nelaus Lychos kept his kneeling position for so ti, but nothing changed before him. He waited patiently, unmoving.
After what felt like a long stretch of silence, the air in front of him shifted. The suspended mass of lightning arcs moved slightly. A majestic werewolf erged from the radiance, countless arcs still coiling around its body as it floated towards nelaus.
The werewolf slowly transford into his human form, the silhouette gliding forward until he landed gently in front of nelaus. Residual lightning still danced across the folds of his majestic black robe. He stared down at the kneeling nelaus with piercing green eyes and spoke in a deep voice that seed to echo from thousands of miles away... despite standing right before him.
"Speak."
It was Erevan Brontes Lychos, King of the Werewolves.
nelaus had served the king for nearly thirty years, yet still, a deep-rooted fear coiled in his stomach whenever he addressed him.
He had also served the forr king, Damon Brontes Lychos. Normally, Erevan was more approachable than his father. But when he cultivated or released his bloodline ability, nelaus felt as though a mountain pressed down upon him. Erevan’s aura was so vast and oppressive that it beca difficult to breathe.
"I... I..." nelaus stamred, struggling to speak.
Erevan imdiately understood, and with a thought, he retracted his aura, cancelling his bloodline ability.
The oppressive weight vanished. nelaus drew several deep breaths, then said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After a pause, he began again. "You asked to gather information regarding Alistair Gerymoore’s plea, and about Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor. Though not yet complete, I’ve managed to gather so insight into the matter."
He stopped briefly, still adjusting to the atmosphere.
Seeing this, Erevan stepped forward and placed a hand lightly upon nelaus’s head. A wave of spiritual energy coursed through his veins, wiping away the last traces of fatigue and pressure. Then, he stepped back to his previous position and stood straight, hands behind his back.
"Thank you for your help, Your Majesty," nelaus said again.
He continued. "There is so truth in Alistair’s complaint. The Raynor Clan did not move from their position when the Gerymoore Clan’s political foundation was destroyed in the kingdom. Their wealth or other direct influence wasn’t involved in that situation. However, we did uncover a link that may connect Eleanor Raynor to those events... but proving it will be difficult."
He paused, then added, "Eleanor visited the Earl of Birmingham several tis before the political fallout. And she didn’t conceal her movents. She travelled with her full protocol and security convoy. That Earl was long retired from politics, but after the event, he beca a mber of the House of Lords and now plays an important role within the current opposition party. From what I’ve heard, most party leadership now listens to his guidance."
He frowned. "However, there is a complication. That family was highly influential in the past, so their resurgence could be interpreted as a natural reaction to the sudden political vacuum."
He added, "We also found subtle traces of Blanc Clan activity before the incident. But their work was so ticulously hidden that there’s no way to accuse them outright."
He paused again, then said, "Also, the Gerymoore Clan’s complaint is not entirely accurate. The attack was not directed specifically at them... it struck at the kingdom’s political structure as a whole. Gerymoore Clan was simply caught in the crossfire. Since Alistair has formally brought this matter to your attention, I recomnd we dismiss the complaint due to lack of solid evidence."
Erevan replied, "Very well. Do as you deem fit."
After a mont’s thought, he asked, "What is the relationship between the Earl and Eleanor? And what is she planning with him?"
nelaus answered, "We found no personal connection. But it’s clear they’re on good terms. As for future plans... I doubt the Earl himself plays a major role. The opposition’s pri ministerial candidate is soone else entirely, with no prior association to the Earl. I believe the Earl serves as a liaison between Eleanor and the party. She’s laying the groundwork to dominate the kingdom’s political landscape."
Erevan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The Raynor Clan has never interfered in human politics. This is unprecedented. Keep an eye on Eleanor, and inform of any developnts."
"Yes, Your Majesty," nelaus said.
With that, Erevan floated back into the storm’s heart, returning to his position at the centre of the thunder and lightning.
