Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 298: Bored Cosmic Prankster

"So with that, I’d be participating in the Summoners Grand Tournament."

Jamie made this declaration before taking a leisurely sip of his wine, and the three teens he was informing simply stared at him, their faces blank with confusion.

It was late evening, and the vampire trio had just returned from their sightseeing. They walked in to find Jamie casually surveying a room full of dresses, and the moment he spotted them, he launched into an explanation that ended with that declaration.

Wanete raised her hand like a student waiting to be called on, and when Jamie arched a brow at her, she asked.

"Um... you said the Stellar Keystone is most likely the item you came here for, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"And it belongs to YOU, right?"

"That it does."

"So... why don’t you just take it?"

David and Davina turned to Wanete as if she were a messiah, finally voicing the question that had been lingering in all their minds.

Her question was expected.

There was absolutely ZERO reason for Jamie to enter the Summoners Grand Tournament. He could literally raise a hand, and the Stellar Keystone would fly to him from wherever it was on the planet.

"Where’s the fun in that?"

Jamie gave a very hedonistic answer, sporting a mischievous grin.

Rowena, having long since grown accustomed to his antics, simply sighed and shook her head before continuing her work—creating another mannequin and dressing it in one of her latest designs.

Without even glancing at her or the mannequin, Jamie called out.

"Rowena, you missed the half-length by 2.3 inches."

"..."

Rowena stilled, shifting her gaze between Jamie and the mannequin with an expression of pure disbelief.

After a good ten seconds, she finally managed to find her voice and asked.

"...why do you know Lady Miranda’s exact half-length?"

Something told Rowena that Miranda’s half-length wasn’t the only measurement Jamie knew, and his next words confirmed that suspicion.

"What do you mean half-length? I know all her measurements."

"..."

He spoke as if knowing those measurements was the most natural thing in the world, leaving Rowena at a complete loss for words.

With Rowena struck speechless, Jamie shifted his attention back to the vampire trio and carried on.

"Anyway, I don’t need to compete to reclaim it, but I find the idea of entering the competition amusing."

Wanete let out a sigh, shaking her head at Jamie’s reasoning. Nevertheless, she couldn’t say she didn’t expect something like this, given how the man acted.

Back in Halrith on Estea, they had ended up entering that snowy dimension gate purely on his whim. And now, he was entering a tournament for the same reason.

Frankly, she wouldn’t put it past him to throw them into the competition too if she, and/or the Evangelista twins had summoning abilities.

’But even if we don’t participate, I’m 1,000% certain this tournament wouldn’t be without incident.’

Wanete casually flipped through her memories from the moment she first met Jamie up until now, and there was something she couldn’t help but notice...

’He’s a trouble magnet.

Or rather, he always shows up in places just as brewing trouble is about to spill over.’

Going by this trend, Wanete decided to put some contingency plans in place—just in case. She also made a mental note to talk to David and Davina about it later.

As Wanete mulled over her thoughts, Davina pulled out her phone and searched for details on the tournament’s grand prize. After skimming through the official website, she looked up at Jamie and asked.

"Lord Jamie, you said that this item is a fragment of your power you left here, right?"

"Hmm? Yeah, it is. I need to use it for something, so I came to collect it."

Jamie responded absentmindedly, his focus shifting between the black and white variations of a one-shoulder dress.

Seeing that she at least had part of his attention, Davina continued.

"May I ask why you have fragments of your power scattered across different planets?

We were with you in Nightingale when you got one there, and now we’ve seen another here in a completely different galaxy. Is there... a reason behind all of this?"

David chimed in, "Yeah, is this some elaborate plan? Like, are you setting up some kind of intergalactic chessboard?"

Still weighing the dress options, Jamie answered without much thought.

"Sure, there’s a reason. It’s hilarious."

Davina tilted her head, her expression clouded with confusion.

"Hilarious?"

"Absolutely."

Jamie finally reached for the white variation, making a mental note that he’d prefer Miranda to wear the black one in private as he continued speaking.

"There’s no grand goal or overarching plot. No intergalactic conspiracy, no master plan, no hidden agenda."

David’s face mirrored his sister’s growing confusion.

"Then why—"

"Because I can."

Jamie cut him off before he could even complete his sentence.

"Sometimes I wake up in a good mood, decide I want to see what happens when I leave a piece of my power lying around, and then I watch.

You’d be amazed at the things people do with it. Kingdoms rise and fall, wars are fought, and some self-proclaimed ’hero’ finds it and names it something dramatic, like Stellar Keystone."

