In the clan prison, Catherine sat on an iron bed with a vacant expression, surrounded by elite soldiers armed with loaded guns. Special shackles bound her wrists and ankles, and she had been injected with a suppressant before entering the prison. Weakened from the inside out and lost in anxious uncertainty, she no longer had her arrogant, imperious air.
She found herself remembering the past.
Her stern father, Augustus, her cold older brother, Ment, and her kind younger brother, Luode...
Back then, Ment had broken through to the Transcendent Rank eleven days before her, taking the position of first in line to inherit the family.
Catherine had clearly shown greater talent, but rules were rules. Augustus had nevertheless declared Ment his heir without hesitation.
Catherine was furious. She thought the Royal Court's inheritance law was bullshit, a waste of talent, and she grew dissatisfied with her brother Ment, even coming to hate him.
As those negative emotions piled up in her heart, Catherine became eager for quick results and increasingly impatient.
Finally, one day during cultivation, her intense negative emotions stirred the evil curse lying dormant in her bloodline. Catherine's weak willpower was utterly unable to resist it.
From then on, the curse plagued her, and her life rank remained stuck at the third rank for a full thirty years!
"Aunt!"
The familiar voice interrupted Catherine's memories, and she turned sharply.
Xisi looked at her through the bars, a complicated expression in his eyes and a box of exquisite pastries in his hands.
"These are your favorite rose cakes. Have some!" Xisi said softly.
Catherine struggled to her feet, reached through the bars, and picked up a cake and put it in her mouth. The fragrance of roses filled her mouth, and the familiar taste left her momentarily lost in thought.
"Why did you try to assassinate my older brother?" Xisi asked.
"For you, and for me... Mostly for me!" Catherine said. At that moment, she seemed finally to see herself clearly.
"Farewell, Aunt. I'll always remember you!" Xisi stepped back and bowed, preparing to leave.
Just then, Catherine caught the hem of his clothes and quickly wrote a few words on his palm.
"Go on!" Catherine's face was gentle. "Use this to earn your brother's trust. Cultivate diligently from now on, and stay calm when things happen. Don't be like me. Your aunt is a failure!"
"Mm!" Xisi nodded slightly and clenched his hand tight, then left the prison without looking back.
"Suke? Duoliya? Catherine told you this?"
"Mm. Aunt wrote it on my palm."
"So it was them..." Logo's gaze sharpened.
A person's words were kind when death was near, and Catherine truly had very deep feelings for Xisi. There was a chance she had lied, but it wasn't likely!
Suke Vinador was one of the Campbell Family's four remaining high-rank Transcendent lifeforms and was primarily in charge of the family's finances. The position of family head had been vacant for years, leaving no one above him to rein him in. He had seized the opportunity to embezzle a great deal, and his appetite had only grown.
Unable to plug the hole in the finances, Suke had looked for another way out. He actively sought the favor of Xisi, who had all but secured the position of first in line to inherit, and had flirted with Catherine, giving her plenty of Transcendent resources.
Suke's aim was simple: once Xisi took power, he would pursue Suke's embezzlement less vigorously, or not at all.
But Logo's sudden "second bloodline awakening" had caught Suke off guard.
Catherine had most likely taken the opportunity to recruit the panicked Suke.
Given Suke's character, it was hardly surprising that he had gotten involved.
What surprised Logo was Duoliya.
It was the first time he had seen such a loyal best friend.
Had she really dared to assassinate the Campbell Family's future head for the sake of friendship?
Even if she wasn't afraid of a clan investigation, how would she deal with the Royal Court's inspectors?
Could she have some other plan?
Logo hadn't figured it out yet. He didn't know much about Duoliya.
"Lunbate, gather the information on Doria Russell and bring it to me. Pay attention to the details!"
"Yes, young master!"
Lunbate worked efficiently. In less than an hour, he came over with a communicator.
Logo took the communicator and examined the relevant information Lunbate had compiled.
Relying on his powerful computing ability and ability to distinguish information, Logo quickly pieced together a clue.
In recent years, Duoliya had actively courted the younger members of various families, and in private she had mentioned more than once that the Russell Family aspired to the title of Count of Red Maple.
Could that be the reason?
Logo quickly analyzed it in his mind. If the Russell Family wanted to obtain the title of Count of Red Maple, it would have to win the support of the other families.
The Rengat Family was very close to the Russell Family, so its vote was almost certainly secured.
If he really had been successfully assassinated, Xisi would have become the future family head.
Catherine was close to Xisi and was also in league with Suke. On top of that, she was Augustus's daughter. With all that, she could even sway decisions on important family affairs.
If the Campbell Family sided with the Russell Family under Catherine's influence, Ron Russell's chances of becoming the new Count of Red Maple would increase greatly.
The old count, Herbert, was already 174 years old. A hundred years ago, that would have been nothing; he would still have been in his prime.
But now, the 300-year lifespan of the Gandaya People had been cut in half by the Dawn Empire's curse. Without breaking through to Legendary, they could not extend their lives, let alone that the old count had been addicted to battle in his youth and had suffered countless hidden injuries.
As he aged, his health had worsened by the day. Anyone with eyes could see that Herbert didn't have many years left.
Had the Russell Family sent Duoliya to join forces with Catherine and plot the assassination so they could win over the Campbell Family before the old count died?
After all, unless Duoliya had a screw loose, why would she do such a thing behind the backs of her family's upper ranks?
"The Russell Family..." Logo murmured, a sense of urgency rising in his heart.
Just then, Lunbate's expression suddenly changed.
"Young master, word just came from the prison. Miss Catherine is dead. The cause is unknown, but it looks as though the curse suddenly flared up and took her life."
At those words, Xisi clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead as anger surged through him.
Logo said to himself with a faint smile, "They certainly acted fast."
What bullshit about the curse flaring up? He didn't believe it for a second!
It hadn't flared up earlier or later, but just at this moment?
If Xisi hadn't happened to visit Catherine, Logo might really have been kept in the dark, unaware of the true culprit's identity.
"Young master, what do we do?" Lunbate asked.
"Nothing. Carry on as usual and pretend we don't know anything. It's not time to fall out with the Russell Family yet."
"Understood!"
Lunbate turned and left. After Logo became first in line to inherit the family, all the forces of the direct line had come under his command, but he had been busy studying alchemy, so he had left them all in Lunbate's care.
Lunbate was not to be underestimated. He was an elite talent the Campbell Family had trained from childhood, a third-rank Transcendent who was proficient in many languages and especially skilled at intelligence work. Thorough and meticulous in his work, he was highly valued by Augustus. Otherwise, he would never have been made Logo's personal steward.