“And what about this… umm, gentleman?”
Olivia pointed toward the butler, who had been standing silently on the side this entire time.
Lucian froze.
“Umm… he…”
He hadn’t thought about this old man at all.
Celestia’s sharp eyes immediately caught Lucian’s hesitation, her gaze narrowing.
The butler, unfazed, turned to Olivia and gave a perfectly executed courtesy bow.
“Miss Olivia,” he greeted her with professional ease.
The general and the others looked on, surprised.
The general, in particular, hadn’t expected the butler to show Olivia such respect. He was a Malvic butler, after all.
At least he’s not being rude… that’s good.
The general let out a quiet sigh of relief. He knew that when it came to Lucian’s family, there were certain things best left unprovoked.
But the butler himself? He thought nothing of it. It was simply his profession to maintain an unwavering demeanor at all times.
Yes, he didn’t bow to everyone, nor did he always speak with such respect. But given that Lucian would soon be meeting the Patriarch, he figured a little courtesy wouldn’t hurt.
Olivia nodded back, taken aback by the sheer elegance of this man.
She had never seen such a refined and professional butler before.
“Did you help them too, sir?” Olivia asked with a rare tone of respect, considering his age and presence.
“Umm… he…”
Lucian’s brain scrambled for a quick excuse.
He had to come up with something fast.
“Actually, he’s… he’s actually the father of that purple-haired dude over there!”
He blurted out whatever came to mind, not even thinking about the consequences. His focus was entirely on getting through this moment.
‘…’
A stunned silence.
Then
“HUH?!”
A loud exclamation burst through the room.
The purple-haired man who had been standing off to the side, quietly praying for his survival nearly had his soul leave his body.
This was the same old man who had managed to make a Marshal drop to his knees with nothing but a cheap-looking card.
And now?
Now, Lucian had just assigned him a random father.
That scary old man
He didn’t dare turn his head, but his mind screamed
‘DON’T KILL ME! DON’T KILL ME! IT’S NOT MY FAULT!’
His nervous gaze flickered toward the butler.
The butler who simply stood there, expressionless.
No reaction.
No words.
Nothing.
Which, honestly, made it even more terrifying.
His eyes then darted toward Lucian, who was staring him down with a look that said
“Don’t. Fuck. This. Up.”
The purple-haired man wanted to cry.
But instead, he forced himself to say, “Y-Yeah…”
A weak, barely-there agreement.
Meleonora, on the side, bit her lip so hard she nearly bruised it.
She was seconds away from bursting into laughter, but she knew the consequences if she did.
He just forced this man to call a random butler his father.
What the actual fuck?!
The butler, however, remained completely silent.
Not a single reaction.
Just standing there. Ignoring everything.
But in his heart, he thought
“Just pray you’re worth this disrespect, kid… or you’ll be dead.”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Celestia turned to Lucian.
Her voice was sweet, almost affectionate
But her eyes?
They were anything but.
“Darling~”
She smiled, tilting her head slightly.
“You really think we’d believe all this?”
Her expression remained soft, but her gaze was sharp enough to cut through steel.
“You think there’s ‘stupid’ written on my face, darling~?”
Lucian felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
“Lucy…”
Olivia’s voice was softer now, but her words carried a heavy weight.
“Please don’t try to hide things. This is serious.”
It was obvious both Olivia and Celestia had their suspicions.
Something wasn’t right here.
It was too perfect.
Too scripted.
Well… Olivia had a theory.
Maybe Lucian had secretly been going to nightclubs at night for fun, and Rose’s friend somehow led her there.
That would explain why he wasn’t telling the whole story he was embarrassed.
He is a kid, after all… maybe he’s just too ashamed to admit it.
But why the hell are the General and the Butler here?
That was what really bothered her.
Just as Olivia was about to demand an answer
Cough. Cough.
A soft cough came from the side.
Ughhh…
Rose, who had been lying unconscious on the hospital bed, suddenly let out a weak cough, her body shifting slightly.
The room, which had been tense from Olivia’s questioning, fell into silence.
Olivia, who had been about to demand answers from Lucian, stopped mid-sentence. Her entire focus turned to Rose.
Celestia’s attention also snapped to the bed, her expression shifting as she took a step forward.
“Rose! Are you alright?” Olivia rushed to her bedside, her voice laced with concern.
Slowly, with effort, Rose tried to sit up.
“Hey, don’t! It’ll hurt your back. You’re still injured.” Olivia gently supported her, worry etched all over her face.
Lucian, Meleonora, the general, and the purple-haired man all stiffened, their eyes glued to Rose.
Lucian’s heart pounded.
He was happy relieved that Rose had woken up. But at the same time, he felt something cold and heavy settle over him.
This is it. The end.
Lucian stood still, silent, as thoughts raced through his mind.
So this is how it all ends.
He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling.
Well… No worries.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t already planned on leaving the family at some point.
At least now they’ll have a real reason to hate me.
They already hated him before, despite not having a reason. Now, with everything that happened, there would be no restraint.
A monster. A bloodthirsty lunatic. A menace.
That’s what they would call him.
Lucian let out a small, almost bitter smile.
Meleonora, the general, and the purple-haired man watched him carefully, their expressions uneasy.
Why the hell is he smiling like that?!
Did he finally lose it? They all had the same thought.
The general let out a quiet sigh, his gaze heavy.
Maybe… if Rose hadn’t woken up in the middle of this, something could have been done. Maybe the secret could have been kept.
But now?
There was no way.
Nothing could be hidden forever.
You should never do something that you’d have to hide from the people you care about.
—
Well extra chapters surprised right well thanks to Collin_McCall
On there ways
