Chapter 67: The Loathsome One Has Come

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Loathsome One Has Come

The three Martinezes said goodbye to Mr. Levi and Elijah, then turned to board the military ship under the tearful gazes of the two.

The ship had been gone about half an hour when the guards outside the gate of the Hall mansion announced a visitor. Elijah looked at the smart image transmitted back, a layer of loathing surfacing in his eyes. He said coldly:

"Let him in."

The guards took the order, opening the gate for the guest. A silver flying car embossed with the royal crest slid slowly through the gate, stopping right in front of the stone steps. The car door opened, a young man in a long dark blue coat stepping down, the platinum hair particular to the Coronado royal house falling softly past both temples, on his lips a smile bright enough that anyone seeing it would feel at ease.

Owen Coronado.

Before, every time he saw this smile, Elijah had felt warmth. In that unfamiliar mansion full of rules, Owen was the first person to actively pull him into the circle of the upper class, teaching him which wine to drink so as not to be laughed at, which style of clothes to wear so as not to be called a country bumpkin.

Looking back now, Elijah only felt nauseated.

He drew a deep breath, forcing the corners of his mouth to curve up, only then stepping out the door to receive the guest. Mr. Levi stood back half a pace, both hands folded in front of his stomach, his gaze calm as he looked at the uninvited visitor.

"Brother Owen, why did you come without sending word first?"

"What would be the point of sending word, how formal." Owen patted Elijah’s shoulder with complete ease, casting his eyes toward the interior of the hall: "These past few days I could not get through to you, and you did not answer messages either. I thought you had been locked up at home."

Elijah smiled: "I was ill, bedridden for several days in a row. The doctor would not allow me to use smart devices."

"Ill?" Owen frowned, reaching out intending to touch Elijah’s forehead: "Was it serious? Why did you not tell me, my family has very good doctors."

Elijah tilted his head away, the movement light enough to look accidental. He pointed inside, saying:

"It has passed already. Come inside, standing out here the wind is very cold."

The two of them went into the hall, Mr. Levi had a servant bring tea up then withdrew to a corner, but did not leave the room. Owen shot the butler a glance, a trace of displeasure flickering in his eyes, but very quickly covered over.

He sat down on the sofa, crossing his legs, looking around the living room once before speaking:

"This morning Alexander posted a picture of you and Liam on his personal page, did you know? The whole Galaxy is buzzing about it."

Elijah nodded: "I know." In truth he knew absolutely bugger all. From morning until now he had been busy saying goodbye to his brother and sister and Liam, where would he find time to go online.

Owen glanced at Elijah with a great deal of meaning: "I thought Liam’s holiday would stretch to several months the way it used to, who would have guessed little more than a month and he is back. When did he return?"

"Only a few days ago." Elijah answered indifferently, his expression extremely uncomfortable, as though merely hearing the name Liam made his whole body unwell.

Owen took in every one of Elijah’s expressions, the corner of his mouth discreetly lifting into a slight curve. He carried on probing: "Seeing Alexander’s post this morning gave me a real fright. I never imagined you and Liam were close enough to lie down and sleep together in one bed."

The hand with which Elijah was holding his tea paused slightly, after which he said calmly: "Of course, he and I have always been very close." He threw Owen a look that said you understand.

Owen received the signal, laughing at once: "That is right, brothers in one house naturally have to be close." He said that, and at the same time let the stone in his chest drop. It seemed Elijah was still putting on a show of closeness with Liam as before to get past Mr. and Mrs. Hall. As for Liam, in order to keep a life of wealth and luxury he had not grudged setting his personal grudge aside, cooperating with Elijah to perform the play of loving brothers.

These two bastard children really were equally contemptible.

Owen hid the contempt in his heart, lifting his head to ask: "Where is Liam? Up in his room?"

Elijah shook his head: "No, he left this very morning. Perhaps feeling he no longer has the face to look anyone in the eye, so he went back to his blood family on Polaris."

"Polaris?" Owen burst into a laugh, his tone drawn out and full of mockery: "That godforsaken hole? Raised eighteen years by the Hall family, used to eating well and dressing well, going back there to hoe dirt must be wretched for him."

Elijah cooperated by curling his lip into a smile: "A creature like him, hoe dirt? Never mind hoeing, one step out the door and the sun would probably knock him out cold. Let me tell you, that place is blazing hot all year round, I bet it will take only a few days before he turns into a Black Carapace Bug!"

Owen let out a delighted laugh, nodding cheerfully: "Oh my, then that truly is pitiful! That is right..." He shifted to sit closer beside Elijah, asking in a low voice: "That day I went home early so I did not know what happened, but I heard he went looking for his own death, is that right?"

Elijah smiled viciously: "That is right. If he had gone into that lounge room, the most that would have happened is the female Alpha accusing him of adultery. Who knows which circuit in his nerves shorted out, suddenly running into the room of a complete stranger Alpha. And that Alpha ran off on top of it. The state of him when we found him, well now, tsk tsk..."

A look of gloating surfaced in Owen’s eyes. Elijah took in every bit of it, a chill rising inside him. Owen did not know these words were deliberately said for him to hear; he simply carried on probing calmly:

"So have you caught that man yet?"

Here it came. Something shifted slightly in Elijah’s eyes. He lifted his teacup to take a sip to hide his expression, then said:

"We caught him. A middle-aged man, potbellied and balding, apparently a merchant from some small planet, who slipped into the banquet to look for investors. After having relations with Liam, knowing he had caused enormous trouble, he fled that same night. A pity he only got halfway before my father caught him."

Elijah could not explain how, but he read a flash of disappointment in Owen’s eyes; although Owen covered it very quickly, inside Elijah it was already clear as a mirror. Owen edged closer, putting on an air of great curiosity: "And then what?"

Elijah put on a face full of loathing, speaking according to the words Liam had instructed him with beforehand: "What else could happen. How could my family let someone like that be a son-in-law! Naturally we threw him to the Insectoid race to be eaten. Tsk. Truly a pity."

Owen laughed: "It really is a pity. Liam is not a blood son anyway, you could have simply announced the dissolution of the relationship then married him off to that merchant to be rid of the eyesore and be done with it. Your father truly lacks decisiveness..."

Having finished speaking, Owen suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. He started and spun around, seeing butler Levi staring fixedly at him, his gaze cold enough to pierce bone. Owen knew he had let his mouth slip, hurriedly smiling to smooth it over.

Even if the Hall family no longer valued Liam, even if they loathed him to the utmost, an outsider like him had no right to criticize the head of the Hall family. The purpose had been achieved, and Owen could not be bothered to stay and be stared at. He feigned a few more lines of conversation with Elijah, then found an excuse to leave.

Elijah stood up to see him out the door.

The moment Owen’s flying car vanished from sight, the fake smiling expression on Elijah’s face disappeared. He turned his head to say to Levi:

"Have someone follow him in secret, see where he goes after leaving our house. Do not let him or his hidden guards notice."

Mr. Levi bowed his head respectfully: "Rest assured, third young master, I arranged it beforehand." He looked at Elijah again, saying fondly: "The third young master has truly grown up."

Elijah turned his face away awkwardly, saying: "It is boring to death at home, I am off to school!"

That said he hurried off at a run.