Julian’s gaze remained unwavering as he placed his tea cup down on the table. “Have you made any progress Viscount”, He asked with a calm tone.
The viscount swallowed as he said, “No my lord, we have not found any clue”.
He knew that Julian was behind all this but he had no other choice than to act ignorant.
“I see,” Julian said with a slow nod. “And have you made any progress, or is your investigation still going?” His voice carried a hint of mockery.
The viscountess clenched her hands tightly in her lap, her heart racing as she struggled to maintain composure.
The viscount replied, “No, my lord we are still searching for the attacker.”
Julian leaned back in his chair, his lips curling into a slight smile. “How unfortunate,” he said.
Julian took a sip from his tea, his eyes never leaving the viscount and viscountess. After a brief silence, he placed the cup down.
“So,” he said smoothly, “what is it that you seek from me, Viscount?”
The viscount’s heart raced, and he felt the weight of Julian’s gaze on him. With a trembling breath, he swallowed his fear and replied, “My lord, we come to seek your help.”
Julian’s smile widened, “Help?” he repeated, as if the word itself were unique in his ears.
“Your family runs on power and loyalty? What help can I, who only possess power and authority, give to you?” His tone was dripping with sarcasm, and his eyes sparkled with a cruel amusement.
The viscountess lowered her head as her mind flashed back to her earlier conversation with Julian.
It was power and authority that now held their fate in his hands, and all the love and loyalty in the world couldn’t protect them from the consequences of their actions.
“Tell me,” Julian said, his voice suddenly cold and calculating, “how do you think I might be able to help you now?”
The viscount’s voice trembled as he pleaded, “Lord Julian please, we beg of you. Convince the king and the dukes that we are not involved in the attack. Our family has served this kingdom for generations, we would never betray it.”
Julian’s laughter echoed through the room. “Oh, so now you want me to lie to His Majesty and the dukes?” he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“What a request,” he added as he leaned back in his chair. “You ask me to help you by telling a lie, just to save your family. How daring.”
The viscountess clenched her hands tightly. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to contain the fury building within her.
How dare he mock them like this? She knew all too well that Julian was the one behind the attack, that he had planned everything. And yet, here he was shamelessly pretending to be just and right.
The hypocrisy of it all was suffocating. But what could they do?
Julian took another sip of his tea as his eyes locked on the viscountess.
She lowered her head and with a voice barely above a whisper. “Your grace, please help us,” she said. The desperation was clear in her tone.
He placed the cup down gently. “Help you?” he repeated “You have come all this way humbling yourselves before me, asking for my aid. And what will I get in return?”
The viscountess’s heart sank at the question. Julian’s lips curled into a smile.
“You know love and loyalty,” he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “they can be very costly commodities. And I think you know exactly what I want from you, don’t you?”
The viscountess stayed silent as her body trembled. She had no choice but to give him what he wanted, just as she feared.
However, Viscount still clinging to his hope said “Your grace, we are ready to give you everything, but please spare my…”
He was interrupted immediately by Julian, whose smile only deepened in mock.
“As the morning sun rises tomorrow, the streets will be filled with the news. Oh, how unfortunate! The Azazel family, once so loyal to the crown, now branded as nothing but a traitors. Their entire family wiped out. How sad,” he said with a dramatic expression, placing a hand on his heart as though mourning a great loss.
The room seemed to freeze as the viscount and viscountess exchanged glances. Julian’s words were a threat, and that threat would very much be reality if they did not comply with his demand.
The viscountess’s voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes locked on Julian’s with a mix of fear and submission.
“You can have me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The viscount was unable to hold back the tears that accumulated up in his eyes. He clenched his fists and his heart broke as he realized there was nothing more he could do.
Julian’s voice dripped with mockery as he leaned forward, his cold gaze piercing into the viscountess. “Ah, what happened to your love?” he asked, his tone filled with disdain.
“Is it so easily discarded when faced with the threat of your family’s destruction?” He took another sip of tea.
The viscountess felt her heart twist with shame as his words cut deeper than any blade could. Here she was, offering herself to the very person who had turned their world to ash.
“You can have me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “But please, save our family… save the city… protect everything we have built.”
Julian’s laughter echoed through the room. “Be more elaborate,” he demanded.
“Tell me exactly what you will do to earn such a favor from me. You have already lost everything else, what more are you willing to offer?”
Her fists clenched tightly as she struggled to find the words. Julian’s cruelty was suffocating, but she knew there was no turning back now
“Everything,” she finally said, her voice trembling. “I will give you everything. My loyalty, my body, my soul, everything that matters, everything you desire.”
Her eyes burned with an intensity that matched the desperation in her voice. “But I beg you, spare us. Spare our legacy, our lives.”
