Chapter 167: Palacios wants to recruit Victor.
Serafall’s palace training field was already a mess before noon.
One of the stone targets was split in half. Two containment pillars bore white burn marks. The floor, which was supposed to regenerate itself after each session, still had not managed to completely erase the black scratches left by Victor’s Black Lightning. In some places, plates of Black Ice remained attached to the edges of the arena, cracked, but resistant.
At the center of it all, Victor was doing upside-down push-ups.
With one hand.
His body was held vertically, supported only by his right palm against the floor. His feet were in the air, aligned above his head, and the muscles of his shoulders, back, and abdomen worked in silence. Sweat ran down his chest, his arms, and the line of his neck. He was shirtless, breathing in a controlled manner, his damp hair falling downward because of the position.
He lowered himself slowly, almost touching the floor with his forehead.
Then rose.
One repetition.
Lowered again.
Rose.
Another.
The exercise, by itself, would already have been difficult. But Victor was also keeping small discharges of Black Lightning circulating through his supporting arm, trying to stabilize his body without letting the energy throw his weight to the side. It was a stupid, dangerous, and probably unnecessary training method.
In other words, perfect for him.
The side door of the training area opened carefully.
One of the palace maids appeared at the entrance. She was a young vampire, wearing a dark uniform, with impeccable posture and the expression of someone who clearly preferred not to interrupt Victor in the middle of anything involving lightning, ice, or sweat.
"Lord Victor?"
Victor remained upside down.
"Speak."
She hesitated.
"I apologize for interrupting your training."
"If it were dangerous to interrupt, the door would have warned you."
The maid glanced quickly at the destroyed targets.
"I understand."
Victor lowered himself once more, then rose.
"What is it?"
"There are three women who wish to speak with you."
He stopped at the top of the push-up.
"Three?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
The maid kept her posture.
"The leaders of the three palaces."
Victor remained silent for a few seconds. Then he bent his elbow, pushed against the floor with force, and spun his body in the air, landing on his feet. Small black sparks vanished around his right hand as he cracked his neck.
"Of course. Because my day was too peaceful."
The maid lowered her head slightly.
"They are waiting in the sitting room."
Victor picked up a towel thrown over a nearby bench and wiped his face, neck, and chest. The vampire tried to keep her expression neutral, but failed the instant he dried the sweat from his abdomen. Her face flushed faintly, and she turned away far too quickly.
"I will inform them that you are on your way."
Victor let out a small laugh.
"You can tell them."
She left almost marching, as if military discipline were enough to erase embarrassment.
Victor looked at the shirt left on a chair.
Thought for a second.
Ignored it.
He took only the towel, threw it over his shoulder, and left the training field without worrying about changing clothes. If three regents had decided to appear together without invitation, they could deal with the sight of a sweaty man.
Serafall’s mansion was silent most of the time, but that silence had its own kind of movement. Servants circulated without making noise, guards pretended not to observe too much, and the magical barriers on the walls reacted to his presence with faint red pulses. Victor crossed the corridors calmly, still feeling his body heavy from training.
When he reached the sitting room, he found the three women.
Silvia Silverblood Valentine sat on the left. She had impeccable posture, refined clothing, and an expression too composed to seem natural. She was the kind of woman who looked as if she had been born ready to turn reports into political weapons. Her light hair was carefully pinned, and her eyes evaluated every detail of the room as if everything could become an argument later.
Sable Nightshade Valentine sat in the center. Her presence was harder. Elegant, but cold, with the air of someone who had already made bad decisions and learned to call them administrative necessity. Victor recognized her immediately. The Crimson Lotus Palace smelled of old corruption, and she carried part of that in the way she looked at him.
Eleonora Thorne Valentine sat on the right.
Unlike the other two, she seemed comfortable. She had a discreet smile on her face, her legs crossed, and a posture far too relaxed for someone seated beside two important regents. Victor knew her. And, unlike with Sable, he did not immediately feel like breaking something when he looked at her.
The three looked at him when he entered.
Silvia kept her expression.
Sable narrowed her eyes for a fraction of a second when she noticed he was shirtless.
Eleonora smiled more.
Victor entered, threw the towel over the back of an armchair, and sat in front of them as if he were receiving casual visitors instead of three palace leaders responsible for recruiting and training vampires for the advanced ranks of the Valentine Family.
"So," he said, resting one arm on the back of the chair. "What do you want, coming together?"
Silvia was the first to speak.
"Victor Valentine, first of all, congratulations on your result in the Ascension Ritual."
"Thank you."
"Despite the unusual circumstances, your ascension has drawn attention from every sector of the Valentine Family. For that reason, we are here to discuss your formal integration."
Victor looked at her.
"My formal integration."
"Yes. After the Ritual, every ascended vampire must choose a palace within House Valentine’s training area. That choice defines the path of formation, responsibilities, internal contacts, and future opportunities. In simple terms, it is like choosing a career within the Family."
Victor listened with a neutral face.
Silvia continued:
"The Palace of Roses is the administrative and strategic center. We deal with reports, formal missions, authorized purges, student proposals, and resource organization. Someone with your newly acquired influence could benefit greatly from a structure like ours."
Victor stared at Silvia for a few seconds.
Then asked:
"Who are you?"
Silvia’s mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Eleonora burst into loud laughter.
She did not try to hide it.
She truly laughed.
