The Young Master in the Shadows

Chapter 301: The Diary

Alice held her shaking hand as the elevator door opened. She was planning to go and bring her entourage to hide behind them like she always did, but her stupid brother talked her out of it.

“Let’s go!” Mike told her. “Mother and Father want to see you! “

“Um…” Alice said as she followed her brother into the private floor. Feeling as if she was some kind of goat getting dragged to be butchered.

This place was a presidential luxurious suite meant to accommodate elite members of the family who were traveling in the city. It was now clearly being used by her family before the wedding to relax.

Alice slowly entered the living room where everyone was waiting.

Her father, mother, and a girl whom she guessed must be Lara, her baby sister whom she hadn't seen since she was a toddler... there as another little girl, but she was clearly a maid.

“Alice!” Elena called as she ran to her daughter with tears in her eyes and hugged her. Although she was angry with her, she really missed her.

“Ah … Hi Mom..” Alice said awkwardly as she hugged her mother back. It’s been a few years. and it was all her fault.

“Do you know how much I missed you!” Elena said as she slowly let go and then began checking her daughter who grew up to be a fine lady.

“Sorry…” Alice said awkwardly.

"It's ok..."

“Esteemed sister… I am happy to meet you!” Lara said with a sweet smile as she looked in awe at her amazing big sister.

“Hi, Lara… You have grown up a lot!” Alice said with a smile as she looked at her little sister. She had to confess, Lara looked really pretty. She was wearing a white flowing dress, decorated with floral ornaments. It looked dashing on her.

From the shade of Lara’s hair, Alice could tell that her bloodline was very pure! Wait, why was she getting the strange feeling that she needed to prostrate herself in front of Lara?

Alice checked again… There was nothing... She was definitely imagining things.

“Alice… I am happy that you came to ‘attend’ your brother’s wedding!” Theodore said, at last, making Alice forget her previous thoughts. He was secretly telling her that he was happy that she was here to support Victor in case Caspian came, but he couldn't say it openly in Elena’s presence.

“...It is my duty as his big sister!” Alice said.

“How have you been all these years?” Elena asked.

“I am doing fine… I am still a part of the family you know… Father and Mike check on me all the time…” she said as Mike nodded to his mother.

“I know I know… But I wanted to hear it from you!” Elena said.

“Um… I am fine... “Alice said with a slight blush, she didn’t know how to respond to her mother’s love. She shut her heart a long time ago after feeling despair when even her own father couldn’t help her reject Caspian’s proposal.

“Where is your boyfriend?” Elena suddenly asked, ruining the harmonious atmosphere.

“Ah….” Alice froze. She wanted to refute having a boyfriend but hesitated when she noticed the anticipating look in her mother's and little sister’s eyes.

“Well… I “ Alice hesitated again…. Damn that stinky Victor…

She really didn’t want to disappoint her mother again like what happened a few years ago when she made a mistake and acted as a pervert on the family island. She caused her poor mother to collapse in shock.

No... She couldn’t let that hateful Victor manipulate her!

“The truth is….” she hesitated again as she clenched her fist. “Is… is...”

“Oh... Sis, you are here....” It was Victor who suddenly entered the room and interrupted, “Your boyfriend is late right..” he said casually as if he wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Late?” Elena asked.

"Yes!" Victor said.

“Ah…No…” Alice wanted to refute him.

“What do you mean? Is he here?” Elena asked as she looked around.

Damn it!.

“Not yet, he is on his way! He is a very busy man!” Victor interrupted again, “I made sure to check his background after Alice told me about him, and I think Mother would like him!” he added as Alice bit on her pearly teeth, wishing to whip her stupid brother to oblivion. Where was her whip again? Damn it... Mike made her leave it in the car!

“Just a moment! ” Alice said as she grabbed Victor from his collar like a misbehaving cat. “I want to ask my dearest brother some things about the preparations…” She said as she dragged him out to the balcony.

