Chapter 126

[Translator - Helga ]

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Chapter 126: Domination (2)

When is the happiest time of day?

If someone asked her that, Catalina Blaga could answer without a moment’s hesitation: right now.

“Mm~”

She stretched as she soaked in a large tub.

The water, set to her exact preferred temperature, had been infused with a special blend of fragrant oils. Just sitting in it melted away the fatigue from her entire body, leaving her skin glowing.

“You may begin.”

At her gesture, the young, handsome men standing beside the tub approached.

They began massaging her body. As she relaxed under their touch, Catalina closed her eyes.

Her face appeared serene—but her mind was far from it. No matter how she turned it over, she couldn’t figure out how to turn Kwon Hanul into her blood bound.

“Should I just pounce on him tonight?”

The thought escaped her lips without her realizing it. The young men paused, startled.

“Oh, pay it no mind. Continue.”

She soothed them gently, and their hands resumed.

Just then—

“Lady Catalina. A call is coming in.”

A servant entered the bath chamber with a phone in hand. Catalina frowned slightly.

“Whoever it is, just hang up.”

She didn’t want anyone ruining her moment of bliss and gave the order without asking who it was.

But the servant didn’t leave.

“I said, hang up.”

“It’s… the Chairman of the Hyukcheon Group.”

Her eyes flew open.

Catalina dismissed the attendants and took a moment to compose herself before accepting the phone.

“Oh my, Chairman. What brings you to call at this hour?”

—Exactly. I don’t enjoy having to hear your voice this late at night.

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Though his words were harsh, Catalina wasn’t surprised—Kwon Seonwoo always talked to her that way.

Still, something felt off. Has he already found out about Kwon Hanul? Or was this about something else?

—Let’s keep this short. I don’t want to waste time on the likes of you.

“Ask me anything. As long as I can answer…”

—Kwon Hanul.

Her smile stiffened.

—You took him, didn’t you?

So he found out.

She’d tried to erase all traces, but it seemed that fooling Hyukcheon’s intelligence unit was impossible.

Still—that was fast. Their agents were good, but pinpointing her family in under a day?

“I’m not sure what you’re implying.”

Even knowing it was pointless, Catalina played dumb.

“The Little Dragon was kidnapped? Where did this happen? How could such a thing—?”

—We found remnants of ancient artifacts at the scene. Every one of them worth a fortune. There’s only one lunatic who’d waste priceless relics just to kidnap someone—and that’s you.

Well, he had a point.

Catalina found herself nodding unconsciously.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. If you suspect me, bring me some proof.”

—I don’t have any.

A smile crept onto her lips.

She’d destroyed the site thoroughly. There was no way he had any evidence.

“My, my… The Chairman of the mighty Hyukcheon Group, accusing me without proof? I know you dislike me, but this is too much.”

She feigned tears. A low laugh rumbled from the other side of the phone.

A guttural, animalistic sound—like a beast growling.

—You think telling me to bring evidence is going to work? Don’t be stupid.

“Oh dear, are you planning to oppress me without even—?”

—Catalina Blaga. I’ll say this only once, so listen closely.

She rolled her eyes. Let me guess—if I don’t return Kwon Hanul, you’ll come after me?

—From this moment, I declare war on the Blaga family.

For a moment, her mind went blank. Even Catalina was taken aback by the absurdity.

“…What?”

—In 12 hours, Hyukcheon will destroy everything the Blaga family owns.

Her lips twitched.

“Declaring war without evidence? The world will turn against you.”

—We’ll crush you first. We can deal with the fallout later.

Ha.

Catalina let out a disbelieving laugh.

“You’re insane.”

—Start digging your grave, you wretched girl.

The call ended abruptly. She stared at the phone and laughed for a long time.

Catalina had lived a long life—and knew the Hyukcheon family fairly well.

“They were crazy, sure… but not this crazy.”

They were maniacs, yes—but rational maniacs.

To declare war without evidence? That wasn’t like them.

Was it because of the True Bloodline?

Or… was it because it was Hanul?

Catalina shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be pondering that.

“…We’ll have to play every card we’ve got.”

The Hyukcheon Group.

A corporate juggernaut that dominated the globe and was called the strongest guild in East Asia.

