Free Web NovelChapter 3: The Kingsley Family
Outside the gates of Montclair School in New Florence City, a mess littered the premises. There were news vans parked everywhere, reporters and journalists holding big cameras on their shoulders. It was the end of the day, and everyone in the city knew it was the Final Awakening. They were all waiting to see the geniuses come out so they could get the first story.
One reporter, a woman in a bright blue suit named Sarah, stood right in front of her camera, speaking rapidly yet clearly so the viewers at home could understand everything.
"We are live at Montclair School!" Sarah beamed. "The news is already spreading. Scarlett Trump, the daughter of the Trump family, has summoned a Mythic Empyrean Phoenix! This is the first time in fifty years a student has awakened such a powerful beast. But that isn’t the only shocking news. Luke Kingsley, the heir to the Duke of the city, has summoned... a metal gauntlet. People are calling it a complete disaster for the Kingsley name."
Behind Sarah, other reporters nodded and spoke into their own microphones, each trying to catch the next big angle.
Suddenly, the school gates opened, and a group of security guards in black suits pushed through the crowd. They were trying to make a path for the Kingsley triplets.
As soon as the reporters saw Luke, they went crazy. They started running toward him and shoving their microphones in his face.
"Luke! How does it feel to be a summoner with no beast?" freēwebnovel.com
"Is it true your father is going to renounce you tonight?"
"Do you think Scarlett Trump will still marry someone who summoned a glove?"
The questions were flying everywhere like angry bees. Luke kept his head down, feeling the hot lights of the cameras on his skin. He didn’t say a word.
Vivian was right next to him, holding his arm tightly while she used her body to block the reporters. "Get back! Leave him alone!" she screamed at them. She looked like she wanted her summon to kick every single one of them away.
On the other side of Luke, Raven was walking calmly. She didn’t look at the reporters, and she didn’t offer Vivian any help at all. She just walked with her head high like she didn’t even know the two people next to her. Raven didn’t care that it was her brother against the world.
While the security guards guided Luke and his sisters into a stunning black car, Adrian was walking out behind them. He didn’t run away from the cameras. Instead, he stopped and stood there with a smug face, welcoming the bees.
The reporters immediately left Luke alone and surrounded Adrian. They knew he was the stepbrother and a top student with an Elder Griffin.
"Adrian! What do you think about your brother’s summoning?" a reporter asked.
Adrian adjusted his school tie as he gave a mean smile. "It is a very sad day for our family," he said. "Luke has always worked hard, but I guess some people just aren’t born with the soul of a leader. As for the Kingsley heir... well, our father values strength above all else. A Duke must be able to protect the people, and you can’t do that with just a piece of armor."
The reporters scribbled in their notebooks. "And what about his engagement to Scarlett Trump?"
Adrian chuckled. "Scarlett is practically a queen now. She needs a king, not a blacksmith. I’m sure the families will make the right decision soon."
Luke was about to step into the car when he heard Adrian’s voice. He turned his head and shot a sharp glance at his stepbrother. His red eyes looked like they were glowing for a second, but Adrian just waved at the cameras.
"Don’t look at him, Luke. He’s just trash," Vivian whispered. She gently pushed Luke into the backseat of the car, joined him, and slammed the door shut.
The car started moving, and the reporters finally disappeared into the dusk as they drove away. Inside the backseat, the atmosphere remained tense and quiet, you could hear the air conditioner humming.
Luke sat in the middle of his sisters, staring at the floor. He could still hear Sarah the reporter’s voice in his head. "A complete disaster." That’s what everyone thought he was. But he was sure that wasn’t the case.
Vivian turned to him with care. "Luke, listen to me. Adrian is a liar. He just wants the title. We’ll find a way to fix this, okay? I’ll talk to Dad."
Luke didn’t answer. He just looked out the window.
Vivian waited, but then she looked over at Raven, who was sitting on Luke’s right side. Raven was grooming her fingernails, acting like she was bored.
