Free Web NovelChapter 5: I Accept
Just at this moment, an indifferent voice echoed in the hall.
"To hurt the members of my family right under my watch, do you think my Saint Family is filled with vegetarians?!"
At some point, without anyone realizing it, a middle-aged man had appeared right between Cole and Raven. The middle-aged man’s two eyes, filled with indifference, paused on Cole’s figure for a brief moment before finally stopping on the twins from the Siren Family.
"Could it be that we Saints have withdrawn from the main stage so much that you young ones don’t take us seriously at all...?"
These simple words caused the faces of the twins to turn purple. Beads of cold sweat appeared on their foreheads. If one looked closely, it wouldn’t be difficult to notice how a fine line of red had appeared on both the twins’ heads. Droplets of crimson blood slowly slid down their throats. Raven unconsciously swallowed his saliva. At this moment, Raven felt truly afraid. He had a feeling that if this middle-aged man wanted him dead, he would instantly turn into a bloody mist.
The atmosphere in the grand hall turned suffocatingly still. Not a single living being dared to breathe too loudly. For a moment, even the roaring wind seemingly came to a halt, afraid of offending the man.
A breath of time passed in this chilling silence when the servants finally got a hold of themselves, and one by one, every single servant fell to their knees.
"We greet Vice Head Markovich...!"
Uncle Marko...
Cole’s eyes flashed as the middle-aged man’s silhouette overlapped with the cold and distant man in his memories.
That’s right. The middle-aged man was Cole’s uncle, the younger brother of the Saint Family Patriarch and also the vice head of the Saint Family.
A terrifying practitioner of the body refining path, just below his father.
For the first time, Fiona’s eyes showed some ripple upon noticing Marko, but it was quickly suppressed.
In Ashvon’s vision, Markovich was no simple man, but a terrifying mountain that was pressing down on him from all sides.
He gritted his teeth to calm himself down and spoke in a respectful tone, "Senior, this is a misunderstanding. We from the Siren Family have no intention of insulting the Saint Family...!"
His tone was as sincere as it possibly could be. Ashvon was not pretending. He genuinely respected legends like Marko, who had fought the creatures from the Abyss and lived to tell the tale.
"Brother, how could you..."
Raven’s face turned furious, but he only clenched his fists tightly until his nails dug deep into the skin of his palm. Still, he did not utter a single word.
Marko’s expression didn’t show a single ripple.
"I don’t care what your intentions are, but if you dare to blatantly disregard my Saint Family like this, I will not tolerate it. Now speak — what are you here for?"
From start to finish, Cole did not speak but simply watched. From the outside, it looked as if he was frozen in shock. Markovich happened to notice this scene, and his expression turned even more defined and cold.
Cole didn’t notice this. He was too busy going through the memories to gather all he knew about his uncle. The more he knew, the more his expression darkened. When he finally finished going through the memories, Cole raised his head to look in his uncle’s direction with a complicated look in his eyes.
It went without saying that his relationship with his uncle was... complicated.
Just as he was thinking, Raven’s loud voice echoed in the hall.
"Fiona, quickly do your thing. I don’t want to stay here one minute longer."
With those words, the attention of everyone present in the hall shifted to Fiona. The pressure from multiple gazes didn’t affect the young woman at all.
Fiona’s expression remained unshaken. She turned her gaze and met Cole’s eyes without shirking or turning away.
Cole watched her expression harden in real time. Then came something he was already expecting, and then came something else he was not expecting. For a moment, he saw Fiona’s tough face crumble, and a look of guilt flashed in her eyes.
Hmm... interesting.
"I am here to cancel the engagement. From now onward, we are no longer engaged."
Markovich heard her words and calmly nodded his head.
"All young adults, whether male or female, have the opportunity to cancel their marriage agreements set up by their parents."
Then he turned to Cole and asked in an indifferent tone, "Cole Saint, do you have any objection to Fiona’s words?"
With those words, the eyes of everyone once again shifted to Cole. Although the world was mostly tied by rules and conventions, in matters like marriage, young adults had a high degree of freedom.
If Cole wanted, he could refuse Fiona’s words.
To be honest, most people present were already expecting Cole to refuse. It was only natural. After all, who would let go of such a divine woman? What happened next was what truly interested them.
The thoughts of the onlookers surged wildly. However, just at this moment, Cole’s words caused the eyes of not just the mere servants, but even Vice Head Markovich and Fiona to narrow.
"I accept... I have no objections."
Cole’s response was straight and without any drama. As he said those words, there was no hesitation, only a sense of relief. He wanted to get this done with and focus on important things that actually mattered.
For a moment, there was silence. Then loud chatter broke out.
"As expected of the young master..."
"He is still as cowardly as ever..."
Raven openly snickered. Ashvon shook his head. He didn’t want to look down on Cole just because he was talentless, but now, after his actions just now, his opinion of Cole couldn’t help but fall to the lowest point.
To not even fight for your partner — this was the most cowardly behavior anyone could show.
The only one who had a different reaction from the rest was Cole’s uncle, Markovich. There was no mockery or disdain on his face, only quiet relief.
Everyone was too lost in their thoughts to notice this strange reaction of his.
"If my business here is done, I would like to take my leave."
After saying those words, Cole didn’t stay in the hall a second longer and quickly walked out.
Once he was out, Trisha immediately came running. Her smile had turned pale from all the worry.
"Young master, are you okay?!"
Cole nodded his head. "I am fine. What could even happen to me?"
Trisha heard his words, and her expression eased. Then she sighed in relief.
"Thankfully, now their offer... we now have one month more. In this one month, I am sure Daily Head would return and everything would return to normal..."
Cole heard her words and immediately corrected her.
"Who told you I rejected her offer?"
Trisha’s expression fell. A dark possibility flashed through her head.
"Don’t tell me you accepted her..."
Trisha’s voice unconsciously rose. By the end of that sentence, she was practically screaming.
Cole ignored her reaction and simply said, "Show me the way. I need to head to the training ground fast."