Elena frowned but said nothing… her family was filled with secrets and she didn’t care.

She just couldn't wait to meet her daughter’s mysterious boyfriend.

…

“What are you playing at?” Alice asked her stupid brother after she firmly closed the balcony door behind her, trapping Victor with no other option but to jump down if he wanted to escape.

“I really got a guy for you… but that bastard hasn't appeared yet…” he said innocently.

“Who allowed you to do that?” she asked coldly.

“... Look, you can scold me all you want, but do you really want to disappoint Mother?” he said.

“Fuck you!” Alice angrily. “Don’t you dare play this game with me!”

“Well… The truth is… I was afraid that Caspian might try to harm you. So I found a perfect man for you… He comes from a big family…” Victor was not technically lying.

“I never asked for help…” she said coldly… her tone was a little warmer though.

“Sis… I don’t want anything to happen to you!” He was honest.

“Caspian is more dangerous than you think… No man can help me…” she stated.

“But… he is handsome and rich…”

“Stop with the nonsense!”

“He belongs to a very powerful family!”

“The more reason I don’t need him! Families are made to stab you in the back!” she said, revealing her wound.

“Ahhh…” Victor was flustered.

“I shouldn’t have come here…” she said as she turned around and left the balcony. She didn’t like getting forced into anything at all!

“Alice, is everything ok?” Elena, who saw her daughter’s disturbed face when she walked back in, asked.

“Ah…. Nothing… I just need to use the lady’s room!” she said as she walked toward the elevator.

“There is a bathroom here….” Elena wanted to say, but Alice was already gone.

…

“Did you anger your sister?” Elena asked Victor coldly as he walked inside a few minutes later. He was taking his time to check on things with the chicks and Yin who were in full alert. Some random demonically possessed agents were found, and they were safely escorted into the second wedding venue.

“Just some disagreement… don’t worry!” Victor absentmindedly told his mother as Mike glared at him.

“Victor…” Theodore suddenly said, “Come with me…”

“What?  Victor asked but like before, he was dragged out helplessly by his father.

...

“What did you give Lara?” Theodore asked directly after closing the balcony's door, like his daughter did earlier.

“A lot of things?” Victor asked. “She had been living with me….”

“Stop joking!” Theodore ordered. He was not a fool, since yesterday, his daughter was like a new person. Elena didn’t feel it, but he did!

Ever since yesterday when Victor was in a hurry to kick them out of his house, he felt that something was wrong, and today, when he met Lara he felt it… When she twirled around in her new dress, he almost shit his pants… It was his bloodline reacting.

“Well…” Victor hesitated. His plan to fool his father was a failure from the start. But he needed to try.

“Well, what?” Theodore asked.

“Lara was training wrong all these years…” Victor said, “I didn’t feel it before, but after my awakening I noticed it!”

“Noticed what?”

“Lara’s bloodline was depleted… The same thing I suffered from…”

“What do you mean?” Theodore didn’t understand.

“Do you remember how I was always feeble and almost failed my ceremony?”

“Yeah…”

“Well. The reason was that the family art was hurting me!” Victor clarified, “My bloodline which was 100% pure couldn't be purified anymore, so when I practiced the family art it caused my blood to burn!”

“Ahh… How did you know that?”

“Oh… When you sent me to that boarding school in Rokan city, I met a wandering doctor there… he took me as his student….. ”

“Stop lying… You were under 24/7 surveillance there… My men were even monitoring your bowel movement…”

“Oh…” Victor didn’t know that.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Well… I can’t tell you… But the thing about my depleted bloodline was true…”

“Do you have proof?” Theodore did ask about the source anymore, but he needed proof of the truth of what Victor told him.

“Lara is the proof…”

“What do you mean?”

Victor hesitated as if he was making a very tough choice. Then he sighed as if he was resigned to his fate.

“I know what our originator's bloodline is… it’s a dragon…” Victor changed the subject.