The twins blinked, letting a brief silence settle before Davina finally spoke.

"So... you’re telling me you do this for fun?"

Jamie’s laughter was rich and unrestrained.

"Exactly! You have no idea how entertaining it is to see what mortals—and even immortals—do when they think they’ve found the key to ultimate power. They get so serious about it. It’s hilarious."

Wanete silently shook her head, giving David and Davina a look that wordlessly asked if they really expected any other kind of answer.

While the twins were still dumbfounded, Rowena—who was the most accustomed to Jamie’s antics—calmly sorted through the dresses he had rejected as she spoke.

"You’re as ridiculous as ever, Sir Jamie."

"Maybe," Jamie replied with a grin.

"But it’s my power, my rules. Besides, haven’t you ever been curious to see what happens when you toss a pebble into a pond? This is the same thing, except on a galactic scale. Think of it as my version of a social experiment."

Rowena merely shook her head before turning to the vampire trio.

"You’re travelling with a bored cosmic prankster. Expect more situations like this."

"I won’t deny that I’m bored, but you also can’t deny that it’s entertaining. The show never disappoints."

Jamie chimed in as he moved on to the next pair of dresses, already picturing how stunning Miranda would look in them.

But just as he was mentally envisioning the outfits, he suddenly paused, his expression shifting.

"Why am I stressing my brain?"

Turning to Rowena, he said, "Go get Mira. She should be somewhere in Argent."

"...Did you just tell me to traverse over seven billion light-years just to get someone to try on a dress?"

Rowena’s incredulous look was a sight to behold, and at her question, Jamie simply raised a brow and responded. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Did I stutter?"

"..."

Rowena stared at him in silence for a solid ten seconds before pressing a hand to her temple with a sigh.

"I’m reporting you for bullying me."

With that, she vanished from the room. Left behind, Jamie just shrugged.

"Mira would always take my side."

Exactly 24 hours later, he would come to regret those words.

Once again, the vampire trio returned to find an utterly surreal sight.

Jamie was kneeling on the floor, a sign hanging around his neck that read: I WON’T BULLY MY DISCIPLES AGAIN.

Not far from him, two women stood, casually trying on dresses.

Of course, Davina and Wanete wasted no time in shoving David out of the room before he could so much as glance from Jamie to the women, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Oh, you’re back."

Jamie’s voice drew the attention of the two women, who turned to face Wanete and Davina. Upon spotting them, Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said you were with Seren’s grandkids."

"Waldron’s joined them. Didn’t you notice her in that other dimension?"

Jamie was referring to the time Miranda had travelled to the snow dimension with the ice elves just to kiss him. But from the way she blinked in confusion, it was clear that, in her mind, no one else had existed at that moment besides Jamie.

The two girls bowed lightly and greeted Miranda, who acknowledged them with a nod before turning back to the dresses before her. She held up the white gown Jamie had chosen, examining it with a contemplative frown.

"...Something’s missing," she murmured, tilting her head slightly as she tried to pinpoint the issue.

Davina hesitated for a moment, glancing between Miranda and the dress before slowly raising her hand.

"Um... what if you added a silver waist chain? Something delicate, maybe with small gemstone accents?"

Miranda and Rowena both turned to look at her. A brief silence followed before they exchanged a glance, then simultaneously nodded in approval.

"Not bad," Rowena remarked.

"Good eye," Miranda added.

Then, in perfect sync, they both gave Davina a thumbs-up.

Encouraged, Davina smiled as Miranda retrieved a matching chain from the accessories nearby and fastened it around her waist. The subtle addition brought the entire ensemble together, enhancing the dress’s elegance while highlighting Miranda’s silhouette.

Satisfied, Miranda reached for another dress she had set aside earlier—one she had previously struggled with. Holding it up in front of her, she turned to Davina.

"What do you think of this one?"

Davina’s gaze flitted between the dress and the various accessories scattered around the room. After a moment of thought, she carefully selected a pair of gloves and a pearl-accented choker.

"These should complete the look."

Miranda tried them on and examined herself in the mirror. With the new additions, the dress no longer felt incomplete. She gave an approving nod.

"I like it."

Rowena, watching from the side, smirked.

"Well, looks like you’re officially part of the fashion show now."

And just like that, Davina found herself drawn into the whirlwind of dress selections and styling decisions. As time passed, Rowena even began sketching out designs tailored specifically for her, casually remarking that Davina had the perfect proportions for certain styles.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the room, Jamie sat with his back against the wall, thoroughly ignored throughout the entire process. He sighed dramatically, but no one paid him any mind.