Zachariah's jaw was a hard, tight line.He stared at his shoe.The leather imported, hand-finished, the kind of shoe that does not get purchased so much as commissioned was ruined. He knew it with the absolute certainty of a man who understands fine things and understands what happens to them when blood soaks into them. It would never be what it was. The stain had gone past the surface. It was done.He had not intended for this evening to go this way. He had come here for a specific purpose a civilized dinner, a conversation of mutual benefit, the kind of gathering that men of his level attended and departed from with things accomplished. He had not come here to be tested. He had not come here to be reminded that he was the kind of man who could not even sit in a room without some wretched, clumsy, worthless creature finding a way to make herself his problem.“I had no intention of punishing anyone tonight,” he said, and his voice had taken on a quality that was somehow more fright

Immediately Zachariah heard the whispers and suddenly smiled.“So that’s it,” he said. “You’re her boyfriend.”Still Raymond remained silent.Zachariah took a step closer.“You came here to save her, didn’t you?” he asked mockingly. “How touching.”Still, Raymond did not look up.Zachariah’s smile faded.“I’m speaking to you.”Nothing, the silence irritated him more than an insult would have.At that moment Raymond's slowly adjusted his sister’s position in his arms.Again Zachariah’s eyes narrowed, he couldn't be Raymond was snubbing him, then his jaw tightened even more.“Or perhaps I should add you to her punishment.”He looked down at his shoes and clicked his tongue.“Do you know what it means to step on the shoes of an eight-star King of War? Do you know how much those shoes cost? You and your girlfriend are going to pay for every drop of blood and every stain you’ve brought into this hall and my shoes.”At that moment Raymond finally lifted his eyes, not at Zachariah but to hav

Raymond squats beside her, his hands hovering over her trembling shoulders, afraid that even the lightest touch might break the little that was left of her.​"You have nothing to worry about anymore," Raymond said, his voice thick with a raw, desperate gentleness. "Everything is going to be okay". They can’t touch you now. I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry for letting you go through this hell . Please forgive me. From this moment on, no one can lay hands on you. I’m going to protect you."​ His sister drew a shallow, shaky breath, holding her bruised ribs as she forced herself to look at him. "You don't understand, brother " she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of absolute terror. "These people... they aren't humans. They're monsters. They get joy from breaking people. They want to crush us just because we're not important people, because they know we have no one and nothing left to fight back with."​ She squeezed her eyes shut, tears cutting clean lines through the di

For several seconds, nobody moved.The hall remained completely silent, so silent that the faint sound of blood dripping from Zacharia’s lifeless body onto the polished marble could be heard clearly, while every face remained frozen with the same mixture of shock and fear.Gabrielle was still on her knees before Raymond with her head lowered, while the two young men behind her remained in the same position .Nobody could understand what they were seeing. Only moments ago, they had watched Raymond walk into the hall dressed in simple clothes, looking so ordinary that some of them had even used their handkerchiefs to mock him, now the legendary War goddess was kneeling before him as though standing in his presence was an honor.Raymond did not seem to notice any of them.His eyes remained fixed on his unconscious sister lying against the ground, and his fingers slowly folded into a fist.Gabrielle noticed the movement around his fingers and raised her head, following his gaze until h

For a few seconds, nobody seemed able to speak.Then the hall erupted."Please, sir!""We are sorry!""Please forgive us!""I didn't say anything about you!""I swear I never insulted you!""Sir, I never pointed a finger at you!""I didn't do anything!""I only came here for the gathering. I had nothing to do with what happened!"The pleas came from every corner of the hall. Some men pressed their foreheads against the floor. Others raised their trembling hands toward Raymond, their voices breaking as they desperately tried to prove their innocence."I never laughed at you, sir!""I didn't even know who you were!""Please believe me!""I never touched her!""I only stood here!"A woman began sobbing as she bowed repeatedly."I didn't say anything about you. I swear to you sir I didn't."Another noble quickly joined her."Neither did I. I didn't even look at you when you entered."Their excuses became more desperate by the second.Some were telling the truth.Others were lying without