Chapter 135 The White Dragon (1)

Third Person's POV"Wh… When the Blackwell family's castle was destroyed overnight by the dark dragon god, the entire city was thrown into chaos.

The event was unprecedented. I still remember the… the purple sun that had suddenly appeared underground and lighted up the whole city and the wilderness beyond in its eerie glow."

He paused, his voice shaking as he recalled the memory and his eyes glazed over with fear.

"The walls of Scarlet Hollow City still bear the scars… the melted stone, the destruction left behind by the purple dragon fire even though it happened so far from its location.

The Blackwell family was… was growing in power and had almost neared the status of the Marquises of Sangrial. But that night… everything was wiped away."

Ethan remained expressionless as he listened though the weight of his gaze bore down heavily upon the man.

Internally, however, a single thought continued to echo relentlessly in his mind.

Master is indeed as formidable as her title suggests her to be and lives up to the name of a Heaven Connection Abyssbound Night Dragon.

The Blackwell family was unfortunate to become pawns in the scheme orchestrated by the mastermind behind their ambush on us. But I never expected Master's wrath to manifest in such a terrifying manner.

I must tread carefully to avoid angering her in the future.

He shuddered inwardly though his outward demeanor remained as cold and unyielding as an eternal iceberg.

"The main family was alarmed," the man continued, his voice trembling under the pressure of Ethan's icy stare.

"Their intelligence network… their spies… they were caught completely off guard. No one saw it coming."

Ethan's eyes narrowed and his voice turned sharp and cutting.

"Are you saying the main Sangrial family was aware of the Blackwells' illegal and dark trade practices?"

The clearing fell into a tense silence with the air thick with unspoken tension.

The duchess who was standing with them remained motionless and her expression was hidden beneath her veil of darkness.

Whatever emotions she might have felt, she kept them buried beneath her carefully constructed mask of indifference.

The man hesitated, visibly sweating under the combined weight of their stares. Finally, he nodded.

"I… I don't know all the details. I am merely a retainer of young lord Dominic… But considering the power of the main family… they likely knew."

Ethan scoffed and his lips curled into a sneer.

"The 'main' family…" he repeated mockingly as if the title itself was a joke. He knew the truth all too well as Virelle had revealed it to him the night before. The duchess had no heirs or true descendants of her own. Stay updated via My Virtual Library Empire

The so-called 'main family' were merely the descendants of her long-dead brother who were desperately clinging to power and a title they hardly deserved.

For a moment, silence reigned again. Then Ethan's fingers twitched and this subtle movement sent a wave of panic across the man's face.

"Then, continue where you left off," Ethan said coldly.

This time, Virelle intervened in her calm but commanding voice.

"Don't try to change the topic."

The man's eyes widened in amazement as his gaze fixed on her.

"It's Lady Virelle," he stammered and his tone suddenly became reverent.

"The young lord often speaks of your elegant and beautiful visage. Now that I see you in person, I am certain that only someone of the young lord's prestige and power could ever deserve you."

Ethan's patience snapped. Moving like a phantom, he delivered a sharp slap across the man's face and the force of it shattered the remaining teeth in his mouth and left him completely toothless.

The man cried out in pain and clutched his face as blood dripped from his lips.

"Who told you to talk about Virelle?" Ethan growled in a low and dangerous voice.

"Follow her orders and speak only what is necessary."

The man ducked his head as his eyes flashed with immense hatred for a brief moment before he masked it with a pitiful expression.

But Ethan had seen it and so had the duchess. Her sharp senses missed nothing, and Ethan could feel her gaze lingering on him in a curious and calculating manner.

Ethan smirked inwardly. He had already sentenced this man to death in his heart for the way he had treated Velcy and for his obvious nefarious intentions on her.

The only question was how and when the man would meet his end. As for the young lord Dominic, his fate would depend on his actions.

If he dared to lay a hand on Velcy or Virelle, he would not live to regret it.

Ethan's eyes flashed with murderous intent though he quickly masked it. The duchess, however, noticed everything.

She tilted her head slightly as her gaze lingered on Ethan with a mix of curiosity and amusement before turning back to the man who had once again adopted a pitiful expression.

"The family's intelligence team went into overdrive," the man continued as his voice trembled.

"They finally discovered that many girls had been rescued from the Blackwell family's basement and brought to the ancestor's castle on Scarlet Hollow Peak.

When the notice spread in the city for a capable Arcane linguist in this castle, I was sent by the young lord and the family to investigate the girls who were rescued by the ancestor. And…"

"And what?" Ethan pressed, his voice like ice.

"And… to kidnap one of them if possible, so that the truth of what happened that day could be revealed to the family."

The atmosphere around them suddenly grew colder despite the glaring sun and a palpable chill settling over everyone present. Velcy's eyes hardened, and even Virelle's usually calm demeanor shifted slightly.

The duchess, however, remained composed at his words and her voice was silky and smooth as she spoke without any fluctuations in her voice.

"Because the main family are the descendants of my brother, I will forgive you this one time," she said in a deceptively gentle tone.