Chapter 10: Blood in the Ink

Chapter 10: Blood in the Ink

While my thoughts scrambled to catch up with what was unfolding, the woman suddenly turned toward me.

Her eyes locked onto mine as though she had just become aware of my presence.

Instantly, both she and Gramps Zach stopped speaking.

She crossed her arms, her gaze never leaving me, inspecting me from head to toe with quiet intensity.

I matched her gaze with quiet wariness, maintaining the calm and composed mask I had worn since entering this world.

The woman sat on the sofa opposite Gramps Zach, her posture elegant and composed.

As I studied her more closely, I noticed her striking appearance.

Her long white hair gleamed softly, and her sharp pink eyes radiated intelligence and an underlying authority.

She possessed a calm, mature beauty that was both rare and intimidating.

But why was she staring at me like that?

There was a strange weight in her gaze, as if she were searching for something only she could recognize.

It made me uncomfortable.

I didn’t speak.

I didn’t move.

I simply stood there in silence, pretending to be the quiet, obedient girl I was expected to be.

As the silence stretched, the air in the room became heavy. I sensed tension building with each passing second.

The guards remained stoic, but I caught a flicker of concern in Lynn’s eyes. Even Gramps Zach, who rarely showed emotion, had a faint sheen of sweat along his brow.

He was uneasy. I could feel it.

To keep myself grounded, I closed my eyes briefly and focused on my breathing.

I inhaled slowly, trying to steady the tightness that had crept into my chest.

But just as I began to calm down, the woman’s voice cut through the stillness.

“Incredible. The resemblance… it is flawless. Every detail matches my daughter’s unknown bloodline. What on earth is happening?”

My eyes snapped open.

She stood frozen, hand over her mouth, lost in thought. Her eyes remained fixed on me as tears slowly welled up and slipped down her cheeks.

It wasn’t anger this time. It was tenderness. Longing. Pain. Her expression was filled with something that felt uncomfortably close to affection.

I didn’t know what to think.

Was she seriously mistaking me for someone related to her daughter? That was ridiculous.

Just because our bloodlines might seem similar didn’t mean I was the reincarnation of her child. What kind of conclusion was that?

I stared back at her, confused and guarded.

I kept my act in place. Gramps Zach was still here, and I couldn’t risk slipping up.

For now, pretending to be quiet and cautious was the smartest choice. I could not afford to give them any reason to question me. They were far too powerful, and I was far too vulnerable.

Even if I was overthinking it, I had to trust my instincts. When everything else feels uncertain, your gut is often the only thing you can rely on. So I stayed silent and waited for her to speak again.

She did, and her voice shook as she turned to Gramps Zach.

“Zach… this child has to be one of my daughter’s descendants. She may have died long ago, but her bloodline… it survives.”

Her expression turned sharp again. Cold. She looked at Gramps Zach with narrowed eyes and spoke with chilling certainty.

“Give me parental rights over her. If you refuse, you will regret it.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the room shifted.

A terrifying wave of killing intent erupted from her body.

It exploded outward in a torrent of pressure and sound, shaking the very air. A low hum echoed from every object in the room. The wind howled.

The walls trembled. Even the tiniest particles of matter seemed to vibrate under the weight of her power.

Lynn collapsed to her knees, unable to resist the crushing force. The guards followed, their weapons trembling in their hands. Only Gramps Zach and I remained standing.

But just because I was still on my feet didn’t mean I felt safe.

I quickly realized that I wasn’t affected because she had deliberately excluded me. The pressure had been aimed at everyone else.

That alone gave me a moment of relief, but it didn’t make her any less dangerous.

I watched her carefully, hiding the fear churning inside me. Gramps Zach slowly stood. Though his expression remained calm, the atmosphere shifted.

He raised his hand gently and tapped the air.

A loud crack split the silence.

Time itself seemed to freeze. The oppressive pressure disappeared as if it had never been there. Lynn exhaled sharply, trembling. The guards straightened slowly, visibly shaken.

Gramps Zach’s voice broke the silence, low and composed.

"Let us speak calmly. I knew this would happen, so I came prepared."

He gestured toward a scroll resting beside him.

"The contract is already written. It contains Nerine’s blood."

Hearing that, I froze in confusion.

Blood? What does he mean by that? Where did he even get my blood?

My gaze slowly shifted to the terrifying woman seated across from him.

Her sharp eyes gleamed with relief and quiet delight the moment she saw the scroll, as if it were something sacred and trustworthy.

That alone puzzled me.

Why would beings as powerful as them put their faith in a simple contract? In the world I came from, if such beings existed, they would never bother with agreements.

They could break them whenever it suited them.

More often than not, contracts like these only led to betrayal and bloodshed.

