Chapter 61: Annoying and tempting

Ethan was displeased. The smile on his face was forced, stretched just enough to pass, while inside, anger simmered steadily.

He stood at the corner of the hall where members of the branch families had gathered, maintaining a composed front. Yet every time his mother’s words echoed in his mind, his blood boiled.

’You’re pathetic. Not even capable of inviting a girl to accompany you. Do one thing and get yourself killed. At least then I could gain more support from the others in the name of sympathy. And I would be spared from being regarded as the mother of a wimp.’

His fingers tightened around the glass in his hand, the faint creak of pressure almost audible. Still, he held himself back. Causing a scene here would only make things worse.

"Ah, isn’t it Ethan?"

A lady approached with a bright, composed smile, followed by a blonde woman whose eyes mirrored Ethan’s own.

"Aunt Tessa, how have you been?" he asked, stepping forward to exchange a brief, polite hug.

Thalia Lockhart, the head of the Lockhart family and Ethan’s mother, spoke with a faint smile, "I was just telling him how eager you’ve been to see him. But this boy... you know how he’s always been, Tessa."

The short-haired woman chuckled softly and nodded. "Always to himself. Quiet, reserved. Yes, he’s been like that since the beginning." She stepped closer, taking Ethan’s hands in hers. "I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done for my little Hannah. She keeps telling me how brilliantly you lead the team."

The woman before him was Hannah’s grandmother, the head of the Relwant clan, a position that stood above the Lockharts, earned through generations of powerful Nightwalkers.

Ethan gave a small, controlled smile. "I’m just doing my best to fulfill the role I’ve been given."

Short. Polite. Enough.

He wanted the conversation to end.

But then—

"By the way, where is Amanda?" Tessa asked casually. "Hannah mentioned she’d be coming with you."

Ethan froze.

His eyes flicked, almost instinctively, toward his mother.

The look she returned made his blood run cold.

He drew a slow breath. "She said she wasn’t feeling well, so she wouldn’t be able to—"

"Ah, isn’t that Amanda?"

The voice cut through his sentence.

A chill ran down Ethan’s spine as he turned toward the entrance along with everyone else.

And there she was.

Amanda.

The heiress of the Maylith clan stood at the doorway, her attention fixed on her phone, as if unaware of the eyes that had just fallen on her.

Tessa hummed in mild surprise. "Are you perhaps not getting along with her?"

At that moment, Ethan could only hope his mother wouldn’t shatter the glass he was holding out of sheer irritation and stab him.

He exhaled quietly. "We had a small argument earlier. I’ll go talk to her."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off, eager to put distance between himself and his mother.

Amanda, meanwhile, was scrolling through Kyle’s post using her alternate account.

He had just uploaded an image, and it took a moment to load.

When it did, her breath caught.

He seemed to be near a park, likely after finishing a run. Sweat glistened along his forehead and trailed down his neck, his shirt slightly low cut, revealing his neck line and collarbone faintly.

His dark hair clung to the side of his face, lips parted just enough, one eye closed in a casual wink that struck straight through her defenses.

She swallowed, then quickly took multiple screenshots, just to be sure. After that, she bookmarked the image and uploaded it to her cloud drive without hesitation.

Was he trying to tempt her into breaking her the rules and barging into his room?

A more rational part of her argued otherwise. Perhaps he had posted it simply to let her know he was safe... that he wasn’t hurt.

She had been tense all morning when he didn’t show up to class. Then he replied to one of her messages, sent from an unknown number.

And now this image...

...why did her Kyle have to post something like this online?

Just then, someone approached her, breaking her focus. "What’s the meaning of this?"

Amanda frowned and looked up. "What do you need, Ethan?"

"You told me you weren’t coming. And now... what is this? Your way of humiliating me?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Stop acting like the world revolves around you. You’re my superior when we’re working, not in my personal life. You don’t get to decide what I do outside of that. Understood?"

Ethan clenched his teeth. Because of her, he had already been humiliated by his mother, and now in front of Tessa as well.

And after all that, she still had the audacity to talk to him like this.

"You know something, Amanda... this attitude of yours will get you into trouble one day. Respecting your captain is something you were taught during training, yet you seem to have forgotten it."

Amanda scoffed. "Then try doing something worth being respected instead of begging for it."

"You...!" His eyes flared with rage, and the glass in his hand shattered, drawing the attention of even those who hadn’t been watching them.

Just then, a calm voice cut in. "Is everything alright, sweety?"

An elderly man with dark violet hair and a neatly trimmed moustache stepped forward.

His presence alone made Ethan take a cautious step back.

This was Hades Maylith, head of the Maylith clan, Amanda’s father, and one of the few special-grade Nightwalkers.

Amanda shrugged lightly. "He’s upset that I didn’t accompany him tonight. But, Father, I simply didn’t want to."

Hades paused, a hint of surprise crossing his face before his gaze shifted to Ethan, who had gone slightly pale. He clearly hadn’t expected her to say it so directly.

Hades placed an arm around Amanda’s shoulders and spoke, his tone calm but there was a hint of reproach. "I thought you were a gentleman, Ethan. Someone who understands how to respect another’s boundaries."

Ethan forced a faint smile, steadying his voice. "I apologize if it came across the wrong way, sir. I was only concerned for her. As you know, recent events around the town have made me... cautious."

Amanda rolled her eyes but didn’t add anything further. She had no interest in wasting more time on this.

Hades nodded. "I’ve heard about the rogue Nightwalker. But you should also trust your teammates to protect themselves."

Ethan inclined his head. "You’re right, sir." Then he turned to Amanda. "I apologize if my behavior offended you."

Amanda shook her head slightly and said without even looking at him, "You just annoy me."

Ethan froze where he stood, his expression slipping for a brief moment. This bitch...

Before he could respond, the grand doors of the hall slowly opened.

A couple stepped inside.

A wave of gasps spread across the room as eyes fell upon the man accompanying the heiress of the Towaris clan.

Those who had gathered to scheme against Astortia... those eager to carve their names into the Ten Petals...

Every thought vanished.

Silenced.

Crushed beneath the piercing gaze of a man they all believed to be dead.