Myths Reawakened

Under Wayne’s righteous stare, the mother and daughter held their breath in guilt. The tables had turned.

Silvia laughed awkwardly. “I told you that Wayne was innocent. Veronica, what have you done?”

“Huh? What does that have to do with me? You were the first to—”

“Hmm?!”

“Even if you hmm me, I’m still going to say it. It was you...”

Seeing Wayne sitting in his chair huffing and scowling, the mother and daughter realized the seriousness of the situation and started bantering in an attempt to make him laugh. As they talked, they inched little by little toward the door.

“Enough!”

“Look what you two have done!”

Wayne slammed the conference table, trembling with anger. He said fiercely, “Things were going according to plan. Leno had produced the evidence, and Ottilia and I would have both been eliminated. Now, because you two believed the enemy instead of me, Flora was able to turn things around.”

“Do you know how much it cost me to find Flora’s student? How much effort I put into giving Leno those photos? Do you know who I did all that for?”

“Speak. Are you two so determined to anger me to death?”

Wayne pounded the table and then the chair, lamenting the family’s misfortune. His hurt demeanor could make any onlooker cry in sympathy.

Silvia and Veronica stood on the side meekly, lowering their heads.

Silvia hated herself for her unsatisfactory response. As Wayne said, she hadn’t believed her own student. That shouldn’t have happened! What bad deeds could Wayne be capable of? It was all Auston’s fault for dressing and looking like Wayne, even having a similar hairstyle. Their overlapping images made her mistake Wayne for her husband for a moment.

Bastard, I’m gonna get you when I go home!

“Wayne, Big Sister was only concerned about you falling for a honey trap,” Silvia tried to explain. “You don’t know how terrible Flora is. Her student can’t be anything good, either.”

Veronica nodded repeatedly, chiming in, “That’s right. I thought the same. I was only worried—”

Bam!

Wayne slammed the table once more, making the two Dragonbloods stand at attention. He glared at Veronica viciously and said, “You did well today. I’m so satisfied with your reaction. Since there are too many unwanted eyes here, I’ll deal with you once we get home.”

“I did wrong...” Veronica pouted. She understood her mistake and hoped that he would stop being angry. If there was a next time, she would believe Wayne no matter what.

Yes, it was all Vera’s fault. If not for Vera misleading her all the time, she wouldn’t have doubted Wayne.

“Veronica, you really shouldn’t have done that!” Silvia reprimanded, selling out her daughter to escape blame.

“You too, Master...” Wayne gritted his teeth. After a moment, he said in resignation, “I was hurt when you glared at me. I have no mother, and I’ve always seen you as one. But what did you do? It only took a few photos...”

“I thought only Auston framing me for having multiple girlfriends outside the family would make you believe the lie. He is family after all, and he’s adept at deceiving women. I can understand you buying his nonsense, but not Leno’s!”

“An outsider producing a few fake photos, and you...”

“You’ve disappointed me. I thought you considered me your son and would trust me without reservation.”

“It’s not like that, child. Listen to me. It’s all Auston’s fault.” Silvia stepped forward and pulled her son into her embrace.

)`‸눈)

What does that have to do with the old man? Wayne wondered. Are you just blaming him because he’s not here?

“Before marriage, that bastard was a playboy with a bad track record. You and your father look so much alike that I...” Silvia hugged him tightly. “Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll believe no one but you.”

That’s what I’m waiting for, Wayne thought cheerfully.

Finally, you’re telling the truth, Veronica wailed inside. I really am adopted.

“I believe you, Master. It’s Auston’s fault this time, but please don’t make the same mistake...” Wayne looked up with reddened eyes. “You don’t know how horrible I felt!”

Feeling a pang in her heart, Silvia embraced her son tightly, harshly criticizing Auston for causing this friction, making the most of the excuse. Under Wayne’s insistence, she reluctantly gave up the idea of divorce, but avoiding the death penalty didn’t mean there would be no punishment. She would give her husband a good beating tonight.

Veronica couldn’t believe them. Shouldn’t she be consulted when it came to something as serious as a divorce? There was an outsider in this family, and it clearly wasn’t Wayne.

Moving to the High Reverend’s office, Silvia sat at her desk, sighing. “We had a great chance of winning, and I was just a step from victory. Auston is undeniably at fault. I’ll punish him when I get home.”

