章 139: The Cost of Freedom

"You're supposed to be the best, aren't you, son?"

Marcellus tried to keep himself from gritting his teeth, though keeping his emotionless expression had been particularly difficult these days.

They had stationed a guard to shadow him at every moment, the aim of his gun just a brush away from the nape of his neck. He had been caught trying to escape. However, he was deemed irreplaceable, and so he had only been punished and detained despite his act of betrayal.

"I am the best," Marcellus answered monotonously - there was no pride in it.

He had to be the best to survive, after all, and surviving was the key to seeing his grandparents and uncle again. Rather than an achievement, succeeding in all he did was an expectation of him. That was how his parents raised him.

"So, why did you try to escape?" his father inquired.