Some even considered it the most powerful in the world.

To go against them meant Catalina had to be ready to lose everything. Her entire family might be annihilated.

“I should visit our allied families first—”

And then she sensed it.

“…What the—?”

She felt a massive clash of energy in the direction of Kwon Hanul.

No way…

She sprang to her feet, blasting the water off her body with mana. Throwing on a robe, she dashed out.

“Lady Catalina?”

Troy, who had been waiting outside, looked stunned. But there was no time to explain.

Catalina kicked off the ground and ran toward Hanul—on foot.

And when she arrived, she saw it.

Kwon Hanul, standing perfectly fine.

Rabbit, unconscious at his feet.

Catalina glanced between them. It took her a moment to process the situation.

“…Troy.”

Her voice was eerily calm, which made it even more chilling.

“What did I tell you? Didn’t I order you to warn the blood bounds not to touch the Little Dragon?”

Cold sweat ran down Troy’s cheek.

He had plenty of excuses—he didn’t know, Rabbit acted alone, etc.—

But he knew none of them would matter.

Because in the end, Catalina’s orders had been defied.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“…I apologize.”

“You think an apology will fix this?”

Her eyes flared red. The killing intent in her gaze felt like it was peeling Troy’s skin.

“Find the instigator. The accomplices. And those who heard but didn’t report it.”

Troy flinched at the last part.

“Bring them all to me. Now.”

Troy clenched his eyes shut. He didn’t know what punishment awaited—but survival seemed unlikely.

That’s when—

“What’s all this fuss about?”

It was Kwon Hanul, who had stayed silent until now.

Catalina immediately approached.

“Little Dragon, you must be shaken. Are you hurt—?”

“No, I asked you a question.”

He stepped back, creating distance.

“What’s with all this chaos?”

“Well, of course, the blood bounds who attacked you must be punished—”

“Attacked me?”

Hanul looked genuinely puzzled.

“We were just sparring.”

Catalina scowled at the unexpected answer.

“Little Dragon… if they threatened you, you don’t have to worry. I’ll protect—”

“She said she was a Shadow Knight. I asked her myself.”

He nudged Rabbit with his foot.

“Hey. Wake up.”

Rabbit groaned and clutched her head.

“Ow… So unfair. We agreed to spar, but she hit way too hard.”

Then she saw Catalina—and yelped.

“L-Lady Catalina!”

Catalina narrowed her eyes.

“Rabbit… What exactly were you doing with the Little Dragon?”

“He said he wanted to spar for a bit… I’m sorry.”

“Really?”

“Y-Yes?”

She looked genuinely confused. Catalina’s frown deepened.

“Even if you were sparring, causing that kind of disturbance—”

She still couldn’t shake her doubt. But with Hanul himself claiming nothing happened, what could she do?

“…It really was just a sparring match?”

“Told you already.”

Hanul sounded irritated now. Fearing she might provoke him further, Catalina backed down.

“…Fine.”

She had no choice but to retreat.

* * *

“That was close.”

Only after Catalina had left could Kwon Hanul breathe a sigh of relief.

“If I’d asked for the blood bounds to be replaced, that would’ve been bad.”

He hadn’t protected Rabbit and the others out of sympathy.

He had gone to the trouble of dominating them. Losing them now would’ve been a huge setback.

“Rabbit.”

“Yes, sir.”

She bowed low. Usually cheerful and flighty, she now treated Hanul with full deference.

“Investigate the Blaga family’s structure and organization. I want a full report.”

He gave similar instructions to the others.

“The rest of you—pretend you’re still watching me like before. Make it convincing. No one can suspect a thing.”

They all responded affirmatively.

“Then go.”

The blood bounds dispersed. Once they were gone, Hanul examined the new Authority he’d gained.

[Phantom Ring]

Description:

Deceives targets using sound. Though it can’t create large-scale or intense illusions, it can subtly deceive the senses without detection. Effects last a long time.

“Not bad.”

His earlier illusion Authority had been too flashy.

But this one? Perfect for acting covertly within the Blaga family.

No one would know.

That within the Blaga family, a new power was quietly rising.

“A good start.”

A smile crept across Kwon Hanul’s lips.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]