Chase's eyes that were naturally red to begin with, reddened.
But not with the desire to cry.
Guilty Rip, "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I, I'll pay for it!" Rip quickly tried to appease Chase's anger. He knew he was completely at fault for this matter.
Chase took in a deep breath through his nose, telling himself that his young friend did not mean for that to happen on purpose. Besides, the other party said they'll pay for it.
Chase released a smile.
Seeing that, Rip secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Only to be caught by Chase.
"Don't think that just because you said you'll pay for it I'll forget this ever happened," Chase glared, but did not really mean any of what he said and did. He was only trying to scare Rip into not being careless or thoughtless like that again.
"Hic!" Scared, Rip hiccuped and quickly nodded.
"That's better," Chase crossed his arms and said, satisfied.
Chase then added, "Since we're both done with the activity, let's go report our success to the instructor."
Rip nodded. Appearing obedient and docile after what just happened.
They went to Instructor Mary.
"Instructor, we both successfully balanced the plate while we walked a straight line," Chase reported. "But we broke a plate."
"Oh? That's good. Who broke the plate?" Instructor Mary casually asked. She was not that surprised that this pairing completed the activity first and this fast. When all's said and done, the two of them were the best performing trainees in the special training program.
"Me!" Rip instantly jumped out, trying to take the blame.
"Oh, you? Trainee 132, I can't believe that you were the one who broke a plate in this simple exercise." Instructor Mary was truly surprised. Rip's sense of balance and control over his body was to die for, how could he possibly break a plate in this kind of exercise that was simply beyond beginner's friendly.
"Um, well, I broke it when I wasn't being careful. I'll pay for it," Rip twiddled his thumbs guiltily as he gave a random reason.
Chase did not interfere, watching amusedly on the side with a smile on his lips. This was Rip's punishment for making him unnecessarily break the plate.
"Of course you will have to pay for it; it was a requirement, not a request. Well, next time, be more careful and don't just play around. Be more serious," Instructor Mary reprimanded.
"Yes," Rip obediently nodded his little head.
Instructor Mary smiled profoundly and said, "Since the two of you are finished with the one-plate stage—"
Chase had an ominous feeling. It was so strong that it wiped away any trace of a smile on his face.
"—go on and use two plates," She finished and pointed to a table with a stack of cheap clay plates on it. "Same rules: you break them, you pay for them. Now go! Don't just stand around here!"
Turning around to face the entire class, Instructor Mary hollered in a loud and resounding voice that bounced off the walls so that every trainee can hear her decree, "Today, nobody leaves until all of the trainees can walk stably and in a straight line with at least two plates on their head! I don't care if you don't get to sleep tonight, you must complete this task! You got that!?"
Instantly, all the trainees broke down. Just one plate was impossible enough, but now, two?!
Just tell them to quit upfront!
"NOO!!"
A resounding cry full of pain, withholding a cry for help, thundered out of the special training building, scaring away the startled birds perched on trees and all the tiny critters residing within the Everett Estate.
Butler Srca lowered the teapot with a practiced movement and poured a stream of tea—which he made sure was not hot but not cold before he served it so as to not burn his master's tongue—into Ian's teacup.
The tea in the cup rippled from the soundwave coming from outside.
Ian leisurely drank the tea, savoring the taste in his mouth.
"Today's tea tastes very smooth, sweet and delicate. Is it white tea?" Ian made a guess based on the flavor, texture, and color of the tea.
Butler Srca smiled. "Good guess. You are correct. It is the premium white tea cultivated by the White family. They are a new partner Everett Touch Inc. is doing business with."
"Hm, is that so," Ian replied, appearing uninterested in the matters of their corporation.
"Some of the white tea leaf stocks we buy from the White family's business goes to the members of our group."
Ian showed a slight smile at the mention of their group.
"Oh? So how are they liking it?"
Butler Srca said with a light laugh, "How else? You know those guys, they would rather drink alcohol than tea. They think tea is too noble and delicate for rough men like them. Instead, they offered up all the tea we gave them to you, that's why I served white tea to you today. I had a feeling that you would appreciate their care and sincerity."
"That's just like them," Ian said as he drank another sip of the tea, wetting his mouth. Ian turned to look out the huge floor-to-ceiling window of one of his many rooms. "Ever since I was small, when my parents died, everyone in the group took care of me and watched over me like I was their own child. Haha," Ian laughed dryly in a complicated mood.
"And my foolishness caused them all to die," Ian muttered to himself as he looked down, gloom draping over his body. His light purple eyes shone with deep, immeasurable sorrow.
"Sorry?" Butler Srca did not catch what Ian had just said.
"Nothing." Ian returned to normal, his eyes gaining their calm and coldness. "What about the plans I asked you to devise? Are they ready to be implemented?"
Butler Srca, "Yes, as you've ordered, I've completed the task as quickly as possible since you said it was urgent. I've thought up several foolproof schemes that are sure to entrap anyone who enters it; they will never realize that they were tricked until it's too late."
"Excellent." A twisted look of joy mixed into Ian's pure-looking eyes. What once looked innocent and pure now appeared evil and vicious. Those were the only feelings he could have towards them.
It was finally time to officially set his plans into motion.
Clearing his thoughts, Ian calmed down the surging excitement and agitation within his heart and turned to look at Butler Srca who smiled reflexively at the gaze of his master.
'Truly, well-trained,' Ian commented to himself as he watched Sling's automatic behavior response. 'That special training should be enough to torture those spies and agents sent here to keep an eye on us to the point where they reflexively follow our every order, so why, how is it that they aren't trained to be loyal to us? Is it because they are already brainwashed by their respective organizations? It must be a strong brainwashing technique for them to endure and retain their allegiance even under such harsh training conditions. Should I order the instructors to train them for an additional month and add in knowledge and theory lessons?' Ian pondered over the question seriously.
"Master?" Butler Srca looked worriedly at his suddenly unresponsive master.
'No,' Ian shook his head and thought, 'I'm not trying to make them loyal to me with the special training, if I want that, I can just use my powers and enslave them for good and they'll never have any thoughts of rebellion and disobedience towards me, ever. Like those hitmen and assassins sent by Shade's organization, they are now doing my bidding and none can escape my grasp and arouse thoughts of betrayal. Like hidden seeds, by the time they sprout, it will be too late for their respective organizations to react.
'With the annoying pests thrown into our house, expecting us to feed them and give them valuable information that those greedy and ill-intentioned groups and organizations can use to take advantage of our Everett family, I just want to toy with them and kill them. However, I still have some use for those wasteful bugs after all, so I won't kill them for now. Let them suffer some more in the special training, it's good for them too after all.
'I heard that a few former staff of our house who quit found great jobs outside because of the training we forced them to go through and pass before being qualified to serve us Everetts.'
Seeing that Ian still did not respond to his call, Butler Srca could only watch on and did not dare to disturb his master's deep thoughts. Although he was worried, since he could see that Ian was in no pain and his breathing was smooth and steady, Butler Srca concluded that Ian should only be off in his own world.
When he was in his condensed special training, one of the lessons he was taught was to never disturb the thoughts of his master. He would be punished if his words and voice happened to cut off his master's thoughts and the master cannot remember what he was thinking about. He should never speak unless spoken to, unless there was an urgent report to be made.
Patiently, Butler Srca silently waited at the side. Ready to serve Ian and accept any command the moment he comes out of his thoughts.
'That begs the question, were they loyal?' Ian's eyes rolled up in thought as they shone with a hint of darkness. 'If they were, why would they leave? If they weren't, why did we hire them? Were we too lenient? What about those other staff we hired? Why did they stay? Not out of loyalty. They were the first to run when the enemies came upon us like swarms, while all my uncles and brothers in the group resisted and died. …All those spies and whatnots then rubbed salt on already open wounds.'
Paranoia and a twisted sense of hatred started pouring out of Ian's body, his gentle and polite persona ripped apart to reveal his twisted and vengeful self.
'Spies are like pests and flies, if you don't shoo them away, they won't leave. Even if you shoo them away, they will come back unless they die.'
Ian's eyes flashed with a piercingly deadly light. Perpetual coldness radiated off of his body and soul.
'I don't want a single disloyal person to work in my house!'
Ian snapped his neck around to look sharply at Butler Srca.
Butler Srca was frightened by the sudden aggression that came from Ian's eyes that was aimed at him. His body trembled as if he was stared down by a monstrous beast. He felt that the moment he said anything displeasing or undesired to Ian, he would die.
"Are you truly loyal to me?" Ian's eyes glowed deep purple as he asked this pointed question menacingly. As though he couldn't control his own emotions.
Once again, the feeling that came over him when he first met Ian took hold of him.
Before he could even think. Before he could understand and process the question asked of him.
His mouth blurted out the permanent answer long engraved on his heart and soul.
"Yes!"
Then Sling came back to his senses, shocked.
The glow in Ian's eyes faded, returning to their light purple color.
Although Ian didn't necessarily doubt Sling's loyalty to him, his discomfort over the thought of a disloyal person in his presence, in his house, caused Ian to use his powers on Sling, forcing the latter to answer honestly from the bottom of his heart.
Ian did not simply use his powers to take over another person's mind and enforce their loyalty. He would if it's on those he does not care for or those who he doesn't have a good impression of, but he chooses not to on those who he truly considered his subordinates rather than his disposable minions.
That's because he felt that allegiance obtained from people under the influence of his powers was not sincere. They are not heartfelt. Even if they are loyal to him, he doesn't believe in their loyalty even though he believes they will carry out his every order flawlessly with no question or resistance.
Because they are puppets.
Marionettes in his hands who move according to his every word.
Those puppets are disposable, but not people like his brother, his gang's brothers and uncles, not Levi, not Isaac, and not those who sincerely and whole-heartedly promise their loyalty to him.
Ian understood this. He was very clear-minded even when it came to his revenge.
He will not lose his mind even when he has lost his heart.
Now he has regained his heart, dark and twisted as it is.
So even more so, he will not allow such rashness and nonsense to cloud his judgment.
He will not disappoint those who trust and follow him with all their heart, he will not forsake those who love him, and he will not forgive those who harmed him and his close ones.
His powers roused, reacting to his extreme emotions, triggering the deep purple glow that once again replaced the light purple of his unswerving eyes.
'I live for revenge and protection alone.'