Elijah was snoring at the table, drifting off to sleep. Julia, beside him, merely smiled beneath her mask and remarked, "Why is he so carefree?"
Kai, savoring a glass of the finest wine, paused and wiped his mouth with a contented grin. "I've known Elijah for about two months now, and during this time, I've noticed he's always been that way. He doesn't concern himself with others' opinions or judgments, a personality trait that seems to be rubbing off on me," he said with a smile before taking another sip from the bottle.
"It's not better than Sake though," Kai sighed. Taking a deep breath, he added, "We've already exhausted all our funds, so let's leave."
Outside the restaurant, Kai carried Elijah on his back, who murmured, "Meat."
"Sorry, but there isn't any more for now," Kai replied, taking another swig from the bottle.
Julia looked concerned and asked, "You've had quite a bit to drink. Will you be able to make it home?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Either way, goodbye. See you tomorrow," Kai waved his hand before heading off in another direction. Julia watched his fading figure before sighing and continuing on her own through the night.
"Miss Julia, we have company," a voice echoed in her head before a man wearing a butler uniform appeared beside her in an instant. He bowed slightly, and Julia frowned.
"Young Master Theo Horseman, what brings you here?" Julia inquired, bowing slightly, though her frown remained. In front of them stood two figures shrouded in darkness, approximately Elijah's height, with only their blue eyes visible.
"Julia, I heard that you didn't enter the Xinna realm. Why is that?" Theo's voice, deep and mysterious, resonated. Julia's face became expressionless before the young man spoke again. "Is it because of Dominic?"
She didn't respond for a moment before saying, "My mother is sick, so I wanted to stay close to her."
"You wanted... Then why are you here?" he questioned.
"That's something I would like to keep a secret, Young Master Theo," she replied, her head still slightly bowed.
"Raise your heads," Theo commanded. Both complied before he continued, "Do you think you can hide something from me?" Although his tone sounded calm, Julia knew he was displeased.
"Nevertheless, that doesn't matter at the moment. What you may be wondering is simple. I have the Flaming Embracing Flower and Royal Abyss Blood, which are being sold at a black auction soon, under my control," Theo explained, smiling.
Understanding dawned on Julia as she inquired, "What may I help you with, Young Master Theo?"
Chuckling slightly, Theo spoke, "The fight in two days, where the young master of the Dominic family faces his foe. Even if I want to kill him there, those two behind him won't let that happen. So what I want from you isn't to kill him but..." he uttered some words that caused Julia's frown to deepen, along with her anger.
She wasn't alone; the butler beside Theo also released his aura, causing the ground to tremble and halting the person beside the young master. "I wasn't asking. This is an order from your branch leader... from the royal family, the Horseman."
"As long as you have not ascended to the throne as the Master of your household, you don't have that authority," the butler retorted, anger visible in his eyes.
Theo smirked and tossed a golden coin to the ground. "You have two days before your mother... I think you know what I mean," he said before he and his companion disappeared before their eyes.
Silence hung in the air as neither of them spoke. Julia broke the ice, tears streaming from her mask. "What should I do?" she asked, her body trembling.
"Let's first contact Miss before taking action, as it may lead to a war between the two royal families and the potential elimination of our own family. Rushing into action isn't in our favor," the butler said with a sigh.
"But why are they doing this?" Julia's anger was evident in her voice.
"The Dominic Family is the most powerful family to ever exist, even among the other royal families. So, many people covet that power. When only a female was born into that family, many were reluctant to lose that opportunity, forcing the elders to pressure the most powerful female to marry, all to no avail."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "She said, 'Whoever can defeat me, I will marry.' But as time passed, the elders compelled her to choose a master for her household. Suddenly, someone appeared, rumored to be the husband of the Queen of Destruction. That man is Elijah, and almost every royal family is unhappy with this. If not for his title as young master, he would have been killed."
"What do you mean?" she inquired.
"What I mean is, being a Young Master or Young Miss means you are a candidate for the throne of your household, protected by those who rule over them. So, meddling with the young master is akin to challenging the Master, making it difficult to directly harm Elijah, even if they desire to."
"So, they lied."
"Even though their plan won't succeed, given that she is protecting him at the moment," he said, recalling a maid. "Even so, from what they're attempting, I believe they're trying to instigate a duel between him and Elijah."
"What?" Julia was bewildered. "But isn't he the number one young master and someone fortunate to may become one of the Seven Miracles?"
"Yes, but news of the young master of the Dominic family being extraordinarily powerful and even challenging one of the Seven Miracles automatically elevated him to the top spot."
"Wasn't Cain ranked only at number 20?" she inquired.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter. His family, even if not directly blood-related, is powerful. People speculate that they should have chosen or cultivated a powerful young master."
"So, what should we do?" Julia asked.
"As I said before, we should first talk to your mother and maybe your father if he's back," the butler said, touching Julia's shoulder before disappearing.