Chapter 105: Vengeance
On a different table, Eren turned to the kids, seeing Elizabeth talking non-stop. He smiled, and turned to Gavin, who had his hand bandaged:
"Are you sure those guys will complete this job?" He asked seriously, his voice low enough to be lost under the swelling symphonies played by the hall’s private orchestra.
"You don’t have to worry about that, I specifically picked those guys. They’re the best Assassins in Silverspire, not only that, they have five SSS-RANK amongst them. Rumors say when these five join together, they could take down any SSS-RANK. Adding the remaining members, that guy is a goner." Gavin said with a confident smile, swirling his drink.
"Hmm... The way you speak, you are very confident, that’s very good. After I get my hands on those girls, especially that small toy, I will have my fun." Eren said with a sinister smirk, then paused as a sudden realization hit him:
"Wait, what if she uses the artifacts against the Assassins?" He asked, turning to Gavin in shock, the terrifying memory of Asher’s absolute defense flashing behind his eyes.
"Think for a second, she is only a mage... And I am sure those Artifacts don’t give any buffs against stealth."
"How are you so sure about that?" Eren asked with a slight frown, his mind weighing the unpredictable variables of such weaponry.
"Just trust me, they won’t fail this simple task." Gavin said, picking up a glass of wine with his left hand, and took a sip.
"If Daniel hadn’t stopped us from personally dealing with them, I would have rushed over there, and cut off his head!" Eren said with a clenched fist.
’Pathetic, only his defense knocked you off, and you’re here saying you want to fight him again... I am not even sure those Assassins will succeed, but who cares? He can’t get hold of anything of value.’ Gavin thought, turning his gaze toward the grand balconies of the second floor, staring at the two looming figures standing behind the massive one-way mirror:
’One day, just one day, everything will belong to me.’ He thought, nursing his hidden ambitions.
___
[Second Floor.]
Owen stood with his arms folded behind his back, staring down at the elite crowd below, drinking and chatting amidst the glittering lights of the estate.
"Do you know why I called you up here?" He asked, his voice resonant with the quiet, crushing authority of a patriarch, not looking back.
"I don’t know, Father," the young man behind him said, his intense gaze fixed on Katherine’s table below.
"Do you remember someone called Juliana? Juliana Royalwood." He asked.
The guy remained silent for a moment, his posture hardening as he lowered his head to stare at his feet: "Why would I forget her, Father...? Whenever I look in a mirror, I always see her face... I can’t get her out of my head even if I want to."
He looked up at Owen’s back, his right eye covered with a dark, embroidered eye patch—the permanent mark where Juliana had taken his sight years ago.
"She took away my eye just because I tried to touch her... If I get my hands on her, I will take back my eye by removing one of hers, then force it down her throat." He said with gritted teeth, his cold, murderous gaze burning with raw vengeance.
"From now on, remove all hatred you have in your heart, and let it go."
"...?!"
He froze, staring at his father in absolute shock. All this while, his father had held him back, keeping him on a tight leash to bury the past, but now, his father wasn’t just stopping him—he was asking him to give up his hatred entirely. That was something his burning pride could never permit.
"I am sorry, Father, I can’t do that. Even if the family abandons me, I won’t back down." He said coldly, his stance unyielding.
"You dare disrespect your father! Do you think I won’t disown you!!" A crushing wave of energy burst out from Owen, slamming into the room and forcing his son down onto his knees.
"I, Aaron, already promised myself to get my revenge! I trained, killed, and fought through countless dungeons, just to gain your permission!! I did everything for the glory of this family, I can’t just throw all that away because you said so, Father!! I just can’t." The floorboards groaned beneath Aaron’s pressure, but his resolve didn’t break.
"So you will take on this path even knowing your target is now the wife of the head of an ancient family?" Owen asked in a dark, ominous tone.
He had stopped his first son from pursuing his revenge primarily because of Daniel and the Awakened Association, desperately trying to bury what happened years ago. No matter what his son claimed, Owen knew the dark truth: Aaron was completely in the wrong. He had not only abused their family name to corner Juliana, but he had also attempted to force himself upon her. Driven by pure survival, she had struck his eye and exploded her core, a massive backlash that had knocked everyone unconscious.
If Owen hadn’t arrived in time to sanitize the scene and erase every trace of evidence linking their noble house to the crime, the Lebreton family would never enjoy the high privileges and power they commanded today.
He clenched his fist tightly behind his back; he had compromised his own honor to save his son, but this stupid Aaron, blinded by a ruined ego, wanted to drag their entire lineage across the forbidden bridge of an Ancient Family’s wrath.
"I apologize, Father, but I can’t let go of my hatred... If I don’t settle this, I will never be able to get rid of my past!! From today onwards, I remove myself from the Lebreton family! Just give the word." Aaron spat out, his hands trembling against the floor.
"So even if the road down is death?"
"I already made up my mind, Father."
"Hmm... Alright then." Owen retracted his crushing aura, the oppressive weight lifting from the room in an instant.
"There are more than 400 people in our family, I can’t give up their lives because of your foolish wish... From now onwards, you are on your own. You are never allowed to use the family name ever again."
"Thank you, Father." Aaron stood up slowly, the pain beneath his eye patch fueling a cold, solitary path of vengeance.