In the grand living hall of the mansion,
“I-I am telling you, I really don’t know!” Velc cried, huddled in the corner. His trembling eyes darted toward Xara, who sat elegantly on the chair, Her gaze bore into him with a cold, indifferent expression, void of any mercy.
“Give me one good reason why I should believe you,” Xara’s voice was calm, yet it carried a sharp edge.
Velc flinched violently, his breathing ragged as panic tightened its grip on him. His lips trembled, but before he could form another excuse, Xara’s sharp gaze shifted toward another quivering figure beside him.
Alfred, who had been reduced to the same pitiful state as Velc, clung to him as if that alone would provide some form of protection. His voice cracked as he stammered, “P-Please believe me, Mistress… I-I swear I don’t know anything either!”
Yes, both Velc and Alfred were hugging each other pathetically, their bodies shaking in sheer terror as they pressed themselves into the corner as if it could somehow swallow them whole.
Once, they had stood tall—haughty and arrogant, looking down on others with pride… But now? Now, they were nothing more than broken men cowering like frightened children.
All because of the death of one old man!
Xara’s frown deepened as irritation flashed across her face. With an annoyed scoff, she crossed one leg over the other, her fingers tapping restlessly against the armrest.
She never imagined her son would do something like this… Actually, she had entertained a mild suspicion, but after speaking with Kai, she was certain—he would never act so recklessly.
Yet, despite her certainty… He had run away from home.
‘I know him. He wouldn’t just decide to leave on his own… Something must have happened after that talk… Was it that damn lizard of his? Did Leon do something to change him?’ Her thoughts raced, her suspicion growing stronger.
Still, that didn’t change the reality of what she had painstakingly done yesterday…
‘How dare he just walk out after I spoke to him? That brat needs a proper lesson,’ Xara gritted her teeth, frustration flaring inside her as an invisible pressure seeped from her body. It was faint, yet potent enough to make both Velc and Alfred shrink further in fear, their breath hitching as if the very air had grown heavier.
Suddenly,
“Mom? What’s going on here?”
Selene’s drowsy figure stepped into view, now dressed in fresh clothes after changing her nightwear. Her blackish-blue hair was slightly messy, her eyes still carried traces of sleep.
Xara let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples before responding, “It’s nothing serious… Just that your brother decided to run away.” Without further explanation, she handed Selene a small piece of paper.
Raising an eyebrow, Selene took the note, her eyes scanning the familiar handwriting.
She read it aloud, her voice filled with growing disbelief, “When I return, the world will see… My powers aren’t just stolen. They are mine, claimed by fate, and soon… everyone will bow before them?”
A stunned silence followed.
Velc and Alfred’s faces turned deathly pale as if all colour had drained from them in an instant. Meanwhile, Xara’s lips twitched, her fingers clenching so tightly into the chair’s armrest that her knuckles whitened.
It was painfully clear—she was holding back an explosive rage.
With barely restrained fury, Xara clenched her jaw and asked one last time, her voice dangerously low, “I am only going to ask this once more… Where. Is. My. Son?”
“W-We really don’t know!” Velc practically choked on his words, his desperation evident. His mind screamed in frustration—how could that brat have the audacity to run away after all the love and care he had received?
‘That little shit… After everything I did for him, this is how he repays me?! I swear, when he comes back, I’m going to beat the living hell out of him!’ he cursed inwardly, his frustration boiling over.
Just then—
“What’s going on here?”
The voice was soft, hesitant.
Everyone turned toward the entrance, where Aether stood with wide, innocent eyes. He had clearly sensed the heavy atmosphere, his worried gaze shifting between Xara and the terrified men in the corner.
Xara’s rigid posture softened—only slightly—at the sight of Aether. But just as she was about to respond, a sudden thought hit her, and her entire body tensed. Her expression wavered, something unsettling gnawing at her from within.
Still, she forced herself to maintain a calm façade. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke, her voice carrying a hint of guilt.
“It’s just… Hmm…” she trailed off, rubbing her forehead as if trying to piece together her own thoughts.
Because the more she thought about it… the more it looked like she had orchestrated this entire situation herself…. Like she had been the one pulling the strings, making it seem as if she had given her son a grand opportunity, only to turn around and act betrayed when he took it.
And now… Now she was complaining about it.
It felt oddly manipulated to normal people.
