Chapter 100: The Adoption (3)
"How dare you fucking say that?!"
The Empress raised both her hands to grab Bernard’s collar, but he casually leaned and stepped back to avoid her, perhaps a mistake to do with someone already angry at you for saying something completely explicitly out of hand.
But of course, Bernard even doubled down on his words.
"The chance of Riley inheriting his mother’s illness is around ten to thirteen percent—and that is not taking into account the father’s mental history, which we know absolutely nothing about," he sighed while backing away from The Empress, "I know that you have already bonded with the child, Ada... but that is a thirteen percent we can’t risk. I’ll do it. It will be painle—"
And before Bernard could finish his words, a soft clanging noise whispered in the air as The Empress lunged at him with her fist; the golden rings around her arms clinking against each other.
Bernard, instead of dodging away or moving back, crouched forward and leaned down. He then lifted his leg back and raised it, and then hooked The Empress’ charging arm. He then planted both of his palms on top of her feet, making her completely lose balance—but before she could fall on top of him, Bernard pushed himself up, all the while still gripping her arm with his leg, and then spun in the air.
He moved like a snake, almost—or maybe a spider. The Empress dropped to the floor face first, and with Bernard almost on top of him, her head in between his thighs as he had her pinned down.
"Stop it, Ada. We’re supposed to be discussing this like civilized people."
"What civilized people would talk about killing a child?!" The Empress struggled to get up, but Bernard tightened his grip on her arm.
"You’d be surprised how many. Even nature itself culls those who they think would threaten the many."
"Then..." The Empress’s lips trembled. She turned her head as much as she could and glared at Bernard, "...why didn’t you do it with your daughter?"
"Diana and I do not have any history of mental illness in our family. This is going to happen, and it would be for the best."