Chapter 87: Try Harder Next Time
As night fell over the Ambrose estate, Grim found himself back in the study, staring up at the portrait of his great-grandfather.
Huangyan sat across from him, her hands now clean of blood but her expression still carrying that unnerving detachment. Chen Xing had excused himself to patrol the grounds, ensuring no more unwelcome visitors would surprise them.
"You claim to have known my great-grandfather," Grim said finally, breaking the silence. "Yet you’ve offered no proof beyond knowledge that could have been acquired elsewhere."
"What proof would satisfy you?" Huangyan asked, her amber eyes reflecting the firelight. "Would you have me recite the seven forms of the Silver Crescent style?"
"That’s a start," he conceded. "But it doesn’t explain how a half-elf became the student of a man known for his ruthlessness toward your kind."
A shadow passed over Huangyan’s face. "Not all stories begin as tales of honor, Lord Ambrose. Mine began in chains."
She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a thin band of scarred tissue around her wrist. "I was born to an elven father and a human mother on the borders of the Demon Lands. My mother died when I was young. My father’s people never accepted me. Half-breeds are viewed with less than trash. It was Elves who tooke me away from my father."
Grim’s expression remained cold, but he didn’t interrupt.
"I was purchased by a noble. For five years, I served in his household, until the estate was raided. Your great-grandfather led that raid." Her eyes drifted to the portrait. "The noble and his guards were slaughtered. The slaves were to be executed as well."
"Caius wasn’t known for his mercy," Grim remarked.
"No, he wasn’t," Huangyan agreed. "But when the soldiers came for me, I fought back. With a kitchen knive i killed three imperial soldiers before they subdued me."