Chapter 41: The Family meeting 01
"Young Master, you are walking so casually... aren’t you a bit late?" Tracy asked, hurrying to follow behind Ian.
"I’m not late. Uncle said to come at nine in the morning, and I’m arriving at the stated hour. If Adam hadn’t been in my room, I would have arrived much earlier," Ian said, walking ahead of Tracy, who looked deeply worried for him.
"But Young Master, it is ten minutes past nine now," she pointed out.
"It’s still nine-something. Don’t worry, I have a great reason... if they ask me, that is," he said as they climbed the stone steps leading to a grand building. In front of it stood a large statue of a man holding a heavy book.
"You should stay out here. I don’t think personal maids are allowed inside. In fact, this might take some time, so you should explore the estate and get some fresh air if you want," Ian instructed.
"Okay, Young Master. Oh, and don’t forget the water you asked for," Tracy said, handing him a leather water flask. "But if I may ask, Young Master, what is the use of this—?"
She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes going wide as she watched him unstopper the flask and deliberately pour water over his head, neck, and under his armpits.
"Mmm, did you say something?" Ian asked with a completely blank expression as water dripped down his face.
"I did... but now I’m scared to ask what you are doing," Tracy mumbled.
"Don’t worry about it. Now go on. I need to wait a bit for this water to dry slightly, and I need to think of a good script," Ian said, handing the half-empty flask back to Tracy and shooing her away.
Inside the Family Hall
Inside the grand room, there were six high-backed chairs facing each other across a long, heavy wooden table. This was where the five Family Elders were seated. At the very head of the table sat a massive chair that looked almost like a throne, which was currently occupied by the Family Head, Jacob Thorne.
The hall was completely silent. Several of the older men wore deeply impatient expressions, clearly annoyed at having to wait for someone.
"Family Head, this kid doesn’t have even a single ounce of respect for his Elders," the Third Elder grumbled, being the first to break the silence.
"The Third Elder is absolutely right. He is exactly like his father—not caring about our traditions at all. How does he expect us to trust him to lead if he can’t even do the basic courtesy of arriving on time? Why did we even call a brat like him to our sacred meeting?" the Fourth Elder added with a scowl.
"Hey! You old hags better leave my brother out of this and let him rest in peace!" a woman shouted, slamming her hand on the table. She had long, flowing black hair and piercing golden eyes, her face twisted into a fierce scowl. This was Ian’s aunt, Martha Thorne, the Fifth Elder. "You guys are the exact reason he never wanted to come to these stupid meetings in the first place! Always spouting on about ’traditions’ and ’sacred things’. For fuck’s sake, we aren’t even a century-old family, yet you are already spouting ancient noble nonsense!"
"You—!" The Third and Fourth Elders turned red with anger upon hearing her remarks. They desperately wanted to argue back, but neither of them actually had the guts to go against her. She was still the Family Head’s older sister, and she had a massive amount of sway over most of the decisions Jacob made.
"That is enough," the First Elder suddenly interjected, his voice calm but carrying heavy authority. He looked at the Third and Fourth Elders. "You two should really learn to respect the deceased."
"We made a mistake. Please forgive us," the Third and Fourth Elders yielded quickly, bowing their heads in respect to the First Elder.
"There is nothing to forgive. Just learn from your mistakes and do not let it happen again," the First Elder said smoothly. He then turned to Martha. "And Martha, please mind these foul-mouthed men. Although they speak in a harsh way, they mean no harm to the family. Please forgive them."
"...Fine," Martha eventually agreed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, though she still looked visibly pissed off.
The First Elder then turned his sharp gaze toward Jacob. "Family Head, I do not think the Young Master will be joining us—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a loud CREAAAK echoed through the massive room. Everyone immediately snapped their heads toward the heavy wooden double doors to see who it might be.
Ian stumbled inside, panting heavily as if he had just finished running a massive marathon. "Sweat" was actively dripping down his forehead and soaking the collar of his shirt—although it was entirely just the water he had poured on himself a few minutes earlier.
"Thank God... I arrived before... the meeting started," Ian gasped, acting as if he was incredibly relieved. Still panting for dramatic effect, he slowly walked over to the only empty chair, which happened to be right next to his Aunt Martha—the only person in the room he was somewhat familiar with.
"Ian. May I ask exactly where you have been?" Jacob asked, giving him a stern, serious expression. "I believe I specifically told you yesterday that you needed to be here on time."
"Well, you see... when I was about to head out of my quarters, I ran into Adam, and we started catching up," Ian explained, catching his breath. "Then, around eight-thirty, I told him I needed to leave to attend this meeting. He was completely understanding, and we said our goodbyes. But... but..." Ian deliberately started stammering at the end, acting as if he had seen something terrifying.
"But what?!" Jacob demanded, instantly standing up from his throne.
"He suddenly collapsed completely unconscious!" Ian exclaimed, lying through his teeth as the fake sweat dripped down his chin. "I had to carry him all the way back to his room, where his butler was frantically looking for him. I was so worried! I couldn’t just leave him there. That was my very first time seeing him fall like that, and I was so scared. I only left to come here after he finally regained consciousness and I was reassured that he was safe."
’Since Adam literally just told me he usually pretends to faint to get out of trouble, I will just use his own excuse as my alibi to make them feel conflicted about scolding me,’ Ian thought, smiling deviously in his mind.
"Sigh... I see," Jacob exhaled a long, shaky breath, slumping back down into his chair upon hearing his son was safe. "You can take your seat, then. Just try not to let it make you late again. It is... unfortunately common for him to faint in this estate."
"I understand," Ian nodded respectfully.
’Huh. There is absolutely no one arguing with my excuse. I had a whole speech planned to argue back against these old guys if they pushed the issue. Did something happen before I walked in?’ Ian wondered, glancing around at the Elders who were now sitting perfectly quiet.
He finally sat down in the heavy chair next to his aunt.
"You know, I actually bumped into Adam on my way here," Aunt Martha suddenly whispered into Ian’s ear, a soft, highly amused smile playing on her lips. "He was heading back to his room, holding a certain book with a very happy expression. The funny problem is... I saw him at the exact same time you just claimed he was fainted in your arms."
"What are you talking about, Aunty?" Ian whispered back, maintaining a perfectly fake smile on his face.
’Fuck! She knows!!’ Ian panicked internally.
"We are going to have a very serious talk after this meeting," she murmured, her golden eyes glinting with amusement.
