"It's been a while…Lord Frederick."
Lord Frederick was stunned, his eyes flickering with a trace of fear. "You… What are you doing here?"
Regard shrugged. "It's Max's coming of age ceremony today, how could I not come?... Anyway, I am quite interested in something. Care to guess what it is?"
Lord Frederick felt a deep sense of foreboding, unsure of what to make of it. "What is it?"
Slowly, Regard's smile shifted to a deep frown. "I would like to know what gave you the right to touch Lara like this?... Have you forgotten about my existence?"
"She humiliated me!!!... Do you think I will sit back and allow that to happen?" Lord Frederick questioned, portraying the façade of the one that was wronged.
Regard took a deep breath before glancing at Lara on the floor. Sensing his gaze, Lara turned to meet it.
Aware of what was about to happen, she shook her head to reveal her stance.
Lord Frederick remained silent, scheming a way to break out of Regard's hold.
With a sigh, Regard let go of his wrist.
Shocked by this, Lord Frederick put his arm down before attempting a surprise attack… unfortunately, he was only a second behind.
He felt pain shoot through his torso before he was sent flying, crashing into the high table, his dignity all but gone.
Kara was lucky enough to not have been behind else she might have been in the same state as the table… completely crushed.
"You dare…" Lord Frederick bellowed, feeling doubly humiliated.
Regard scoffed. "Do not think that I will hesitate to end you if you overstep your boundaries."
Lord Frederick stayed his hands, gritting his teeth as he thought to himself. "This guy will not be easy to take down… And even if I put everything into fighting him, I would suffer a lot. I definitely cannot let that happen."
Facing the bigger picture, He swallowed the humiliation as he got to his feet and dusted himself.
Seeing him mellowed, Regard snorted before moving to help Lara to her feet.
"Thank you." She muttered.
"… I know about Max." Regard seemed hesitant while speaking with her.
"… I sensed it since he was but a child… I knew something was wrong but I didn't know…" Lara swallowed the rest of her words.
At that moment, Lord Frederick erupted again. "You witch!!!... So you were aware of the failure you birthed yet you kept quiet and allowed me to waste resources and time on him!!!"
Lara felt pained as she bit her lower lip. "He is still your son, what does it matter if he can't use magic?"
This time it was Lord Frederick's turn to scoff. "What noble house would allow a cripple to be the head?... You expect me to be the first!... You vile woman… Now that I think about it, maybe that disgrace was never my son, to begin with…"
"My lord!!!" Lara called out, her eyes red as tears trailed down.
"Don't you dare say my name. That child Max… he has the same characteristics of your hermit brother…" lord Frederick remarked, referring to Regard, the latter putting up a brow. "I wouldn't be surprised if he is the father."
A flash of coldness appeared in Regard's eyes but he did not act. Looking down, he saw Lara holding onto his arm, her eyes pleading with him to remain calm.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention to Lord Frederick.
"Fine then, since you can say such a thing, it means you are going to disown Max?"
"The Rion noble house has no need for a cripple. I see no reason to keep on raising such a worthless existence… it would be best if he was sent away…"
"My lord, Max is your son!!!... How can you say such things!!!" Lara had remained silent, swallowing all the insults and beatings but now… At this point when her son's future was at stake, she mustered the courage to speak up.
Lord Frederick did not bother to respond, his eyes filled with utter disdain.
At that moment, there was a voice. "Mother…"
Everyone turned their attention to the hall entrance.
Max stood there with a complicated expression on his face.
"Max…" Lara muttered, unable to bring herself to speak.
"Father…" Max looked further only to find a pair of cold eyes staring at him. At this moment, Lord Frederick had lost all forms of love and/or care toward him.
Right now, he looked at him like he were… trash.
Max bit down on his lower lip as his body shook from the realization. "Father… are you really going to disown me?"
There was no response…
But even in the silence, Max was already aware of the answer.
With tears in his eyes, he revealed a smile filled with sadness. "I'm sorry I humiliated you… You don't have to worry, I'll be gone by first light tomorrow."
Max turned to leave, walking slowly with each step containing a hint of loneliness.
Lara watched this with her heart bleeding but she was unable to do anything. The pain she felt was greater than anything she had ever experienced.
As she lost all hope concerning the future of her little boy, Regard spoke up. "Since you don't want him, then I don't mind taking him off your hand."
Max paused, turning to look at Regard.
The latter glanced at him, flashing a bright smile before turning back to Lord Frederick.
"Do what you want… I no longer want to see him." Lord Frederick stated without remorse.
Regard nodded as he turned toward the hall entrance. "So what do you say… Want to go on a road trip with your godfather?"
Max remained silent as he stared at him. Without knowing it, tears were flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Regard saw this and smiled, glancing at Lara beside him, he muttered. "You don't have to worry, as I promised you all those years ago, I will take care of him."
Lara did not respond but the pain she felt was gone, replaced by an assurance that her son would survive the harsh world. "Thank you…"
Regard nodded before returning his attention to Lord Frederick. The latter snorted. "What is it?"
"I will be leaving with your son… After I am gone, you'd best watch yourself. If anything happens to her…" Regard pointed at Lara. "Then be prepared to die."
His words were simple but they carried a certain weight that Lord Frederick could not ignore. Feeling insulted, he did not bother to respond, instead shooting him a cold glare.
Squeezing her palm a bit, Regard stepped away and appeared next to Max, the latter still deep in his feelings.
"Time to go."
Before he could respond, they had left.
With that, the Rion family party hall returned to silence.
Lara clutched her hands close to her chest, saying a short prayer as she hoped for the best.
Her son had left the safety of his home… Hopefully, fate would treat him well out there.