Reluctantly shrugging off the light intoxication I let myself fall into from the pleasant evening, I got myself into a serious mode.

It took me a few moments to recognize the speaker. Well, we never actually met before. At least not in person.

Standing a few centimeters taller than me and about ten years older as well, his facial features and stature were evident of his belonging to the Long clan. The most eye-catching feature was an almost chin-length mop of white hair. Rarity for the Long Clan.

Ah, so that’s who it was.

Protégé of Long Hao, and the person who took the de facto leadership position of the entire Long clan after the death of the former. The white crow and uncrowned prince of the Long clan. The man of whom I, to speak frankly, had been afraid for a decent chunk of my first life.

Now that I think about it, my fear was in vain, as the guy had been well aware of my existence all along. Unless Long Hao changed his orders about my surveillance before his untimely death, that is.

“Hello to you too, Long FangTian,” I returned the greeting.

As the two of us stared at each other, trying to gauge, assess, and evaluate, I sorted through my limited knowledge about this person.

He was a member of the Fang branch of the Long clan, which was obvious enough from his name alone.

As well as being a ruthless fanatic who wasn’t afraid of doing anything to push his clan’s interests forward.

No one would confirm nor deny that, but from what I had gathered from a few sources, he started at least one proxy war in an attempt to get his hands on the rare metal mining business.

From what Kouzuki Twins told me, he also had a large support among the hardliners within the clan.

To summarize it, this man was a problem. And one that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

“Helen, darling, could you organize a place for a private talk, please?” I asked my companion without breaking eye contact.

“Sure,” she replied curtly.

Without missing a beat, Helen stood up and left to do what I asked her to. It was a not-so-subtle power play, a blatant show of her acceptance of my orders.

Our staredown continued as I looked straight into the pair of cold violet eyes across.

Should I kill him right now to save myself some trouble? The present shadows wouldn’t dare to stop me. In fact, I could, most likely, just order them to do it instead.

I noted a minute change in his stance. Hm, I really should work on my poker face, or so it seemed.

“It’s done,” Helen’s voice interrupted my contemplation.

“Thank you.” I voiced my gratitude and kissed the top of her head. “Follow us.”

With that said, I offered my elbow to Helen and let her lead the way. The latter part was meant as an order for the man whose fate I needed to decide.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

***

I was sitting in the vintage armchair with my eyes closed. Helen was standing by my side, her dainty hand on my left shoulder—another show of the power dynamics between the two of us.

It being an actual truth—or not—was something that mattered only between the two of us.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the man standing in front of me. He met my gaze head-on, something I could respect.

So…

What was I supposed to do now? Fuck if I knew.

Well, the easiest way out was obvious enough, but just wasting such a prime talent was plain stupid.

“Long FangTian,” I called out. “I am going to ask you a question, and your answer will decide your fate.”

‘A bit too dramatic for my taste...’ Words of Lady in White flashed in my memory.

Ugh.

“As you wish, Young Master.” This response could serve as another piece of evidence supporting the claim that ‘blood is everything’ had been more than just an empty claim.

At least for this particular person.

“Long FangTian, tell me, if your death was necessary to further the interests of the Long clan, would you die?” I decided to be as blunt as possible.

“Everything for the Long clan.” He didn’t hesitate in his reply, even for a moment.

It was hard not to recognize the fervor in his gaze.

Fanatic.

And one who sincerely believed in his cause at that. I’ve seen enough of them in later years to be completely sure.

Fuck.

Was killing him really the only way out?

I felt a squeeze on my shoulder. Oh, right, rash and stupid decisions again.

“Long FangTian,” I called once more. “If I told you that you could help the Long clan take over the world, but it needs you to change your perspective just a bit, would you?”

This time, he didn’t hurry with his answer. Were my words not clear enough?

Maybe.

“Long FangTian. Blood is everything. Do you agree?” Leading question one.

“Yes.” First instant answer.

Sigh.

“Long FangTian. If clan is everything, does it mean that the interests of the clan are my interests?”

“Yes.” Second instant answer.

Hardly a surprise.

“Long FangTian. If blood is everything, does it mean that, my grandfather aside, my interests are the clan interests?” It was a bit of a stretch, but it served as question three.

“Yes.” Third instant answer.

Fanatic.

“Long FangTian. My grandfather spent his life building the Three Families faction, but it only works because he is here. Once someone else takes over, what do you think will happen?” Leading question four.

“Chaos.” Fourth instant answer.

I took the seal of the Kouzuki clan from my chest pocket and rolled it on my palm.

“Long FangTian. I have the blood of two clans coursing through my veins. Two direct lines. With your previous answers in mind, doesn’t it mean that the interests of both clans are mine, and mine are theirs?” I smiled, asking the fifth question.

“It does…” It took him almost a minute to respond.

Great. One more push.

“One way or another, Helen Smith will follow along with my decisions.” Because she was one of those who would help me make them. “Long FangTian. With my kids having the blood of all three clans, wouldn’t it mean that the interests of the Three Families are the interests of the Long Clan?”

His beliefs aside, this man wasn’t stupid.

“Everything for the Three Families, young master.” The final answer.

I looked at how a feral grin split his face—not so unlike my own. Both a grin and face alike.

And I met it with one just like that as well.