Chapter 392: Apology
For a moment, Kaiden just stood there, letting her words hang in the air.
High school memories clawed up from the pit where he had buried them. Years of misery. Years of silence. Many looked back on those days with fondness, calling them the best years of their lives. For him, they had been a cage, one Vaelira built with a single cruel smile and lies that everyone chose to believe.
And even now, years later, after the mana apocalypse reshaped the world, after Kaiden himself became something greater than he ever thought possible, she still managed to be a thorn in his side. A constant nuisance on every mission they had shared, petty and poisonous in equal measure.
So hearing her apology... it should have felt good. It should have carried the taste of vindication.
But it didn’t.
There was no warmth in her words. No sincerity. This wasn’t contrition; it was survival. A political play wrapped in honeyed tones. A performance to keep her seat at the table.
Kaiden’s eyes drifted to his girls. Luna’s lips pressed thin. Aria’s brow furrowed in disdain. Nyx twirled a strand of hair, sporting a sly look that said she wasn’t fooled. Bastet’s golden eyes narrowed with solar fire. Even the tanned felinid understood.
He didn’t need words; their faces said everything he felt. They, too, knew the apology was hollow.
Finally, his gaze slid toward Tessa.
She hadn’t moved since Vaelira spoke, her expression composed yet taut. Worry lingered behind her eyes, sharp and unspoken. If Kaiden refused, their deal would bind her hand. Vaelira would be gone from the mission. That decision would ripple through her guild, through her standing as leader. Some might even question her judgment for letting it come to this.
After all, she would favor a mercenary over their sole A-tier awakened. Vaelira would be robbed of the opportunity to grow stronger just so he and his group could.
Kaiden sighed. It was a low but heavy sound. "It is clear to me you have no regrets, only that you didn’t get your way. But this is business. I’ll keep my true feelings to myself... for now."