Rise Of The Dual Bound Sovereign

CHP 5: Banquet

After a while, he finally pulled back and rose to his feet, having finished licking the shoe clean.

Lucien glanced down at his shoe in exaggerated admiration, as though inspecting a masterpiece.

“Wow…” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t expect your tongue to be that thorough. I must say, this is the cleanest I’ve ever seen this shoe in a while.”

His grin widened. “I guess you’re not completely talentless after all.”

Azrael ignored the taunt entirely.

“Ive done what you asked, now get my mother the treatment,” he said firmly. “She doesn’t have much time left.”

“Huh…” Lucien tilted his head slightly, as though genuinely confused. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding here.”

Azrael’s brows furrowed. “What misunderstanding?”

“I never said I would get your mother treatment if you licked my shoe clean,” Lucien replied casually with a shrug. “I said I would speak to Father on your behalf regarding her condition.”

He glanced at Azrael with a faint smile.

“And we both know how that’s going to end. You’ve been begging him for over two years already, haven’t you?”

Silence fell.

At that moment, Azrael finally realized the truth. Lucien had never intended to help him. From the very beginning, he had only been looking for an excuse to humiliate him.

The realization caused something inside Azrael to snap. The pleading and desperation in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy coldness.

"You bastard!!" Azrael roared.

In a burst of anger, he lunged forward and grabbed Lucien by the collar.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?!"

The surroundings instantly fell silent. No one had expected Azrael to suddenly lose control.

Lucien's smug smile disappeared.

For a brief moment, genuine surprise flashed across his face. He had never imagined that Azrael would actually grab him by the collar, in front of so many people. "You dare?!"

Boom!!

A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from Lucien's body. The air around them seemed to tremble as an invisible force slammed into Azrael.

Azrael was immediately sent flying backwards.

Bang!

His body crashed heavily into the ground several meters away before rolling to a stop. Several mouthful of blood spilled from his lips as pain shot through every part of his body.

Azrael gritted his teeth and tried to push himself back to his feet, but his battered body refused to cooperate.

"You filthy trash," Lucien sneered as he slowly walked toward him. "Those are the hands you used to grab my collar, aren't they?"

Before Azrael could react, Lucien raised his foot and brought it down on his outstretched hand.

Crunch!

A sharp pain shot through Azrael's arm. The veins on his forehead bulged instantly, but he stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

Lucien's smile widened. "Oh? Not screaming?"

He slowly twisted his foot. A sickening grinding sound echoed as the bones in Azrael's hand creaked under the pressure.

The pain was so intense that Azrael's vision blurred for a moment. Sweat poured down his face and his body trembled uncontrollably, yet not a single scream escaped his lips.

Seeing this, Lucien's expression darkened slightly. He pressed down even harder, grinding Azrael's hand against the stone floor.

Crack!

The sound of bone breaking rang out.

Azrael's fingernails dug into the ground and his teeth nearly shattered from how hard he was clenching them, but he still refused to give Lucien the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

For some reason, that only made Lucien even angrier. With a cold snort, he suddenly drove his foot into Azrael's abdomen.

Bang!

Azrael's body was sent sliding across the stone floor before crashing heavily into a nearby pillar.

"Pfft!"

Another mouthful of blood burst from his lips. At this point, his face had already turned deathly pale from the constant loss of blood, and even breathing seemed difficult.

Just as Lucien was about to continue, a soft hand suddenly wrapped around his arm. "That's enough," Mirabelle said softly.

Lucien turned to look at her.

Mirabelle gave a slight shake of her head. She had no concern whatsoever for Azrael's well-being. Whether he lived or died meant nothing to her.

However, Lucien was different. The last thing she wanted was for him to accidentally kill Azrael in broad daylight.

Not only would it stain his hands with the blood of a worthless cripple, but it could also damage his reputation if word spread.

Lucien immediately understood what she meant. After a brief glance at the half-dead Azrael, he let out a cold chuckle.

"Consider yourself lucky."

With that, he withdrew his gaze and abandoned any thoughts of continuing the beating.

------

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the main hall of the Valcroy Manor was exceptionally lively.

Brilliant lights illuminated the grand banquet hall as members of the Valcroy family mingled with invited guests, their laughter and conversations filling the air. Servants moved back and forth carrying trays laden with exquisite food and expensive wine.

At the center of it all sat the family head—Severin Valcroy, alongside Lucien, Mirabelle, and several influential elders and distinguished guests.

The topic of discussion naturally revolved around Lucien's recent accomplishments at the academy, particularly his breakthrough into the Fusion Plane. Many of the elders and guests spared no effort in showering him with praise, eager to curry favor with the young genius.

Lucien accepted their compliments with a smile, clearly enjoying the attention.

Laughter echoed throughout the hall from time to time, creating an atmosphere of celebration and festivity.

Yet amid all the merriment, not a single person mentioned Azrael. Nor did anyone seem concerned about the condition of the woman slowly wasting away in a secluded corner of the estate.

To them, the mother and son duo couldn't have been more irrelevant.

At the same time, Azrael could be seen sitting alone in a small, neglected garden tucked away in a secluded corner of the Valcroy estate.

The stone paths were cracked and overgrown with weeds. Most of the flower beds had long since withered, their once vibrant colors replaced by dull shades of brown and gray. Fallen leaves littered the ground, and the few remaining flowers struggled to bloom amidst the neglect.

This had once been his mother's most favorite place in the entire estate.

Back then, the garden had always been full of life. His mother would spend hours tending to the flowers, watering them, trimming away dead branches, and admiring each new blossom with a smile on her face.

But ever since she had fallen ill and become bedridden, the garden had gradually fallen into ruin. The once beautiful and lively garden had withered away, much like its owner.

Whenever Azrael wished to be alone, he would come here. Few people ever visited this forgotten corner of the estate, making it one of the only places where he could find a moment of peace.

Just then—

"Young Master Azrael!"