As Camille's words fell, the room plunged into silence.
Abel widened his eyes, staring at Li Lin and his own great-aunt with a mix of disbelief.
"Cleaning house..." Abel muttered to himself, trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation. If he understood correctly, his great-aunt was suggesting something quite drastic.
Killing their own uncle, then installing herself as the new head of the family...
Abel couldn't fathom it. How could she?
Abel was perplexed. They'd only had a couple of disagreements, but to escalate matters to this extent?
He dared not ask Camille, instead silently biting his whitening lip, his face drained of color.
On the other side of the room, Li Lin and Camille exchanged a prolonged glance. Li Lin arched an eyebrow. "If you're planning to clean house, why wait until now?" he asked.
Camille hesitated slightly. "I..." she began.
"You still hold onto hope for Stephan," Li Lin sighed, shaking his head. "I thought after seventy or eighty years of life, you'd be willing to do whatever it takes for the Ferros family."
"I don't need you to lecture me," Camille said icily, narrowing her eyes. "I have my boundaries."
"Boundaries? Are you referring to harboring a threat or dragging other families into your personal affairs, jeopardizing an outstanding talent that could propel the twin cities into a new era?"
Li Lin spoke without a hint of embarrassment, and it wasn't mere bluster; he had backed up his words with actions.
Camille fell silent once more.
"Camille, now that you know Stephan has completely betrayed the bond between you as siblings, why do you continue to defend him?" Li Lin continued. "He's after the Hextech core, willing to betray even your ex-boyfriend, Hakim... Stephan has lost all sense of morality. You should've realized this back then, but you've waited until now."
Li Lin lifted the tea cup from the tray, finishing the lukewarm tea in a single gulp, then glanced past the dumbfounded Abel as he walked to the door.
Camille shot him a puzzled look. "What are you..."
Before she could finish, a hurried knocking interrupted her.
"Your brother has arrived."
In Camille's bewildered gaze, Li Lin casually opened the door.
Outside stood an elderly man with white sideburns, dressed in a resplendent male evening gown adorned with the Ferros family crest, supporting himself with a spring-loaded cane.
Behind the old man stood Bonar, who had welcomed Li Lin earlier and shown him around the Blue Mist Manor for over ten minutes, along with two burly men over two meters tall, dressed as security personnel. Perhaps due to their ill-fitting uniforms, their muscles strained against the fabric, almost bursting out.
Even with their clothes, Li Lin could see the enhanced bodies underneath, thanks to Hextech augmentation. Plus, with the AI's scans and alerts, Li Lin knew there were at least ten more people hiding on either side of the corridor.
If he stepped out the door, he'd see them immediately.
Well, this was an attempt at a coup, wasn't it?
Out of respect, he hadn't yet exposed Stevan's intentions, choosing to wait for Camille to make a decision.
Li Lin remained composed, wearing a calm, courteous smile.
As soon as his subordinates finished knocking, the door swung open, revealing Stevan's face, marked with the wrinkles of time, betraying a hint of surprise.
"You must be the head of the Ferros family, correct?" Li Lin spoke before they could react. "May the gears turn smoothly. I am Li Lin, a craftsman from the Kiramman family."
"...May the gears turn smoothly," Stevan replied stiffly, quickly acknowledging Li Lin. Then, his clear blue eyes, devoid of any turbidity, narrowed slightly as he looked past Li Lin to Camille inside.
"Sister, the banquet is about to begin. How could you entertain our esteemed guest here?" His tone was casual, but Li Lin detected a distant chill, void of any warmth.
Camille rose from her seat, her sharp heels embedding into the marble floor beneath the precious carpet.
"Since we last parted, it's been a long time since I've seen Li Lin. I wanted a private moment with him," she explained, her right hand on her hip, gracefully approaching Abel, who was still in a daze, placing her hands gently on her shoulders.
"It's not proper, sister," Stevan replied, showing no intention of entering the room. "If you wish to converse with Li Lin, our reception hall is adequate."
As he spoke, Camille tilted her head slightly, seeming to catch something amiss, her expression turning slightly melancholic.
"As expected... you were right. I shouldn't have shown any compassion."
"Hmm?" Stevan's voice, like gravel being cleared from his throat, emitted a questioning hum.
He paused for a moment, only to realize these were Camille's words to Li Lin. "Compassion? I thought you had abandoned it ever since you became a spy, Camille."
This time, Stivan chose to call out his sister's name directly.
