The ascent of the SSS rank primordial of corruption-Chapter 39: I’m glad you made the right decision.

"Lady Vermont, please..." Ethan addressed the woman respectfully, only to be interrupted by her gentle grip on his shoulder.

"Don’t worry about it, dear, I’ll do my best to heal her." Vermont smiled, her sweet, soft voice spreading through Qingyi’s eardrums, bringing his guard down immediately.

It was only a few words, but it was enough to put Ethan into such a deep trance that he didn’t even notice when Vermont took Victoria from his arms and carried her out of that place.

When he finally came to his senses, Ethan was alone with David and the guards he had brought.

"What the hell?" He turned around, looking at himself, confused about what had just happened.

"Celestial symphony. It’s a passive ability of Lady Vermont. Her words induce any person or creature into a state of absolute inner peace. Don’t feel bad about falling for it. Even I find it difficult to carry on a long dialog with her without being affected."

David laughed at Ethan before shaking his hand firmly. "Have you made your decision?" he asked, his eyes shining with a hint of hope.

Hearing David’s words, Ethan froze.

A myriad of memories flooded his mind as he recalled David’s request a few nights ago.

It was a difficult decision, probably one of the hardest he had ever had to make in his life.

On the one hand, he still blamed his grandfather for his mother’s death.

On the other, he knew that this hatred was irrational and that he should at least give the old man a chance.

In the end, he was caught between a choice he had to make but didn’t want to, and one he wanted to, even though he knew it was the worst possible option.

’Fuck it, I have to think with my head!’ he shouted to himself before finally answering. "I’m going to find my grandfather and sort out everything I have to sort out with him..."

"Good... I’m glad you made the right decision." David smiled before turning his attention away.

He would have liked to talk to the young man more, but he was the lord of a city and his duty called to him.

David walked slowly over and knelt in front of Gobini’s mutilated corpse.

"Do you know him?" Ethan asked, noticing the stern look on David’s face.

"He’s my brother," David replied as he touched Gobini’s face, closing his dull, morbid eyes.

"Your brother? How?" Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to associate that disgusting pig with the powerful and honorable David.

"He was born with serious deformities and ended up killing our mother during childbirth. Our father disowned him and threw him out on the streets as soon as he was old enough to look after himself." David spoke, raising his gaze to the cells above him.

"I tried to bring him back to the family after I became a lord, but it was too late." He shook his head and a mysterious energy arose from his hands, enveloping Gobini’s body and burning it to ashes.

"I see..." Ethan whispered, watching the body disappear.

"Come with me to my residence, you need a bath and a warm bed. My men will take care of the rest here." David patted Ethan gently on the back before turning away.

Together, they left.

***

Under the relaxing sensation of the hot water falling on his head, Ethan watched the blood being washed from his body and sucked down the drain.

"Hot water and a really comfortable bed... How long have I spent begging for these simple luxuries throughout my imprisonment?" Ethan raised his face, feeling the water hit him.

Good food, a warm and comfortable bed, maids to attend to his every wish.

That was the life he had lived for most of his childhood until he was turned into a cripple.

His mother was killed by his father in a burst of rage, and he himself was forced to live like an animal, sleeping with the horses and eating the scraps that some brave maids loyal to his mother would occasionally hand him.

Now, after going through all that, being considered a nobleman again made him feel strangely out of place.

Finishing his bath quickly, Ethan used his mana to wipe the water from his body and put on only a pair of black leather pants before leaving the bathroom.

He entered a large, luxurious room with a double bed so big it could easily accommodate five people.

Sleeping peacefully was a voluptuous figure with green hair and immaculate beauty, her huge breasts rising with each soft breath.

It was Victoria, and on her face, she flashed a blushing smile, as if she were having the sweetest dreams of her entire life.

Looking at her with a loving expression, Ethan sat down on the side of the bed and placed his hand on her abdomen, stroking it gently.

Victoria’s smile widened even more, and Ethan sighed deeply.

It had been a few hours since Lady Vermont had taken care of her, but although her condition was completely stable, Victoria still hadn’t woken up.

Ethan didn’t try to wake her, assuming that she was simply tired.

"System... do you have any idea what to do with her?" he asked as he stared intensely at Victoria.

He had never found anything special about her and, although he didn’t want to admit it, the only reason he had taken her as a wife was pity.

She had no great talent, no unshakeable willpower, not even Alice’s transcendental beauty, not until now.

He wouldn’t even have bothered to keep her as anything other than a source of easy carnal pleasure if he needed to.

But now, things had changed...

In a scenario where even he was overwhelmed by the power of the Gobini formation, Victoria managed to stand up against that force, drag herself to the enemy and save both their lives.

Of course, the pressure she faced was far less than what Ethan had to endure, but the simple fact that she had endured all that pain and had the willpower to move on, looking for a future in which she could be happy, changed something in the way he saw her.

Something he couldn’t explain, but he was sure it was no longer pity for a dying woman who lived a miserable life alongside a man who didn’t deserve her.