Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The Constance Family carriage rolled toward the Teleportation Array outside the valley.

In a flash of light, they were transported to the Imperial City.

At this moment, the main streets of the Imperial City were lined with crowds of commoners and Half-beasts. They were held back by soldiers armed with spears and shields, clearing a path for the Nobles’ carriages to pass through freely.

The wheels ground against the neatly paved bluestone road, making a dull, heavy sound.

Just as the carriage entered the streets of the Imperial City, three carriages suddenly sped past them in succession. The horses of the Constance Family were startled, rearing their front legs several times.

Inside the carriage, the family of four lost their balance in the jolting motion.

“Duke, Madam, eldest daughter, second daughter-are you all right?”

The butler’s voice came from outside, explaining in a worried tone, “The carriages of three families sped past without warning, startling our horses. Fortunately, the horses have been brought under control now.”

“Keep going. Don’t waste time here,” the Duke ordered.

The butler acknowledged the command, and the coachman flicked his whip. The carriage continued its journey toward the palace.

“Whose carriages were those?”

In the shock of the moment, Madam Constance had pulled Bartholomew into her arms. Once she regained her footing, she said, “To commit such a crude and rude act in the Imperial City?”

Susanna also recovered from the jolting. Seeing Sister Bartholomew being shielded in Madam Constance’s arms, a dim light flickered in her eyes.

Outside the carriage, the clamor on both sides of the street continued unabated.

The Duke looked out through the hollowed-out window at the receding carriages, his brow furrowed.

“All three were from the Bird Family,” the Duke said grimly.

“Half of the children in the Bird Family are Half-beasts. They’re practically on the verge of decline. Who gave them such audacity…”

Madam Constance murmured, her heavily powdered and glamorous face showing displeasure at the perceived insult.

The Duke frowned and explained in a low voice, “Though they seem to be declining individually, the Bird Family has been gathering families with similar bloodlines over the past few years. Their actual situation isn’t as desperate as it appears to you.”

Beili sat in Madam Constance’s embrace, silently listening to their conversation.

Combining what she had heard and seen during this time, she had gained some understanding of the Noble class in this world.

It was somewhat different from the Mary Sue world depicted in the original book-or rather, it was more realistic.

In this Western fantasy world, the continuation of Noble bloodlines was like opening a blind box.

No one knew if the child born from the union of two Nobles would still possess the Noble bloodline that allowed for a perfect transition between Beast Form and human form.

Perhaps if one parent carried even a trace of Half-beast or commoner blood, their child might unfortunately become an ordinary Half-beast, or even a commoner.

Because of this issue, many families had been demoted directly from the Nobility to become ordinary people.

The royal families of the three kingdoms sent out large numbers of personnel every year to conduct inspections of various families.

If a family under investigation could not produce a single Noble, they would immediately feel the cold ruthlessness and forceful methods of the royalty.

The territories and properties of these families would be reclaimed.

It didn’t matter how vast their previous industries were, or how much they had contributed to the Santos Kingdom.

This was because ordinary people were not qualified to enjoy such resources and wealth.

To solve this problem of bloodline impurity, a portion of the Noble class advocated for internal marriage. However, internal marriage brought about another problem-

It was difficult to conceive, and nine out of ten children were stillborn.

Currently, there was no effective method to resolve the bloodline issue.

No matter which path was taken, it had its drawbacks.
This was why, even after so many years, Nobles remained a scarce breed.

…

“Father, Mother, please don’t be angry… perhaps they have an urgent matter to attend to,”

Susanna spoke softly, breaking the heavy silence.

Hearing her words, the Duke shifted his gaze toward the calm-faced Bartholomew in his wife’s arms. In a low, haunting tone, he continued, “Perhaps someone offended three members of the Bird Family at once, giving them the courage to behave so insolently.”

Understanding the reproach in the Duke’s voice, Beili blinked and silently looked away.

“Osborne, what do you mean by that?”

Madam Constance asked, her expression filled with confusion.

“Bartholomew disfigured three girls from the Bird Family,”

The Duke stated succinctly.

The carriage fell silent for two seconds.

“Oh… Luoluo, is this true?”

Madam Constance asked in disbelief.

“It was at the last tea party.”

Beili slowly straightened her back and explained in a flat, emotionless tone, “Their girls were playing around with me. I accidentally summoned a few butterflies, and I didn’t control my Mana well…”

Madam Constance stared at her in surprise.

However, the surprise in her eyes held no hint of blame; instead, it was a look of pleasant astonishment.

It was as if she were saying: ‘Oh… my precious daughter… is actually this powerful?’

In this world, people did not place a high priority on morality.

It was a world formed by the fusion of two halves: one half consisted of human rules and order, while the other was the innate animal instinct of survival of the fittest, where the strong were revered.

This fusion allowed a delicate harmony to form amidst the chaos between classes, social circles, and nations.

“That’s wonderful, Luoluo, but you must be careful to control your Mana in the future.”

Madam Constance patted the back of Bartholomew’s hand, educating her in a gentle tone:

“It wouldn’t matter if those who died were just the Bird Family’s Half-beasts, but if their few remaining Pure-Bloods were accidentally poisoned to death, the Bird Family’s unreasonable nature would surely lead them to make a scene before His Majesty the King.”

“What would happen if they went to the King?”

Beili lowered her red eyes and asked curiously.

“You would go to Thorn Prison.”

Before Madam Constance could think of how to answer, the Duke blurted it out.

“Osborne, damn it… do not mention Thorn Prison!”

Madam Constance glared at the Duke, her voice cold and sharp.

…

Only then did the Duke remember Bartholomew’s past experiences in Thorn Prison.

Meeting the girl’s indifferent red eyes, a flicker of guilt flashed through his own.

He opened his mouth, and after a moment, he finally said, “Don’t worry, that lot from the Bird Family won’t be able to cause a stir… they truly have fallen into decline.”

“That’s right. Besides, it was just children playing together. How could they be disfigured so easily?”

Hearing the Duke’s words, Madam Constance’s expression finally softened.

“Those Bird Family children even attended classes at Holy Island Academy, while our Luoluo has never even had a magic lesson.”

“Let Mother see your butterflies, Luoluo,”

Madam Constance said to Bartholomew.

Beili hesitated for a moment at the request.

However, considering that the three people in this carriage were her close family and would find out sooner or later, she chose not to hide it.

Raising her hand, she summoned a Morpho Butterfly to her fingertip.

The Morpho Butterfly trailed a wisp of black mist. Its blue-green wings were covered in a thin, transparent layer of powder that only turned black when it was shaken off.