directly in front of Jade, fixing Alec with a glare so terrifyingly cold it made everyone in the chamber shiver.
"Alec, I understand that you are frustrated, but this is not the way to handle things," Alester told him coldly. "Your daughter is her own person and an adult. Aggression will not solve anything or get your point across. Not to mention, I will not stand by and watch you lay a hand on her."
"Alester, you are stepping out of line. This is between me and my daughter," Alec retorted. "You know there will be consequences if she refuses to follow through."
"Jade may be your daughter by blood, but she is as good as mine as well," Alester shot back, his voice firm. "I have watched her grow into a fierce woman alongside my own daughter, and I dare you to try and stop me from protecting her. Besides, even if there are consequences, you need to explain them calmly and let her make her own choice. She cannot be forced into this."
Alec gritted his teeth in silence while Nina and Portia rushed to their husbands’ sides, whispering urgently for them to calm down and step back.
Jade watched the exchange in stunned silence. Seeing Alester shield her so fiercely warmed her heart, bringing a wave of relief that at least someone was standing up for her with a clear head.
Stepping forward to support her father and de-escalate the tension, Aliana added, "I agree with Dad. Uncle Alec, regardless of blood, Jade is her own individual. She gets to decide whether she wants to be part of your choices. You can either accept that, or know that I will not stand by and watch my best friend be bullied."
Alec’s rage-filled eyes darted between father and daughter.
Bitter as it was, he swallowed his fury, knowing full well the devastating damage the Vanderbilts could inflict on the business empire he had sacrificed everything to build.
When Alec simply looked away, Aliana’s eyes wandered across the chamber before she asked, "So... how do we break this curse? Do I simply offer my blood?"
Alester turned back to her, surprise flashing across his face. "Y-you... you’re willing to offer your blood?"
"After everything you told me... I would have refused only if I didn’t love you both," Aliana replied softly.
Portia immediately broke down in tears. "Oh, Ali!" She reached out to embrace her daughter, but Aliana took a small step back, surprising her mother.
Aliana looked at her parents, her expression sombre. "I understand that what you did for so long was out of a need to survive. But that doesn’t change the fact that those choices were still made. You have to give me time to come to terms with all of this."
She looked away, and both of her parents nodded in quiet understanding.
"Of course, sweetheart," Alester replied softly before addressing her initial question. "To begin, you only need to stand on the central platform, cut your palm with the ceremonial dagger placed beside the basin, and repeat the chant we guide you through. The rest of us will stand along the perimeter and recite the accompanying incantation. Once the entity accepts the offering, the blood in the basin will vanish."
"And that will break the curse?" Aliana asked, meeting her father’s eyes once more.
"To be completely honest, we are not entirely sure how the curse itself will break," Alester admitted. "But by making the offering, we ensure our family remains protected from its deadly toll."
Aliana’s brows furrowed. "If you aren’t sure, then how are we supposed to break it?"
"That is something we will have to figure out together, as we have no past experience to rely on," Alester admitted softly.
Aliana let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Let’s just get this over with. I want to go home after this."
Hearing her refer to the Valentine residence as her home stirred mixed feelings in her parents, but they knew that was the reality of a married daughter.
After instructing everyone to put on their ceremonial robes and take their positions along the perimeter, Alester led Aliana to the central platform where the dark stone basin waited.
Aliana looked down at the basin, her eyes lingering on the obsidian dagger resting beside it, before lifting her gaze to the large crimson banner bearing the sword-like sigil.
Right before they began, she looked over at her father, who had taken his place directly in front of the primary banner.
"Dad," she called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls. "Who is this entity you all offer your blood to?"
Alester met his daughter’s eyes, giving her a reply that made her heart skip a beat.