Zamel had never been a confrontational person. Throughout his years in this house—his entire life—he had endured suffering that most children his age wouldn’t have survived.

Despite the hatred emanating from everyone around him, from his family to the servants, he was still thankful for the fact that he was living here, even if he knew he didn’t deserve it.

He had suffered from a myriad of insults hurled at him, bravely faced the harsh beatings from his cousins. If they ever chose to spit on him or hurl filth in his direction, he wouldn’t even flinch—though, thankfully, they wouldn’t lower themselves to such a level.

There was barely anything that could ignite his anger—except for two things—his mother and his blood. Both were his most sensitive spots, and he would surely react if anyone ever mentioned either of them.

His blood reminded him of what his mother had gone through. She would always be his greatest weakness, and the mention of one would always remind him of the other.

Unfortunately, his cousin—Merina—was well aware of this, and she didn’t care nor was she afraid to use it to provoke Zamel.

Everyone at the table shifted their gaze away from Merina and laid their eyes on Zamel, their mouths agape, their eyes widening even further.

This was the first time they had ever seen Zamel stand up to Merina. Throughout the years they had lived in this household, they had only ever witnessed Zamel staring down at the floor or outright ignoring everything his family threw at him.

Except for Merina, who knew just how vicious her cousin could be. Even if he was a half-breed, their family’s blood still flowed through his veins. That alone was enough to make him stand out from the rest.

It was a funny story too. Once upon a time, there was a high-ranking servant who was either too insensitive or too stupid to insult Zamel’s mother in front of him. She had even heard that the servant were so derogatory that he spat in Zamel’s face just to mock him even further. Although he was smart enough to do it when no one else was around.

Just like what everyone suspected he would, he simply ignored it and walked away. The servant, proud of himself, thought that was the end of the story.

Until the next day, when another servant found him lying on the floor in one of the storage rooms. His face was beaten beyond recognition, his body bloody and bruised to the point that he smelled of dried blood, his skin swollen all over.

But the most terrifying thing was that his teeth and nails had been pulled out and scattered across the floor.

The guards, suspecting this to be an act meant to intimidate the family, acted swiftly to investigate. They called all the servants for questioning, searched every nook and cranny of the mansion for any evidence, and gathered all family members in a secured room—much to their discontent—while high-ranking warriors stood guard and the others conducted their investigation.

They even summoned the family’s hired Mental Mage to read the servant’s mind while he was recovering with the help of the household’s stationed healers.

What they discovered was not what anyone had expected.

During the night, the servant had woken up to relieve himself and had left his room to use the servant’s bathroom.

While walking toward his destination, a quick and precise blow landed on his head, causing him to pass out.

The Mental Mage, surprised by this revelation, continued the investigation while simultaneously relaying the details to the guards.

The servant had regained consciousness, the pain in his head sharpening his awareness. He found himself inside one of the mansion’s storage rooms. Fear instantly gripped his heart. He tried to move, only to realize he was tied up tightly.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Then, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned toward the sound, and his eyes widened when he saw his captor standing before him, their gaze filled with pure malice

The Mental Mage relayed his findings to the investigators, and they were utterly shocked.

The servant had been tortured for three hours straight, and the perpetrator if this whole mess was none other than Zamel—who was only ten years old at the time.

Although he was still young, the fact that he had been able to carry out such an act wasn’t surprising. After all, he had been trained from childhood in various disciplines, including weaponry, magic, and more. This training wasn’t exclusive to him; all family members were taught these skills to better prepare them for the future. And in the end, torturing a defenseless servant with no combat abilities wasn’t exactly difficult

What truly baffled them, however, was that Zamel had shown no remorse—not an ounce of guilt—throughout the entire process, even when they detained him.

Of course, the issue was buried to prevent it from reaching the public. Extreme measures were taken to ensure that everyone who knew about it was strictly instructed (or rather, warned) never to speak of it, even among themselves. The servant was also "retired" due to the injuries he sustained. Although some were skeptical—certain he had been healed—they were smart enough not to question it.

This incident served as a lesson to every servant and guard in the household. Even if he was unwanted by the family, he still bore the name of the master they served.

And they never forgot that fact. It had been seared into their minds. Though they continued to show their disrespect in subtle ways—such as addressing him as "young sir" instead of "young master" or "lord" like his cousins—they never dared to cross the ultimate line.

The room fell into an even deeper silence, so quiet that they could hear each other's heartbeats, the subtle gulps, and the rustling of fabric. Only the guards maintained their composure due to their training, though even they shared the same unease as the servants.

Merina, fully expecting this reaction, couldn't help but smile—a twisted grin of satisfaction. Rather than feeling insulted, she was pleased by his response. Perhaps this day would turn out to be even more entertaining than she had anticipated.

But he wasn’t done yet.

His voice, laced with fury, cut through the silence once more.

"You better watch your mouth, you twisted freak. You can insult every aspect of my life, but never fucking mention my blood, you brutish whore.

This time, Merina fired back with the same vigor as Zamel,

"Ohh, what are you going to do about it, you weak half-blooded aberration? Last time I remembered, your magic is still quite pitiful compared to Ezekiel. Even though I can barely acknowledge your martial prowess, you are still far too weak to even compare to me."

Ezekiel, who caught a stray bullet, couldn't help but be irked at Merina's words. He knew his talent in magic barely passed the standard of this family, who are well-known for their magic prowess by the empire, but he was still far better than his peers. She acted like his magical capabilities were quite pitiful, and he couldn't help but get pissed at her words. He was about to jump into their argument until Zamel’s biting words cut through the tension like a blade.

"I might not be able to beat your pathetic ass to the point of how I want it, but I will make sure that I bury this fork deep into your disgusting mouth to teach you a lesson—one your bitch of a father never taught you. You act like I’m the most repulsive worm you’ve ever seen, yet it’s clear that I surpass you in both respect and etiquette."

The three spectators at the table couldn't help but be flabbergasted at Zamel's words. They knew well enough that Merina looked up to her father with the deepest respect a child could give to their parent.

This time, it was Merina's turn to look at Zamel with deep hatred, burning brightly like a great flame. Her hands slammed onto the table, leaving a mark. No one disrespects her father, especially in front of her.

"At least my father talks to me and treats me like his daughter, compared to your mother, who barely speaks and can't even look at you without getting scared."

Zamel bit back, "HAH!! Treats you like his daughter? Impossible. That cold-hearted bastard didn’t even shed a tear at your mother’s funeral, let alone care about you. You're pathetic, you motherless bitch!!"

A collective wince swept through the room at Zamel's harsh words. Although they were well aware of the drama within the family, hearing it spoken aloud made them wish they could erase it from their minds—They knew all too well that once the Patriarch caught wind of this, there would be consequences.

The tension in the room became even more palpable, the anger between Zamel and Merina building to an explosive point. Everyone silently hoped that it wouldn't pass that point, but deep down, they knew full well that fate would not listen to them, even if they begged for it.

The two antagonists stared each other down with eyes filled with pure animosity.

Zamel's eyes darkened, his gaze shifting to that of a predator—one that yearned to devour its hated foe.

Meanwhile, Merina's eyes shone much brighter, the flames within her burning glaringly, her desire to burn Zamel to ashes even more noticeable than before.