When Zemina saw him she froze, staring at him as if he were someone who had stepped straight out of another world.
His face looked as though it had been carefully carved by a top-tier master, while his tall and well-built figure made him look like a character straight out of a fairy tale.
"Handsome~~" she blurted out, clearly mesmerized by his appearance.
However, it wasn’t only his appearance that had changed.
Because of his killing spree back in the Grass Dungeon, Alexander now carried a certain sharpness and toughness around him.
The air of someone experienced in hunting and killing beasts was now fully visible.
If a stranger were to take a single look at him, they would immediately realize that he was no longer some sheltered young master.
Right now, he carried himself like a man who had experienced real danger.
Seeing Zemina’s reaction, Alexander’s stoic expression slowly changed as the corners of his lips curved upward into a smile before a quiet chuckle escaped his mouth.
"Heh,"
Zemina’s eyes then widened, realizing that Alexander had heard what she said, her face instantly turned beet red, looking as though smoke might start coming out of her head at any moment.
"Zemina, how could you? Why did you have to blurt that out loud?" she screamed inwardly while biting her lip in embarrassment.
Then, unknowingly, a hand slowly reached toward her head, it was a soft and warm hand which belongs to Alexander’s.
Feeling his fingers gently ruffling her hair, Zemina slowly looked up.
The embarrassment on her face was still there, but when her eyes met Alexander’s, she momentarily forgot about it.
His face was filled with radiance and there was genuine happiness in his expression, along with a carefree smile that she had not seen in a very long time.
Somehow, a gentle smile slowly blossomed on her face as well, since his young master really had changed.
The way he spoke, the way he acted, and even the way he carried himself were completely different from how he had been only a few days ago.
He seemed happier and more alive, seeing him like this made her heart feel inexplicably warm.
However, as Alexander continued gently ruffling her hair, Zemina suddenly became very aware of how close they were.
His hand was still resting on her head and then, their faces weren’t very far apart either.
For some reason, the whole situation suddenly felt far too intimate that made her cheeks immediately burned bright red.
"Ahhh! Y-Young Master! This lowly maid of yours suddenly remembered that she has something very important to do!"
Alexander blinked, looking at her, "Huh?"
"H-Here’s your breakfast for today! Bye!"
Zemina hurriedly placed the tray down before turning around and running away as fast as she could.
Alexander could only stand there, his hand still raised in the air as he watched her disappear down the hallway.
"...What was that about?"
Fortunately, Alexander’s senses had become extremely sharp.
The moment the breakfast tray slipped from Zemina’s hands, he reacted instantly and caught it before it could crash onto the floor.
Looking toward Zemina’s rapidly disappearing figure, Alexander couldn’t help but chuckle, "Heh~ She’s actually pretty fun to tease,"
Shaking his head with an amused smile, Alexander carried the breakfast back into his room.
Meanwhile, in a completely different place, inside an enormous and majestic hall, an old man sat upon the main seat.
Only a few strands of white could be seen among his otherwise well-kept hair, and judging by his appearance alone, one might assume that he was merely around fifty years old.
However, his true age had already surpassed a hundred, and this old man was none other than Garron Arindel, the patriarch of House Arindel.
Before him, a middle-aged couple knelt on the cold floor with their heads lowered.
The atmosphere inside the grand hall was suffocatingly silent as Garron stared down at the two of them while holding a porcelain cup in his hand.
"What did you say?"
His voice was frighteningly calm and the kneeling couple visibly stiffened.
"Tell that to my face again,"
Garron’s eyes narrowed and his fingers slowly tightened around the cup, "What exactly have you done behind my back?"
Crack!
The porcelain cup shattered into countless pieces within his hand, scattering fragments across the floor.
"Tell me!" Garron roared, "Is it true?!"
BOOM!
As he roared, a terrifying pressure instantly descended upon the entire hall.
The middle-aged couple trembled beneath his rage, neither of them daring to raise their heads.
They knew perfectly well just how furious the old man in front of them had become.
After all, Garron Arindel wasn’t merely an elder of the family, he was the grand-patriarch of House Arindel.
The man who possessed the greatest authority in the entire household.
And unbeknownst to Alexander, this terrifying old man might soon become his future grandfather-in-law.
But because the engagement has been called off, then there is nothing to change it, the couples who were kneeling are none other than Lavia’s mother and father.
The two of them were sweating bullets, thinking that they have been sneaky enough, but the old man actually noticed.
They had thought that it will at least take a weeks before he can get to know of this, but in just an hour he had already know it.
"Are you deaf!" He shouted aloud.
His voice rang throughout the entire household, the roar was so powerful that several maids and servants instinctively covered their ears one after another.
