I Died and Became a Noble's Heir-Chapter 350: I promise

Jack’s grin turned malicious. "I make it my business to know the businesses of people who owe me money. And here’s where your situation becomes truly catastrophic, Lady Starfell. Because I’ve developed my own mana potion formula."

He reached into his storage again, this time producing a small, crystalline vial filled with a luminescent, blue liquid. The potion’s glow cast eerie shadows across his face, making his red eyes look almost demonic.

"High-grade mana restoration," Jack held the vial up to the firelight. "But not like your family’s product. This is ten times more potent. I’ve tested it extensively. I’ve shown it to select buyers, people with discerning tastes and deep pockets."

Starfell stared at the vial with the expression of someone watching their execution being prepared.

"They were very impressed," Jack continued enthusiastically. "Said it would revolutionize the market. Change the entire industry. Make existing products obsolete. You can imagine my delight at hearing such enthusiastic feedback."

He tucked the vial back into storage.

"Now, your family charges ten gold per potion for your inferior product. I’ve decided to undercut you dramatically. My price? Two gold coins per high-grade potion. One-fifth of your cost for ten times the effectiveness."

The mathematics of that statement hit Starfell like a ton of bricks. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as her mind processed the implications.

"No one will buy your family’s potions anymore," Jack explained with the patient tone of a teacher instructing a particularly slow student. "Why would they? Why pay ten gold for an inferior when they can pay two gold for a better one? The market will shift overnight once I release my product."

"You... you can’t..." Starfell’s voice was barely functional.

"Oh, but I can," Jack’s smile widened. "And I will. I currently have four hundred eighty-one thousand, six hundred seventy-two high-grade mana potions in storage. That’s enough to flood the entire regional market for years to come. I’ll establish new distribution networks, undercut every competitor, and establish House Kaiser as the premier source for mana restoration products across the kingdom."

He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his gaze staring into her soul with absolute certainty.

"And that’s just the high-grade formula. I have mid-grade and low-grade variants in development. They’ll be ready within two months. Your family’s entire business model? Obsolete. Worthless."

She started hyperventilating. Her hands clutched at her dress with white-knuckled desperation, her mind clearly spiraling through financial projections that all ended in ruin.

"Within six months," Jack whispered, his voice carrying intimate malice, "your family will be broke. Your monopoly will be shattered. Your revenue streams will dry up. Your creditors will come calling. And you’ll be crawling back to me, begging for mercy that I might not give."

He straightened, brushing nonexistent dust from his coat again. The gesture was casual, dismissive, treating her complete destruction like minor housekeeping.

"Every noble at this celebration knows what’s happening to you," Jack added almost as an afterthought. "They’ve known since the moment I took your hand and led you in here. They were sworn to secrecy when the war ended, warned not to mention your soldiers’ desertion. They thought I wanted to play with you first before destroying you. And they were right."

Starfell made a sound that was half a sob, half an animal’s whimper. She remained on her knees, broken and devastated; her seduction attempt had turned into complete humiliation.

Jack walked toward her slowly. He reached down and grasped her chin, gently this time, almost tenderly. He tilted her face up, forcing her to meet his gaze, then leaned in close.

His lips brushed against her cheek in a mockery of intimacy. A kiss that carried no affection, only ownership. His breath was warm against her ear as he whispered five words that sealed her fate.

"You belong to me now."

The statement wasn’t metaphorical. It was the undeniable truth. Her house’s finances were in his control. Her family’s business was on the verge of being destroyed by his competition. Her soldiers were his prisoners. Her future was his to dictate.

She belonged to him in every way that mattered.

Jack released her chin and stepped back, adjusting his coat with the casual ease of someone who’d just concluded successful business negotiations.

He walked to the door without looking back, his stride confident and unhurried. Behind him, Lady Starfell remained on her knees, broken and sobbing, her beautiful dress crumpled around her.

The emissary had stopped crying. He simply stared at nothing with the hollow eyes of someone who’d given up on salvation.

Jack reached the door and paused, his hand on the handle.

"You have one hope if you don’t want to become a peasant: find me a Moonvein Serpent. That is your only salvation."

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway, where S and Seraphina stood at perfect attention. The sound-dampening spell S had maintained throughout the conversation lifted like morning fog, and the ambient noise of the manor rushed back.

Loryn had already departed through his portal, taking the broken emissary back to whatever experiments awaited in Tartarus Spire. The demon mage left no trace of his presence except the lingering scent of sulfur.

Jack closed the study door. The two guards fell into step behind him without a word, their footsteps silent on the marble floor as they moved through the hallways toward where his family waited.

Rhys Luffiel wanted to humiliate the young Kaiser in front of witnesses.

Jack’s grin widened as red lightning crackled faintly around his fingers.

’I’ve been itching for a fight.This is going to be fun.’ Jack snarled internally as he covered his face with one hand and held back a laugh.

The entrance to the garden where the Sunblade and Kaiser families had been waiting was mostly empty now. Octavia had clearly herded everyone toward the garrison already, understanding that Jack’s business would conclude when it concluded and not a moment sooner.

But one group remained.

Aurora stood near the windows, her pale blonde hair catching the hallway’s lantern light and making her look almost ethereal. Lady Sunblade stood beside her daughter with the patient composure of someone accustomed to waiting. Cassius held little Violet, who was showing him something in Annabelle’s sketchbook with animated enthusiasm.

Duke Alaric and Lady Genevieve stood slightly apart, their postures relaxed but their eyes sharp. They’d been watching the closed door, understanding exactly what was happening behind it even without hearing specifics.

Jack approached, his stride confident despite the emotional weight of what he’d just done.

But as he reached his family and guests, something shifted. The predatory satisfaction faded slightly, replaced by his sense of duty.

He stopped before Aurora and executed a formal bow that acknowledged both her status as a guest and her position as his betrothed. His head lowered, his hand crossed his chest, and he held the position for three full seconds before straightening.

Aurora’s expression remained serene, but her eyes gleamed.

Jack reached for her hand gently. She offered it without hesitation, her fingers pale and delicate against his calloused hands. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand.

But then he stepped fractionally closer, his lips moving near her ear where only she could hear his whispered words.

"I’m very close to breaking your curse," he breathed, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "Soon you’ll be able to speak again. I promise you that."