Kael, drenched in blood from head to toe, ignored everything around him. His dark gaze remained fixed on what his father would say next.
"Kael, seeing that the evidence was false, you are free to go. But now that you are here, you will be assigned to investigate the villages that have been destroyed in recent days."
Zephyr settled into the high-backed stone chair and turned his gaze to the old man who had accused Kael of betraying the clan.
"That’s all. You may go."
Kael, without uttering a word, turned on his heel and left the room, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints. The tallic sll of blood filled the air around him.
With the departure of the seventh young master, Zephyr spoke in a cold voice, his eyes shining with coldness.
"Elder Graham."
Old Graham, a man in his fifties with red hair streaked with white and a face that, despite his age, retained a certain attractiveness, had several cuts on his hands.
Upon hearing his na, he straightened up nervously. Although he belonged to rank 7, the Highest Level, under the gaze of the clan chief, he was nothing more than an ant, given the abysmal difference in power.
"Yes, Clan Chief," he replied calmly, although a barely perceptible tremor betrayed his unease.
"You know what you’ve done," Zephyr asked without even deigning to look him in the eye.
Graham swallowed hard. His eyes scanned the expressions of the other elders, whose faces reflected disappointnt and indignation at having believed such a blatant lie.
"I have accused a young master of treason without proof, based solely on the testimony of people outside our clan."
"Hmm, so you’re clear on that. Then why did you do it, knowing the consequences? Do you know the punishnt for falsely accusing a young master?"
A chill ran through Graham dici’s body. He knew what the punishnt was, and he couldn’t help but feel his world crumbling around him. Still, he replied:
"The punishnt would be death, since it involves treason against the clan, sothing that cannot be accused without hard evidence."
Zephyr nodded slightly. "It’s good that you know. That would be your fate right now, but in consideration of your years of service to the clan, that punishnt will not be applied. You will be stripped of your title as Internal Elder and sent to the Great Mountain of Cold Hell for one year."
Forr inmate Graham dici didn’t know how to feel about this sentence. The Great Cold Hell Mountain was one of three unique places on the Northern Frontier where the climate was extre and death stalked daily.
Being sent there was practically a death sentence. However, he knew he deserved it. By doing a favor for one of the clan chief’s wives, his fate had been sealed by his stupidity.
"Do you have any objections?" asked Zephyr.
"No, Clan Chief."
And with that, the dici clan chief announced:
"Well, that’s all. You may withdraw and return to your duties."
...
After leaving that place, Kael returned to the mansion reeking of blood.
Upon entering, he was t with the surprised and fearful stares of the servants who had co with the two families. They were not used to this kind of scene.
Seeing that the mansion’s servants did not seem surprised, they beca even more confused.
"Why is everyone so calm? Can’t you see that your young master is returning covered in blood?" said one of them, incredulous.
The other servants of the two families shared his sentint, covering their noses due to the strong sll of blood that clouded their senses.
"Ah, that... At first, we were surprised too," replied one of the servants at the dici mansion. "But the young master, in particular, almost always cos back covered in blood. We’re used to it now."
"Are you saying it’s normal to see him like this... covered in blood?"
"Yes."
anwhile, Kael, who had already passed through the entrance of the mansion, crossed the main hall where the young ladies and won of the Draken and Lovish families were gathered, and their expressions darkened with sheer horror.
Evelyn, who had already left her room and was also at the scene, couldn’t help but feel her skin crawl when she looked at Kael. What frightened her most was his indifferent expression.
But her gaze filled with determination. She got up from the furniture and approached him. When she slled the strong scent of blood, her expression crumpled, but she resisted it.
"Kael," she said nervously.
Stopping, sowhat surprised, Kael looked at her: "What do you want?"
"I want to talk to you, if you can spare so ti." Evelyn uttered those words, fighting the urge to vomit; she could already feel her gaze montarily drifting away.
Kael watched her for several seconds and replied calmly, "Go to one of the eting rooms; I’ll be there in two hours to hear what you have to say."
Without another word, he continued on his way, leaving traces of blood on the clean floor of the mansion.
Evelyn felt her legs go weak, but she refused to fall and remained standing, watching him walk further and further down the hallway.
And then the murmurs reached her ears.
"That woman has no dignity. First, she was with her brother, then he abandoned her, and now she’s back looking for him. What else can you expect from soone like her?"
"I don’t understand what those young n see in a woman like that. Are they that desperate?"
"Ha! How pathetic... It looks like she wants to get back with him at any cost."
Evelyn ignored everything, sitting back down in a nearby armchair and resuming her reading as if nothing had happened.
...
Kael, upon arriving at his room, went straight to the bathroom to clean himself up, as he felt uncomfortable being sticky.
After cleaning himself up, he got into the bathtub, feeling his muscles relax in the warm water as he reflected on the day.
It seed like thinking in the bathtub was becoming a habit. But that wasn’t important.
So my brother and his mother are starting to despair, to the point of making such a pathetic move as accusing of treason for no reason. What’s more likely is that they’ll do sothing even more reckless now.
Kael glanced at the ceiling for a mont and thought about the upcoming tournant. He saw it as a stage where he could reap benefits and take advantage of the opportunity to explore the inheritance of the Demon Wolf.
I’ve been too passive with my brother; it’s ti to make a move against them.
With that thought, he got out of the bathtub. He already knew who he would use to deal a heavy blow to Jasper and his mother.
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