“We already know it has a draconian origin…”

“It is called an Elder dragon…” Victor said making Theodore pause and wait for his son to continue, this was new. “I found it by chance when I met….”

“Stop lying…”

“I can’t tell you how I know, but what I told you about mine and Lara’s bloodline was true… So I asked my alchemist to create a blood regeneration pill for Lara… I didn’t want her to face a risky ceremony as I did!” Victor said truthfully.

“You made her take it yesterday?” Theodore was not swayed.

“Yes! And you saw the result today!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you would be in trouble if I did…”

“What do you mean?”

“...”

“SPEAK!”

“...”

“...”

“Ok… FINE ….” Victor sighed “In the family vault a while ago. I found a treasure… Something that I should have given to the family, but I chose to keep it for Lara…”

“What?”

“...Our ancestor’s Nickolas's diary… and within it, one of his scales and the recipe for the blood regeneration pill…” Victor lied.

“WHAT!” Theodore asked.

“It was in an obscure corner… When we entered the vault, I may have used the opportunity to make out inside with cousin Rita…”

“WHAT! Even your cousin?” Theodore was shocked again, his son was more of a pervert than e expected... Nah, they were all perverts.

“She is technically my third or fourth cousin...." Victor explained.

"..." Theodore was about to strangle his son.

"Let me continue… Anyway... We bumped into a shelf by accident, and the diary that was hidden under it fell… I quickly hid it in my pants…” Victor lied, “The elder didn’t see it…”

“So that’s how you know about the bloodline!” Theodore exclaimed.

“Um… I made sure to study it cover to cover after that… I couldn't have told you, you are a family elder after all. And under an oath…”

“... I will need that diary…” Theodore said, looking down on the street below.

“Can you give me one more week to check it again?”

“Where is it?” Theodore turned to look at his son.

“In a secure location..”

“Your pants?”

“I am not that stupid…”

“... ONE WEEK then… I want it on my desk after that!” Theodore decided to compromise…

“I understand… But what desk… you have plenty…”

“Don’t try to be funny!” Theodore scolded, this needed to be managed carefully. “What happened to Lara last night then?” Theodore asked softly as he looked through the balcony’s door at Lara who was asking her flustered mother what all the brides would do after the wedding.

“She exceeded my expectations… Although it was a slim chance, she upgraded her bloodline. I don’t know what it is now, but it is definitely some supreme dragon!” Victor said, “ She has gotten so strong that even a steel needle won't pierce her skin, and she has some very high regeneration..”

“WHAT?”

“That’s what I discovered when I tried to take a blood sample!” Victor shrugged. “I wanted to tell you after the wedding, but was worried about your reaction…”

“... It’s fine… But don’t keep secrets like that again!” Theodore warned, “Do you have anything left from that scale?”

“YES!” Victor said, taking out a jade box from his ring, and holding it as if it was a treasure.

Theodore quickly took it and opened it, revealing half a scale inside. The air around it made him shiver. He nodded then pocketed it.

"Now... The blood regeneration pill requires purified or ancestral blood... where did you get it?"

"Oh... so you know about that too..."

"Speak!"

"One of the pages had amazing colored purple blood on it... I figured it was the ancestor's blood, so I made the alchemist extract it and use it in the pill!"

"I see..." Theodore said, "You used all the blood?"

"There is should be a trace left on the opposing page..."

“I see... I will take care of this mess for you!” Theodore told his son, totally unaware that Victor was only giving him scraps…“Don’t tell anyone else about this!” Theodore added.

“Thanks, Father… I understand!” Victor scratched his head with a silly smile just as his phone rang. “Oh, look, my girls are asking for me… I better go,” he said before quickly escaping.

Theodore sighed as he watched him go. Victor was really secretive and scheming. But as a father, he liked this. His son was becoming more and more dependable.

Still… Something about what Victor told him felt wrong… It was a very logical explanation, but still… Something... He couldn’t put his finger on it.

No matter what, he better go to check on his daughter's new abilities before the wedding started.