So why did this one feel different?

I stayed quiet and listened closely as they continued.

“You are indeed thoughtful, Zach. Now let me read the details and place my blood on it as well,” she said with a satisfied smile and eagerly began reading the scroll.

Zach nodded and spoke calmly.

"I have already added my blood. You can inspect it without worry."

His confidence only made me more curious.

What exactly was on that scroll that put both of them at ease?

I turned toward Lynn, silently asking for an explanation.

She understood immediately and stepped forward to speak.

“It is understandable that you do not recognize that scroll, Young Miss. It is a relic from the legendary era, a contract scroll. These artifacts were crafted by the nine mythical beings born from natural phenomena. One of them… happens to be your grandfather.”

Hearing that stunned me.

Born from phenomena? I had heard that term before. Just what kind of beings were they? And what made that scroll so powerful that it reassured beings like them?

Noticing my confusion, Lynn continued gently.

"It may sound strange, but that black scroll is incredibly rare. Only a few people in this world have access to it. And the contract it contains is bound by a curse."

Her eyes narrowed, and I tensed at the word.

A curse?

That was an entirely new concept to me when it came to contracts.

With a puzzled expression, I asked softly, trying to keep my voice feminine and composed.

"Lynn... What does it do?"

She looked startled for a moment. Until now, I had only ever nodded or listened silently.

Hearing my voice must have caught her off guard.

But she quickly collected herself and answered.

"If the contract is broken, the curse will erase the soul of any mortal who violates it. And if a spiritual or demonic being breaches the agreement, their core will be destroyed, or their primal ability will be erased."

I stared at her, stunned.

That’s all? You call that a simple contract? That is a death sentence.

If you are human, your soul is erased. If you are a monster or spirit, your core is destroyed. That’s basically the same as stripping away your life.

Realizing I was now part of that contract made my chest tighten with resentment.

Gramps Zach used my blood without even asking. My life was now bound by this scroll, and I had no say in the matter.

They could control me with it.

"Damn it. Being weak is unbearable," I whispered bitterly under my breath.

I understood the danger, but I couldn’t object. Not to people like them. If I voiced my anger now, I would only be digging my own grave. I had to stay calm.

From what Lynn explained, the curse would only activate if someone broke the contract.

As long as I followed the rules, I would be safe. But even so, I needed to read every word carefully to avoid making any mistakes that might be seen as a violation.

Without wasting another moment, I approached the woman holding the scroll.

My voice trembled with uncertainty as I spoke.

"I-Is it alright if I read the contract too?"

She stopped reading and looked up at me, surprised.

My head instinctively lowered from nervousness, but she suddenly reached forward and pulled me into a hug.

Her warmth spread through me, wrapping around my body as she embraced me tightly.

"Of course. As your great ancestor, we will read it together. Sit with me, on my lap."

Great ancestor?

What was she even saying? A shared bloodline didn’t make me her kin, and I certainly wasn’t some reborn version of her daughter.

This woman was delusional and exasperating in the worst way.

Even so, I didn’t argue. I returned her hug, pretending to be touched. Her body flinched slightly in surprise, clearly unprepared for my response.

Then I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist.

"Um... Nerine, right? That’s enough bonding for now. Come sit on my lap and read it with me. Don’t make this old woman uncomfortable," she muttered with a flustered expression.

Her cheeks flushed red, and I could feel her heartbeat quicken.

I almost smacked her butt out of spite for dragging me into this mess, but I held myself back. Instead, I forced a naïve smile, nodded sweetly, and quietly sat on her lap just as she asked.

Unfortunately, it was awkward.

Our bodies were both curvy, and finding a comfortable position was impossible.

Still, she didn’t seem to care. That, more than anything, unsettled me.

Just as I was about to start reading, a stifled laugh echoed from across the room.

"Pff..."

Gramps Zach was holding back laughter, his face twisted in amusement. His eyes were fixed on our awkward posture.

The woman’s face darkened immediately.

"Zach, your laugh is insufferable. Do you think I won’t do anything just because this is not my true body? When I descend in full, I swear I’ll beat you to death for laughing like a fool."

She spoke with calm anger that sent a chill through the room.

But Zach only smiled.

"Szélanya, I wasn’t laughing at you. I was just thinking about something else."

He spoke without the slightest hint of guilt or fear.

Szélanya.

So that’s her name.

I glanced at them, watching their banter.

Were they enemies? Friends? The way they spoke, it was hard to tell.

Their dynamic felt more like old friends locked in a constant power struggle.

But I pushed the thought aside.

I already had what I needed.

Her name.

And now, what truly mattered was the scroll in my hands.

I turned my attention to the contract once more and began reading, my curiosity growing with each word.