"And you!" Vivian snapped at her sister. "Why didn’t you help me back there? They were attacking Luke! You just stood there like a statue!"
Raven finally looked up. Her white hair caught the light of the passing streetlamps. "Why would I help?" she asked coldly. "He brought this on himself by being weak. If he can’t handle a few reporters, how is he going to handle being a Duke?"
"He’s your brother, Raven!" Vivian shouted. "We’re triplets! We’re supposed to be a team!"
Raven turned her head and looked directly at Luke. Her blue eyes were like ice. "A brother?" she thought to herself as she looked at Luke’s messy black hair and his strange red eyes.
When she and Vivian were born, they had white hair and blue eyes, just like their father and late mother. They looked like perfect Kingsley children. But Luke was different. He didn’t look like anyone in the family. He looked like an outsider who didn’t belong. From Raven’s point of view, he was a curse that had been following them around for almost two decades.
"He doesn’t look like us, and he doesn’t have the power of a Kingsley," Raven said quietly, not bothering to hold back. "Maybe he was never meant to be one of us at all. Just look at him. He’s a freak with a metal glove."
"That’s disgusting to say!" Vivian shouted with anger.
Luke didn’t join the argument. He just closed his eyes, feeling the presence of his workshop in his soul. He felt the heat of the forge and the weight of the legendary hammer.
He couldn’t wait to recover his spirit. Despite just one visit, his soul space felt like the only place he could feel at home.
Meanwhile, at the large Kingsley estate, the atmosphere was different from the school. Roselyn Kingsley, the Matriarch and Cedric’s second wife, was in a very good mood. She roamed the kitchen area, making sure the servants had prepared everything perfectly. She had even ordered a special berry pie for dessert.
"Make sure the crust is extra flaky," Roselyn said to a maid. "Tonight is a night for celebration."
She had already heard the news from the school. The reporters were moving fast, but her own spies were faster. Luke’s awakening had been a disaster. He had summoned a piece of metal armor while everyone else got powerful beasts.
"Finally," Roselyn thought. "I have always been right about the boy being cursed. Now nothing is standing in the way of my son, Adrian."
She left the kitchen and went to her private dressing room, where she began to retouch her appearance. Roselyn was a very beautiful woman just like her late sister, and she knew how to use it.
She was currently wearing a thin nightgown, a very provocative outfit meant for seduction. The gown was low, showing a large amount of her fair cleavage and the curve of her breasts.
"Cedric is a man of pride," Roselyn mused while looking at her reflection. "He is angry right now because the Kingsley name is being mocked. But anger makes a man weak. I just need to remind him that he still has a strong son to take over the mantle."
Her destination was Cedric’s private study. Since the news of the summoning reached the estate, the Duke had been in a terrible mood. The servants said he had been fuming and shouting for over an hour, and he had even broken a vase against the wall.
Roselyn liked it when he was angry. It was easier to control him when his mind was messy. Hence, she wanted to make sure he melted in her hands tonight. If she could make Cedric feel better, she could convince him to officially name Adrian as the heir by tomorrow morning.
Roselyn walked out of her room, the silk of her gown whispering against her thighs. The hallways were quiet because the servants were too scared to be near the Duke’s room. She reached the doors, pushed them open, and walked in without even knocking.
Inside, the room was a mess. Papers were scattered on the floor and a chair had been flipped over. Cedric Kingsley was standing by the window, his back to the door.
"I told you I don’t have time for this!" Cedric shouted without turning around. "I don’t want any food! I don’t want to talk to anyone! That boy has turned my family into a laughingstock!"
Roselyn preferred to say nothing as she walked closer, until the light from the fireplace hit her silk.
"Not even time for me, Cedric?" she asked softly.
Cedric turned around quickly, his face red and his eyes full of fire. He looked like he was about to scream at whoever had dared to walk in, but the moment his eyes landed on Roselyn, he suddenly went quiet.
He stared at her silver hair before his gaze traveled down to the deep cut of her gown where her breasts presented themselves.
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
