"So tell me, Zenith." Raymond’s crimson eyes remained fixed on mine. "What is it that you desire?"

I almost laughed.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected much but then again, this was Raymond Von Ruinbringer, the man who had never disappointed me when it came to being a bastard.

A smile appeared on my face.

"I desire many things." I casually glanced toward Isolde. "For example, the life of a certain person sitting over there. Lady Isolde, to be precise. After all, attempted murder is a rather serious crime."

My smile widened.

"What insolence!" As expected, Isolde immediately exploded with her usual phrase. "How dare you demand something so—"

"Silence."

Raymond didn’t even raise his voice and yet it was enough to make her freeze instantly. He turned towards me next.

"If that is what you desire in exchange for resolving this matter quietly... then so be it." His voice was calm.

For a brief moment, even I was impressed.

This was the Raymond I remembered. Not a trace of hesitation crossed his face even for his own wife. To him, Isolde was nothing more than a tool to expand his influence among nobles and produce some talented heirs and if sacrificing her preserved the family’s reputation... then he couldn’t care less.

At the same time, he wasn’t foolish enough to simply eliminate me either even if that would have been easier because he understood the situation perfectly.

The moment Solarius publicly backed me and granted me authority in front of the Imperial Court, I ceased being expendable. If anything happened to me now, that old monster would personally come asking questions and Raymond had no desire to answer them.

Across the room, Isolde’s expression slowly crumbled as the confidence she had displayed moments ago vanished completely.

"Dear...?" Her voice trembled. "Why...?"

But as entertaining as her reaction was, I had other plans.

I looked directly into Raymond’s crimson eyes.

"If only I were as heartless as you." The smile on my face vanished and my expression softened. "If only I could discard people so easily, this would have been much simpler."

For the first time since entering the room, genuine silence settled over the office as my hands clenched just enough to sell the fake anger and the pain.

"But I cannot do that." I lowered my head. "As much as I despise Lady Isolde, she is still a mother... and I don’t want Cedric to suffer the same way I did."

I looked at Cedric and Isolde once more as my voice became quieter.

"You...!"

For the first time since I entered the room, a completely different expression than contempt, arrogance and disgust appeared on Isolde’s face.

Disbelief and something suspiciously close to guilt.

Naturally, I didn’t give her the opportunity to speak and continued.

"You may never have cared about your elder brother, Cedric."

A bitter smile appeared on my face.

"But as your elder brother, no matter how angry I am, I simply cannot go through with it. That is why I came here today, to find a reason, a reason to believe that sparing you is the correct choice."

I let out a quiet laugh.

"And seeing that expression on your face, I am sure you regret what happened and that alone is enough for me."

I looked at him and let out a bright smile.

"So, rest assured and trust your older brother as I will never do anything that would harm my little brother." I tilted my head slightly. "Though I seriously hope you never do something like this again."

"Big bro—!"

Cedric’s eyes teared up as he immediately pushed himself off the couch and lunged at me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

"I didn’t think it would become this bad. I didn’t know they would do that to you, I should have stopped it. I swear I will never do anything like that again. I swear I will never harm anyone. I will respect everyone from now on. I am sorry for everything you suffered because of me. I am truly sorry."

He broke down as I slowly patted his back.

This guy was never really bad. He had simply been conditioned by the people around him to act the way he did. He was only sixteen, a kid, practically, even if the Empire considered that as an adult.

So, he still didn’t fully know right from wrong. Even the prank he pulled wasn’t entirely his own choice. He had been influenced by a certain older brother of his.

When I slaughtered the Ruibringers in my previous life, Cedric was the only one strong enough to fend off my attacks and he was also the only one who hesitated to kill me, even though I was his enemy back then.

So either way, keeping this kid alive and investing in his future potential would definitely be useful for my peaceful life. Especially due to his blind loyalty after this event and the legendary talent he had awakened a few months ago.

His status window appeared as I activated [[Insight]].

════〔 STATUS 〕═════

▸ NAME: ⟦ Cedric Von Ruinbringer ⟧

▸ TALENT: ⟦ Innate Sword Heart ⟧

▸ Core: ⟦ Tier I Mortal ⟧

▸ Note : ⟦A wielder of a legendary talent for the sword. If properly nurtured, he could attain a level of mastery never before reached in history. It is far wiser to remain in his good graces than to stand among his enemies especially with your pitful physique.⟧

══════════════════

I let him cry while patting his back as Isolde watched from the side with a conflicted expression and even our cold bastard of a father didn’t interfere.

After crying for a while, Cedric’s sobs gradually softened as I looked at Isolde. "Lady Isolde, could you take him to his room?"

She bit her lip and got up wordlessly before leading Cedric out of the office. Just before she could leave completely, however, her voice echoed out, her back still turned toward me.

"Thank you."

The words were barely above a whisper, quiet enough to be mistaken for a hallucination.

Her pride and her heart were at odds with one another and as they say, undeserved kindness is sometimes more painful than death and she was experiencing that pain first hand at this moment.

She didn’t stay for even a second before leaving.

Only after she was gone did I look back at my father. He was looking at me with a mixture of amusement and expectation, as though he understood that wasn’t all I was after.

I met his gaze.

"Now that that’s done, I must tell you my other demands." I began as my usual smile appeared on my face once again. "I only need three things from you. After that, you can safely eliminate the maid who confessed, along with the other evidence."

"And what are these things you want?"

"The first one is simple. I want an assurance from you, a contract upon your very existence, that you will never try to harm me or my sister and that you will keep your other household members under control so they won’t harm us."

He simply nodded before letting his mana erupt outward.

"I, Raymond Von Ruinbringer, swear upon my soul that I will never harm Zenith Von Ruinbringer or Amyra Von Ruinbringer unless they damage the reputation of the family far too much. I also swear to ensure that none of the family members under my watch commit any act of harm against them."

Immediately, a chain of mana appeared in the air before merging into his body as the soul contract was established. I watched two thin lines stretch out from him, one toward me and the other out of the room, towards Amyra, before they slowly faded away.

I could have asked him to swear absolute protection, but he would never have agreed to it. He couldn’t remain by my side every hour of the day, nor was it truly necessary.

The name Ruinbringer alone was enough to protect me from outsiders. It was the enemies within the family that concerned me at least till I could regain my strength.

Still, the condition he added regarding the family’s reputation was annoying, but it was expected.

"The second thing I want is the right to choose and take any one artifact from the Ruinbringer Treasury, and the third is..."

My smile widened.

"...a genuine apology from you to me and my sister for years of neglect."

And for the first time ever I saw an expression appearing on his face.