"Master Luca, do you have a problem with this child here? I can help you if you want it. My wife and I raised this kid, so he is obedient when we tell him anything. Would you like to see the proof of my words?"
Ben asked, his voice not wavering even a single but. He held Elias' hand and was about to force him to kneel when he felt an intense pressure pressing him toward the ground.
Luca's hand glowed red as he held it up, and his orange eyes showed displeasure when he looked at Ben.
"Young master, should I crush his hand? He dared to touch you, so we cannot allow him to live. Do you want me to break his hand? We could send a gift to your father as well. He will surely like the hand of such a brave man."
Each word that came out of Luca's mouth was like an omen of disaster for Ben. His heart skipped more than a few beats when he heard the ground beside his hand sink due to the pressure of gravity.
'L-Luca is truly mad. That attack would have killed me for sure.'
Ben was terrified for his life, and it showed in his eyes. He looked up at Luca to please mercy, but the mad dog was not even looking at him.
Instead, the one who faced Luca was Elias.
"Should I treat you like you treated me all this time? Like a fool who doesn't know better and would bite their owner? Or should I kill you now? The choice is yours."
"M-Mercy. Please, give me mercy. D-Don't think of me but of my wife. She loved you like a son. Please, she only has me in her life."
Ben pleaded by lowering his head and throwing his wife's name around. He knew that Elias liked his wife a little bit. She had acted like his mother figure, after all.
He hoped it was enough to reach a young child's heart.
The noise from the outside woke Ben's wife as well. Her sleep had been fragile until now, and she quickly opened the door to see what was happening.
"Ben, did you wake up during the night? Do you need something…. what is going on here? A-Are you here to hurt my husband? Stay away from home."
Ben's wife was a courageous soul, and despite being from a slum family, she did not know much about the local mafias and those in power.
She did not see Elias's face before standing between him and Ben. It was only after she looked up to see Elias's face that she gasped out in wonder.
"Y-You!"
Ben's wife was speechless, and shock was visible on her face. Her eyes seemed to be looking at Elias but not seeing him simultaneously.
"Master, what should we do with the couple? I can kill them both if you want me to. It would only take a second."
Luca promised, and the couple looked sick when they looked at him.
On the other hand, Lucas does not like the couple, but he feels sorry for Ben's wife. Not only had she gotten stuck with the most useless person she could have been with, but she also needed to learn what she did wrong.
She could not even figure out why she was in danger.
"Luca, step back for now. Since this couple has taken 'such good' care of me, I cannot abandon them now. So, I will give them a choice."
"Mister, I heard you have a massive debt to pay to my family. But I know your financial condition, so I want to help you. You can work as my underling and earn a chance to attain true freedom. What do you say about that?"
Elias asked the pair, and Ben knew that this was his chance. So, without a single second of hesitation, Ben answered for himself and his wife.
"Of course. If there is anything I can do for you, I will do it. You just need to command me."
Ben pleaded and promised at the same time. Luca tightened his grip, and gravity increased its strength around Ben's arm. The gravity barely missed Ben's arm, and he swore always to obey the kid if he had Luca at his side.
...
"Elias, what is going on here? Y-You are playing with us, right?"
Ben's wife asked, and she shook in her place. She could not help but wonder how her well-trained dog dared to bark at her.
What Ben did not know about his wife was that she had a hidden side to her. She was a shrewd person who acted according to the situation. And she had learned early on that if she acted like a fool, no one would ask her questions or suspect her for anything.
She might have been a little slow, but she had grown up in the poor section of the town. That had taught her survival tricks.
And with her superb acting, she was sure that she had this kid fooled as well.
"Well, you can take my actions as me playing with you. Except the ones acting like the pet would be you both this time. You put up quite a fun act before me, acting all innocent and harmless."
"You knew who I was since the start, right? That's why you did not allow your husband to sell me. And that is also why you tried to be good to me all this time."
Ben's wife cursed inside her mind. She knew that she had been seen through. But she still had a shot at surviving and having a good life.
She knew she was a good actress. She could make this child gain some sympathy for her.
After all, she deserved a reward for looking after the child once he ran away from home and got caught by Ben, of all people.
"Yes, I know who you were since the start. And I also admit that I approached you because I knew who you were and wanted to use you. Are you happy now?"
The female admitted, and Ben looked shocked. He was the only one who looked surprised by his wife's betrayal.
"You are finally showing your true colours. Since you are showing me this sincerity, I should also show you some sincerity."
"Earlier, I asked your husband if he would serve me. Now, I will give you the same opportunity. Will you follow me?"
Elias extended his hand, and Ben's wife did not even hesitate to take his hand. She wanted out of this hellhole, and for that reason, she had done a lot.
Elias had only given the pair a chance because they had helped him meet the person he longed to see again.
...
"Finally, I am back home. This kid shaved off more years off my life than I have lived."
Somehow, between running after the child in her arms and trying to hold on, Emily did not remember walking back home,
It should have been the end of the day for Emily. But as soon as she entered the main mansion, she was faced with the head maid.
"You! Come with me. Master is calling for you and the person you were charged with. Don't ask me anything because Master did not inform me why he wants you."
The head maid snapped at Emily as soon as she entered. Their master was in a bad mood and was taking it out on the head maid and other servants.
They, in turn, took it out on the people below them. It was a vicious cycle for the people stuck in it.
Emily gathered all her courage and knocked on her master's door. It was already slightly open. So, when she knocked at it, it opened the whole way.
"You can come in. Let me see the face of the demon who destroyed all my peace."
Emily's master held his hand out to hold the child, and Emily reluctantly held the child out. She could not defy her master, but she was not sure if she had any faith in her master as well.
He was not one to abuse children, but grief could sometimes make a person lose their rationality.
"You look normal for all the trouble you are causing my family. I do not want to acknowledge your existence, but I must do so for the future of my family. Secrets like you cannot be kept hidden forever."
Emily watched her master hold the baby before his family portrait, and a tree added another branch.
That made her master's face tighten up even more, but it also confirmed any suspicions anyone had regarding this child's blood. The blood scroll was an artefact that automatically regarded anyone who shared the same blood as the owner.
And if it had shown a new line in response to this kid, it meant that this kid was from the Chlorance bloodline.
"Now, take this kid away and keep it hidden as long as you can."
Emily was about to talk out, but then she noticed the look on her master's face. He wanted to say something, so she encouraged him to speak up.
"This child, she shall be named Rachael. We cannot let her name remain empty on the family tree, or it would be an even bigger mistake than we have already made."
Finally, master Rocx turned away, and it was Emily's cue to exit.
She opened the door, and a blur of silver ran past her. The small kid jumped into his father's arms and snuggled into them.
"Father, do you know what I did today…"
Emily did notice how young master Adrian ignored his new sister in Emily's arms. He glanced at her a few times but then looked away with a guilty expression.
'The adults finally got to such a young child as well, huh? I can tell this child would not have an easy life ahead.'
But even if that was the case, Emily bowed not to interfere. She did not need to stick her neck out for an unfavored stranger who was about to cause her infinite annoyance.