The Last Celestial Tamer

Chapter 4

Lady Eleanor gently placed her teacup on the table, and the soft clink of porcelain instantly silenced the dining hall. Every conversation stopped as the family's attention shifted to her.

When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, controlled, and frighteningly cold. "Enough."

Cassian immediately bowed his head. "My apologies, Grandmother."

Lady Eleanor acknowledged him with only a slight glance before turning her gaze toward Lucien. She studied him in complete silence, her expression unreadable. The quiet stretched long enough to make everyone in the room uncomfortable.

"As you stand there," she said at last, "I am reminded of a mistake."

Lucien felt dozens of eyes settle on him once again.

Lady Eleanor folded her hands neatly in her lap before continuing. "The Ashcroft family has spent centuries building its honor. Our ancestors defended kingdoms, mastered ancient magic, and earned respect through sacrifice."

She paused briefly before her expression hardened. "And yet..." Her icy eyes met Lucien's. "You exist."

A heavy silence settled over the hall. No one dared interrupt her.

Lucien forced himself to breathe slowly.

"You carry Ashcroft blood," Lady Eleanor continued, "but you have never carried its honor. You were born outside tradition. You brought whispers. You brought shame. You brought disgrace."

Each accusation struck harder than the one before it.

Lucien quietly swallowed the lump in his throat.

Lady Eleanor rose gracefully from her chair, and every servant immediately lowered their head in respect. She crossed the hall at an unhurried pace, her footsteps echoing against the polished marble floor until she stopped only a few feet from Lucien.

"You know why the servants mock you?"

Lucien remained silent.

"You know why the children laugh at you?"

He still gave no answer.

She answered the question herself. "Because they follow our example."

Her words carried neither anger nor hatred. They were spoken as though she were stating an unquestionable fact. "As long as I lead this family," she said evenly, "they understand that you are beneath them."

Lucien lowered his eyes to the floor. His heart did not ache because her words surprised him. It ached because they did not.

He had lived with that truth for as long as he could remember.

Lady Eleanor stepped even closer until only a short distance separated them. "You are a stain upon the Ashcroft name."

Those words seemed to freeze the entire room. No one challenged her. No one defended him.

Several family members even nodded quietly, as though agreeing with something obvious.

Lady Eleanor turned away and calmly returned to her seat.

One of Lucien's older uncles cleared his throat before speaking. "There is another matter."

Lady Eleanor gave a single nod. "Speak."

The uncle reached beneath the table and produced an old leather folder coated in years of dust. He carefully opened it, revealing several yellowed documents inside.

His eyes settled on Lucien. "You have often wondered about your mother."

Lucien's heart skipped a beat.

For the first time since entering the dining hall, he looked up.

The uncle unfolded one of the documents with deliberate care. "It is time you learned the official truth."

The word official carried a weight that made Lucien's stomach tighten.

The uncle began reading aloud. "By decree of the Sacred Council..." His clear voice echoed throughout the silent hall. "Evelyn Ashcroft..."

Lucien froze.

Evelyn. His mother's name. He had not heard anyone speak it aloud in years. "...is hereby declared guilty of practicing forbidden sorcery..."

The uncle continued reading without emotion. "...of violating sacred magical law...of conspiring with enemies of the kingdom..."

He paused before lifting his eyes toward Lucien. "...and of becoming a Witch of Ruin."

The title echoed through the hall like a sentence of death.

Lucien could only stare blankly ahead.

A piercing ringing filled his ears, and his breathing became uneven.

The uncle folded the document. "Her title and noble rights were stripped away. Her records were erased. Her very existence was condemned."

Another family member spoke quietly from farther down the table. "She abandoned her child."

A second voice followed. "She abandoned her family."

A third added without hesitation. "She abandoned her duty."

Cassian folded his arms with open contempt. "People like that deserve to be forgotten."

Several relatives nodded in agreement.

Lucien's heart pounded violently inside his chest.

Martha's words from the previous day echoed through his mind. “Don't let them convince you that your mother was evil.”