"I knew it," she said, covering her mouth with her fingers. "I knew he was going to do that."
Silvia slowly turned her face toward Eleonora.
"You find this funny?"
"I find it very funny."
Victor smiled faintly.
He knew Eleonora.
He knew Sable.
Silvia, he did not.
And that already answered a great deal.
Sable crossed her arms.
"You could at least pretend to be polite."
Victor looked at her.
"I could. But then you would think I care."
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Serafall probably would have told him to behave. Carmilla would have laughed. Scarlet would have watched to decide who to cut first.
Victor merely leaned back a little more.
"Let us make this easier," he said. "I do not care about this shit."
Silvia closed her mouth, recomposing her posture, but her pride had been scratched.
"This choice is not optional."
"That is what my mother said."
"Then you understand its importance."
"I understand that you decided to turn recruitment into ceremony."
He looked at Sable.
"And I do not even know why you came."
Sable went motionless.
Victor continued, without raising his voice:
"After the shit you pulled by locking me in Solitary, the only thing you should bring me is a well-written apology. And perhaps on your knees, depending on my mood."
Silvia looked at Sable.
Eleonora stopped laughing, but the smile remained.
Sable answered coldly:
"The circumstances of that decision were administrative."
Victor laughed through his nose.
"Administrative."
"You were a risk."
"I was convenient to imprison."
"You do not know the entire situation."
"And you do not know the meaning of the word trust." Victor tilted his head. "So let me be very clear: I do not trust a corrupt piece of shit."
Sable tightened her fingers over her own arm, but did not raise her voice.
"Careful, Victor."
"With what?"
The question came out simple.
Sable did not answer immediately.
Victor smiled.
"That is what I thought."
He turned to Silvia.
"You, I do not even know. So it makes no difference."
Silvia held his gaze, now clearly irritated.
"You are dismissing the Palace of Roses without even hearing the complete proposal?"
"Yes."
"That is imprudent."
"Probably."
"And arrogant."
"Certainly."
Eleonora let out another laugh, smaller this time.
Victor finally looked at her.
"And you seem to be enjoying yourself."
"I am," Eleonora said. "Very much."
"Did you come to make a proposal too?"
"Of course."
"Are you going to start with a speech?"
"No. You hate speeches."
"Point for you."
Eleonora rested her elbow on the arm of the chair.
"The Palace of Lavender has Charlotte and Emma. You know both of them. You also know I do not like wasting time with posturing. Lavender works with refined minds, analysis, precision operations, and information control. It is less showy than Roses and less dirty than Crimson Lotus."
Sable looked at her.
"Do you truly want to start this?"
Eleonora smiled.
"I started before entering the room."
Victor liked the answer.
Silvia took a deep breath.
"The Palace of Roses is the main palace of the training area. This choice should not be made based on personal preference or resentment."
Victor looked at her again.
"Of course it should."
"No."
"Yes. I am going to work with someone I do not want to kill at breakfast. That seems like a good criterion."
Eleonora pointed at him.
"It is an excellent criterion."
Silvia ignored her.
"You received the title of Divine Blood Dragon. Your choice will carry political weight. If you act impulsively, you will create problems."
Victor tilted his face to the side.
"Do you think I try to avoid problems?"
Silvia had no answer for a second.
Eleonora answered for her:
"He does not."
Victor pointed at Eleonora.
"She understands me."
Sable finally uncrossed her arms.
"You think Lavender is a safe choice?"
Victor looked at her.
"I did not choose based on safety."
"Then why?"
"Because I am not going to choose you."
Sable fell silent.
Victor turned to Silvia.
"And I am not going to choose someone I do not even know."
Silvia stiffened.
Eleonora smiled as if she had already won before the meeting even began.
Victor looked at the three of them, one by one.
"My choice is obvious if I am obligated."
He finished by looking at Eleonora.
His smile became more satisfied.
"Lavender."
Eleonora held his gaze, pleased, but without celebrating too much. Perhaps because she was intelligent. Perhaps because she knew Victor did not like people turning simple decisions into ceremonies.
Silvia closed her eyes for an instant.
Sable looked at Victor as if recording every word to use later.
Eleonora simply stood.
"Welcome to the Palace of Lavender."
Victor also stood.
"Is there paperwork?"
"There is."
"I already regret it."
"Do not worry. I will send someone to fill out almost everything for you."
"Now I like it."
Silvia stood next.
"You are making a strategic mistake."
Victor picked up the towel from the back of the armchair and wiped his damp hair.
"Maybe."
"You should consider the larger picture."
"I considered it."
"And?"
He looked at Sable, then at Silvia, and finally back at Eleonora.
"I chose the person who did not try to bury me and did not need to introduce herself."
Eleonora laughed softly.
Sable did not like it.
Silvia liked it even less.
Victor opened the sitting room door as if ending the meeting inside his own house.
"Anything else?"
Silvia passed by him with rigid posture.
Sable passed right after, without saying a word.
Eleonora stopped beside him before leaving.
"You know you just gained enemies."
Victor smiled.
"I already had them."
"Now they will act."
"Good. Makes it easier to know who to punch."
Eleonora looked at him for a second, then shook her head with a smile.
"You are going to be trouble."
"That is why you came personally."
"That too."
She left.
Victor closed the door, stood still for a few seconds, and looked at the empty corridor.
Then sighed.
"Choosing a career is shit."
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