31

In the beginning, there were many terrible rumors surrounding Arthur Vermillion.

Whether he was guilty or not in the arson case that killed off his family, it had been the talk of their town.

Some people believe that a child wouldn't dare commit such a horrible crime. How could a gullible-looking child like him with a tender face and sweet smile mercilessly burn down his entire family, leaving nothing but charred corpses? Can a child do that without any ounce of guilty in his heart?

The majority seemed to agree that the child was far too innocent to do such a vile thing.

While the rest give themselves the benefit of the doubt as they felt Arthur Vermillion had intelligence far exceeding his peers and an adequate understanding of his present situation better than anyone else. He undoubtedly had a share in that tragedy and might be the main instigator that the police frantically tracked down. After all, he hated his family, especially his father. Everyone in the mansion could see the intense hatred in the child's eyes and the disgust on his face every time his father embraced him. His father should also notice that, as the kid didn't bother to hide it. Or he might pretend to be not.

His father was the one who robbed him away from his loving mother and ruthlessly tossed him into the hell called inheritance fighting. He was the youngest, yet the most outstanding one, who stood above the rest of his siblings. The elders mostly supported him for the next master, which attracted the envious glares from the stepsiblings.

The fight for inheritance was vicious and cruel, contrary to the refined and elegant appearance the Vermillion displayed to the outsiders. The possible heirs and heiresses adopted many inhuman methods to achieve their desired results, indifferent to how bloody their hands have gotten along the way. And Arthur also wasn't excluded from involving himself in this bizarre family scruple. For him to survive in this harsh, competitive world, it either kills or is to be killed by others. Reality is not as beautiful as imagined. Being born in this wealthy family was a curse rather than a blessing.

For a young boy like him, who heavily relies on his mother, he should hate his paternal's side more than anyone could ever imagine. Because of this infighting, his beloved mother lost her life at the hands of his own family.

The child, who initially had a soft and gentle personality, could no longer appear as innocent as he could be. He, who had lost his emotional support, can be more ruthless and cold-blooded than the rest.

Before the tragedy took place, the Vermillion lost three children, one after another, in an unexpected accident that happened after the death of Sofia Handsor, Arthur's mother.

Arthur's stepbrother, Alzack, fifteen years old, was forever comatose on the hospital bed. It happened after he fell mysteriously from the stairs.

His stepsister, Dayana, twenty-two years old, disfigured her face in an accidental acid splash by her stalker.

Another stepbrother, Johan, eighteen years old, tragically died in a car accident as his car swerved into a cliff. The police suspected it of drunk driving, but the truth? No one knows.

These bizarre tragedies occurred after they sought a fight with Arthur, and each time, Arthur appeared to be in the area where the accidents took place.

Thus the rumors spread made everyone afraid of the young boy, who seemed to smile innocently at them, yet the smile never reached his eyes. Within his azure eyes, there was only a coldness that matched the iceberg. They felt the child was not what he seemed to be on the outside. His mind was far more dangerous than they anticipated.

When people get blinded by rage and full of vengeance, they will do anything to get on their revenge. It was not impossible for the young Arthur to feel the same way. He is a human with feeling too.

Was he really the initiator, the culprit behind the veil who orchestrated such accidents?

The truth got buried alongside the death of a reputable family from the past. None came forward to whitewash the child's name, nor did anyone dare to say anything further to degenerate Arthur's reputation since the people who maliciously slandered him mysteriously went missing and never came back.

Since there was no concrete evidence to pin Arthur with the arson crime, the case got closed per Arthur's wish. The other crime associated with him also got buried without any chance to be discussed again. Furthermore, he was a minor, and the law was much lighter on the underage offender. One is not guilty as long as he was proven innocent by the law.

Whether he was a criminal or not, no one knows.

Was Arthur innocent, or was he guilty? No one knows.

Who killed the entire Vermillion family? No one knows.

Was Arthur the mastermind for every accident that happened after the death of Sofia? One could only assume.

Can a child who looked so pure and innocent in the eyes of others stage such a brutal act in the name of revenge? Perhaps, his outward appearance was merely a facade to hide the viciousness in his heart?

And, how can a child escape from the blazing fire while the rest had died tragically inside the burning mansion?

Even though the rest of the Vermillion family died, only a few servants got injured in the tragedy.

Most had escaped unscathed except for a handful who were very loyal to their chosen masters.

Why? Because the servants were in another building. Before the fire spread there, a loud alarm rang in the middle of the night, effectively waking them up, which led to another question.

How come the earth-shattering sound went unnoticed by the Vermillion? No matter how deep someone falls asleep, they would wake up at some point unless they were already dead or they took a sleeping pill before went to sleep.

Thus someone came up with this conclusion.

Are they unable to hear any sound because they can no longer discern the alarm? Why? Because they might have already died before the fire?

If anyone wants to find the truth, only Arthur can give them the answer to this never-ending question since dead people tell no tale.

***

Alaric wished Madam to be well-behaved when confronting Master Arthur. Sometimes, he oversteps his boundary, blatantly displaying his hatred toward the man, especially obvious after he wakes up from his fainting episode.

Alaric was always on tenterhooks when Madam acted willfully like that. He was afraid of the consequence Madam would soon face if he kept challenging Master Arthur's bottom line.

Madam got spellbound by his husband's handsomeness before, so he might never realize the terror of his cold-blooded personality.

Presently, he got preoccupied with the emotion of intense dislike toward Master Arthur, so whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, he continuously made him angry. Alaric had to remind him from time to time for him to contain his emotion, or no one could escape unscathed if he kept provoking the man's ire.

Many instances had made Alaric want to facepalm on the floor and hide in some corner to avoid stumbled upon Madam courting death.

For example, this happened after the owner of Clemens Hotel came to their door and asked for help, which Madam gladly do it without Master Arthur's permission.

Master Arthur's face was red, enough to dripping blood. The chills he felt at that time could freeze him to death.

Then, two women(Madam's acquaintances) visited Madam the very same day and sought his aid for something. In Master Arthur's eyes, though, those women came to flirt and seduce his wife.

Master Arthur unceremoniously refused them with an ugly expression on his face before Madam could say anything, cruelly tossed them out, and the husband and wife had another quarrel.

The context of their bickering should be left alone. It was embarrassing enough for a single boy like him to hear. They might pollute his ears and taint his innocent heart.

"Madam, please stop courting trouble with Master Arthur. Unless you had a foolproof plan, something flawless that could ensure your safety, please stop counting the chicks before they hatched. Promise me?"

Xie stared at Alaric's worried expression. He seemed afraid of Arthur. Did the man do something to his beloved servant behind his back?

He looked down at Alaric's fingers as they clutched tightly on his sleeve. The small hand shook slightly.

Xie sighed and gently ruffled the boy's hair.

"Alright. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself more, silly."

-------

Mini theater.

Author: I had already said my mind is blank! Stop pushing me beyond my limit!

Art: (Rolled his eyes) I didn't say anything.

Author: You did! It was your eyes! Your eyes seemed to have many things to be conveyed to me!

Art: Oh? (Narrowed his eyes with his eyebrows furrowed in) Then, can you guess what I think about right now?

Author: Hmph! Of course. (Stared intently at Art, paused for a moment before saying something) No matter what, I'm not going to follow your pace. I only publish according to my own schedule.

Art: ...

Author: You must be speechless. I can read your thought by only staring at your eyes.

Art: .....

Art: No, I'm just thinking, whether you're right in the mind or not. Each time I see you, you become even more strange than in our previous meeting. Should I bring a doctor to treat your mental illness before it is too late?

Author: (Angrily smacked Art's face with her pillow)