The ascent of the SSS rank primordial of corruption-Chapter 45: Regret

Over the next few minutes, Ethan told us about his life on his family’s land, about the death of his mother, how his father reacted to him being crippled and everything he had to face to get there.

Of course, he omitted many things related to the system and Seraphar, limiting himself to saying that he received the blessing of an ancient god.

Even so, it was a long story and, by the end, Victoria had moist eyes and a disgusted expression on her face.

"How can someone be so cruel to their own son? And then there’s that bitch Alice... I’ll do my best to turn her into an obedient concubine after you’ve finished your revenge!"

Victoria exclaimed, mixing anger and sadness as she thought of all the torture Ethan had suffered.

[Your painful past and honesty with Victoria Whitemane strike deep into her heart, increasing her corruption by a factor of 50].

"Hahaha, I’m sure you will, dear..." Ethan laughed as he wiped Victoria’s tears with his hands, his mind wandering to what he would do with Alice.

He still didn’t know if he would really turn her into his wife or just a sex toy.

He felt hatred for her, of course, but it wasn’t as irreparable as the hatred he felt for his father.

In fact, he hardly thought about her at all, he just saw her as the woman who killed the person he hated most and blamed it on him.

He was annoyed at being called a parricide, but he couldn’t say that his hatred was eternal.

’Things to sort out in the future...’ he thought to himself before turning his attention to Victoria: "Come on, Lord David must be waiting for us."

After their deep conversation, the young couple left the balcony and made their way to the dining room, where David was sitting alone at a large, luxurious table laden with expensive food.

"Ethan, I’m glad you came..." David stood up, waving Ethan to sit down, his gaze flowing to the green-haired beauty who stared at him nervously.

Ethan prepared to introduce Victoria properly, but was interrupted when she overcame her nervousness and stepped forward.

"I’m Victoria Whitemane, daughter of a humble merchant from the city of Fallen Clouds... it’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord David Stormerga..." Victoria spoke, bowing to David.

"The pleasure is mine, Lady Victoria. You’re young, beautiful and talented, and I’m sure you’ll produce many fine descendants for the future of House Darkheart." David smiled before motioning for her to sit down too.

Victoria blushed at the words and sat down next to Ethan, her mind wandering to the possibility of one day getting officially married and giving him descendants.

"Well... since we’re all here, I guess we can start eating... may the great guardian of the eternal isles bless our meal."

David slammed a spoon into a glass cup, following the traditions of the nobility to start the meal. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ethan didn’t start eating, looking at David strangely.

"What about Arthur? Isn’t he going to join us?" Ethan asked, but David just shook his head.

"He left for the royal academy a few days ago. He’s 16 and now it’s time to go out into the world and do some exploring." There was regret in David’s voice, but he didn’t let it get in the way of a good reunion.

"I see..." Ethan mumbled before starting to eat.

By his age, Qingyi should have been in the royal academy too, but his father forbade it, even after his coming of age ritual at 16.

Ethan still remembered that night. After the ritual, his father tied him to a tree and used various potions on him.

Some he was forced to drink, while others were thrown onto his skin, their acidic liquid melting everything it touched, his screams muffled by soundproofing formations.

It wasn’t pleasant.

Dinner was brief and silent. Ethan and David limited themselves to eating some shrimp and drinking a few glasses of wine.

Victoria, on the other hand, gave herself more freedom and indulged in the roast chicken thighs, eating a bit of everything until she finally let her head fall on Ethan’s shoulder with a sleepy, satisfied expression and a full belly.

After the meal, David escorted the young couple into a living room with two large armchairs and a fireplace in the center.

"Let’s sit down for a while and drink together, like I did with your father in the old days." David sat down in one of the armchairs and motioned for Ethan to take the other, asking: "Would you like me to ask a servant to get another chair for Lady Victoria?"

"That won’t be necessary, she can share with me." Ethan also sat down before pulling Victoria onto his lap and taking a blanket from a small table next to him, covering her.

"Aren’t you sleepy? Get some sleep, I have things to discuss with Lord David."

Ethan spoke lovingly as he stroked the locks of Victoria’s hair. Victoria snuggled into his lap as she rested her upper body on Ethan’s strong chest, her face flushed as she felt her lover’s heartbeat.

She wanted to stay awake next to Ethan, but her mind soon focused completely on the rhythmic beating of his heart.

Her eyes grew heavy and, without realizing it, she fell asleep.

"What’s wrong?" Ethan asked, noticing the intense smile on David’s face.

"You make a beautiful couple... your mother would be proud to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law and such a talented son..." David replied, pouring a glass of wine for Ethan and another for himself.

"I know... that old bastard could have at least given me the chance to bury her in a dignified manner..." Ethan shook his head, still stroking Victoria’s silky hair.

A slight silence reigned between them until David continued.

"You know... I once had the chance to kill your father. We had a fight during one of his visits and I was on the verge of cutting your head off right there, with the support and testimony of a member of the royal family...

But I gave up at the last second."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ethan asked, a strange glint in his eye as he analyzed David’s facial expressions.

"Because a week after that, he returned to his fiefdom and killed your mother..."

David spoke in a heavy voice before looking at the northern horizon beyond the window: "I still regret not killing him right there and freeing you and your mother from such suffering."