Chapter 30 – Heirs's Meeting [3]
Silence.
And that silence was deafening.
All of them were stunned—caught off guard.
Especially Kaden.
Because he had no idea—none at all—about the "fallen house" Nuke had just mentioned.
But that wasn't even the most disturbing part.
What really made it strange was the way Nuke said it.
The words dripped with mockery—like he was looking down on both the Warborns and the Thornspires.
But his tone and his face?
So soft. So gentle.
Warm enough to put your guard down without even noticing.
"You… what are you doing?" Meris asked, puzzled.
Her cheerful, playful face was gone—wiped clean.
What remained was cold and confused expression.
The others might not have known.
But she did.
She knew the nature of the Cerveau.
How could she not?
Her mother never stopped talking about them. Always saying the same thing,
"They're two-faced, Meris. Every last one of them. Smiling monsters with velvet knives."
And that's exactly what this was.
But what she didn't get was why Nuke was doing it.
Was he really trying to pick a fight with the other heirs? Make them his enemy?
For what?
Was he stupid?
Nuke just tilted his head and looked at her. "What do you mean? I simply made a remark."
Then turned to Kaden and Rea.
"I was just surprised to see the two of you together," he continued. "After all… how can a noble family like the Warborn allow their youngest child—not just any child, but the Child of Blood—to marry into a ruined family?"
He looked back at Meris.
"Isn't that curious, my dear?"
No hate. No sarcasm.
Just calm.
Which somehow made it worse.
But Nuke wasn't finished.
He tilted his head to the right, all innocent curiosity, blue eyes shining.
"Or is it because she has a legendary origin? Do you think… that will bring the Thornspires back from the grave?"
A genuine question. At least to him.
Because if that was truly their plan…
Then they were idiots. Legendary origin or not, it wouldn't save a broken name.
But that question didn't even register for Kaden.
He was completely lost from the start.
He barely even studied Waverith's history.
Only focused on his own house.
The rest? Nothing at all.
And now it was biting him in the ass.
'Fallen house? Thornspire?' he wondered. But not a flicker of it showed on his face.
Years beside his sister had taught him well.
And today, he wore that same blank expression like a mask forged in hell.
So no—Nuke's little performance didn't rattle him.
But Rea?
Rea understood.
And it cut deep.
If there was one thing—even the soft, reserved Rea Thornspire couldn't accept…
It was someone mocking her household.
Because to mock her house was to spit on her father's effort to keep the house from sinking deeper.
It was to stomp on her deceased grandfather's legacy.
And that…that crossed a line.
Her ruby eyes locked on Nuke, cold and unblinking.
"What… did you say?" she asked, her voice…
Wrong.
Too calm. Too slow. Too sharp.
It chilled the air.
Because Rea wasn't just someone who saw fear.
She could pull it out—make it stronger, twist it into something primal.
And that's what she did.
But—
"Did you just try something?" Nuke asked, not even blinking.
Because he had an artifact. A perfect little tool that made Rea's origin useless.
Her gaze turned even colder.
Meris sighed.
'I was just starting to get to know the Child of Blood, for god's sake.'
She didn't care about all this bullshit. Not really.
What annoyed her was that her window to learn more about Kaden just slammed shut.
But then—something clicked.
'The Thornspire girl is his fiancée…So what now? Will he act? And how?'
Excitement surged again. She turned eagerly to look at Kaden. Not only for excitement but also because she strangely liked to just look at his handsome face.
And Kaden watched it all in silence.
Still. Calm.
He didn't understand half of it. He didn't care either.
'This is a waste of time,' he thought silently.
He could've been tempting death right now—getting stronger, instead of sitting here listening to children pretend they're playing war.
But…
Kaden was Kaden.
And Kaden was a Warborn.
And a Warborn doesn't let anyone touch what's theirs.
Doesn't let anyone spit on their name.
Doesn't let disrespect walk.
And like it or not—Rea was his fiancée.
That meant she was Warborn now.
So—
"Enough."
His voice cut through everything. Instantly. Like a knife to the throat of the room.
All heads turned.
They expected something. Some grand speech but,
Kaden stood slowly.
"I will not sit here and listen to you insult my fiancée."
Nuke didn't even flinch. Still smiling. That same soft mask.
Kaden turned his gaze to Rea.
And without a word—she stood too.
But not before giving Nuke a glare that could freeze hell.
This meeting was supposed to be casual. Friendly.A chance to learn more about each other, at least to her.
But…
'Always the same with these people,' Rea thought, anger boiling just beneath the surface.
No more words.
Kaden and Rea walked out.
Gone.
Leaving only Nuke and Meris.
Meris looked at him, face unreadable.
"Did you get what you wanted?" She asked, irritated she could no longer look at Kaden's face
Nuke looked at her and held her eyes calmly.
"What do you mean?" he asked with a smile that could belong to a priest.
Meris stared for a moment. Then stood.
And just before disappearing, she dropped her words like a knife:
"I hope you know what you did."
Nuke stayed silent for a moment.
Then—slowly—his face changed.
The warmth died.
Gone.
Now there was nothing.
Just cold apathy.
He closed his eyes. Replayed it all in his mind.
This meeting wasn't for diplomacy.
It wasn't for connection.
Not even for manipulation.
It was bait.
He wanted them to dislike him. To hate him.
The more they focused on him—
The less they'd notice what was really happening.
He opened his eyes.
"Meris. Not a threat. Only cares about entertainment. Until further notice, easy to control and predict."
"Rea. Even easier. Her background is worthless to me. Her origin does nothing to me with my artifacts. And Character-wise…"
He let the sentence dangle.
Then finally,
"The Child of Blood. Warborn through and through. Arrogant. Protective. Trusting."
Typical Warborn.
Honor. Family. Loyalty.
That's all they were.
And if you know what they love?
'You know where to hurt them.'
Nuke smiled.
A true one this time.
The kind that make you want to slap his face.
—End of Chapter 30—