It was a very awkward dinner, to say the least.
Everyone at the table was not focusing on their meal, well, except for Keith, who seemed to have no care about the storm he had earlier brewed.
However, the biggest surprise was that Nergal did not leave but joined them for dinner.
He seemed quite focused on his meal too, but his occasional glances at Keith and Qin Feng gave away his thoughts.
Nergal wanted nothing more than to see Hades and Erebus fall out with each other now. He knew that Hades was proud, very proud, and he could never ask Keith to kill him even if it was some deal.
And if that happened, Hades' goal to become the sole king of the Mercenary World by amalgamating their forces would remain a dream.
Qin Feng too understood what Nergal wanted to see, and it only added to his worries.
He inadvertently glanced at Keith, who was smiling as he cut into the steak and then elegantly picked it up before chewing on it.
It was so clear that he wanted the same thing that Nergal wanted. He wanted a reason to fall out with him, and everyone at the table felt it too.
The thing was that it was so easy for him to avoid it. All he had to do was hand over the princess to Keith, and it was something he had to eventually do if he was to honour his words.
Now, if he refused it, he would make Nergal's wish come true. He would fall out with not just Keith, but with the City of Sin, which was on very good terms with Erebus. And then there was the thing that he could never be sure about.
He did not know Keith enough to be sure that he would not drag the likes of Poseidon and other old Monsters on his side and isolate him, leaving him no way out in case they faced each other. And then there was the fact that Nyx favoured the Inheritor of Erebus.
Even if she would not directly help him, he knew that if it came to war, only Keith would be able to find allies as no one would stand on his side in fear that they might offend the Lady of the Night.
Qin Feng knew that he could not let things fall between them. But his heart ached as he knew what it would cost him.
"I agree."
Those two words froze everyone at the table, and even Nergal looked at Qin Feng in dismay.
"Fine." Keith, however, did not seem surprised and continued eating. "I will be staying here for a day. Bring her here."
"I agree to hand her over to you ahead of our promised time, but not in return for killing Nergal for me." Qin Feng said, and his words calmed everyone down.
Keith smiled at those words and put the knife and fork down, reaching for his glass of wine, and then he looked at the Inheritor of Hades.
"What do you want then?"
"A promise." The Child of Destiny seriously said.
"And that is?"
"Once you have her, all our differences will be over."
Keith raised his brow at those words.
"That's fine. But what differences do we have?" He confusedly asked, and Qin Feng was left at a loss for words.
Everyone else too frowned at his words and looked at Qin Feng.
"You know what I am talking about, Lord Erebus."
"Say it." Keith smiled at him. "So that we can avoid any future misunderstandings."
The man gritted his teeth when he heard those words and looked Keith right in the eyes.
"I want you to never pursue the matter of their Father and Family's deaths."
Keith knew why the Child of Destiny had brought this thing up.
Qin Feng wanted to get a read on him and understand his intentions toward him.
With all these witnesses at the table, Keith would hesitate to break his word in the future and would not harm him under the banner of justice and vengeance.
Another reason why he wanted this promise was to put Keith in an uncomfortable situation since he felt that the older Carmilla Princess must have only submitted to Erebus in hopes that he would help her avenge her father. And now, if Keith agrees to this promise, he would break his word to the older Carmilla Princess.
Unfortunately for him, Keith was hard to best in the game of words.
"That's fine." Keith smiled at him. "I will never pursue the matter of their father's death until you do something in the future that offends me."
Qin Feng shook his head.
"The past needs to be put to rest." He clearly said.
"Some wounds never heal, Mr. Qin. A person can only exercise control if it is worth it, but that is only possible if you don't add to their grievances. If you do, then they might look for answers to the pain you caused them and to those they care about." Keith meaningfully said. "If you offend me in the future, do know that I will make things even between us, and though it will appear that I am makings even, in truth, I will also be seeking answers for what you did that caused pain to those who belong to me."
His words made the Inheritor of Hades frown, who now felt a very bad premonition in his heart.
Why did his words sound like he was so sure that he would be wronged by him in the future?
"Why are you lost in thoughts now, Mr. Qin?" Keith smiled. "Or were you indeed planning on doing something that would upset me?"
"No. I.." He subconsciously shook his head but then stopped and looked into Keith's eyes.
Silence reigned between them for a good two minutes before Qin Feng nodded his head.
"I will take that promise, in hope that you would not act unreasonably."
"Cheers, Mr. Qin!" Keith flashed him a smile and raised his glass.
With a clank of the glass, they both sipped on the wine and then harmoniously continued with their dinner.
But with every second that passed, Qin Feng felt more hollow in his heart, and soon a wave of regret washed over him.
He did not understand why he felt like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. But no matter how hard he thought things over, he found it the most reasonable way to get out of the situation he was caged in.
"Excuse me." Nergal finished his meal first and then simply left the table.
He was not going to stay at this place any longer. He had no reason to. And now he had to prepare for something.
"He might try to steal Ingvild." Keith reminded Qin Feng, who nodded his head.
"He won't succeed. She's at a safe place."
"I see." He nodded.
Valerie finished before them and then whispered something in Qin Feng's ear before leaving, and two minutes later, the Inheritor of Hades left too.
Hodur too excused himself as he had to make sure that both Hades and Nergal safely reached their destinations.
Since he was the Arbitrator, he could not afford one of them to take advantage of this event to kill the other person.
Though the chances of that happening were very low, given the consequences that would befall them, he still had to do his duty or he would be at fault too.
With Hodur gone, Keith was left at the table with Ashur and Abuzar, and the three of them stayed, chatting with each other about miscellaneous things.
Finally, Ashur excused himself too, and Keith followed Abuzar to his room since he had agreed to have a cup of tea with him.
Keith smiled when he watched the Inheritor of Abuzar prepare the tea with great attention and care that only an enthusiast would show. And he had to admit that the green tea he prepared was the best he ever had.
Perhaps, even if he made it himself, he would find it very hard to improve on it. And that was telling since he possessed Expert-level Cooking Skills.
However, Abzuar had not invited him over to just have tea with him.
"It's strange that I can get a read on every other Inheritor in this world, and yet I can not tell where you stand in terms of your Cultivation, Lord Erebus." Abuzar smiled at him as he took a sip of the refreshing tea.
"I have my secrets, but I still can't hide them from Nyx." He shrugged, making the Mortal God of Peace smile some more.
"No one can."
"I agree." Keith nodded his head.
"How much do you know about Lower Heaven, Lord Erebus?" Abuzar finally got to business.
"Depends on what you want to know," He looked the boy in the eye and replied.
"Any advice?" It was a hopeful request, which made Keith smile.
"Do not Isolate yourself from the world and deprive yourself of experiences that life there has to offer. Live and fulfil your wishes and desires. It will help you in forming your Laws and will allow you to understand yourself better."
Abuzar nodded to his words and then lost himself in his thoughts.
"You are going to stay there for a while. Aren't you?" Keith asked.
"I am in no rush." He admitted.
"Then have as much fun as possible. Keep a low profile, and do not attract too much attention to yourself. It will allow you to spend a peaceful time before your status as a Mortal God is eventually discovered and..."
"I understand." Abuzar nodded his head. "Anything else?"
"Find a beautiful lover." He said, and it made the Mortal God of Light laugh.
"I might." He nodded and then he started telling Keith everything he knew about Lower Heaven, not hiding his excitement.
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