Chapter 168

Tibaut removed his hands from the guard and slowly got up.

"Albus, what the hell is all this?" He calmly asked him but his mind was anything but.

Albus left the doorway and motioned for Tibaut to follow him. He hesitated but after seeing what this fortress held he had to get some answers, even if he had to delay finding the man in black.

He walked outside and saw various armoured women on the floor. As he followed Albus across the manor he couldn't help but feel like he was being led into a trap.

They were only walking for a minute but Tibaut ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder. 

"Just tell me what that fortress was about Albus. This silent treatment isn't doing it for me."

Albus brushed his shoulder off and kept walking. Tibaut pulled him around and punched him in the cheek with a punch audible to any in the area but he didn't move much less react to it. Tibaut felt like he had punched a rock with little his face gave when his fist landed. He wore the same neutral expression with no emotion coming through other than the occasional twitch.

"We will discuss this inside." Albus removed Tibaut's fist from his face. There was no sign of bruising. He turned around and continued walking.

Tibaut gritted his teeth and simply followed. That prison infuriated him but held hope it was something that could be explained or had a good reason and continued following. If he didn't, he would make sure to let the lord of the manor know.

They continued walking until they reached the main building and uneventfully entered. Various maids were either gossiping or giving Tibaut dirty looks. He couldn't care less and continued on, following behind him.

They went up the stairs and walked down a long corridor before entering what Tibaut assumed was a lounge area. Avis was standing by the entrance and opened the door for them. It was a spacious area and in the center of it was a table table and two chairs. He pulled out one of them and motioned for Tibaut to sit there. He went to the other side of the table and took a seat as well.

"Let me preface this. I'm doing this simply because I respect you. The few moments we've spent and our troubles in the mine, make me feel, this is the least I can do to show my gratitude."

Tibaut's face twisted at this statement and worried for what was to come.

"Gratitude? What the hell are you talking about? Just tell me what was up with the fort." He sported a cold look of his own.

"Don't be like that. It's because of that gratitude, that I haven't taken any actions yet. I want you to make a choice at the end of what I have to say. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have one."

Tibaut could feel his body tensing at what he perceived as a treat but he continued listening for the time being.

"This starts back when I was a child."

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A child was alone in his room playing with his toys. He moved the miniature carriage around and slammed it into some blocks. His face had no joy on it and he continued slamming it into the blocks. There was an argument in the room next to his, and the voices sounded muffled. They were still clear enough for him to make out.

"What do you mean he isn't mine, you whore!?"

"You heard what I said, you useless bastard! Do you think he magically came about? You think that useless excuse for a dick you have can make a child?"

An audible slap was heard.

"You fucking bitch, I knew it. And you had the gall to call him a miracle in front of my family?" A bang was heard against the wall. "I knew I shouldn't have taken a whore like you. You come from a third-rate family that hasn't had any relevance in decades, yet you had the nerve to cheat on me with some riff-raff off the street? Get this through that head of yours that's only good for pleasuring men. The Bradley family isn't made for useless sacks of shit like yourself."

"Useless? You're the one with a dick that can't get me pregnant."

Another slam was heard followed by some crying.

"I should have known better than to pick a woman with only good looks."

Another slam was heard.

"Since pleasuring men is all you're good for then do your damn job, you hussy."

Sounds of a struggle ensued and the voice of a woman screaming was heard.

Albus continued slamming his toy carriage into his blocks with a vacant expression on his face. He got up and looked outside as the screams for help increased. The maids and the butlers may as well have been deaf at how little they reacted to the noise that was audible throughout this floor. They'd sneak glances at the boy peeking outside his room and continue walking along with some holding laundry.

The boy went back into his room and the crying soon stopped. He heard slams along the lines of the ones heard earlier exiting the room in addition to the man shouting.

"Don't look at me like that you bitch, you think I enjoy having my wife sleep with another man? I'm taking back what rightfully…" his voice droned off.

After several more minutes of silence, Albus went into his bed.

It sounded like there was a commotion going on outside.

"Don't just stand there you idiots. Take her… no, go to my brother's estate and ask him to come immediately!"

The sounds of footsteps moving away were heard and Albus laid in his bed and looked out of the window at the starry sky.

His door soon opened. He looked to the doorway and saw his father with bloodstains on his shirt, looking at him. There was no love in his eyes and he slammed his fist against the door as he looked at Albus.

The boy stared at his father unsure why he was staring at him like that. His eyes were much kinder before. Even when he did something wrong they didn't look as hateful as they did now.

His father stepped into his room and picked up a block off the floor. He stared at it for a moment before staring at the boy on the bed.

He flung the block directly at his head and the boy recoiled back and covered the now bleeding injury.

"Don't you stare at me like that, you bastard!!!"

He slammed the door and the mansion was silent once more.