15 The Parents

I didn't spare Kyle a second glance and walked into the Patriarch's Hall and navigated to the desk of my father's assistant. I had made this walk many times before, so it was simple.

"I need to see my father immediately!" I said.

"He will see you in about 15 minutes," said the assistant after he glanced over the stinky James with a clear look of disappointment.

'Everyone in the Hudson Estate knows you are trash you don't have to go around smelling like it!' thought the assistant.

"Come into my office, James," said a familiar voice.

Samuel worried about his son, after the Fel Awakening Ceremony. Why would he make him wait? He immediately dropped what he was doing when he heard him outside.

"Son, It's been weeks since I've seen you, why are you covered in manure? And what's with the wraps around your eyes? How has your recovery been with Devil Ancestor?" said Samuel.

My father was concerned, the perfect target to my schemes.

"It has been awful father! You must seek justice for me! Devil Ancestor is tyrannical making me do all kinds of Strange Arts to recover. He refuses to even give me any fel shards, saying trash doesn't need resources! He is out of touch. Your son has suffered," I said.

"I could only slip away today while he was preoccupied, risking life and limb traveling across the Hudson clan with my lack of vision."

I quickly inverted black to white, painting my Devil Ancestor as some kind of heartless old foggy. To swindle my father properly, I needed to evoke sympathy for my plight. All young nobles must become talented actors to move ahead in the world!

"Your son can not see at all, the clan plans to take away my resource allocation because of my disability and Soul Dao."

"I will need an income stream to live a comfortable life father! Please deed me a property before the elders casting me out of the clan!"

"That way your son can have hope. Wouldn't mom want me to have hope, father?"

I laid it on thick, even using his mother's stance against my father. My father definitely would not go against my mother's wishes. My father suffered from a terrible ailment, something a young noble should never catch!

My father was henpecked. I used this knowledge against him. I had cast the die. Soon this young noble shall have what he needs!

"Son, don't worry too much about internal clan struggles your father will handle them. The clan would never cast my son out," said Samuel with conviction.

"I can give you an unused property of mine. It lays within the slums of the city, no one will complain about you owning it."

"There are many departments in our Hudson clan. You'll always have a place here. Just because you can't see right now doesn't mean your vision won't improve with time. Use this setback as motivation to work harder, only then can you make our Hudson clan proud."

"Thanks, father I will recover quickly. I definitely won't let down our clan Ancestors," I said.

Samuel didn't have the face to look at his shameless spoiled son anymore.

'It is you who is letting down Devil Ancestor by coming to see me now, James. I can easily see through your simple tricks. However, I would offend your mother if I did nothing to help you in your time of need!' thought Samuel.

"First clean up and visit your mother before you return to Devil Ancestor to complete your recovery. She hasn't seen you in weeks and is worried sick about you," said Samuel.

"Father you know distance makes the heart grow fonder," I said as I tried to sneak away.

"Clean up James then take him to my home," Samuel said to his attendants.

"No!" I said as the attendants apprehended me.

I was in a pitiful state. After being cleaned up, the foul servants escorted me to my family home to visit my mother. This was not on the list of this young noble's tasks.

"Mother, how have you been! I missed you so much!" I said as I entered my home.

I wanted to finish formalities with my mother quickly.

"Oh James, dear you are back!" said my beautiful mother who walked into the foyer and grabbed me by the ear.

"Little James, you can't be scaring your poor mother. I went a whole month with no information concerning your well being. How has the Hudson clan been treating my son?" said my mother, Diana.

I did not want to deal with her nagging. But I must quickly get out of this. I must paint the Hudson clan unreasonably, to butter up to her.

"Mom, it's been awful. Since I unlocked Soul Dao everyone is looking down on me!" I said.

"Don't you go comparing yourself to others in the Hudson clan. They don't amount too much in the Xertzul Abyss, anyway. Ever since your father took up that post as patriarch, it is the Hudson clan this and the Hudson clan that," said Diana.

"All I care about is my husband, my daughter, and my bratty son. The Hudson clan can kick rocks."

"Mother, how could you say such a thing?" I said, knowing full well where she was going.

Talking down on the Hudson clan, my mother's mouth had no filter.

"Brat you think your father or anyone else in the Hudson clan dares complain to this princess about speaking ill about a Devil Count clan?" said Diana.

"Even your quote-unquote 'Devil Ancestor' has to give me face when speaking to me," said my mother with a hint of mockery.

I laughed, I loved that my mother was such a diva. She hailed from the Rossen King clan, much higher in social standing than the Hudson Count clan. If this young noble hailed from a King clan, he could strut around an entire Kingdom freely!

I still wondered how my father could pull the wool over her eyes and snag my mother. My father was a toad who kidnapped a swan, though I would never tell him that to his face. I must ask father how he pulls the ladies when I get the chance.

"Enough about them. How's your recovery coming? Rumors say you have difficulties with your vision."

"Even without sight, you can still become a paramount devil. You do not even require sight to be a good combatant."

"Your mother is also having her hands full with talks with the Mirage Duke clan. You remember your marriage contract, right? Her father already didn't think you were worthy to marry their daughter when we made the contract."

"He thought a Devil Count clan was too low for his outstanding Devil Duke clan daughter to marry into. What Hogwash, like a Devil Duke clan is anything within the Abyss."

"Now they are using the fact you practice Soul Dao as a probable cause to break the marriage contract."

"They have to give me face so they are using a combination of hard and soft tactics to approach the situation. Before you reach the age of 25 the marriage contract will execute."

"They do not want their daughter to remain unwed at 25. Waiting to the end of the contract would bring shame to their clan. It would make her look unappealing."

"The contract states if you unlock an unfavorable Dao you will have to at least become a Baron before the age of 20."

"Mom!" I said I was upset she was going on and on about some stupid marriage contract she made.

This is why I had wanted to avoid my mother. She was the nagging type!