Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 37 Whispers between Father and Daughter
"Under the bloody night, is family affection a disguised warmth, or a chain of fate?"

The candlelight in the Blood Castle flickered slightly in the darkness, and the crimson carpet spread across the obsidian floor, like a long river of blood.

The air was filled with a heavy smell of rust, and the low murmurs of the vampires could be faintly heard, and the whispers like the tide echoed in the corners of the palace.

The Duke stood quietly before the throne, his figure casting a long shadow in the candlelight, and he exuded the majesty of a king with the power of life and death.

However, his gaze did not fall on the vampires who surrendered to him, but stared quietly at Celian.

The silver-haired girl stood in front of him, her eyes still as calm and smiling as before, as if everything was under control.

However, she couldn't ignore the complex emotions that flashed across her father's eyes. It wasn't anger, it wasn't surprise, it was helplessness.

The Duke's voice was low and calm, but there was an imperceptible sigh between his words:

"Daughter...you're so stupid. Couldn't you have hidden it better?"

His words sounded like a rebuke, but also like a sigh.

At that moment, Celia seemed to have returned to her childhood in the human era, playing hide-and-seek in the castle.
Every time I thought I had hidden it well enough, but every time my father found it easily.

"...So, you knew it all along." Celian chuckled, her tone hinting at both teasing and sadness.

The Duke's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a somewhat bitter smile:
"Silly girl, do you think you can hide from me with that little bit of power?"

His eyes were sharp and deep, as if he could see through all her disguises at a glance.

Celia looked at him quietly and said softly, "But I want to come back and take a look."

The Duke's hands slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes were deep and complex, as if he was suppressing some emotion.

He closed his eyes and murmured softly, "Come back? Do you know what you are doing?"

For the first time, his tone revealed an almost human emotion - anxiety, and even a hint of... fear.

The Duke slowly opened his eyes, his gaze changed from gloomy to sharp, and he said in a deep voice: "I have heard rumors about you a long time ago."

He stared at Celian and said slowly, "Some say that the Blood Moon Princess no longer exists. She was hunted by the Mystic and turned into a card."

"Some say your soul has been harvested by outsiders and turned into a sacrifice for a forbidden contract."

"Others say that you are a fragment of fate, buried deep within a mysterious card, waiting to be extracted, used, and devoured."

"Who do you think I should believe?" The Duke's voice was extremely cold.

Celian tilted her head slightly and smiled, "You don't believe any of them?"

The Duke was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly, his smile revealing the danger and gloom unique to vampires.

"Yes, I don't believe any of it." The Duke said slowly, "Because you are still standing here."

His tone suddenly darkened, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "But do you know what I'm really worried about?"

Celia didn't answer, she just looked at her father quietly.

The Duke slowly approached her and whispered, "I'm worried that these rumors will eventually come true."

"Your destiny has been sealed from the moment you were born."

"You are the blood clan's sacrifice, you are the twin princesses' blood food."

"You can escape once, you can escape twice, but do you really think you can escape forever?"

The Duke's eyes became deep, and his tone was low and suppressed:
"I've tried my best to delay it for you. I've tried everything to hide your presence in North Town, to keep you as far away from the Twin Princesses' sight as possible."

"But you insisted on coming back." His voice was low and dangerous, like a growl in the middle of the night.

"You are such a disobedient daughter."

Celian's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile: "Because, I want to take a gamble."

The air weighed heavily on everyone's heart, like an invisible hand strangling their throat.

The candlelight in the Blood Castle flickered slightly, casting a crimson light and shadow on the marble floor.

It was like blood seeping into the cracks in the stone, outlining an ancient and dangerous web.

The Duke narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze wandering between Celian and Siming, a sarcastic smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He slowly glanced at the outsiders present, especially Siming, and said in a low and slow voice: "...Bet?"

His tone was disdainful, as if he was evaluating a ridiculous game, but deep inquiry was hidden in his eyes.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled, his voice cold: "Is it for him?" Siming's fingertips tightened slightly. At that moment, he felt that the Duke's gaze was like a sharp scalpel, trying to cut through his disguise and spy on every detail inside him.

He knew that the Duke was not just testing the waters, he was looking for a certainty - a possibility that could explain the changes in fate.

Celian smiled without saying anything, just raised her hand slightly and pointed at Siming, her expression lazy and determined.

"Father, you have been looking for a way, right?" Her tone was gentle, like a whisper lingering in her ear in the night.

"A method that will allow you to...break the fate of the vampire race."

The Duke's pupils contracted slightly, and at that moment, his breathing even paused imperceptibly.

Celian's fingertips slowly drew an invisible arc in the air, her voice light,
But with an irresistible temptation: "You know, fate has already arrived at this card table."

Her fingers fell on Siming and paused lightly.

The Duke was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled. His laughter was low and cold, full of irony and helplessness, as if he had just heard an innocent joke.

"You mean, him?" The Duke slowly raised his eyes and his gaze fell on Siming with a cold scrutiny.

His eyes were sharp and cruel, like a predator staring at its prey, as if he were observing an uncut stone, a bet whose true value had not yet been revealed.

"Destiny?" He sneered, his voice hoarse.

"I admit that he is indeed more interesting than those mediocre outsiders."

He raised his hand slightly, and a dark red blood mist surged in his palm, twisting in the air and slowly condensing into an ancient rune engraved in blood.

Its shape is constantly changing, as if it carries countless historical secrets, as if one can hear the oaths written in blood just by staring at it.

"But do you think that a mere gambler can break the curse of the vampires?"

Celia didn't answer, but just looked at him quietly, her eyes deep and distant, as if waiting for his next words.

The Duke's smile faded slightly, his eyes becoming deep and cold. He slowly said, "Daughter...you are too naive."

"Destiny is written in blood."

His voice was like cold iron dripping in the dark night, and every word was heavy with weight.

"If you want to break free from the chains of fate, you must pay with blood."

He paused, his tone unhurried, yet with a certain frightening coldness:
"That's why I'm using the blood of outsiders... to buy you time."

Celia's expression froze slightly, her smile remained unchanged, but her pupils shrank almost imperceptibly at that moment.

The Duke's smile was still cold and sinister, and his tone was terrifyingly calm: "I never expected him to save you."

"I just hope you can escape a little longer." His voice was low and cruel, "Even if it's just... a few more years."

Celia's smile faded slightly. At that moment, she finally realized that her father had made the decision from the very beginning.

He never really hoped that Sima Ming could change his fate. He just treated the outsider as a chess piece to delay time, a piece of flesh and blood that could be sacrificed in exchange for her brief respite.

The air seemed to freeze.

Siming's eyes sank slightly, his mind working at high speed. He had realized that the real gamble had just begun.

Celian whispered, "Father... do you really think you can fool them this time?"

The Duke made no reply.

He raised his eyes slightly and looked at the blood moon hanging high in the dome.

The blood-red glow became more and more dazzling, and the pale moon seemed to be slowly seeping in blood, spreading out circle after circle of dark red halos.

A cold whisper quietly emerged in the air, like a ghost lurking in the night, echoing in the darkness.

"We smell the fragrance of blood..."

The voice was soft and strange, as if it came from some unfathomable dimension.

All the vampires' movements stopped in an instant.

Blood Banquet, the whispers of the twin princesses rang out in the darkness.

They are here.

Come on everyone. Thank you for your support.

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(End of this chapter)