Chapter 142: EX 142. Cringe Dinner
The silence that followed Leon’s greeting lingered like a breath held too long.
"I would like to thank you... for saving my son."
Leon had expected those words. He knew this was the reason Luke came in person. Still, hearing it directly, from the man who once couldn’t hide his disdain, felt strange. Almost surreal.
The Ferans and the Kaels had been at odds since the celebration months ago. The moment Dayton Feran insulted his family in front of the nobles, and Leon shut him up, that was the spark. Since then, tension had simmered. Leon always assumed retaliation would follow, and when he was arrested at the mall shortly after, the Ferans were the first name on his mind.
But Darian Kael dug deeper.
The truth was messier. The tip hadn’t come from a noble family, it had come from a Grounder. An anonymous one who killed themselves not long after reporting. That, more than anything, had unsettled both father and son. The Ferans were many things, but they weren’t behind that. Which made everything murkier.
Now, looking into Luke’s eyes across the quiet room, Leon didn’t see the veiled smugness he remembered. No cold judgment. Just sincerity. He could’ve sent a messenger, or a gift. Nobles usually did. But he came in person.
’And this is the man I once made kneel in his own house,’ Leon thought. ’It takes guts to stand here now.’
Leon held his gaze. Then he spoke.
"You don’t have to thank me, Lord Luke."
Luke’s brows lifted, caught off guard. But before he could respond, Leon continued, voice calm and unwavering.
"I didn’t save Eden for recognition. I did it because it’s my duty, as a captain, to protect my squad. If something had happened to him under my watch... that’s on me."