Chapter 228: The tea party where no one drank tea (two)

The party was still going strong and the people around us were talking amongst themselves. 

That was totally normal. 

What wasn't normal was that they were actually talking about me. 

And there were plenty of journalists here in the party. So yeah, this news would travel far and wide unless I ruined this whole landscape. 

I was actually considering that. 

'Seriously, how is this a tea party?'

And the silence from my family and friends weren't really helping either. My family were one thing but the four on the opposite side weren't quite saying anything, even Merin.

"Now, we were to discuss the death of Blaze-" Hyora began. "It is rather unfortunate that he and his mother had to die." 

'Wait, the way she phrased it…'

The moment she said that a man- a man who almost looked like Blaze but just older and I guess he wasn't quite exactly like Blaze- came towards us and stood just a meter away from our table. 

Hyora gave the man a cue and the man gently kneeled on the floor. "My apologies lord Helio. I apologize on my son's behalf."

'Seriously, what the hell is going on here?'

I got that I was a Battlesuin but this guy was supposedly a Battlesuin too and he was some sort of a family head too. At least that's what Uncle whispered. But he still bowed and even called me lord?

With that said, the man left. 

I was getting more and more confused by the minute. 

Hyora clapped her hand and smiled. "That wraps up that- now we'll move on to introductions. Helio- please meet your cousins." Hyora signaled to her right and two girls- one guy walked towards us. All had white hair and red eyes.

I knew two of the girls. One was Rin and the other was the maid who led us here. 

"Hello, Helio." Rin said. Her smile was just as creepy as Hyora's. 

'So, they were mother and daughter?'

"You can drop that now. Seeing you play your daughter disgusts me," Mom said. 

Both Hyora and Rin laughed almost identically and Rin got absorbed my Hyora. "Old habits die hard, they say." Her smile got even creepier. "You, two introduce yourselves and have a seat."

So, all that time, I was actually talking to and finding this old woman to be charming?

I could almost gag at my own frigging tastes!

"Mellvador Battlesuin, you may call me Mell." The guy took a seat- he seemed almost the same age as me. 

"Nellie Battlesuin." The girl tilted the hem of her skirt and gently sat down. She was still dressed as a maid. 

'Aren't you people cold?'

I sure wasn't going to ask that though. 

"Pretty sure you all know me but, Helio Romswell Jintel. Not sure how long we'll know each other, but nice to meet you." I was in a very good mood, I assure you. 'It's not like I want to immediately erase all you people and be done with it or anything, okay?'

But so far, none of them tried to actually pick a fight with me. Here I was, acting all arrogant and stuff but they were being way too nice. It was almost felt like they were messing with me this way. 

"But wait, if she's your daughter- and you're their mother and I'm their cousin, doesn't that make that guy your-"

There was a lot of pointing and I was almost already confusing myself. 

"Yes, Burt's my brother." Hyora smiled. "He's rather young though. And he isn't a pure blood. He's adopted." And she sure was happy to provide me with information. "But I assure you, he's my brother and holds the second most power in our household."

'NO wonder people kept calling lord and stuff.'

I had no idea if that made sense or just complicated things further. This tea party just kept on providing me with more and more surprises. At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if they demanded that I was actually from another world or something- well, come to think of it, grandma and gramps weren't actually from this world so- yeah, let's not think about that.

But- "Well, that's great and all but let's move on. It's almost evening and I'm guessing this place will just get colder. Also, you didn't bring us here just to have this reunion I'd assume."

'Why do I feel like I've already asked that?'

I got this déjà vu feeling. 

Hyora again, almost chuckled. "Now," She stood up. "I have a proposition. The world as we know it will end in seven months." She smiled and looked around. "And you're already aware of that, aren't you Helio?"

I didn't say a word. The crowd was awfully quiet too.

"In seven months, we will be attacked by a fleet ten times stronger and fifteen times more massive than that of the whole earth's."

Murmurs flew around. People were not happy to hear that. 

Even in this cold, a lot of the guests started to sweat. 

It was funny how the people really believed Hyora without a doubt. 

"So, I'd like to propose the unification of the house of Romswell and the house of Battlesuin Via Helio: as he carries both of our blood." Hyora looked at me with compassion. As the light from the sky kept on dimming, her red eyes gradually got brighter. "A political marriage to be more specific."

'So that's why….'

Uncle let out a snort but didn't say a word. Meanwhile, my family members kind of smiled- they were definitely going to trash this place, that was clear. 

Mom was the only one who looked slightly shocked. Maybe she didn't know that father was adopted or something?

"Question," I raised my hand. 

Yup, this definitely ran in the family. 

"Yes?"

"This includes both of you." I pointed at her and father but stared at Father. "Why the fuck did you leave? Be precise and on point."

He was shocked for a second but then tried to say something- but then stopped. He took a deep breath but then paused again. There was a lot of back and forth of gazes between him and mom.

"Just make up your damn mind!" 

"I had to!" He didn't look me in the eye. "I'd made a promise to Hyora when she took me in. I had nothing, I was in the streets, so I offered her my life in exchange for letting me in her family. She took me in, raised me, and then I betrayed her and ran away with your mom." He grunted and made a rather terrifying face- a face riddled with distraught and madness. "But then you were born with that curse! And-" And he broke down in tears. "So, I had to go back and beg her."

I stayed quiet. 

Mom grabbed my hand. She didn't say anything and she didn't look at me, she just grabbed my hand. 

"I had to beg her to save you. You had the third virus; you were the only one in the world with that virus. And no one, not even your grandfather had the cure. You were going to die whether we liked it or not. But Hyora didn't have a cure either but she could stop it from spreading. So in the end, with seventeen sacrifices, we split your psyche into three parts, isolating the cursed-infected part of you so it never got out. But that too failed and all that happened: and your grandfather had to die. The price of a barrier that's on you- the price of that seal was the death of one thousand children and a promise, and that's why I had to pay her with my life, my soul. That's why I left."

"You knew?"

"Of course, I didn't." Mom squeezed my hand tighter. "But your life was more precious than those thousand children, I'm sorr." She stopped. She didn't say anything for a second. "No, I'm glad you survived. At the time I had no idea and I despised your father for leaving us, for shunning us without saying a word- but remember that night when he came back, he told me and..." Mom covered her face. She took a deep breath. "But even now, if he did the same for your life, I would gladly accept that. I was wrong to hate him." Her voice was awfully soft. Mom rarely spoke light that. 

I let out a sigh. "I guess this day just keeps on getting better and better. So many surprises." I snorted. "Well, I'd expect no less from the villainous house of Romswell and Battlesuin."

But to be honest, I was more or less just plain disappointed, or was it that I wanted it to not be about me... 

'To think it ran this deep.'