Chapter 142: [X] - 142: Maternal Uncle
A beautiful woman stepped out from the Winterfang section.
Her expression was cold as she fixed her eyes on the broad shouldered man still standing in front of Alex.
She did not raise her voice, but the tone carried cleanly across the short distance and cut through the residual murmurs around them with the practiced authority of someone used to shutting down public embarrassment before it spread further through the watching households.
"You should really stop drinking and you are already troubling the Third Prince," she said.
"This is not the place for it, and it is certainly not the time."
"Half the major households are still watching, and the match only just ended."
She turned to Alex without waiting for a response from the man and gave a brief, formal bow that carried the polished manners of someone who moved between the Abyss and Winterfang households without friction.
"Greetings Your Highness, this is your maternal uncle, Velen Abyss, I am his wife, Ella Winterfang."
Alex studied Velen more carefully with narrowed eyes.
The vague familiarity that had sat at the edge of his memory finally settled into something usable once the name was attached.
The man still reeked of alcohol strong enough to reach across the space between them, and the earlier boasting about bloodlines and hidden gems now sat in a clearer, if still slightly ridiculous, context.
Alex filed the new information without comment, adding the face and the name to the growing list of relatives who had decided today was the day to introduce themselves after a public match.
Velen looked indignant at the scrutiny.
"Nephew, you should not be looking at your own uncle like that," he protested, volume rising again despite the warning he had just received from his wife.
"I am quite good at noticing hidden gems when I see them."
"If not for the current border tensions keeping every capable fighter busy on the lines, I would have personally trained you myself years ago."
"When you are free, come find me."
"I can teach you many things if you are ready to learn. "
"Real techniques, not the half-measures they waste time on in the basic halls with the other recruits who still need someone to hold their hands through every drill."
Theron narrowed his eyes at that comment, but he didn’t say anything back.
Alex answered without shifting his stance or softening the flat assessment in his eyes.
"I will think about it."
Velen opened his mouth to keep talking, clearly not finished with the invitation or the lecture about what he could offer once the borders calmed down.
Ella reached up without hesitation and pinched his ear hard between two fingers, the motion practiced enough that it required no extra force to get results.
"Ow! Let go, Ella! That hurts!"
Ella ignored the yelp completely.
She turned back to Alex with an apologetic expression that did not extend in any way to her husband, as if the ear pinch had already closed that particular subject for the day and any further commentary from Velen would only make the situation worse in front of the remaining audience.
"Your Highness, you should get healed," she said.
"Your are still bleeding and the cut is not shallow."
"Standing here with it open in front of everyone is unnecessary."
She sent a dark look toward the healers standing off to the side who had not yet moved to treat the Third Prince.
The healers looked at Alex.
Alex looked back at them with the same flat refusal they had seen many times before in the training complex and the private yards behind the palace.
Only the healers themselves knew the real reason they had not approached.
No matter how badly Alex had been injured in past training sessions or spars, he had always refused healing and said he did not need it.
Right now he had that exact same look on his face, calm and closed, the kind that made any further offer feel like a waste of breath and professional dignity in front of an audience that included Winterfang officers and Bloodworth retainers still lingering on the platforms.
Ella began to berate them for the delay, her voice sharpening with genuine irritation at the lack of movement.
"Why are you still standing there? The Third Prince is bleeding in front of you and you have not even stepped forward to offer treatment."
"This is unacceptable!"
Her composure almost cracked when none of them moved.
"Move your asses right now or—!"
Alex cut her off calmly before the lecture could gain more volume or draw additional eyes from the platforms still watching the aftermath of the match.
"I do not need healing right now, I have other ways."
Ella did not understand what he meant.
The confusion showed clearly on her face, a brief flicker of genuine uncertainty beneath the composed exterior she maintained in public.
Alex did not elaborate.
He simply gave a short nod that included both her and the still wincing Velen, closing the conversation on his own terms without leaving room for further argument or explanation.
"I will be glad to meet you again."
Then he turned and started walking toward the exit of the training hall.
Zara fell into step beside him without a word.
’I hope you enjoyed the drama, Miss Drama Enjoyer...’
’Don’t mind me, I enjoyed it a lot, did you see how she manhandled him!’
’Sigh... Let’s just get out of here, I don’t want any other drama.’
Just as Alex was about to pass through the wide doors, he felt someone moving parallel to him on the other side of the corridor.
The presence was deliberate, matched to his pace without trying to close the distance or fall behind.
It was the kind of parallel movement that only happened when the other person wanted the meeting to look accidental while ensuring it was not.
He turned his head slightly.
Valerius Bloodworth was also exiting at the same time.
’This guy again!’
Their eyes met across the short space between them and—
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End of Chapter 142: Maternal Uncle
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