At the duke's request, every pair of eyes inside the room looked at Duke Blackwell. Ulysses had a complicated look on his face while the duchess could only close her eyes and look away. Cygnus, who had been silent ever since they entered the room, only looked at him.
"So, Ulysses, will you tell me what's going on?" He insisted as he looked at his longtime friend.
Ulysses was a childhood friend as their fathers were partners in many things. The both of them almost grew up like siblings and if not for their own responsibilities they would have been exploring the lands. Both became the heads of their respective families and needed to focus on their duty but they haven't lost contact with each other and eventually became allies.
Many nobles wanted to have this kind of relationship with either of the two but they can't reach the level of trust these dukes have for each other. Ulysses looked at his friend and sighed before he went up to him.
"Let's talk but not here." He walked past him and went straight for the door. He left and before Galahad followed, he gave the room one last look before he turned around and went out. The door closed behind him as he followed his friend.
It was a silent night that was supposed to be filled with joyous chatter and music and yet the mansion felt empty because of how silent the surrounding was. Galahad locked the door behind him and took a seat on the couch. He could hear the clinking of glass from the cabinet where Ulysses kept his wines.
A bottle of red wine was placed on the table and Ulysses handed the other wine glass in his hand to Galahad. They poured themselves wine and drank for a little bit before Duke Blackwell placed his glass on the table and relaxed on his seat.
"What's going on Ulysses?" he asked since his friend was a bit reluctant to start his tale. This was unlike Ulysses at all. The man was usually confident and he didn't think twice to say what was on his mind and now he seemed so unsure.
"Maverick, he's already gone." This was the first sentence he uttered after a brief moment of indecisiveness overcame her.
This statement made Galahad frown even more, "What are you talking about? We just left him a while ago-" his words were cut off when he saw how serious the other was looking at him. Then he realized the events and the accusation against the man they introduced as their son. Also, the sudden introduction seemed too suspicious now. "Are you telling me that the child you introduced a while ago is actually not your second son."
Ulysses slowly nodded his head which further surprised Galahad. "It was all the plan of Linius ever since Maverick died, everything was just a mess."
Galahad's brows furrowed. He only knew that Ulysses had a second son who was born weak and through his efforts, they were able to prolong the child's life and yet here he was saying that Maverick died. Even though he had not seen the child with his own eyes, he knew how the family cherished the child. "What happened?" He asked with concern.
"They killed him. They burned the mansion where he was living and no one survived the fire. We did all we could to hide him from the clutches of greed and yet he still died at the end. So, Linius planned to eliminate all the members of the family who had a hand on the incident." Ulysses narrated what had happened and his son's plan. The plan was supposed to go smoothly because they had a substitute for his youngest son and yet, it turned out complicated.
"And that young man who you introduced in the banquet is not really your son. Then how can you explain the blood test done by Archmage Sigma?" he was getting more confused now and when he saw that Ulysses shook his head, he could only rub his temples. "What have you done? Have you done a background check on them before you agreed to this ridiculous plan of Linius?"
"I did but I never found anything about them, their real identity or where they came from but we've interacted with them for a couple of days and I observed them myself. And, for some reason, Linius trusted them." From the very beginning he was reluctant but when he saw how his son was interacting with these people, he decided to give it a try.
Galahad could only sigh. He couldn't believe that his friend did not tell him any of these plans they thought of. Even his child's death was kept a secret from him. "Then we should see this plan through and use this opportunity to clean up the people who killed your son. But after all of this, you should not associate yourselves with that person any longer."
It was both a warning and a reminder because he was worried that they may have felt attached to Rigel who was acting as their son. He was a dangerous man. What he did out there was indeed impressive and at the same time a cause for worry.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about that. After this cooperation, we will be cutting ties with him." It was the plan ever since the start. Even if Linius refused they would still need to let them go.
"That's good. To be able to sever a man's arm flawlessly and to wield a sword like it was a toy, those are not the movements of a person who was new to holding a sword. He did not even flinch when he saw all of that blood." Galahad told the man what he saw.
"He is really a peculiar man even the people who came with him are not willing to tell me anything about them but as far as I am concerned, they were polite and respectful to everyone in here even Linius doesn't talk about it." Ulysses nodded as he memorized what the other had said.
Inside Cygnus's room, there was still silence which was suddenly broken when he let out a deep sigh. He relaxed on the chair he was seated and looked at the people inside the room and was amused at how tense they were. Even the duchess seemed to be on edge as she sat without speaking.
"Can all of you relax? It was just a slip, well that is if I don't see that man again or hear that word then everything will be fine." He suddenly spoke, which made the room tenser. Nina and Mr. C stiffened when they heard the master's voice.
"Was that really necessary? It is my birthday banquet and now you've made a mess out of it," Linette spoke from where she was but she was not looking at Cygnus.
Cygnus laughed, "That was me holding back, my lady. You wouldn't want me going all out in that situation and you should be thankful for that. I could have exploded his body and ended it right there and then but I still chose to show mercy and gave him a chance to live, isn't that enough?" The sarcasm in his voice was heavy which made the woman frown.
"Yes, he will live but without one of his arms and being blind, it will be difficult for him." This time the lady who had yet to change from her ball gown looked at the man only to be met with blank eyes which contradicted his warm smile. She froze for a moment but she was able to calm down immediately too.
"My lady, you know in a world where there is cruelty you need to be crueler in ways you nor they can't imagine, that way, no one will mess with you or they will be trembling in fear when they see you. It is the path you have been seeking for, am I right? And if you remain soft hearted, then you'll be the first one to be destroyed." This advice came with a smile but his eyes were not smiling and instead there was a glint of red on it. The longer the duchess looked at those eyes the deeper she was getting pulled by it and every word he had said suddenly made sense.
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