***
The Whitmore–Clifford Scandal still dominated the online news portals. Although television channels had moved on to newer, more engaging headlines, online dia clung stubbornly to the scandal. Idle readers loved to browse through gossip... and what did they love most? Scandals. Online platforms continued to post follow-up stories from that infamous night.
A few paparazzi had taken it upon themselves to dig deeper, hoping to unearth juicier angles. After the sex tapes and intimate photos were leaked, the scandal reached new heights on search engines. People across the kingdom discreetly searched for the footage, boosting keywords like Whitmore Scandal, Jennifer leaked photos, and Clifford affair to the top of trending lists.
Business rivals of the Clifford family seized the opportunity to leak their shady governnt dealings to lesser-known news portals, who welcod the content enthusiastically. The stock valuation of Clifford Holdings plumted. So even unearthed long-buried relationship scandals involving various Clifford family mbers, painting them as a corrupt and morally bankrupt family. The backlash didn’t focus solely on the n... several of the daughters were nad and shad as well.
Old flas of the Clifford family mbers... jilted lovers, ex-fiancées, or forr partners... surfaced across social dia, sharing tales of betrayal and deceit. They claid they’d been used and discarded, taking this as the opportunity of a lifeti to exact revenge.
Among the family mbers, Jas’s second elder brother, Robin Clifford, suffered the most intense backlash. It surfaced that years ago, he had raped and impregnated a female cleaning staff mber at his company, then coerced her into aborting the child. The woman had been a Syrian refugee... powerless, without kin, her family lost to the civil war. She had co to the kingdom seeking asylum through the Red Cross.
With no support network, she had been easily silenced. The incident was buried.
Robin never even knew what beca of her after the abortion.
But soone had kept the hospital docunts from the abortion. Now, that anonymous person posted the report online, choosing this mont to strike. Though the victim’s na was redacted in the shared dical papers, the post gained montum. Many netizens tagged the official cri division account, demanding action.
As news portals picked up the story, police were compelled to investigate... especially once it was confird that the victim had received asylum through the Red Cross, whose na had also been tagged widely. Their reputation, now implicated, was at risk.
Upon learning the Red Cross was drawn into the matter, Jonathon Clifford acted swiftly. He sent his nephew Robin abroad, away from the kingdom. It proved a wise move, as police inquiries soon confird that Robin himself had taken the woman to the clinic. After the abortion, she had developed severe ntal illness and was currently under indefinite psychiatric care in an NHS facility.
On its official page, the Red Cross released a public statent. They clarified that they had no knowledge of what had happened to the woman. She had never been in a position to report the cri herself. However, once she was admitted into the NHS system, the Red Cross had supported her dical care and facilitated her placent in the psychiatric hospital.
Public consensus shifted as they demanded justice for that pitiful woman.
Clifford family mbers believed all this misfortune had been triggered by Jas’s scandal. Rather than reflect on their own sins, they condemned Jas, blaming him for dragging their reputation into ruin.
They gathered at the Clifford family estate, pressuring Nicholas Clifford to formally expel Jas from the family lineage.
Nicholas, though aware this campaign was orchestrated by Jonathon to protect his own son’s future, also recognised the seriousness of the mont. Keeping the family united was essential to weather the storm.
He ordered Jonathon to send soone to retrieve Jas and bring him before him.
But Jas had switched off his phone since the wedding debacle. No one had been able to contact him. Drowning in sha and sorrow, he had retreated to a Chinese club under Benjamin’s protection... certain that no one would dare bother him there. A few close friends had joined him to offer support.
At midnight, as they stepped outside the club, a woman clad in black appeared from nowhere. With a fluid motion, she sliced off Jas’s leg below his knee, then turned and walked away in front of his stunned friends. By the ti they regained their senses enough to react, she had already vanished.
Later that night, a shocking headline flashed across nearly every news channel: The Black Revenger Strikes Again.
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