The two men sitting opposite each other both turned to look at him.
This was a face Kyle recognised. He did not know the man well, but he knew him well enough.
'Well, well, what a nice surprise so early in the morning.' Kyle almost felt the urge to laugh.
Count Azure, Jasmine's father, had come to visit. The reason, Kyle could guess. He calmed down his raging heart and spoke once again.
"Father, father-in-law." Kyle bowed in respect to each of them. Deliberately calling the count father-in-law with a calm, composed smile on his face.
It was almost teasing.
"Take a seat." Cassian gestured to the empty seat.
The count did not speak; instead, he was looking at Kyle, very confused, his eyes were wide, trembling in disbelief. After all, Kyle did not have his ring on today.
Kyle pulled out the chair and took his place. The silence reigned for a few moments before the count burst out in outrage.
"Cassian! Do you take me for a fool? Have you been lying to everyone this whole time? Cripple my ass! The boy is almost as strong as my best men! Hell, it's only a matter of time before he is on the same level as I am!"
The count suddenly shouted, unable to hold it in any longer. What was worse, even when he lost his calm, shouting, Cassian and Kyle both remained calm.
The calm displayed by the father-son pair grated on him.
They acted like they knew better than him. Clearly, they were having fun playing him like a fool.
How else was he supposed to explain Kyle suddenly being cured and his explosive growth? It was ridiculous!
"You misunderstand, 'old friend'. Kyle was indeed crippled before getting cured recently, some months ago. We discovered he has a Unique Body Constitution that had blocked his talent, but then, when his bloodline awakened, it was like all that suppressed growth suddenly sprang forth all at once."
The Marquis explained slowly.
"His growth since then has been truly exceptional. I assure you, I would gain nothing from trying to fool you. You must have seen it every time you met Kyle; he had no cultivation to speak of." Cassian explained his case.
"Well, the same result can be achieved by using a treasure to hide his cultivation. This kind of cultivation speed is absolutely unheard of; it is impossible! Surely you understand that?"
"Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you, but I have seen this with my own eyes. However, if that is what you truly believe, then I do not know what to tell you. I cannot help you, I'm only stating the truth. If you think I am trying to fool you, well, go ahead."
"You said he began cultivating a few months ago, months. You expect me to believe he just jumped through to the Foundation establishment realm in that short period of time!?"
"Oh, you finally broke through?" The Marquis finally looked at Kyle in surprise as he spoke.
"Yes, Father. Last night, while I was out for a hunt." Kyle spoke without missing a beat.
The count laughed.
A genuine, crazed laugh. The boy just spoke of breaking through into the foundation establishment, while out on a hunt, as if it were as easy as pouring a cup of tea.
Who didn't know that advancing to the next realm required patience, preparation, a secluded place, a lot of resources to help with the process, and enlightenment?
It was different from breaking through within a realm. It was more difficult. It was why people spent decades, sometimes even hundreds of years, making preparations.
And this green young man said he broke through to the foundation establishment realm while hunting.
He laughed louder.
"Hahahahaha!!! Unbelievable."
"As I said, Lance, he has awakened his bloodline, and he also has a unique body constitution. Surely, that should explain some of it."
Count Lance Azure stopped laughing. He looked at Cassian more closely this time, trying to decipher any lies.
But no matter how much he stared, Cassian's gaze was calm and sincere.
"That doesn't explain anything, Cassian. You know as well as I what we had to go through to make it this far. How old is your boy, fifteen? Sixteen? Are you blind?"
"I won't start an argument about what is normal and what is not with you, Lance, that is not why we are here..."
"But it does affect why we are here. So don't try to just write it off, I will look into this myself to see if you are spouting lies." The count cut in.
At any rate, this development would change how he approached things. Jasmine's fiancé was not as useless as people made him out to be anymore.
Now, he was a once-in-a-generation genius.
But still, there was a problem. He had made a deal with the Von Gaussian brat. He had already told Cassian, but then he just said they should hear from Kyle first.
And now, here they were.
"Okay, I will assume what you are saying is true. Now, I will ask a different question. Young man, I will tell you the same thing I told your father: I came here planning to call off your engagement to my daughter, because I had found a better partner for her. Before I make a final, risky decision, I will ask, What do 'you' want?"
He spoke with an aggressive gaze, releasing a bit of his cultivation, as if trying to intimidate Kyle.
Cassian was about to lash out at the count, but then he saw Kyle's expression, and he decided to calm down and see where this was going.
Kyle smiled, and he almost chuckled in amusement. The Count's attempt looked cute at best.
Yes, the count was stronger. Yes, he felt the pressure. The suppression was there. The count was a peak foundation establishment realm cultivator.
The difference in strength was overwhelming, but who was he?
"It might have been you two that made an agreement. And while I understand that this is how things work, and it also happens often, I also believe that Jasmine and I should be the ones to make the final decision."
The Count narrowed his eyes. Kyle's composed demeanour, he did not like it one bit, his words, even worse.
He continued.
"I do not think it is appropriate for anyone, even the gods themselves, to think they have the right to decide and dictate someone else's fate."
Kyle was expression sharpened; he spoke every word slowly and deliberately.
He looked the count straight in the eye. And, for a moment, Count Azure felt like he was being looked at not by a weaker, younger person, but by a predator, a seasoned warrior, someone stronger than him.
He flinched for a split second, a bead of sweat forming on his brow, but he managed to quickly regain his composure.
The count knew those words were directed at him. And it made him angry.
'Who does this brat think he is!?'
"That is what I think." Kyle continued.
"At any rate, I spoke to Jasmine, the last time she came here. She told me about your 'concerns' and I will admit, they are warranted, maybe I would do the same in your situation. Greed is a normal emotion amongst cultivators; I am no different." Kyle continued to speak confidently.
"You have ambition. Never apologize for that. But I cannot say I agree with your methods. I asked Jasmine what she wants. And I know what I want, so based on that, I came to the decision that I will do everything in my power to make Jasmine happy, nothing more, nothing less. We desire to be together; anything that stands in our way will be met with stern resistance."
Kyle finished speaking his part. The same confident smile was plastered on his face.
He looked at Jasmine's father, waiting for him to speak. The man's face looked a little, green?
He was breathing unevenly, clearly, and he was not happy. But he was not a fool.
This version of Kyle had potential. He would not deny that. But he did not like him. Not one bit.
But he did not even have to like Kyle. As long as he benefited in some way from the union, he would agree to it.
"And if you are worried about Noah Von Gaussian, no need, I will deal with him. You just leave things as they are, and you have nothing to worry about. But I will be taking my Fiancée off your hands...Very soon." Kyle threatened.
"You insolent little..." The count made a motion as if to strangle Kyle; they were sitting very close to each other, side by side.
But then he stopped himself at the last second when he felt Cassian's sharp gaze boring into him.
He sighed, and withdrew his hands.
"Fine, do what you want..." He decided to give in; he was clearly outmatched.
Besides, he would get the benefits of being related to Kyle Ravenshade, a cultivation prodigy who reached the foundation establishment realm at the age of sixteen.
Either way, he would benefit. And that was enough.
Kyle smiled.
'And...that's that.'
"If there's nothing more, I will take my leave now." The count got up from his seat.
"Wait," Cassian said. "Kyle, I would like to have a talk with Count.
Kyle nodded and excused himself, leaving the two men to speak in private.