Noting Xara’s hesitation, Selene spoke flatly, her tone as dry as ever, “So… my brother ran away.”
“!!!”
Aether’s expression froze in shock, his wide eyes locking onto Xara as if she had just committed an unforgivable betrayal against him. He looked completely dumbfounded, struggling to process what he had just heard.
“A-Aether…” Xara’s voice wavered for a brief second before she quickly recomposed herself. “Don’t worry too much. I’m sure he’s just out for a few days, and he’ll come back soon,” she said, her tone attempting to sound casual, though there was a subtle awkwardness to it.
Aether’s expression immediately softened at her words. His lips curled into a gentle smile, his eyes filled with unwavering trust, “If you say so…”
There was something almost blind about the way he believed her, like he was incapable of doubting a single word that came out of her mouth.
Xara’s lips twitched slightly. She knew exactly why he was so quick to believe her without question. ‘Tsk, what’s with this brat? Can’t he see that my daughter is far more beautiful than me?’ she thought with irritation, especially when Aether continued to completely ignore Selene’s presence.
His gaze remained locked onto Xara alone, filled with something tender—almost affectionate—and that last part? She refused to even acknowledge it!
“A-Anyway!” Xara quickly changed the subject, shaking off whatever unnecessary thoughts were creeping into her mind. “For now, we need to focus on finding Kai before Aether’s slave mark starts blinking. If anyone sees that happening, we’re in deep shit!” She shot Aether a sharp glance. “Show me your slave mark. Now.”
She needed to confirm something—and fast. If his slave mark was already blinking, it meant Kai had crossed a certain distance, making it extremely difficult to track him down. But if it wasn’t blinking, that meant he was still somewhere within their territory, making their search significantly easier.
Aether’s face paled slightly.
‘Fuck! My slave mark already disappeared!’ he screamed internally. Ever since he had upgraded his Freedom skill, the slave mark on the back of his neck had completely vanished, and now there was no way for Xara to use it to track Kai.
‘Tsk, I didn’t think she’d check for my slave mark this soon,’ he thought, cursing his own lack of preparation. As he tried to maintain a neutral expression, his eyes darted toward Selene.
Selene, instantly recognizing, took a step forward before anyone else could speak. “I’ll check his neck,” she said, her voice steady as she walked toward him.
Xara raised her hand as if to stop her but then shrugged. On second thought, this was actually better… She didn’t need to get close to Aether herself!
Safe!
Selene carefully examined the back of his neck, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she found it completely clean—devoid of any markings. She was taken aback. ‘To think he has the ability to remove a slave mark…’ she thought, feeling an unexpected sense of pride for him. Still, she knew better than to let it show on her face.
Hiding the small smirk that threatened to surface, she feigned hesitation before saying, “I-It’s not blinking.”
Xara’s expression turned even more serious. “Then that means he’s most likely still within our territory…” she muttered, her sharp gaze flickering toward Velc and Alfred. The moment their eyes met, the two of them flinched like frightened animals before quickly nodding, as if they had already understood their assignment without her needing to say a single word.
Just as they were about to set out to search for Kai—
“MY LORD!!”
A sudden, urgent voice cut through the tension.
A guard burst into the hall, his face tense with urgency. But the moment his eyes landed on Velc—who was still cowering in the corner—his expression twisted in sheer disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The sight must have been truly ridiculous. Velc, a man who once carried himself with pride and authority, was now backed into a corner like a frightened child, looking as though he had been bullied into submission.
Velc coughed and quickly stood, his face heating with embarrassment. Straightening his posture in an attempt to regain his dignity, he forced on a professional demeanor and cleared his throat. “If you haven’t come with something truly worth my time… you do realize the consequences, don’t you?” His tone carried a forced arrogance, though it barely masked the lingering shame from earlier.
Xara and Aether nearly burst out laughing but somehow managed to hold it in, though their expressions twitched slightly.
The guard’s face drained of all color as he quickly stammered out, “T-The people… they’re coming! They’ve surrounded the mansion, my lord!!”
“…What do you mean?” Velc’s frown deepened, confusion spreading across the room as everyone turned toward the panicked guard.
Selene, too, furrowed her brows in concern—but then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught the faintest trace of a grin on Aether’s face.
‘Don’t tell me… That’s why he didn’t sleep all night?’