Even the entire residence seemed to tremble beneath his fury, while birds resting on the nearby rooftops and trees immediately scattered into the sky in fright.
Clearly, the annulment of the engagement was something Garron had never wanted to happen.
Even if he were already dead, he would never have willingly allowed it, and his anger did not stop there.
The terrifying pressure of a Soul Awakening cultivator suddenly erupted from his body, instantly enveloping the kneeling couple.
Lucien and Valerian felt as though several mountains had suddenly been dropped onto their backs.
The stone floor beneath their knees began to fracture from the overwhelming pressure and neither of them dared to raise their heads.
Garron’s gaze was far too piercing, as though he could see straight through their bodies and into their souls.
"Fa... Father..."
Lucien struggled desperately to speak, "C-Calm... your... rage..."
Every word came out with tremendous difficulty and if this continued any longer, both of them would undoubtedly lose consciousness.
"Calm down?" Garron’s expression twisted with fury.
"You have the gall to tell me to calm down?!"
His roar exploded through the hall once again and a violent wave of force swept outward.
Lucien did not even have the chance to react before his body was blasted backward.
He crashed heavily into the wall, the impact forming a deep crater behind him before his body slowly slid downward.
"Ugh!" A mouthful of blood erupted from Lucien’s mouth as he collapsed onto the floor.
"Lucien!" seeing her husband injured, Valerian instinctively tried to rush toward him.
However, the moment she attempted to move, her body refused to obey, the suffocating pressure surrounding her was simply too powerful.
Her hands trembled against the cracked floor as she desperately tried to lift herself, but she could barely even raise her head.
All she could do was watch helplessly as blood continued to drip from her husband’s lips.
Then the voice of the old man Garron continued, "Do you realize how much effort I have put into this just to make the betrothment to happen?"
He then slowly walked toward Lucien, who was still lying on the floor, "Do you have any idea how many resources I spent, how much face I sacrificed, and how much humiliation I endured just to make that engagement happen?"
His voice was low, but every word carried terrifying anger and as he raised one leg above Lucien, clearly intending to stomp down on his unfilial son.
"Father... no!" Valerian begged desperately as she struggled against the crushing pressure surrounding her.
Yet, Garron’s expression remained cold, "You wretched son, if you weren’t my direct bloodline, killing you right here and now would at least lessen some of my frustration."
After saying this, his foot began to descend, "Grandpa, stop!!!"
An ethereal voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall that made Garron’s foot froze.
Everyone turned toward the entrance and standing there was none other than Lavia.
After spending some time at the White Moon Palace, she had finally delivered the news to her master.
Soon afterward, the official ceremony was held, formally granting her the position of a Saintess from the White Moon Palace.
She had returned home expecting celebration and praise and instead, the moment she stepped into the residence, she was greeted by a scene she could hardly believe.
Her father was lying on the ground coughing blood and her mother was being suppressed to the point that she could barely move.
And the grandfather who had always loved and spoiled her was standing over her father with murderous rage in his eyes.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?!"
Lavia hurried forward, however, the moment Garron saw her, the anger in his eyes intensified.
"You still dare to come back after what you’ve done?"
Lavia barely had enough time to react and in a single flash, Garron appeared directly in front of her.
Slap!
His palm struck her across the face and the force behind the slap had been heavily restrained.
If Garron had used even a fraction of his true Soul Awakening strength, her head might have been reduced to nothing.
Even so, the controlled strike was more than enough to send Lavia staggering several steps backward.
A bright red handprint slowly appeared across her cheek as Lavia stood frozen.
Her eyes widened in complete disbelief, she did not even seem to notice the burning pain on her face.
From childhood until adulthood, this grandfather of hers had never once struck her.
Not even when she made mistakes and not even when she behaved arrogantly.
He had always doted on her, protected her, and treated her as one of the greatest treasures of House Arindel.
But now, he actually slapped her.
"Grand... Grandpa?" her voice trembled.
Confusion and grievance filled her eyes as she looked at him, she genuinely could not understand.
What exactly had she done that could make the grandfather who loved her so dearly become this furious?
"Who told you to break off the engagement?" He probed, looking at her with undisguised anger.
It’s like if she said something wrong, she is going to get hit again, she can feel it. But why?
Really why?
Why is his grandfather more concerned about the engagement that even injuring his parents and even slapping her in the face is not enough to quell his anger.
This made her heart resent not only towards this grandfather who she had thought will support her after hearing the news, but towards Alexander, the fat asshole.
Even she a blood related person from his grandfather seemed to be not at the same value towards Alexander, the piece of trash that is not even fit to lick her shoes.