Barnaby’s scalp prickled as he glared at Dante and the others, wishing he could slap them senseless. These fools had no idea how terrifying the man before them truly was.
He growled, “Shut up and get out of my sight! Don’t you dare say another word!”
Goodness! The heir of the Lloyds royal bloodline was still alive. If this news reached Chetvine, the entire region would explode. And worse, this man was a demon incarnate back then.
Barnaby’s face darkened. With Andrew’s temperament back then, even if he was merciful, Barnaby would have been skinned alive.
Yet as Barnaby knelt trembling, Andrew calmly said, “What are you doing? I’m just a commoner. I don’t deserve such respect from you.
Barnaby trembled as he replied, “Captain, you’re being too modest. Back when you dominated Chetvine and commanded respect in the military, I was still crawling around under the previous director, learning the ropes.”
Andrew chuckled. “Funny. I remember you weren’t crawling under anyone… You were more like an insect that no one noticed.”
Barnaby nodded furiously. “Yes, yes, exactly! A bug, one so lowly you wouldn’t even bother to look at.”
Dante had a hot temper and could not stand watching any longer. “Mr. Hale, you represent one of Chetvine’s three major special forces, the Special Ops! Who is this punk? How dare he make you kneel before him? You should get up. We don’t need to take him seriously at all.”
Barnaby’s face twisted with rage as he shot to his feet, screaming, “I told you to keep your damin mouth shut! How dare you tell me what to do? You piece of shit, shut up!”
Slap after slap rang out as Barnaby cursed while delivering a brutal beating to Dante’s face.
Within moments, Dante’s rough features were covered in red welts. Though his martial artist’s constitution could normally handle a few slaps without issue, Barnaby was striking with full force.
Dante did not feel pain, only humiliation. His face darkened as his eyes blazed with fury, glaring daggers at Andrew with muCrderous intent.
Andrew remained dismissive and looked at Barnaby with cold indifference. “Take your people and get lost. I’ll be returning to Chetvine before long. The Lloyds and those other major families are all doing well, I assume?”
Though he phrased it as a casual inquiry, the killing intent in his words was unmistakable.
Barnaby’s eyelids twitched as he stammered nervously, “The Lloyds are the same as always, though a new heir is about to be selected to confirm the line of succession. The other major families have expanded aggressively over the years, mainly into Augania, Vestra, and Eastonia.”
Andrew’s expression remained blank as he asked, “Has my father returned to Chetvine over the years?”
Barnaby forced a dry laugh. “A figure like Mr. Lloyd Senior is far beyond my reach. Even if he returned to Chetvine, it wouldn’t be something I’d be privy to. As far as I know, he hasn’t been back since the incident all those years
ago.
“Last I heard, the Council of Elders wanted to invite him back to command a military corps with the rank of General, but he wasn’t interested and turned them down.”
Andrew gave a soft grunt. That sounded exactly like something his father would do.
Chapter 202
+15 AGNUS
In his youth, Reginald chose beautiful women over power and glory, leaving behind romantic entanglements everywhere while completely ignoring any appointments from Chetvine.
Now, both father and son were living in exile. Yet Andrew lid not expected Reginald to remain so defiant, ignoring even the highest council in the land.
The Council of Elders was the supreme authority of the nation, its members so powerful that even a simple comment from them would affect the nation. No one had ever turned them down.
No one except for Andrew and Reginald.