"My compassion is reserved for those truly in need," Camille's tone grew colder. "You've crossed the line, Stevan."
"Me? Crossed the line? Hahaha..." Stevan laughed heartily, his hands trembling slightly as he leaned on his cane.
Seeing this, Li Lin couldn't help but feel a sense of unease: would he laugh himself to death like this?
"You've forgotten your own duty, Camille."
"My duty? I believe as the head of the family, you should be clearer about yours."
The two spoke in riddles, leaving Abel confused.
She didn't want to be caught between her grandmother and great-uncle, as if she were the focal point of their argument.
But Camille's grip was as strong as a vice, keeping her firmly in place, denying her the chance to step aside.
"You are accountable to me, just as you are to Father!" Stevan's voice growled low. "Your purpose is to serve me!"
Disappointment washed over Camille's face.
Father, responsibility...
Stevan had used these words countless times to suppress her.
"You're mistaken. My purpose is not to serve you, but to serve the head of the Ferros family and the entire Ferros lineage."
Camille rebuked sharply, reciting the Ferros family oath engraved deep in her mind word by word: "For the sake of the family, I pledge loyalty without falsehood or concealment; for this vow, I shall hold nothing back, with spirit, body, and soul."
"In fact, I have deviated from this oath, as I have allowed you to stay in the position of head of the family for too long. You are no longer fit to lead the Ferros family forward, but I, driven by familial love, allowed you to remain in this position for decades."
"Camille, what you're saying is nonsense! The responsibility of the spy should be mine to bear!"
Stevan almost squeezed the joints of his cane white, finally unable to bear it, he roared, "You once swore to our father, but think carefully, Camille, as a spy, what have you truly protected?"
"It's because you weren't strong enough that you didn't rescue Father from those villains when it mattered most. Even Mother died of longing shortly after! And what did you do afterwards? You almost destroyed this family, all because of your damn love and your damn Hakeem Nedri! Don't tell me you didn't think about eloping with him. Where did your sense of honor, your sense of responsibility go?"
Stivan's eyes were red, his voice choked with tears.
If Li Lin didn't know Camille so well, he might have thought these were indeed her faults.
Abel and Bonar, standing respectively in front of Camille and beside Stevan, were stunned.
This was the first time they had heard about this matter, which the Ferros family forbade discussion about.
Camille pursed her lips, her breath heavy, the glow of her Hextech core beneath her clothes no longer as steady as before.
"Stevan, for the sake of this family, and for you, I have given my heart. Isn't that enough?"
Stevan's words pierced Camille's chest like blades, shattering her Hextech core into pieces.
She had never felt like this before, never felt her brother, Stevan, so distant.
Even during the recent cold war between them, the feeling of estrangement was not as intense as it was today.
Camille felt her eyes stinging, as if warm tears were welling up along her electronic circuits.
But she knew very well that it was just an illusion.
After the cybernetic enhancements, she had completely lost the ability to cry.
Camille took a deep breath. "You think I don't know that the attack on you years ago was entirely staged by you, just to make me give up Hakeem and serve the family wholeheartedly?"
"I did it, Stevan. I gave up my love, I disappointed Hakeem. For decades, I've been following your dark and evil plan, how many people have I killed? Isn't that enough for the family? For all these years, ask yourself, have you done the same?"
Camille's questioning made Stevan's face change slightly, but the next moment, his expression was once again filled with disgust.
"Father entrusted the responsibility of protecting the family to you, but I have spent my whole life proving that I am more suitable for this position than you! Even though he can't see it anymore."
Stevan's words were filled with anger and malice, as if he were facing not his own sister, but the villains who had killed his parents.
"You may see me as a traitor, sister, but have you ever thought that you're the cause of all this!"
"If you were a suitable decision-maker, a suitable spy, I wouldn't have to intervene in so many matters!"
Camille gasped, a sense of guilt and self-reproach flooding her heart...
But it was not as Stevan described.
She regretted, regretted not cutting off this rotten flesh when Stevan began to corrupt, but instead allowed it to spread like cancer, even deeply rooted in the Ferros family.
Her brother had completely changed, not the person she remembered.
It shouldn't have been like this...
"If this is how you see me, then I'm deeply disappointed, little brother."
Camille gently pushed Abil towards Li Lin and walked slowly towards Stevan.
The two Hextech-enhanced thugs beside him sensed the danger and immediately shielded him.
"It's time for a new head of the Ferros family, Stevan."
(End of this chapter)
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