Hadrian kept his eyes on the balcony where Rheannon and Chas were talking. Hadrian would have been eavesdropping long ago if he had been heartless and ignorant of manners. But he had promised to treat Rheannon the best he could, so he wouldn't.
"Worrying about something, Your Grace?"
"Uncle Tavish," Hadrian greeted as politely as possible. "The autumn wind here is quite chilly. I'm worried my wife has a cold."
"Oh, I thought you were worried about something else," his uncle said. "From what I've heard, Lord Chas was betrothed to Lady Rheannon at birth. They also look close."
"Such feelings of jealousy are of no use to me, Uncle," Hadrian retorted calmly.
"But I don't think letting your wife be alone with another man is wise. Moreover, the other man I mean here is not an ordinary man."
Hadrian snorted. "I'm more worried about leaving my wife alone with strangers in this estate."
"That's a wise thought. We don't know what the demon controller thinks of us."
You bastard, Hadrian thought. His uncle would have known clearly if that wasn't what he meant.
This was the reason Hadrian didn't like inviting his relatives into the main estate. Most of them were here for only two reasons: to incite or insult him. If that reason has been fulfilled, then the next step is to master Paiton completely.
How could Hadrian leave this ancestral land to those mad at the throne?
"What about little Desmond? I still remember the first time I saw him at the funeral."
Hadrian looked at Desmond who was always accompanied by Ichabod. Desmond looks happy talking to his peers. "My son is fine," Hadrian said emphatically. "There have been difficult times, but he's adapted well here."
"Even with that demon controller?"
"Especially with my wife. Thanks for the worry, Uncle Tavish. But my family is fine. You don't have to worry about us."
"Ah, Your Grace. Don't talk like that. We are all worried for you of course," said Tavish in a mocking tone. "Especially with little Desmond. He's just a very distant blood relative from us, right? Nobody even knows who his mother is. It could be in the future that our ignorance about his mother will bring us disastrous consequences."
There was a reason why Hadrian had made such a massive special occasion for Desmond.
Apart from introducing Desmond as the next marquess, this event was made for the relatives to acknowledge Desmond's nobility. The child was born of distant blood relations from Melchoir's relatives. Only a few knew his late father as he was just an ordinary noble without a title. Hadrian himself only knew him during the coup 10 years ago. At that time Desmond's late father helped a little with the raging demons. After things got better, the man suddenly disappeared.
To be honest, Hadrian had thought that his distant relative would have died long ago due to lack of contact. Then around the end of last year, Hadrian received a letter from him. It said that he was already married and had a son. Desmond's late father also said he wanted to visit Hadrian with his family.
Hadrian agreed and waited for their arrival.
But they never came.
Their carriage derailed to the Melchoir estate, falling into a great abyss. Surprisingly, Desmond didn't fall into the abyss. From the story and the injuries he got, Desmond was pushed out by his mother before their horse carriage fell. That's what made Desmond found by local residents and rescued. Hadrian was contacted and they finally met.
Now. Nobody likes the story of the meeting between Hadrian and Desmond. In the eyes of these relatives, it would be better if Desmond fell into the abyss with his parents.
"Uncle, I won't say this anymore." Hadrian glanced at his uncle with a cold, threatening glare. "No need to bother worrying about my family."
For a moment, his uncle looked unperturbed. "If that is Your Grace's wish. But please remember, if I am personally ready to help you."
***
Rheannon reappeared much later. She and Chas are still together, seen to be having a serious conversation. The two then confront Desmond, but Rheannon leaves them and turns to Hadrian.
"There's no need to watch over us to that extent," Rheannon told Hadrian.
"I know Lord Chas isn't that mad to cause trouble when relatives are gathered like this," Hadrian replied. "Are you okay? You've been out too long."
Rheannon smiled faintly. "In fact, I feel better outside than breathing the same air as your family, Your Grace."
Damn it. Rheannon's words stabbed Hadrian enough. "Do not say that. After all, they are my relatives. After all, not all of them are sycophants."
"Is that true?" Rheannon chuckled. "I've been deliberately avoiding them on Yana's advice."
"It wasn't wrong for me to put Yana beside you," Hadrian muttered. "Later on the main ball, when I'm not around, I'll have Yana and a knight by your side."
"Thanks for the concern," Rheannon said. "But you don't need to worry about that. Before they have a chance to mess around, I can kill them first."
Hadrian let out a long breath. His dark eyes then searched the banquet hall.
His uncle from earlier was now talking to his daughter and another relative that Hadrian didn't like. Some relatives were silent in another corner while watching around with serious expressions. Some were enjoying the banquet comfortably and joking with the others. Don't forget Desmond, Chas, and an aunt from Melchoir's family who was loud but somehow got along with the two of them.
"Rheannon, they are your family now," Hadrian said with a hint of warning.
"Then?" Rheannon snorted in amusement. "Even though it's family, I can still kill them. Human life is very cheap."
Hadrian couldn't believe his ears. "How can you say that?"
Rheannon turned to face Hadrian and pointed at his chest. "You. You killed the residents of Whitley and my parents."
"I did it for the sake of this kingdom. They were proven guilty."
"Then, if anyone from the Melchoir family… tries to kill me, I will kill them." Rheannon smiled at Hadrian. "Because they were proven guilty."