"She... knew. But she was probably too young at the time to remember, so some methods were needed to find out."
"What methods?"
"Bloodsucking," Marcus said.
"Drinking her blood will allow me to gain her memories."
Draco and the others were shocked.
I never expected vampires to have such methods.
"Then why Veritaserum? Just drink some blood, and you'll understand everything." Draco thought this ability was way too overpowered.
"How terrifying..." Trillian was also scared.
"Doesn't that mean that once someone's blood is sucked, it's like they've been stripped naked? All their shameful and embarrassing deeds, their bad deeds, their hidden malice and good intentions—everything will be crystal clear?"
After hearing what Trillian said,
Hermione felt a chill run down her spine.
Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, Draco used the Summoning Charm to retrieve the Veritaserum from Marcus's hand, put the cork back in, and tucked it into his pocket. He then turned to Hermione and Trillian and said, "Let's go."
The two women nodded.
Draco then teleported them away from the main hall.
Marcus was the only one left in the hall.
The pent-up anger finally erupted.
"Bang!"
Marcus smashed the armrest of the throne with a single punch.
"Damn it... damn it!"
The real key is in their hands, and now they know the other half is with Lucian. Their plans are completely disrupted.
When the group returned to the villa, Michael and Selene looked much better; the weakness they had experienced after the bloodline modification was gradually subsiding.
When Alexander saw them return, he asked:
"How is the situation?"
Trillian said smugly, "With my young master in charge, of course it's all taken care of." As she spoke, she shook the keys in her hand.
Selene glanced at it and asked in confusion:
What's this key for?
"The key to the prison where William is imprisoned. But this is only one of them; the other is with Lucian."
Alexander couldn't believe it. "This is one of the keys to unlock William's prison. Marcus, you just handed it over to him so easily? This isn't like him at all."
Trillian chuckled and said:
"Of course, it took quite a bit of physical force to convince him."
Alexander understood that Draco and his group had used force, but still reminded him, "Although the key to William's prison is gone, it doesn't mean Marcus has given up on the plan."
"Don't worry, he can't cause any real trouble." Trillian waved her hand. "Only Selene knows the location of the prison. Even if he gets both keys, it's useless if he can't find the place."
"Me?" Selene pointed to herself.
She didn't recall knowing the location of any prison.
"Yes, the location is hidden deep within your mind... it's just that you can't access it yourself," Trillian explained.
Alexander pondered, "So that's how it is. The coordinates of the prison are sealed within Selene's bloodline; that is indeed an obstacle. But it can't stop Marcus's ambition."
"So we can't just pin all our hopes on the fact that 'he can't find the place.' Even without Selene, he can still find the place. Because the area is only so big."
"The reason Marcus didn't go to the prison is probably because he couldn't get the key, and Selene is a walking map."
"Yes," Hermione confirmed his statement. " Marcus is just too stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, he won't budge even after a thousand years, and he won't turn back even if he hits a brick wall."
Upon hearing this, Trillian asked curiously, "By the way, do people become more stubborn the longer they live?"
"That's one reason," Draco said.
After all, everyone has their own thoughts and opinions.
"Everyone repeatedly executes according to their own ideas and opinions, and the more they do it, the more they believe in their own views and ideas. It's like someone saying, 'I've eaten more meals than you've walked roads,'"
"If you tell him that doing this is wrong or bad, but it goes against his own beliefs, he won't change."
This shapes how others perceive him: stubborn.
"Of course, I don't know if you think being stubborn is good or bad."
"He's just sticking to his own ideas, what's wrong with that? Conversely, is your idea necessarily right?"
"Does being right necessarily mean we have to listen to you?"
What makes you say he's stubborn?
"Conversely, if you insist on persuading him or forcing him to do something, isn't that behavior also problematic?"
Trillian thought for a moment and then asked, "What if I think the other person is very stubborn and can't accept their own ideas?"
"What can we do?" Draco shrugged.
"He can do his thing, you can do yours, just pretend you don't see it. After all, he thinks it's right, and you think it's right, but you're not on the same page. 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you,' does that mean you can ignore this saying just because you're old?"
"Just like with Marcus, since we didn't choose to kill him, and he still insists on his own ideas, we can only do what we think is right."
Trillian pressed on, "What if the other party is stubborn and tries to impose their ideas on us?"
"If someone insists on applying their methods to you, and you find them acceptable and somewhat reasonable, then go along with them a little. Of course, this is only a little; you'll need to adjust yourself over the process. If you can't accept it, then stay away. Don't listen, don't look, don't think. You say your piece, I'll do mine."
Trillian pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "So, if that's the case, isn't it possible to call it stubbornness to make Marcus do things our way?"
"Exactly. So when someone else is stubborn, if you do the same thing, isn't that also stubbornness? If you insist on making them do something, it's not their stubbornness, it's yours."
"What if we can't avoid it?" Hermione asked.
"If you can't avoid it, then just agree verbally," Draco suggested with a smile. "At least give the other party the illusion that you've compromised and won't confront you."
"When it comes to actual implementation, we should change things as needed. Words are rigid, ideas are rigid, but people are flexible. We shouldn't create a confrontational situation, as that will only cause unpleasantness for both sides and ultimately ruin the whole thing."
Therefore, we can only offer suggestions and provide references, not force them to do something in a certain way.
If you feel very upset if the other person doesn't do what you say, then you need to think about whether there's something wrong with you.