Chapter 69 - 68 - A Rock’s Reckoning
Riven studied the man carefully.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, likely in his early thirties, with a rough face and the posture of someone used to carrying weapons or wearing armor. His stance radiated confidence—or rather, arrogance. The armor he wore bore numerous scratches and dents, as if he wore them with pride, the marks of training duels or skirmishes he wanted the world to see.
Riven came to one more conclusion—the man clearly didn’t know who he was. Few knew of Ashtoria’s presence in this residence, and even fewer knew the identities of Riven and Mira.
To this man, Riven probably looked like a new gardener... or a stablehand toying with a sword in the courtyard.
So with a cold tone and flat gaze, Riven asked,
"What do you mean?"
The man responded immediately, his voice rising a few octaves from poorly contained anger.
"My name is Rocky Stone! Sure, my family is small and we have no land of our own, but we’re still noble blood! And you, every day I hear you insulting my name! Cursing that rock, calling it ’stupid rock,’ ’damned rock,’ ’useless rock’! You think I wouldn’t notice?!"
He jabbed a finger toward the massive stone Riven had been training on since morning.
"You think you’re clever? Think you can mock my family name in front of everyone?!"
Riven paused for a moment.
Then, with an awkward smile, he said quietly,