It’s long overdue!

And it’s going to be punishment rather than reward, for real.

Wayne shook his head. “Actually, our chance wasn’t that great since I never did anything with Ottilia. I’m not that kind of person. It was naive of me to think that a few photos would be enough to disqualify her.”

“With that crystal ball, Flora can prove Ottilia’s purity infinite times, unless I force myself to give away my purity to destroy us both.”

That won’t be necessary! x2

“Forget it,” Silvia advised, worried that Wayne would do something rash. “If we win through schemes and tricks, it won’t be an honorable victory. Given your talent and skills, you can defeat Flora’s student fair and square.”

Veronica nodded imperceptively. She agreed.

“Alright. Although this is a simpler and more effective method, I’ll listen to your advice, Master. And I’m sure that Veronica won’t be happy if I try that again.” Wayne then complained about being wronged again, reaffirming his pure image while deepening their belief in him. If something similar happened in the future, they had to take his side no matter what.

Veronica, especially, should keep her eyes open and remember the lesson. She shouldn’t suspect him, Kristen, and Vera of having an affair just because they were rolling around on the same bed. She should first calm herself with food before thinking about it carefully, and she would definitely find a reason to convince herself.

Wayne frowned. “Master, Flora won’t give up. There are still ten days until the first selection stage. With Leno becoming unusable, she will definitely have other plans.”

If Flora seduced him personally... He looked forward to that a little, but he knew that the possibility was zero. The former Holy Maiden wouldn’t be that foolish. Her role dictated that her ambition was tied to her purity. If she lost it, and her political enemies caught wind, she would be a priestess for life.

“Perhaps. If she can’t make her student Windsor’s candidate, she will seek opportunities at headquarters...”

Silvia analyzed Flora’s next move. She had an immense desire for power, which was a quality shared by all higher-ups at headquarters. No one was better than anyone else. If Flora could convince one high-level official, she would still have a chance to turn the tide.

However, that compromise would prevent her from monopolizing the future Holy Maiden, giving her significantly less power.

“She’s had it hard, too,” Silvia said sympathetically. “She didn’t use to value power this much. She was a little wicked, but never this excessive. She became who she is today because she stayed at headquarters for too long.”

“You mustn’t think that way, Master!” Wayne warned. Flora was so ruthless that she would impersonate Silvia and taunt the Darkness Knight and the Death Knight to become the High Reverend. If not for the great secrets the two knights were harboring, both turning out to be Silvia’s family, Flora would’ve succeeded.

“I know. Either stay away or take someone out once and for all, making sure she will never recover.” Silvia nodded. She wasn’t naive; she just felt sorry for her former friend.

“Defeat her student, and she will have no other chance since the next selection will be twenty years later. She’ll have to work under me obediently.” Silvia imagined it. Flora would be at her mercy, suffering indignities with no way of resisting. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Master, she wants to kill you!

Wayne opened his mouth, but couldn’t reveal the information. He decided to discuss the matter with Auston. One of them should transform into the Darkness Knight and sink Flora in the river in a cement barrel at night. Wayne would be in charge of kidnapping Ottilia and imprisoning her in his basement.

Wouldn’t that be too cruel? He thought with a troubled look. Yes, it would, so he should warn Auston about it.

He would never allow Ottilia to become the Holy Maiden, so Flora was destined to lose the power that would come with her student taking on the mantle. That would lead her to seek the position of the High Reverend in another way. The two knights only had to set up a trap together to lure Flora in. She would be dead if she had any ideas against Silvia.

Wayne was too simple-minded to set up an effective trap, so he decided to leave it to Auston and his calculative mind.

“Master, I’ll defeat Ottilia and make Flora serve you as a loyal underling for life,” Wayne promised. Then he glared at Veronica and said, “Come home with me. It’s time to receive your reward.”

“I don’t want to go home right now.” Veronica shook her head vehemently, rushing to her mother’s side. “I’m working overtime with Mother today. You should go back by yourself. Your father’s home.”

“I’m getting off work now,” Silvia said.

“Mother, Wayne’s going to bully me. How can you...” Veronica looked at her mother, her heart clenching, only to find Silvia not looking at her at all.

Truly, she had to be picked up off the street.

“Don’t be afraid. Wayne’s not going to do anything to you.”

“That’s right. No life will be lost or created!”