THE SOVEREIGN GOD'S MORTAL VENGEANCE!

7.

"You still dare to talk back? Seize this ungrateful brat and take him to the meeting room!" Richard ordered the remaining personal guards.

The guards stepped forward, grabbing Lucas by the wrist to force his compliance.

In truth, Lucas could have beaten these personal guards to a pulp with his eyes closed. However, he had no desire to reveal his true identity just yet, prompting him to remain silent and endure their slightly rough treatment.

"Let go," Lucas feigned as the black-suited guards behind Richard moved forward to pin his shoulders.

Lucas's eyes turned coldly toward the guard who had not yet touched his clothing. The invisible pressure radiating from his gaze caused both trained guards to freeze in their tracks, swallowing hard as their throats suddenly went dry.

"I have my own feet to walk. You need not bother dragging a piece of trash that will soon become a corpse if you dare touch me again," Lucas continued calmly, though every word he uttered carried an absolute threat.

He strode right past Richard, walking ahead of the Head of the Wine Family with a posture so straight and composed, as though the grand corridors of the Wine Estate were the grounds of his own imperial palace.

Seeing this... Richard's eyes widened slightly, shocked by the natural arrogance he had never once seen from his youngest son. Gritting his teeth to suppress his rage, Richard followed close behind along with the guards.

'Why does this kid feel so entirely different from before?'

A few minutes later, they arrived at the family meeting room. The classically designed room was dominated by heavy mahogany interiors, illuminated dimly by crystal chandeliers that lent a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

SLAM!

In the middle of the room, Richard walked up to his desk, then turned around and slammed the heavy double wooden doors so hard it echoed through every corner of the room. The middle-aged man glared sharply at his second son, his eyes looking as if he wanted to swallow Lucas whole.

"You have truly lost your mind, Lucas," Richard growled, his voice trembling as he held back his fury.

With a rough motion, Richard pulled open his desk drawer and drew out a jet-black rattan rod—a family disciplinary weapon typically used to inflict severe physical punishment on disobedient family members.

"Father brought me here... is it because you wish to punish me just like all those times before?" Lucas asked calmly.

"You refuse to accept it? It is obvious that you committed a grave fault today!"

"Committed a fault? Why not investigate first before taking action... The Lucas of today will not accept it if I must receive punishment!"

Although this was the first time Richard had ever heard Lucas speak so boldly, he attempted to swallow his anger and pride.

"If that is the case, then give me one single reason why I shouldn't break every bone in your body today, Lucas!" Richard roared, his hand gripping the black rattan rod so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Because not only did you shatter the peace of this estate, but you also dared to harm Edward, the primary heir of the Wine Family! What makes a piece of trash like you think you have the right to attack him so severely?!"

Richard's voice boomed across the silent meeting room, yet Lucas remained completely unaffected. There was not a single trace of anxiety nor a gesture of self-defense. The youth simply stood tall, crossing his arms over his chest with a relaxed expression that seemed utterly disdainful.

The corner of Lucas's lips curled up slightly, forming a smirk laced with icy contempt.

"Attack?" Lucas muttered softly, yet his voice carried with unmistakable clarity throughout the room.

He tilted his head slightly, staring straight into Richard's eyes without a shred of fear.

"How ironic. Why do you suddenly care so much about justice and reason, Father?"

Richard raised an eyebrow, his rage flaring higher at such immensely insolent words.

"What do you mean, you unfilial brat?!"

"For over a decade that I lived in this dilapidated room..." Lucas took a step forward, completely disregarding the rattan rod in Richard's hand.

"...Edward and his dogs abused me almost every single day. They beat me, insulted my late mother, and even left me to starve in that wretched room to the point of near death."

Lucas gazed at the black rattan rod in his father's hand with a amused expression.

"When I was covered in blood, when my bones were broken by Edward's hands... where were you, Richard? Did you ever come carrying that rattan rod to demand a reason why Edward abused me so severely?"

The calm yet piercing question hit the room like a violent slap across the face. Richard's face instantly flushed crimson, torn between shock that the normally silent boy now dared to address him directly by name, and fury at being so thoroughly backed into a corner.

"You..." Richard pointed his rattan rod at Lucas's face, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"How dare you speak my name without proper manners! You are nothing more than a useless, cursed brat! It is only natural that your brother was disciplining you!"

"Disciplining?" Lucas let out a soft chuckle—an icy laugh that sent chills down the spines of the guards behind Richard once more.

"If torture and character assassination are what you call 'disciplining,' then what I just did to Edward... was merely a tiny taste of payback. And frankly, I was generous enough not to end his life on the spot."

WHACK!

Richard swung his rattan rod violently against the wooden desk before him. The crack echoed loudly, causing the Wine Family servants working nearby to gather toward the source of the noise. A murmur of hushed commentary broke out.

"O-Oh dear, how pitiful... Is Young Master Lucas going to be punished again?!"

"Hey, lower your voice! After all, he's just a bastard child accidentally born from a servant girl!"

"B-But look at Lucas's expression... That calm gaze, his aura... it's as if he's no longer that loser young master of the Wine Family!"

***

Even though the whispered commentary drifted into the room slightly, Richard immediately barked out.

"All of that happened because you are a loser! And a coward! As a potential heir of the Wine Family, you must be brave! Not constantly hiding whenever trouble comes your way!"

A faint smirk carved itself onto the corner of Lucas's lips upon hearing that brief explanation.

"Brave? Aren't my actions today precisely what you would call brave?! Seeing how you judge me every single time without a shred of mercy... Are you even fit to be my father?"