Chapter 41: Yelena Bloodstone (II)
"What do you mean, my dear daughter?" Vaan Bloodstone, the refined middle-aged man in the dining room, asked Yelena with a composed demeanor.
His calm tone betrayed no hint of being perturbed by his daughter's irritated attitude. With a graceful gesture, he brought the crystal goblet to his lips, savoring the rich red wine that was on the table before him.
"Assyria is an E-rank kingdom, on the verge of becoming an F-ranked kingdom!" Yelena said, her very beautiful face currently twisted with anger as she directed her words towards her father.
"The irresponsible crown prince of that backward kingdom has absolutely nothing to offer us or the Bloodstones!" she exclaimed. Yelena crossed her arms and glared at Vaan, her frustration evident in her voice.
"You don't know that yet." Vaan calmly responded, his lips still savoring the taste of the red wine in his crystal goblet.
"How can you even question that? Of course I do!" Yelena's eyes blazed with anger as she immediately refuted Vaan's statement, her voice dripping with fury.
There was a minute of silence, with Yelena's plump chest heaving up and down in anger, creating an intoxicating and erotic sight that would make the males in Bastet City go mad.
"Calm down, Yelena." Vaan said, his voice still as calm as ever.
"What's the number one rule a merchant should never forget?" Vaan asked Yelena, his wise hazel eyes peering deep into his daughter's inexperienced ones. His hazel eyes sent shivers down Yelena's spine, making her feel like she was staring at a profound creature and not her father.
"A merchant should never lose their calm in any situation." Yelena replied gloomily and reluctantly, the rule thoroughly ingrained in her well-being.
"And the second rule?" Vaan asked, his pleasant voice still as serene as ever.
"A merchant should always have an open mind." Yelena replied defiantly.
"Why?" Vaan asked, his voice still incredibly tranquil.
"In order to always prioritize any potential profits," Yelena replied grumpily.
"Good. You still remember my lessons, at least." Vaan remarked offhandedly as he took a bite of tasty meat off the dining table, the crystal goblet no longer in his hand.
"Of course I do." Yelena said, seemingly annoyed that her father would doubt her memory at all.
"If you remember my lessons, you shouldn't be surprised that I'm sending you to visit Assyria." Vaan replied to her, traces of discontent present in his formerly calm voice this time.
"What do your lessons have to do with this?" Yelena asked, visibly frustrated at her father's stubbornness.
"Visha, leave us." Vaan suddenly spoke to Visha, his voice leaving no room for disobedience.
Visha, who had just finished his last plate of meal on the dining table and was looking for a way to leave the tense dining room, could never have been happier at his father's words.
Visha did not wait for his crimson-haired father to repeat his words. Without any hesitation, the young, blue-haired boy stood up and hurriedly made his way towards the grand doors of the very luxurious dining room.
Nonetheless, before he stepped past the wide open doors of the dining room, he did not forget to pay his neccessary respects to his elder sister.
"Hello, Sister Yelena!" The spirited, blue-haired boy greeted his sister innocently.
Yelena's face lit up with a warm smile as she heard Visha's familiar voice. "Hello, Visha!" She replied, her voice filled with affection.
Yelena, although agitated at the moment, managed to put her agitation aside for the time being.
Instead, Yelena gracefully leaned down and pressed a tender and loving kiss on Visha's forehead, gently tapping his cheeks. With a warm smile adorning her stunning and flawless visage, she pulled back, radiating affection.
"I trust you're taking your lessons seriously." Yelena asked affectionately, her voice gentle and encouraging. With a tender smile on her face, she reached out her pale and slender hand to stroke her younger brother's blue hair lovingly.
As she spoke, her voice carried a warm affection that only a sister could have for her brother. None of the earlier disgruntlement could be found in Yelena's voice as she conversed fondly with Visha.
"I'm doing well, Sister Yelena. Master Bai said, I'm a genius!" The young blue-haired boy spoke with infectious excitement, his vibrant blue irises shining brightly with joy as he spoke.
"I see! And what else did Master Bai say?" Yelena asked gently in her affectionate voice.
Vaan Bloodstone watched this interaction with a melancholic smile on his face. Ever since he lost his wife ten years ago during one of their many expeditions to sell their trademark bloodstone gems to a wealthy noble family in a D-rank kingdom, his life had never remained the same.
If it weren't for the existence of his ten-year-old daughter Yelena Bloodstone and his three-year-old son Visha Bloodstone, he would have surely given up on his life.
The days after his wife's death were bleak and dark, and he was eternally grateful for the presence of his children for restoring light back to his bleak life.
"—go train now; I need to converse with my father." Yelena's voice sounded in the luxurious dining room as Vaan finally stopped reminiscing about his bleak days and turned his attention back to his two children.
"Okay!" Visha answered brightly before excitedly hopping out of the luxurious dining room, leaving the two adults to their adult issues.
The moment Visha stepped out of the luxurious dining room, the tense atmosphere subtly returned as the two adults engaged in an intense staring contest.
After staring at themselves for over three minutes, Vaan finally broke the silence, his wise and serene voice reverberating in the luxurious dining room.
"Have a seat, Yelena, or do you plan to stare at me like that the whole time?" Vaan asked, his tranquil voice containing some traces of amusement in it as he spoke.
"Hmph!" Yelena snorted before moving forward, her steps as graceful as a feline, before plopping down on the plush dining chair. She made sure to take the other chair at the end of the table so that she was directly facing her father while she spoke.
"Father, I've asked earlier, and I will ask again." Yelena started to say, her voice solemn.
"What do the lessons you taught me have to do with visiting Assyria?" Yelena asked, her beautiful face betraying her honest confusion.
"As we both know, Assyria was once an affiliated kingdom of the Enoz empire and was doing considerably well."
"However, after that 'tragic' incident, the kingdom faced a steep decline and is now bordering the lines of being an F-rank kingdom."
"What could we hope to achieve by making a visit to Assyria? Absolutely nothing!" Yelena concluded disgruntedly.
Vaan Bloodstone simply shook his head at his daughter's words. Her insight was still limited during cases like this.
"Yelena, what if I told you that the same Assyria recently defeated Sir Nox of the Stone Circle?"
"Would you still think the same way?" Vaan asked, his hazel irises gleaming with wild excitement.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone