"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...."
John asked the maid who had been avoiding eye contact with him. But the maid still refused to say anything. John took his defeat and laid down on the bed thinking about his next move. He was in [The Legend or Divine Twig]. He was almost 98% confident. The message he received from the author clearly stated "bet". This suggests that the author is truly a deity who rules the world.
At least that's the first theory. There could be more reasons for this.
Cing cing cing
The bell rang again, and the creek door opened. The maid moved swiftly to the side and bowed. John glanced at the door and noticed a middle-aged man with a well-trimmed beard. brown hair and sharp brown eyes. His overall facial shape is rather square.
"Good morning my lord, the young master has fully recovered."
The maid said with utmost respect. The man walked in with a dignified disposition. John couldn't help but be in awe. From that short context, he could gather that this was his father. In the novel, the Duke has more screen time than Reeva, and rightfully so. The author made him much more interesting.
"Recovered?" Duke sneers "You called this cripple, recovered?"
"I'm sorry my lord."
Face with the overwhelming presence of the Duke, she quickly retracts her word.
"You" the Duke points at John "Do you know what you did wrong"
"I.... lost?"
Unsure what to answer, John just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. The Duke displayed his mild surprise with a little movement of his eyebrows. He moves closer to John with an even step.
"Half right"
He lifted his right leg and lightly pushed it toward John. This took John by surprise since that little movement was able to send John's body from lying on the bed flying to the wall.
"ARch"
"You're half right that Antores couldn't lose. That's your first sin."
The Duke grabbed John's bed corner and flipped it over with his bare hand. It flies off to the side hitting the right walls of the Duke. He walked over to find John with his back against the wall. blood dripping down a corner of his mouth.
John's tongue tasted like iron.
"The second sin is that you lost to a commoner."
The Duke stepped up to John. Looking down on the miserable boy. John looks up and sees a fine gentleman dressed in a black suit. He wears his outer shirt as a cloak, and it sways whenever he walks. A silver sword glimmer on his hips reflects the light, and a sword crest ornamentation adorns all of his attire.
The Duke of Crossing Sword
He couldn't stop admiring him after seeing him up close. If the man hadn't kicked him, he might have bowed before the duke.
"And the greatest sin of all..."
The Duke drew his sword and placed it on John's shoulder. The son held his breath, waiting for the Lord's next words. The maid closed her eyes, and the nun began praying. In less than a second, the atmosphere becomes cold. They lock their gaze on each other.
"You broke the silver sword" His voice echoed, like a decree that had fallen upon him. "The sword has been passed down as a family tradition. The sin of breaking it is punished by death."
The sword got a little closer to severing John's head. A bit of pain came from his neck as the sword drew blood. It trickles down onto his shoulder. Luckily his head is still attached to the rest of his body.
"Do you have any last word?"
The duke said with a low voice. his eyes held firm looking at his son that he was about to decapitate. In the novel, the duke Was the one that executed his son when that guy turned into a demon. His next word is crucial.
"I will receive my punishment. You could take my life, Duke."
"....." The Duke held his sword firmly and retracted it. "At least you still have honor. But that doesn't absolve you of your sin. The unworthy can't remain in the family. I will give you 100 stac. Use it well and never come back to the family."
With that, the duke turned around and left. After he was gone, all three people in the room could breathe again.
"Master, are you alright?"
"Do I look alright?"
"....."
John was fairly certain that his heart would stop beating at any moment. He swore that his life flashed before his eyes when he answered the duke.
The maid look quite worried for him. The action warms his heart. This is what years of slaving away in a company does to a man. She reaches into her front pocket for a napkin to wipe away his blood.
"Why did the lord spare you?"
In the back, the nun asks curious as to why asking to be killed would keep him alive.
"Honor," John said, "Our family holds such thing in high regard."
The maid couldn't believe what she heard. Her shocked expression eluded John as he considered the real reason for his response. It's not about saving his own life, because, as shown in the novel's later chapters, Reeva could survive The dukes' punishment.
The real reason was to gain more than nothing. He had deduced that the duke came here to disown him, so answering like that was not only to save himself but earn the 100 stac that the Original Reeva definitely didn't have.
But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared for his life. the pain in his neck still reminds him of that moment. Without a doubt the most exhilarating moment of his life.
"Then without any more things, I'll take my leave...."
"Wait." John stopped the nun as she was about to leave, "Could you heal my neck?".
The nurse made a deadpan face and approached Reeva.