Chapter 106: Freedom
Aaron stood up, and walked away, while a woman walked out from the opposite corner, her steps completely silent on the marble floor, and stood beside Owen.
"Are you sure about this? He’s still our son after all?" She said in a calm tone; maybe too calm for a mother watching her flesh and blood walk into an abyss.
"Aren’t you worried about him?" Owen asked, his gaze fixed on the crowd below.
"Why should I be? I have six more children... A parent should give their children the freedom to achieve their dream."
"Even if that dream will lead to their death?" Owen asked, staring down at Eren chatting near the center of the hall.
"Why are you so confident he will die?" She asked in confusion, turning her sharp eyes to her husband.
"You haven’t seen the guy that Juliana is with... He might be younger than Aaron, but he is ruthless. I have seen many youngsters in the upper spheres of Silverspire, but none compares to him. They might both be SSS-RANK, but their mentality, and Aura aren’t in the same rank... From today on, just forget you have a son called Aaron."
’Using your own son for a game piece, you never change.’
She stared at him for a long while, then sighed softly: "If you say so."
___
Aaron got down from the grand stairs, stepping into the dim lighting of the lower corridor, and paused upon seeing a beautiful lady with flowing pink hair staring up at him with a predatory smile.
"Why are you here?" He asked with a slight frown.
"Come on Aaron, this is a banquet... Of course, I am allowed to be here." She said with a light, melodic smile.
"I am no longer the heir of Lebreton family, and I might die very soon. You should follow someone else." He said, stopping beside her.
She brought out her pink tongue like a snake, flicking it upward, then took it back inside. She walked slowly towards him, placed her soft palm on his chest, moved her face closer, and licked his cheek with her warm tongue.
"Do you think I am after you because of your family? No matter where you go, I will always be with you." She said with a smile, her green, reptilian pupils focusing entirely on him.
Aaron looked up at the noble crowd busy in the hall, some already staring at their provocative display: "Come on, let’s leave this place."
"If I may, who are we fighting this time?" She asked, falling into step beside him.
"An Ancient family."
"Oh? I haven’t fought against one before... I have heard so many things about them. I just hope your target puts up a valid fight, because my poison hasn’t tested a high-tier human for a while." She said with a bright smile, her fingers twitching with lethal anticipation.
"Soon, very soon, we will be the first to make an ancient family bow at our feet." He said in a low voice, passing through the grand entrance corridor.
"Hey! It’s Master Aaron... Why are you in such a rush?" Frederick walked towards Aaron with a wide, socialite smile on his face.
"Don’t disturb me."
Aaron said with pure killing intent, walking straight past Frederick without even looking back at him.
"...?!"
Frederick was stunned, his smile freezing as he turned to the pink-haired woman: "What about you, Angelina? Will you—"
"—Fuck off."
Angelina moved past him, following closely behind Aaron.
"What a simp, always following him—"
"—If you complete that sentence, I won’t care that we are in a banquet." Angelina paused instantly, looking over her shoulder at him, her vibrant green eyes splitting in a second into the slit pupils of a venomous serpent. A heavy wave of toxic aura briefly suffocated the air between them.
".....?!"
Frederick swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back as his instincts screamed at him to retreat: "Apologies." He quickly said, cold sweat rolling down his face.
"Leave him... Thanks to my father, such people from low families can enter this hall. He should eat and drink to his fill while he is still alive." Aaron’s icy voice sounded from ahead without him slowing down.
Angelina narrowed her eyes at Frederick for one more second before her pupils transformed back into normal human eyes: "Alright."
Frederick watched as the two walked out of the estate, completely stunned and speechless.
"WOW, you almost lost your head there."
Frederick turned to the side, seeing Marianne walking towards him with a half-empty glass of wine in hand.
"Offending Angelina, and surviving... you are pretty lucky." She added, taking a delicate sip.
"Um..." Frederick was at a total loss for words, turning his gaze back to the empty entrance doors: "Yeah... my mistake." He finally muttered.
Angelina was notoriously deadly; people called her the second Lunatic after Luna Starfire. He truly was lucky Aaron stopped her.
’I wonder who would ever like such a person; all her body is filled with lethal poison.’ He thought, shivering slightly.
"Don’t go after her... You should know her unique physique. Only a few people can satisfy her toxic without dissolving, and Aaron is the only one who can in Silverspire; that’s why she is always around him. If she doesn’t get what she is after, she might go crazy and enter a full-blown killing spree." Marianne said softly, swirling the red liquid in her glass.
"An SSS-RANK with such a physique going crazy... that is extremely dangerous. Why isn’t there any leash on her?" He asked in shock.
"You said it yourself—she’s an SSS-RANK. Who would dare offend her and even try to put a leash on her? Are you really that stupid?" She asked, turning her sharp gaze to him, and continued:
"Besides, she might look young, but she is already 35 years old. Look for someone younger next time."
With that, she turned on her heels and walked away into the bustling crowd, leaving a thoroughly stunned Frederick behind.
First, it was the owner of Heaven Hotel who had looked down on him, and now this?
’Is everyone targeting me?’ He thought bitterly, clenching his fists.
Suddenly, the private orchestra cut its performance mid-note. The lights in the ceiling dimmed slightly before focusing entirely on the massive double doors of the estate’s main entrance.
A herald’s voice, echoed through every corner of the vast room:
"Please welcome Lord Asher, the Patriarch of the Aetheldawn Family, and his three Wives."
"...?!!"
An absolute, heavy silence instantly descended upon the entire Hall as every noble, guild master, and Awakened turned their heads in unison toward the entrance.