novelraw Chapter 115: Punishment~
Chapter 115: Punishment~
Ethan trembled as he sat in the car, being driven back home from the base. He had recovered well, so they told him to return home and stay indoors for the time being.
During the trip, everything had gone haywire.
None of them could have imagined the level of threat they would be dealing with. Those countless rifts, along with the criminals blocking all signals, pushed things far beyond anything he had expected.
And just like that, his plans to protect Amanda and mend his relationship with her were completely shattered. How wonderful.
Now, the real problem was his mother.
The closer he got to his house, the more pale and sweaty he became.
There was no escaping her. He would have to face her wrath again. That woman never cared about reason or circumstances. She only cared about her own selfish desires.
And Ethan had failed to fulfill hers.
"We are here, young master," the driver informed him.
With a nod, Ethan opened the door and stepped out.
Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the house, hoping his mother was still at the office, buried in work.
But to his dismay, the moment he stepped inside, her voice greeted him, "Ah, is my dear son back?"
He stiffened, freezing in place.
Facing her anger immediately would have been better than this smile. This version of her meant pain, slow and cruel.
"What happened, Ethan? Are you still unwell? Do you want to rest in your room while Mama takes care of you?"
His heart nearly dropped at those words, and he hurriedly shook his head. "N-No, I am fine now."
She hummed, her wide eyes blinking with curiosity. "If that is so, come here. I have prepared lunch for you."
He swallowed hard and let himself be led along.
The dining table was laid out with several dishes.
Thalia pulled out a chair for him and urged, "Come on, sit. I have prepared all your favorite dishes."
Ethan sat down slowly, his eyes lingering on the food before him. He did not trust it for a second. There was no way she had woken up early just to cook all this for him. If anything, this was just another method to torment him.
Without a word, Thalia took her usual seat at the head of the table.
As she settled in, the maids stepped forward to serve, beginning with the mushroom soup.
Ethan picked up his spoon a moment after the head of the family did.
Just as he took a spoonful, his mother spoke, "I received an invitation from the Maylith Patriarch."
He froze, the spoon lingering near his lips.
"Is that so?" he replied, the soup slipping down his throat without him noticing. "I am glad to hear that." He had no idea what had changed, but somehow the Patriarch had overlooked the displeasure Ethan had caused last time and sent an invitation anyway.
"It seems you did well during the mission. The Patriarch sounded very pleased in his letter," Thalia added with a smile, her head slightly lowered as she looked at him from under her lashes.
"I only did what I could," Ethan said, a faint smile touching his lips.
Thalia hummed softly before saying, "Try the lasagna I made for you."
Ethan nodded, a little less rigid now that he had somehow managed to fulfill what his mother had asked of him.
He picked up the serving spoon and scooped some lasagna before—
CRUNCH
His eyes widened as something shattered under his teeth.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze to the spoon.
Tiny shards of glass glinted within the food.
"Do not think of spitting it out, my dear son. You must eat everything your mama made," she said softly.
Her lips curved into a smile, but her eyes remained cold as they fixed on him.
Ethan’s vision blurred, moisture gathering in his eyes. "W-Why..."
What had he done to deserve this? Had he not achieved what she wanted? Then why... why did he have to go through this?
Thalia hummed, almost pleased. "Because my impotent son failed to capture the Maylith heiress’s heart. And I have received word that she has reconciled with her ex-lover."
"...!"
How did she know? Even Amanda and Kyle had not confirmed it yet. Then how—
He never got the chance to ask.
Thalia placed her hand over his and spoke gently, "Be grateful I did not poison the rest of the dishes. Now be a good boy and finish the lasagna."
Blood filled his mouth. His throat burned in protest, yet he kept chewing.
And in that small, suffocating corner of his mind, his fear and anger toward his mother began to twist into something darker towards someone else.
Hatred.
His fist clenched beneath the table as a thought surfaced, cold and sharp.
’If only you did not exist.’
.....
"Achuuu!"
Kyle sneezed as he walked down the street.
Rubbing his slightly reddened nose, he muttered, "Did I catch a virus or something?" He had heard only idiots got colds in the summer. Surely, he was not one of them.
He was currently heading toward the shopping complex near the station, hoping to find something suitable for his future father-in-law.
He knew things with Amanda would not remain a secret for long. That was exactly why he wanted to make a good impression on the man while he still could.
He did not have anything extravagant in mind, but with the leftover money Blake had lent him, he could at least buy something decent.
As he walked down the street, his eyes landed on a man approaching from the opposite side, a gym bag slung over his shoulder. His muscles strained against the thin fabric of his shirt, his broad shoulders hard to miss.
’I wonder how strong he is.’
[Does the host want to assess? It would take only half a second.]
Kyle gave a casual shrug. ’Go ahead.’
For a brief moment, his eyes flickered with a faint golden glow before the stats appeared.
[Str: 16
Spd: 12
Int: 7
End: 10]
Kyle hummed in disappointment. All those muscles, yet he could only lift about twenty kilograms more than him?
Thinking about it, he had tested his own strength back in the warehouse. As the system explained, with his strength stat hovering between fourteen and fifteen, he could lift around one hundred and fifty kilograms with relative ease.
So yes, the numbers were fairly accurate. Following that logic, his current speed stat was around sixteen, meaning he could run at roughly thirty-two kilometers per hour at full speed, maybe thirty-five if he pushed himself to the limit.
Of course, these were still within mortal bounds, something anyone could achieve with time. But with the new training routine he had planned, Kyle was confident he could raise his stats much faster.
Not so long after, he entered the shopping complex. It wasn’t very crowded given it was the afternoon of a weekday.
He thought of browsing around a bit then only buying something. Maybe he will get a better idea than what he has already planned.
However, just as he was about to take a step forward, he heard a voice.
"Kyle?"
Turning, he found Layena standing there.
Does she always wander around shopping malls the whole day?