The servant's trembling voice rang out as he pointed at Shion:
"This bastard—! I mean, the young master! He angered the lady until she collapsed and lost consciousness!"
His words dropped like a spark into dry straw. Shock filled the air—father, siblings, and even the bystanders turned their eyes on Shion, who stood there smiling as though everything unfolding was a play staged for his amusement.
"You wretch!"
"Disgraceful brat!"
"Bastard!"
Insults poured down on him. The youngest children were shielded by their sister's hands, covering their ears from the venomous shouts. Their father's face grew red with fury as he roared:
"I'll kill you, you bastard! You will not escape my wrath, not even if you flee to the ends of the kingdom!"
The eldest brother drew his sword and moved to strike, but before he could advance, a royal guard's hand shot out, halting him with iron force.
Shion widened his eyes in mock surprise, his voice dripping with false innocence:
"What? What have I done? Your wife fainted from grief, and now I'm to blame? Did you all hear that? They insult me publicly, and your son even attacked me before the royal guards, while I have done nothing to them! I demand justice!"
The royal official, the dignified man in his thirties, was speechless. This brat… audacious beyond measure. He hides behind the authority of the royal guard and provokes his family, then claims to be the victim with an air of righteousness.
Shion pressed on, mercilessly:
"I was inside, merely reminding her of her family—nothing more. She grew upset and collapsed. And now, I've already signed the decree of exile. That means whatever happened earlier was a family matter. From this moment, however, I am no longer one of them. I am under royal protection. So I demand punishment for Shun Ranus, who tried to assault me, and I demand compensation from the head of the family for publicly insulting me and damaging my reputation before you. My honor has been wounded before the eyes of the kingdom! I want justice!"
He lowered his head slightly, feigning shame.
The entire courtyard fell silent. His siblings and father gaped at him, mouths wide. Even the royal guards shifted uneasily, some trembling at the sheer brazenness. From within the carriage, the weeping ceased.
The royal official felt the weight of the moment. The princess once called this boy the disgrace of the kingdom… and indeed, he is shameless. But his cunning is terrifying—he twists words, sets traps, and makes others destroy themselves.
After a moment of reflection, it became clear that the actions of the father and son, carried out in the presence of a royal decree—an event equal to the king's very presence—were nothing short of a grave mistake. The boy was skilled at provoking others, yet this time, he did not rely on his tongue. Instead, he wielded his mind with cunning precision.
Sheltered by the authority of the royal guards, he cast himself in the role of the weak, all the while reminding everyone of the royal palace. In doing so, he forced them into a trap with only two outcomes:
Either they yielded to the laws of the kingdom, allowing him to reap countless benefits… or they resisted, in which case he could brand them as rebels and have them arrested. In both scenarios, he would stand victorious.
With his gift for performance, it was not hard to imagine the court siding with him. The true culprits, after all, were the father and son. What had taken place before the signing of the contract was nothing more than a family matter, and with his expulsion, the issue was closed.
The man realized then that Shion had ensnared his family in a trap before even leaving. He had not harmed them with blade or fist, but with words—words that the courts would never consider a crime. And yet, the damage was done.
Their family, already weakened against rival houses, would be torn apart mercilessly. And in this brutal game, there could be no doubt—Shion would emerge as the victor. He had taken his revenge… without ever laying a hand on them.
At last, he turned to the family head and said coldly:
"Do you not respect the authority of the royal court? To let your son attack someone under royal protection—have you forgotten your manners?"
Shun, the eldest son, shouted in fury:
"But he's the reason Mother collapsed! How could I stand by?!"
The official ignored him entirely, addressing only the father:
"Your family is at fault. If this matter is taken to court, the consequences will be severe. The only way to avoid that is to compensate him now."
The head of the family swallowed his rage, glancing at his reckless son, then at Shion. His voice was bitter:
"How… how do you want us to compensate you?"
Shion's lips curled into a cold smile.
"I am not unreasonable, Head of the Family. I don't want your money, though you are drowning in it. All I ask… is for your family to apologize. Here. And now. To me, and to my mother."
The demand was like a blade across their pride.
His words were heavy, undeniable. He had never felt any bond with that man beyond the cold thread of blood that tied them together. Beyond that, all he had ever received was humiliation—relentless, merciless, and almost always because of his mother.
His mother… the innocent maid who had done nothing wrong but exist in the wrong place, at the wrong time. On that cursed night, when the man had stumbled in drunk, he had not restrained himself. She became his victim… and Shion, the bitter fruit of that sin.
From then on, the boy was branded a curse, his dignity trampled beneath the family's heel. And now… after everything, that very man dared to accuse him?
Shion knew he would leave soon, but before stepping away, he wanted to carve the truth into stone—wanted to show everyone who the true culprit was, and prove that he was not someone to be trifled with.
The royal official, caught off guard, had not expected such a simple request. Yet in that simplicity lay its cruelty. To force a noble family to bow their heads and apologize to a maid… it was no small matter. It was a stain, a crippling blow to their pride.
Shion had no intention of stripping them of their wealth; no, he sought something sharper, more permanent—the destruction of their name. And with the guards and the royal representative as witnesses, the humiliation would be absolute.
At that moment, it was no longer a personal confrontation. It was the public shaming of House Ranus itself.
Shun roared:
"What?! You dare demand that our family apologize to a servant's brat and his filthy mother?!"
Even the father growled:
"You bastard, do you not hold any respect for your family—"
But Shion cut him off sharply:
"I was expelled from this family! I owe you no respect anymore. Either you apologize, or you pay compensation, or your son will be punished at the Royal Academy. In any case, your family stands humiliated because of your wife and reckless child. And I—out of kindness—asked for nothing more than an apology, not a fortune."
The words struck like thunder.
At last, choking on humiliation, the head of the family, his wives, children, servants, and guards—faces twisted with rage—bowed and apologized.
Shion, however, turned away from them and instead walked toward the quiet woman and her children, the ones he had tormented in the past. He stopped their bows and said softly:
"There's no need. I'm the one who should apologize to you. I'm sorry for all I've done. Perhaps we will never meet again, but I hope you can forgive me."
Then he lowered his head in a deep bow before them.
Everyone around froze in shock. Could this truly be the same boy who humiliated them moments ago?
The woman's eyes trembled as she whispered:
"If you truly want my forgiveness… then live a better life from now on."
Shion thanked her with sincerity, then turned to the two children. Gently, he placed his hands on their heads.
"Forgive me for how I treated you before. I hope one day I can be a better elder brother to you. Be good to your mother."
Finally, he turned to the royal official:
"Did they apologize to my mother?"
The man nodded.
"Yes. They apologized to her, though they stopped short with you."
Shion smirked.
"As long as they apologized to my mother, that is enough. Their apology to me means nothing."
The family's blood boiled, but none dared speak.
With that, Shion entered the carriage where his mother waited. The royal guards mounted up, and the horses carried them away.
Inside, his mother stared at him, wide-eyed, as though she no longer recognized her own son. The royal official, too, watched silently, thoughts churning. The princess had said he was the disgrace of the kingdom… but what I see now is something entirely different. Who truly is this boy?