Thud!
“Arrhh!” Velc groaned as he crashed into the corner of the room. He shot a pained glance at Victor, who stood before him with a calm yet chillingly furious expression and then looked over at Selene.
She was seated before a mirror, slowly unbraiding her hair with an indifferent expression, almost as if she hadn’t even noticed the commotion.
The party had been abruptly canceled… or more accurately, completely ruined!!
Velc had called Selene to her room, desperate to speak with her privately about the situation. What he hadn’t expected was for Victor to follow them so boldly—and to strike him down without a second thought.
“A-Are you really going to keep ignoring your own father?” Velc shouted, his voice edged with both pain and desperation.
Selene’s response was a soft, humming tune, “Hmm… hmm~ hmm~ hmm~ hmmmm~” as she continued to untangle her long hair, entirely unaffected by the tension filling the room.
Velc’s face twisted with frustration as he glanced up at Victor, who loomed over him with a dangerous smile that sent a chill down his spine.
“W-What do you want from me? D-Do you even realize who my f-father is?” Velc sputtered a man who had spent his life avoiding his father’s shadow now clutching at it like a lifeline.
Victor held back a sneer, aching to tear off his carefully controlled mask and reveal his true identity to this pathetic man—but he resisted the urge…. Not yet.
“It takes real nerve to try marrying her off to just anyone for the sake of your own social status,” Victor said, his voice cold and unyielding. He reached down and clasped Velc’s neck with one hand, lifting him as effortlessly as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.
“Arrrrgh! Cough…” Velc gasped, writhing and clawing at Victor’s grip. He could feel the power radiating off this man—someone far stronger than him, far more dangerous.
‘W-What kind of monster is he?’ Velc thought, his mind screaming as he struggled to speak. “I-I swear… I don’t know what you’re talking about… please, believe me…”
Victor frowned slightly, his gaze shifting over to Selene. She was watching them in the mirror, her face expressionless. Meeting his gaze through the reflection, she gave a slight shake of her head and murmured, “I told him I didn’t want to go through with it, but he forced me, and…” She softly touched her cheek as if recalling something painful.
Victor’s expression hardened instantly, his jaw clenching as he turned back to Velc with a dark glint in his eyes. “Did you… lay a hand on her?”
Velc’s eyes widened in panic, and he swallowed hard, stammering, “N-No, I would nev—”
Slap!
Velc’s mouth fell open, shocked that a mere boy would dare slap him, a man of his status and age.
“Like this?” Victor asked, his smile taking on a cruel edge.
“P-Please, I didn’t—”
Slap!!
A vein bulged on Velc’s forehead as he barked out in fury, “Y-you think…
cough
, you can get away with this?….
cough
I’ll see to it that you and everyone you love pays for this, you filthy bastard!”
Victor merely chuckled, shaking his head, “Look at you, putting on a brave face. Good man, good,” he nodded mockingly, his words dripping with scorn.
Then—
Slap!
“Wha—”
Slap!!
“No—” Continue your journey with empire
Slap!!!
“It hu—”
Slap!!!!
…
…..
The merciless slapping continued, and Selene watched her father’s humiliation through the mirror, her face still devoid of emotion.
She loved her father, yes, but what he had done was beyond forgiveness: he had tried to marry her off to a man she despised, dismissing her desires and feelings, even when her body and heart were already filled with someone else.
So, she continued to watch calmly, her thoughts detached, her heart unshaken.
Suddenly,
Thud!
The door burst open, and Kai stormed into the room, his face twisted in rage. Upon seeing Selene, he shouted, “I can’t believe you did this! Our mother would be devastated if she saw you like this—letting yourself fall for some filthy man with a past no one even knows!”
His voice trailed off, however, when he noticed Victor seated on the bed, rubbing his reddened palm with a look of mild annoyance.
Kai’s fury reignited as he took in Victor’s presence. “You! What the hell are you doing in my sister’s room? Get out, you damned lowlife!” He moved forward, reaching to grab Victor by the collar.
Victor glanced at Kai, an amused smile crossing his face. “Oh? Welcome, Brother-in-law,” he said with that same dangerous edge, his voice laced with mockery.
Kai’s face contorted with disgust, and he growled, “Don’t you dare call me that! I’d rather die than have anything to do with a scum like you!” He clenched his fists, preparing for a fight.
“Hmm… Is that so?” Victor shrugged, unbothered, as he flexed his knuckles in preparation for the next round.
But then Kai heard the faint sound of sobbing.
He frowned, scanning the room until his gaze settled on a sight that horrified him. There, in the corner, was his father….Velc.
His cheeks were swollen like balloons, streaked with tears that poured down his face, his dignity shattered.
“F-F-Father?” Kai’s voice trembled, barely able to recognize the once-proud figure reduced to this state. Velc, a man of strength and pride, was now battered and broken, his spirit crushed before his eyes.
His shock quickly ignited into rage.
“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Kai roared, his fury uncontainable as he grabbed Victor’s collar, pulling him close. “What did you do to my father?” he spat, fury darkening his face as he stared into Victor’s impassive expression.
Victor didn’t flinch. “I simply returned what he’d done to my beloved,” he replied, his tone cold and calm. “Nothing more.”
Kai processed Victor’s words, his gaze shifting to Selene in disbelief, “Y-You let this happen? To our father… your father?” His voice wavered, caught between rage and disbelief. “You watched—while some outsider beat our father?” he accused, his eyes flashing as he saw her continue to comb her hair as though nothing was happening.
Kai’s grip loosened on Victor, his fury now directed fully at Selene. He took a step toward her, hand reaching out, ready to pull her by the hair.
His sister, his own blood, had allowed this.
He needed to teach her some manners!!
Selene continued combing her hair, her expression unreadable.
“Careful.”
One calm word from Victor made Kai’s hand freeze mid-air. He glanced back, and Victor’s indifferent stare bore into him. “Choose your next move wisely, Kai… because no one knows what might happen to you next.”
Kai’s face twitched, and his body visibly trembled as he wrestled for control. He looked at Selene again, his voice breaking, “Do you see this, Selene? He even dares to threaten your own brother—your big brother! And yet you’re still going to marry this… this monster?” Kai’s eyes were becoming hollow, his voice desperate and shaky.
But Selene offered no response; she merely continued to comb her hair, her gaze unfazed.
“Hah… haha… HAHAHAHA!” Kai’s laughter turned into a manic cackle. He finally choked out, “I see it now… You’ve been manipulated, haven’t you? That’s it. There’s no way my sister would ever do something so reckless—so disgraceful!”
Victor raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. “And what, exactly, are you talking about?”
Kai’s hand fell on Selene’s shoulder, his grip firm as if trying to shake her back to reality. “You did something to her, didn’t you?” He glared back at Victor with venom. “This isn’t her; she would never act like this!”
Selene looked at him, her expression cold and distant. “What are you even talking about, Kai?”
But Kai’s mind was too far gone, consumed by denial and anger. His voice lowered, venomous. “There’s only one way to save her now… and that’s to kill the bastard responsible!” With a shout, Kai summoned his sword, its blade gleaming with power as he slashed toward Victor’s neck.
Yet, Victor caught the blade effortlessly between his fingertips, Kai’s eyes narrowing in mild surprise.
But then,
Kai grinned a glint of satisfaction in his eyes turned hallow, “You’re in for a surprise,” he sneered, “I’m different than before…. far stronger than you think!!”
The sword began to glow, its radiance blinding as power surged through it. Victor’s eyes widened, sensing the shift in energy. Then—
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!
The entire room erupted in a deafening blast, obliterating everything within.