After leaving the arena, the family returned to their grand mansion, where a long dinner table awaited them, filled with the finest dishes. But despite the variety and beauty of the food, it was not the meal that occupied Kingoro's mind.
He sat at the edge of the table, away from the family, as if trying to escape their gazes. Throughout the journey from the arena to the mansion, he had not spoken a single word. His tears had long since dried, but the pain still lingered in his heart. He felt as though every eye in the room was watching him now, filled with doubt and disappointment.
His father, Lawrence Haeskel, sat in his usual place at the head of the table, silent throughout the entire meal. Lawrence was a towering figure, commanding respect without speaking. His aura of power was undeniable, but there was something different in his eyes tonight. It wasn't anger, but something deeper—a kind of disappointment that lingered in his words, sharp and cutting.
"Kingoro, do you understand what this moment means?" Lawrence's voice finally broke the silence, cold and serious as he raised a glass of wine. "The entire family was waiting to see what would happen. You failed. And that failure is not something insignificant."
Kingoro closed his eyes briefly as his father's words echoed in his ears. He didn't want to hear them, but he knew he had to face the truth.
"Father, I couldn't… I couldn't pull the sword. But I wasn't ready… Maybe because I didn't know how to do it right," Kingoro's voice trembled with the weight of his own words.
But Lawrence showed no sign of empathy. Instead, his expression remained unchanged, his disappointment palpable. "That's no excuse. We are of the Haeskel family. You should have been ready. The sword doesn't care about your excuses."
While Kingoro remained silent, his brothers, Yurio and Hans, sat nearby, eating in silence. But nothing could stop them from exchanging mocking glances. Yurio, with a smirk, couldn't resist breaking the silence.
"Are you sure you're really part of this family? The sword only chooses those who are worthy. Looks like you weren't up to the task," Yurio teased, slowly chewing a piece of bread.
Hans laughed softly and added, "Maybe the sword was just trying to tell you something. Maybe even it doesn't want you to be the heir."
The sarcasm in their words was like a knife stabbing Kingoro's heart, but he had no response. He couldn't defend himself, not now.
His mother, who had been silent throughout the meal, finally raised her head and spoke, looking directly at her husband. "Lawrence, I think we should give Kingoro another chance. We can't judge him based on one moment."
But Lawrence had already made his decision. "We cannot go back on this. Kingoro needs to prepare himself more than ever."
The conversation shifted to another topic, as if the family had already decided that this moment needed to be forgotten quickly. But for Kingoro, this night was filled with disappointments he wouldn't soon forget. He knew his attempts hadn't been enough, but he needed something bigger than excuses or words.
In his heart, something new began to form. A mixture of determination and despair. He would prove to them all that he was more than just a boy who couldn't pull the sword.
It was time to face greater challenges. Even if it meant rebuilding himself from the ground up.