"Things have gone out of hand."
Hearing the words, Bianca Romano snapped out of her daze. She glanced to the left, at the old man sitting beside her, and watched as he gently swirled the red wine in his glass, a look of disappointment in his eyes.
"You don’t look too bothered, father." She said.
"Oh I am, sweetheart. I’m even considering going out there to join the fight." Chuckling, the old man then added. "It’s just... well, I’m still having trouble understanding why this is happening."
Giovanni Romano was getting in on the years. White had conquered his hair, and the wrinkles on his face grew deeper with each day. Though his voice still retained some of its vigor, one could still tell he didn’t have much time left.
"You do?" Bianca raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn’t the answer obvious?"
"It is obvious, isn’t it?" bringing the cup to his mouth, the old man took a small sip, closing his eyes as if to enjoy the taste. He stared at the cup for a moment afterward, but his eyes seemed to be focused on something far, far away. "Our enemies have found a path toward much greater power, one that doesn’t follow a specific bloodline. They had long surpassed us, while we continue to decline year after year. The government seems to have forgot everything we did for this country, and now they’re sending their dogs to put us down."
Downing what remained of his cup, Giovanni stared at the empty glass for a few seconds then raised it by his side. Maria, one of Bianca’s maids, stepped forward and tipped the head of a wine bottle, refilling the glass.
Bianca stared at him for a moment then turned to the rest of the hall. Her wedding reception had taken a change for the worse, and though they were keeping a calm facade, the tension spreading among the guests was growing noticeable.
Guests from the Romano side were mostly part of the family, with a few business partners. Those invited by the Stahlwölfes, on the other hand, seemed much more clean. Well, clean as in not directly involved in the underworld. Few knew about the raid beforehand, and those who did still chose to attend, willingly turning themselves into hostages.
Unfortunately, whoever ordered the raid cared more about their objective than the lives of all the wealthy business leaders, investors, and celebrities. Even if they manage to get out of this mess unharmed, the incident was bound to cause a huge uproar, and the Radmir Union as a whole would undoubtedly face some turbulent times going forward.
Looking down at herself and the white gown she wore for the occasion, Bianca heaved a sigh.
"It’s because we are a threat, but one that’s easily managed." She said.
Giovanni lowered his cup and gave her a glance. Keeping her gaze ahead, the white lady continued.
"I’m not faulting you. This has been a problem for centuries now, but no one made a move to remedy it. Your predecessors grew complacent, thinking the bloodline would continue to survive indiscreetly. The rise of Cyborgs should have been your first warning, but you changed nothing. And here we are."
Her voice had a chilling quality to it, an indifference so strong it erased the bonds that should have tied her to the rest of them. Giovanni’s eyes parted, widening ever so slightly. The red spreading through his face spoke of his rising anger, but his daughter didn’t as much as react, continuing to speak with no consideration for who heard her words.
"The Romanos still stand strong despite many others falling over the years. Even now, we can still claim to be one of the most powerful factions in the world, but that won’t be for long." Pausing, Bianca turned to look at her father. "The reason we’re being attacked, why our enemies decided to take us down, is because they can. And who let them get to that point?"
"Girl," bringing his brows together as he glared, Giovanni clenched his hand, breaking the wine glass he was holding. "You better watch your words."
"Or what? You’ll marry me off to some mundane man?" She scoffed. "Just so you are aware, I know all about what you were working on with the Stahlwölfes. The concept would have worked twenty years ago, but in an era of Level 6 genomes, It won’t amount to anything."
"Why you-" Shaking with anger, the old man spoke between gritted teeth. "You don’t know anything! You don’t know what it took to maintain our heritage."
"And your heritage won’t be worth much very soon." Ignoring the steam rising from her father’s head, Bianca got up from her seat. "I’m sure you have heard the news, but they only sent a bunch of B list heroes to deal with us. Not Flame Guard, not the Legion Of Valor. Jut a bunch of randos who hadn’t been around for that long. That goes to show you how little they care about us."
"Where do you think you are going!?" Giovanni roared, snapping to his feet as well.
"I’m leaving, of course." Bianca replied. "Did you think I would just sit here and and wait for our demise?"
Giovanni reached out, but before his hand could touch his daughter, it suddenly twitched to a halt along with his voice. His eyes widened slightly, and he slowly retracted his hand, instead touching his neck.
"Do not fret, dear father." Said Bianca. "Even if the Romano name is fated to be erased, I will make sure to carry this blood with me as I start over." She let out a dry chuckle, even as she heard the faint thud behind her. "It’s the one thing I can never get rid of, after all."
"Wa...it... I...said...wai..."
People quickly ruched to the old man’s side, having notice his color change as he collapsed. As they surrounded him from all sides, gradually blocking his line of site, Giovanni’s eyes remained fixated on the back of his daughter. Even as the life was being squeezed out of him, it still took his a while to understand what had just happened. When he did, his gaze shifted, and his eyes met those of the raven haired maid who been by his daughter’s side all this time. As darkness slowly filled his vision, the last thing he saw were her cold, uncaring eyes.
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