บท 16: Chapter 16: The Tyrant Returns
I turned away from Margot, walking toward the door with the same disinterest I would give an annoying dog yapping at my heels. As I reached the threshold, I spoke without looking back.
"You're my servant now," I said calmly. "You'll do exactly as I tell you. Stay here."
I didn't need to look back to know she wouldn't dare disobey. That look in her eyes, the one I'd seen countless times before—fear mixed with submission. It was the same look I had grown accustomed to in my past life, the look of people who realized they had no choice but to bend to my will. Whether they feared me, loved me, worshiped me, or hated me—it didn't matter. They always looked at me the same in the end.
Leon Winter, the Tyrant, had always inspired that gaze.
As I stepped out into the hallway, I allowed myself a brief moment to reflect. That power I once had, the essence I never truly understood—had it followed me into this life? Was it still there, lingering beneath the surface? In any case, it didn't matter. Power was power, and as long as things unfolded as they should, everything else was irrelevant.
The door clicked shut behind me, and standing just a few meters away, Mayer waited. His posture was stiff, his gaze fixed on the floor, and the tension in his body was palpable. He had heard the ruckus, of course. He wasn't an idiot. Mayer knew something had happened between Margot and me, but he stayed silent. He was smart enough not to ask questions, at least not yet.
That look of uncertainty, the way he stared at the ground in thought—I had seen that look many times before as well. Confusion, mixed with loyalty. Mayer wasn't sure what had changed, but he sensed something was different.
If Mayer made the slightest move, I was ready to act. I may not have the same physical power I once wielded, but I knew how to survive. Mayer, though built like a warrior, was still just a boy, a servant who knew his place. If it came to it, I'd find a way to make sure he didn't stand in my way.
But then, he surprised me.
Mayer bent his knee.
"I don't know what happened to you, Eliot," he said, his voice quiet, filled with a kind of resigned determination. "But I made a promise to your father, and I will keep it. No matter what, my loyalty is to you."
I narrowed my eyes, studying him. Mayer had no idea that the boy he had pledged himself to was long gone, replaced by me. He couldn't know. Who could blame him for not recognizing the soul behind these eyes? But even still, I sensed no deception. His loyalty was real. Perhaps it was misplaced, but it was real.
I let out a soft, unsatisfactory hum. "Okay," I responded, keeping my tone indifferent. No need to say more than that. "Prepare me a bath and some clean clothes. And keep an eye on Aunt Margot. I don't want her going anywhere."
Mayer stood and gave a nod, but before he could leave, he asked, "What about the meeting later?"
I paused, turning my head just enough to give him a sideways glance. "Yes," I said, a faint smile curling at the corner of my lips. "The meeting you mentioned earlier. Margot won't be attending."
Mayer blinked, confused for a moment, but then realization dawned on him. He bowed his head slightly as I continued.
"I've returned," I said, my voice cold and unyielding. "Which means Margot is no longer the head of the Blackthorn family. I am. Ravenhood will have to face the truth soon enough."
Without another word, I left Mayer standing there, his mind surely racing to catch up with what had just been set in motion. I had no time for his thoughts. I had to make sure the world knew one thing.
Eliot Blackthorn was back.
And with him, the shadow of Leon Winter.
My claim to the Blackthorn family, the inheritance, the status, the power—all of it was mine now.
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