Theodore was still rambling on.
His mouth was full of talk about family honor and noble etiquette.
Balte’s fat hands were still waving in the air like some kind of disgusting maggot.
Bell’s patience had completely evaporated.
Trying to reason with people like this was like trying to discuss philosophy with a pile of filth.
It was utterly meaningless.
Bell raised his hand.
There was no grand gesture.
He simply pressed down lightly.
Boom!
The expensive carpet of the Astane house exploded instantly.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Several thick, earthy yellow Earth Spikes erupted from the ground.
Their tips glinted with a cold, sharp light.
They were pinpoint accurate.
One was pressed against Theodore’s Adam's apple.
If he so much as dared to swallow, his throat would be pierced.
The other three formed a triangle, pinning Balte firmly in the center.
One of them was less than a centimeter away from the flab between his legs.
Balte’s face instantly turned the color of a bruised liver.
Cold sweat trickled down from his thinning hair.
His ornate purple robes were soaked through in an instant.
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
Only the sound of Theodore’s teeth chattering could be heard.
They clicked and rattled incessantly.
Bell sat on the sofa.
He hadn't even changed his posture.
He looked at the two men before him, who were shaking like leaves.
“I spoke nicely to you just now, but you didn't understand.”
His voice was flat.
There was no inflection at all.
“You had to make me use force.”
Theodore’s legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.
If it weren't for the Earth Spike held against him, he would have already been on his knees begging for mercy.
“Lord... Lord Bell...”
“This... this is a misunderstanding...”
Bell ignored him.
He stood up.
He walked over to Balte.
The Earth Spike was pushed forward half an inch.
The sound of fabric tearing rang out.
Balte let out a scream like a stuck pig.
“Aaaah!!!”
“Stop! Don't move! It's going to break! It's going to break!”
Bell looked down at him from above.
His gaze was like that of a man looking at a beast waiting for slaughter.
“You people are truly hilarious.”
“When it comes to Tia, you refuse to listen to reason.”
“You force her to marry a pig, force her to do things she doesn't want to do.”
“But when it's my turn...”
“Suddenly you want to talk to me about laws, reason, and rules.”
Bell let out a cold sneer.
He tapped his toe against the Earth Spike.
Balte let out another agonizing shriek.
“Do you think,”
Bell leaned down.
His eyes were level with Balte’s.
“That even if I killed both of you right now...”
“And tore this house to the ground...”
“The Royal Family would bother the Duke Lucas family over two corpses?”
Balte’s pupils constricted violently.
Fear.
Pure, unadulterated fear.
He had forgotten.
The youth before him was not just a student.
He was the only son of the Blood Duke.
He was the heir to that family of lunatics.
Killing a couple of nobles was no different than stepping on an ant for the Duke Lucas family.
Bell straightened his back.
He curled his fingers slightly.
The Earth Spikes made a grating sound of friction.
They pressed in a few more millimeters.
Beads of blood were already seeping from Theodore’s neck.
“The marriage contract is void.”
Bell’s voice echoed through the hall.
“Do either of you have an objection?”
Theodore shook his head frantically.
“No objection! No objection!”
“Everything is as Lord Bell says!”
“The marriage is off! I wouldn't go through with it even if I were killed!”
As long as he could live.
Forget canceling the marriage, he would be willing to eat filth right now if that's what it took.
Bell turned his gaze toward Balte.
The fat pig was still trembling.
But in his eyes, a strange light flickered.
It was greed.
A greed that overrode his fear.
“No!”
Balte suddenly shouted.
His voice was sharp and piercing.
“No! Absolutely not!”
“She must marry me!”
“She must leave with me today!”
Bell paused for a moment.
Theodore was also stunned.
Has this pig gone mad?
He’s about to lose his life, and he still wants the girl?
Bell narrowed his eyes.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
Balte was a typical opportunistic noble.
He was greedy and lecherous, but he feared death most of all.
For the daughter of a fallen Count, no matter how beautiful she was, it wasn't worth the risk of offending the heir of a Duke.
Much less putting his life on the line.
Unless.
There was something about Tia.
Something with a value that far exceeded his own life.
Something that far outweighed the wrath of the Duke Lucas family.
A chill rose in Bell’s heart.
This wasn't just a forced marriage.
There was something fishy going on here.
In that case.
He couldn't let them be.
Bell’s fingers suddenly tightened.
The mana in the ground began to surge violently.
His killing intent was set.
He would cripple this fat pig first and talk later.
Just then.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps approached from outside the door.
They were in perfect unison.
It was the sound of metal combat boots treading on the marble floor.
And it wasn't just one person.
It was at least a squad.
“It seems the Astane house is quite lively today.”
A low, elegant, yet slightly feminine voice rang out.
The doors were pushed open.
Sunlight sliced through the gap in the doors.
A man wearing a black tailcoat walked in.
He had a slender build.
His hair was meticulously combed.
He wore a gold-rimmed monocle over his left eye.
In his hand, he held an exquisite cane.
He looked like an ordinary butler.
But the people behind him were anything but ordinary.
Silver armor.
Red capes.
A golden lion crest emblazoned on their chests.
The Royal Guard.
When Theodore saw the newcomer, it was as if he had seen a savior.
He scrambled and crawled, trying to throw himself toward the man.
“Sir! Save me!”
“Someone is trying to commit murder!”
Bell did not look back.
His gaze was fixed firmly on the man with the monocle.
His fingers stiffened slightly.
He had seen this man before.
In his past life.
Claude.
First Prince Thorne’s personal butler.
The man specifically responsible for handling all the dirty work that couldn't see the light of day.
Why was he here?
Was it for Tia?
Or was it for Balte?
Claude walked into the hall.
His leather shoes clicked sharply against the shattered floor tiles.
He adjusted his monocle.
His gaze swept over the Earth Spikes on the floor.
Finally, it landed on Bell.
The corner of his mouth curled into a standard, cold smile.
“Young Master Lucas.”
“Would you mind doing me a favor?”
“And putting these dangerous toys away?”
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