The more Cass read up on his new family, the more he was glad he was an orphan. Parents and family lines felt like a lot of damn work. At least when it was just him and his sister, he didn't have to pussyfoot around and guess if she liked him. They could have a civilized conversation, sometimes with their fists, and that would be the answer.
When it came to the Blackburn's?
It felt like someone should have at least done an underground fighting ring or something. There was so much angst, rage, and betrayal in the family line that it felt insane.
Apparently, like he had heard in the novel, the Ridgewood's, Vespertine's, and Blackburn's had helped the royal family form this country. That was why they were given the title of Duke, and also how they had slowly whittled away all of the power that the royal family had over time.