"I understand your feelings, Sir Dontos. I am furious as well, but we can't harm the third heir of the Blackcrow Household. At least not for now." Roland's made Sir Dontos calm down.
"I apologize for my behavior, patriarch." Sir Dontos lowered his head and went back to his seat.
After he returned to his seat, Roland continued. "I have decided to negotiate with the Blackcrow Household for a ransom for their third heir's release. If by chance they don't cooperate, I will allow you to do anything you want with him."
Hearing this, Sir Dontos smiled coldly as he made a cutthroat gesture to Raphael.
This time, the latter no longer dared to utter any remark. He also understood his importance in the Blackcrow Household. Among the three heirs, he was the least talented so there was a possibility that he would be disposed by the family.
"During the negotiations of the two households, there might be some conflicts so consider yourself warned. We must…" Roland gave a series of instructions to the elders and also reminded them about the dangers that they might face.
The meeting ended after almost an hour. Fredrinn didn't have to say anything during the meeting and his role was merely like a spectator. However, he understood that Roland was only preparing him which means that he had already been recognized as the heir of the Firecrown Household.
After the meeting, some elders even greeted him warmly. Of course, some stubborn old men simply ignored his presence.
"Fredrinn, wait."
Someone called out to him when he was about to leave the meeting room. He turned around and raised his brows in surprise. The person who called him was the only woman in the meeting room, Margaret Cloudsky.
"Mother." Fredrinn greeted her.
Margaret Cloudsky looked very young for her age. Her long black hair was tied in a Bohemian fishtail braid which increased her elegance. Coupled with her white cheongsam with floral patterns, she looked very dazzling. "You haven't visited me for a long time. I know you are busy with your training, but you should find some time to visit me." She sighed while looking at him with concern.
Fredrinn had a close relationship with his mother. She was also one of the few people who had shown him goodwill when he was labeled as a tyrant by the entire city. However, when he transmigrated into Fredrinn's body, he shut himself for a long time and it was only recently that he began to interact with more people.
Unknowingly, tears slid down his face. 'What's this? Why am I feeling guilty?' Fredrinn immediately wiped his face and looked away from her. "I will visit you when I have time, Mother. Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned around and was about to walk away when he felt a hand grabbing his arm.
He turned around and looked at Margaret with complicated emotions.
At this moment, Margaret suddenly embraced him which took him by surprise. When he felt her feeble arms holding him tightly, she couldn't bring himself to push her away. It was then that he felt her warm tears as she quietly sobbed.
"You must have suffered a lot, my son..."
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you…"
Fredrinn quivered when he heard her words. Truthfully, he still held some hope that he could go back to his old world and resume his life as Thomas. All this time, he hadn't accepted his identity as Fredrinn Firecrown, but Margaret's motherly love tugged his heart. 'I am Thomas, but I am also Fredrinn. Whoever I am, this is now my life…'
Fredrinn broke free from his cocoon and finally accepted his fate. "I'm sorry, mother. I was too ashamed to face you."
Margaret let out a gentle smile as she cupped his face. "It's alright. It's not your fault."
"Ehem!"
A cough interrupted the reunion of the mother and son.
Fredrinn looked over and saw Roland as well as his grandfather walking toward them.
"I don't want to interrupt your conversation, but I think you two should find a more private space to talk. You see, there are a lot of eyes around here." Roland forced out a smile.
Fredrinn looked around and realized that some of the elders hadn't left yet. When they saw him staring at them, they pretended to be unaware of the situation and walked away in haste.
Looking at his embarrassed face, Margaret laughed lightly. "I will wait for you outside. You should go back to your room and get changed. I will bring you somewhere nice today." She lovingly patted his shoulder.
Fredrinn nodded. "Can I bring some people with me?" He asked.
"Of course, but don't bring too many. They might not fit inside my carriage." Margaret chuckled.
"Thanks, mother." Fredrinn smiled at her. "I'll take my leave first." He bowed to Roland and his grandfather before he left.
"I wanted to speak with him about something, but it seems like that has to wait." Roland shook his head with a smile.
"Weird, since when did that kid have an item that conceals aura?" Marcus muttered while stroking his beard.
"Now that you mention it, I can't sense his aura." Roland also commented.
"Who cares about that? As long as he is serious about his training, that's all that matters." Margaret was happy that her son had turned over a new leaf. He no longer visited the brothel or the gambling house. He now put more effort into his cultivation.
Roland and Marcus nodded in agreement.
Roland suddenly remembered something and said. "By the way, I heard an interesting rumor from Sir Alfred."
Hearing this, Margaret and Marcus were curious.
"Don't keep us in suspense and just spit it out!" Marcus smacked Roland with his walking stick.
"Alright! Alright!"
"According to Sir Alfred, Fredrinn's cultivation has already reached the 7th Layer of the Qi Gathering stage."
Hearing this, Margaret was pleasantly surprised.
Meanwhile, Marcus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How did that happen? Wasn't he only a 10th Layer Body Refining stage martial artist last month or did I remember it wrongly?"
"Shocking, isn't it? The only explanation for this is that he had encountered something that helped him increase his cultivation."
"I see. That makes sense…" Marcus nodded in agreement.
Margaret ignored them and happily walked away. She was looking forward to her date with her son.