"A nephele charm..?" Seth blinked at that, not comprehending what it meant.
Muriel, on the other hand, immediately paled. "Luca!" There was no such thing as a harmless nephele charm, especially not a charm for vampires.
"What kind of charm?" Seth insisted, earning a glare from his mother in return. He tried his best to ignore it. "I don't mind even if it hurts."
Luca looked at him with barely concealed sad eyes. "Are you really willing to go that far just for Ares Lir?" Seth was about to answer but he continued, "You know there are plenty of other pureblood families asking for you, Seth. We can just forget this whole ordeal and have you get engaged to another pureblood."
"Your father is right." Muriel immediately seconded. "Ares Lir isn't worth this much trouble from you. The Hagano Clan will be willing to back down from the engagement–"
"And have our whole Clan fall in deep humiliation?" Seth muttered. "…As if I will allow that to happen. He is a pureblood vampire. He should have known he was going to be engaged to someone he doesn't know or love. He should have been ready for it a long time ago. It's his fault we're even having this kind of discussion now."
Muriel and Luca wanted to argue but since their son put it that way, there was just no way they could say anything in return. Their son had a point and it was something they could not refute. If they were just a bit honest with themselves, even they were a little more than just upset at the current situation. It's not as if their son was of low birth. His wavy silvery-white hair and his sharp but gentle amethyst-colored eyes were the main indication of his pureblood lineage. He's also quite handsome, even by his parents' standards. It's true that he was more slender and shorter than other teenage pureblood vampires but that didn't bring any demerit to his stature at all. Seth was also exceptionally powerful even among other purebloods his age. It just didn't make any sense that the other party was so adamant on rejecting him.
They knew that the main reason might be Seth's gender after all. Ares Lir must not want to have another male as his future mate. However, vampires didn't need to worry about those things, unlike humans. If they truly wished to have an offspring to succeed their place in the distant millennium to come, they just needed to hibernate together and use their energy and power to create an offspring. They would have to work harder than other vampires but it was not impossible.
There's also the point which Luca mentioned just a little earlier. Ares might also already have a lover. It was also a plausible reason for his sudden escape. However, if he truly already had a lover whom he would want to wed in the near future, it didn't make sense that the Lir Clan would agree to the marriage proposal at all, unless of course his clan wasn't aware of it.
Luca thought about it. "You're right. It won't look good for us if he continues this kind of nonsensical avoidance of you."
"So you mean..?" Muriel looked really worried. "You're going to perform a charm..?"
"It was a charm I learned from working with a certain legendary nephele when I was still younger... around a millennium or two ago." Luca contemplated. "He used to perform the charm on me whenever we were in big parties hosted by the Nephele Clan. He also sometimes used it when we're in the middle of the city and there was a risk of some lesser vampires knowing my identity."
Seth looked at his father both in amazement and in awe. "I didn't think you were such a rebellious pureblood when you were younger."
Luca laughed out loud at that. "Those were the days when I didn't care about my lineage at all. I preferred to hunt down preys together with my nephele friend than to attend boring meetings in the Hagano Clan. The thrill of the hunt and the danger of it all made me feel so alive and free."
"I am so glad Seth didn't take up after you then." Muriel voiced disapprovingly.
"You don't know that for sure yet." Luca answered cunningly, making Muriel glare at them both.
Seth chuckled at that. "So… how are we supposed to do this charm..?"
Luca's nostalgic expression died down as he looked at his son once more. "I'm saying this now, Seth. There is no assurance that it will work the way we want it to or if it will work at all." He wanted his son to understand that. "First, I may be able to replicate the charm but I don't have nephele blood. I don't know if it will work at all. Second, it is a very dangerous charm which is not to be underestimated. In the rare case that it works, it will make you feel an unimaginable pain not worthy of your reason for doing it." Seth wanted to argue at that but Luca cut him off. "It is a very dangerous charm especially for a powerful pureblood like you, Seth." He then sighed as he added, "And third and most important of all, the charm will greatly weaken your power."
"This is really not worth it, Seth." Muriel tried to persuade her son but Seth simply shook his head and looked at his father in an unwavering gaze.
Luca nodded in assent. "We'll do it tonight." Muriel's eyes widened at the fact that it was so sudden so he immediately gave his reason. "We need him to get used to the seal before he goes somewhere far away on his own."
"I will not allow him to go there alone." Muriel might have put up with everything else but this was the one thing she wouldn't consent to. She would never let her son go into battlefield alone. "I will send a family servant to go with you."
Seth knew his mother wouldn't back down from her word so he could only nod in assent. Luca, on the other hand, still didn't look entirely convinced he should be performing a dangerous charm just for the sake of his son's successful stalking.