Slowly, he lifted his eyes toward Lady Eleanor. "Is that..." His voice trembled. "...really true?"

Lady Eleanor answered without the slightest hesitation. "It is recorded."

Lucien struggled to steady himself. "But..." His voice remained unsteady. "What proof was there?"

Several relatives exchanged surprised glances.

The very idea of asking for proof seemed unbelievable.

Cassian let out a mocking laugh. "The bastard dares question the Sacred Council."

Lucien ignored him completely. His eyes remained fixed on Lady Eleanor. "Did anyone actually see her commit those crimes?"

An uneasy silence spread through the hall as no one answered immediately.

Lady Eleanor's expression never changed. "The Council judged her," she replied. That is enough."

Lucien's hands slowly tightened into trembling fists. "What if..." His voice was barely more than a whisper. "What if they were wrong?"

The dining hall became so quiet that even the servants stopped moving. One cousin nearly dropped his spoon, while another servant covered her mouth to hide a startled gasp.

Cassian abruptly stood from his chair. "Careful."

Lucien barely heard him. "What if..." His voice cracked. "My mother wasn't—"

The words died in his throat. His thoughts drifted to the abandoned west tower. He remembered the glowing writing on the wall.

The forgotten lullaby. The strange warmth he had felt there. The mysterious black feather resting in his pocket.

None of those memories felt evil. None of them carried darkness. Instead, they felt gentle. Kind.

Exactly as Martha had described his mother. Everything inside him urged him to defend her. To stand tall. To reject every accusation spoken in that room.

He opened his mouth. Then his eyes slowly swept across the hall.

Thirty faces stared back at him. They watched him. Judged him. Waited for him to make a mistake.

The memories returned all at once. Every beating. Every punishment. Every night he had gone hungry. Every cruel insult.

The fragile courage he had gathered slowly slipped away. His lips closed. "I..."

No words followed. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry."

The apology tasted bitter.

Cassian burst into loud laughter. "I knew it." His grin widened. "He doesn't even believe his own mother."

Laughter spread throughout the room.

Lucien remained exactly where he stood. Silent. Motionless. Broken.

Lady Eleanor watched him with careful eyes.

For the briefest moment, an unreadable emotion flickered across her face before disappearing as quickly as it had come.

She turned toward the servants. "Clear the table."

The servants immediately began removing the dishes.

Breakfast was over.

The Ashcroft family rose from their seats, laughing and chatting as they discussed tomorrow's Soul Familiar Ascension Ceremony. They spoke excitedly about the powerful familiars they hoped to awaken—dragons, griffins, storm beasts, and ancient wolves.

No one spoke to Lucien. He remained standing exactly where he was, as though everyone had already forgotten he existed.

Lady Eleanor walked toward the enormous doors leading out of the hall. Just before leaving, she stopped beside him.

Without looking directly at him, she spoke in a calm voice that only those nearby could hear. "The Soul Familiar Ascension Ceremony is tomorrow."

Lucien nodded once. "Yes."

She finally turned to face him. "They invited every descendant of Ashcroft blood."

A faint smile appeared on her lips. It held no warmth. Only cold satisfaction.

"The ceremony will solve a problem that has lasted eighteen years."

Lucien frowned. "What do you mean?"

The smile on her face deepened ever so slightly. "Tomorrow..." She paused just long enough for every nearby relative to hear her next words. "...we erase your surname forever."

Lucien's eyes widened in disbelief.

Around them, several members of the Ashcroft family smiled with open satisfaction, while Cassian's grin stretched from ear to ear.

No one questioned Lady Eleanor's declaration. No one objected. The decision had clearly been made long before this morning.

Lucien remained frozen as Lady Eleanor walked away without another glance.

A moment later, the massive doors swung shut behind her with a thunderous boom that echoed throughout the empty hall.

For the first time in his life, Lucien truly understood the purpose of tomorrow's ceremony.

It had never been meant to give him a future. It had been arranged to strip away the only name he had ever known.