Eve's anger had reached a boiling point, the fiery orb in her hand swelling with instability. Since she could not do anything to the Envoy, she decided to unload her anger on Adrian.
She turned towards him with the fiery orb getting larger and larger, as she concentrated her mana on it. Just as she was about to unleash it upon Adrian, his voice cut through the tension.
"You don't like him, and I don't like him. How about I kill him first, and then we can settle things between us?"
Eve hesitated, the flames flickering uncertainly as her gaze shifted to the envoy. The color drained from his face as he realized the precariousness of his situation.
Desperate, the envoy spat out a vile threat to make Eve back off.
"You slave bitch, you dare to conspire with this wretch? If you attack me, I'll have the Baron throw your mother to be defiled by a pack of curs, and you'll watch as you beg for mercy!"
Eve's hand trembled, the fiery orb quivering as the weight of his words pressed down on her. Adrian's anger simmered beneath the surface, his eyes narrowing at the envoy's cruelty. No one, especially not a girl her age, should be forced into such a fate.
He could see the conflict in her eyes, the way she wrestled with the impossible choice laid before her. He had to act quickly before she made a decision she couldn't take back.
"Listen to me, Eve," Adrian's voice was calm, yet firm, as he reached out to her. "Think about who to whom does your slave collar responds?To this piece of trash or to the scumbag who even forced his own daughter with slave collar?"
A flicker of realization passed through Eve's eyes. Adrian seized the moment.
"This envoy threatened my mother as well," he continued, his tone softening just enough to connect with her. "I'm not letting him go. Let me deal with him, and then we can settle things between us."
Eve's gaze wavered as she looked between Adrian and the envoy. The fiery orb in her hand slowly diminished in size, its flames losing their intensity. She lowered her hand slightly, still trembling, but now with a newfound resolve.
The envoy's face twisted in fear and fury as he realized his fate was sealed. He opened his mouth to scream another threat, but before he could utter a word, Adrian moved with lightning speed.
In a blur of motion, he was upon the envoy, his dagger flashing through the air and grazing the man's cheek just enough to draw blood.
The envoy stumbled back, clutching his face in shock, but Adrian wasn't done. He grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him off the ground with surprising ease.
"You thought you could waltz into my home, insult my mother, and blackmail a young girl into doing your bidding?" Adrian's voice was low, cold, and filled with controlled fury. "Did you think there would be no consequences?"
The envoy's face twisted in pain as Adrian tightened his grip. Blood dripped from his cheek, mixing with the dirt on the ground.
"You... you can't do this," the envoy stammered, his bravado shattered. "The Baron... he'll—"
"The Baron won't save you," Adrian cut him off, his voice dripping with venom. "In fact, I'll make sure that pig joins you. Soon, I'll kill him, plunder his territory, and grow even stronger."
Eve, standing a few feet away, watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. The memory of the envoy's cruelty flashed through her mind—how he had humiliated her, how he had used her fear to control her.
A part of her wanted to stop Adrian, to tell him that this was enough, but another part of her—the part that had suffered under the envoy's cruelty—felt a dark satisfaction in seeing him brought low.
Adrian slammed the envoy into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. "You enjoyed controlling her, using her mother as leverage, didn't you?" he growled, his eyes burning with rage.
"You thought you could insult my mother and my family without consequence?"
With brutal force, Adrian's foot came down on the envoy's ankle, a sickening crack echoing through the clearing as bone shattered beneath his heel.
The envoy's scream pierced the air, raw and desperate, but it did nothing to deter Adrian. His expression remained cold, detached, as he watched the man writhe in agony.
"You thought you could get away with everything you've done," Adrian said, his voice low and menacing as he knelt beside the envoy.
With methodical precision, he grabbed the envoy's arm, his grip tightening until the bones beneath the skin creaked ominously. "But today, you're going to feel a fraction of the pain you've inflicted on others."
He applied pressure slowly, deliberately, his eyes never leaving the envoy's face as the man's pleas turned to frantic sobs. The bones in the envoy's arm gave way with a sickening crunch, the sound drowned out only by his anguished wails.
Eve watched, her heart pounding in her chest as a storm of emotions raged within her. A part of her recoiled at the brutality before her, but another part—the part that had suffered under the envoy's cruelty—felt a dark satisfaction in seeing him brought low.
Her hand trembled, the remnants of the fiery orb flickering weakly in her grasp.
Adrian's gaze flicked to Eve, his expression softening just enough to reach out to her. "Do you want to stop him from ever hurting you or anyone else again?" he asked, his voice a calm anchor in the chaos.
Eve hesitated, her breath hitching as she looked down at the envoy, who was now nothing more than a broken, sobbing mess at Adrian's feet.
The fear and hatred she'd carried for so long flared up again, and this time, it was aimed not just at the envoy, but at the man who had made her life a living hell—her father.
"You can do it," Adrian said, sensing her inner turmoil. He pulled her closer, placing the hilt of his dagger in her trembling hand.
"Imagine this man is the one who made you suffer. Imagine it's your father, the one who turned you into a slave, who forced you into this life."
Eve's grip on the dagger tightened, her knuckles white as she stared at the weapon in her hand. She looked up at Adrian, her eyes wide and conflicted, but he gave her a reassuring nod.
"He can't hurt you anymore," Adrian whispered, guiding her hand toward the envoy's remaining unbroken arm. "It's your turn to be in control."
Eve's breath came in short, shaky gasps as she looked down at the dagger, the envoy's pitiful whimpering filling her ears. The memories of her father's cruelty, the endless torment, and the years of suffering flooded her mind.
She hesitated for a moment longer, then, with a cry of anguish and release, she plunged the dagger into the envoy's arm, feeling the resistance of flesh and bone give way under her force.