Chapter 229 - How Preposterous!
"Sin? Why do you make it sound as if I am the reason they ended up like that? It is my wish whether I should help a dog or not," Valentina said coldly.
Herwin and Harvey's eyes bulged as veins pulsed in their eyes. Valentina literally called Roy and Dennisa as dogs, and this way beyond any humiliation they could bear.
Even Roy and Dennisa tilted their heads to look at Valentina with infuriated gazes. They had been holding in their fury only because they didn't want to destroy their only hope with their own hands. They had already suffered enough and didn't want to make it worse.
But what Valentina said made them unable to not look at her with anger and hate. They already felt ashamed to hear their fathers pleading a youngster to save them. They felt like stabbing themselves for making their proud and lofty fathers beg for them.
"Valentina! Where are your manners? Is this how you talk to your seniors?" Damien bellowed as he released his soul aura, making the atmosphere of the room turn ominous.
Although the soul cultivation of the patriarchs was higher than Damien's, they could feel the ominous aura filling the room even though they didn't feel any pressure. It was as if the ominous aura was giving them the chills.
Valentina cowered as she frantically bowed and said in an apologetic tone, "F-Forgive me, Master! This disciple overstepped her boundaries. I won't repeat it."
Damien waved his sleeves in a vexed manner, "Hmph, you think a simple apology would suffice for your crude tongue? I won't force you to help them, but if you truly see me as your master, you will agree to help them. And that's final. You have five seconds to decide."
Valentina cocked her head and looked at Damien with an aggrieved expression, "Master...that is not fair."
"Three seconds…" Damien said in a hard tone, remaining unfazed.
Herwin and Harvey decided to hold in their anger just as they saw Alchemist Azrael being angry and stern at Valentina and putting her in a spot to make a decision.
If Valentina truly respects her master, they were sure that she would agree to help them. And they knew that if she refuses, then Alchemist Azrael's opinion of her would take a downturn, and she wouldn't get preferential treatment from him anymore.
They thought that Valentina obviously should know about this fact. They also liked how Alchemist Azrael was taking his anger out on her for them, and seeing her cower satisfied them even though she was cowering before her master.
Valentina bit her lip and finally said, "Okay. I will help but only with certain conditions."
Everyone's eyes lit up hearing her even though she mentioned she would help only under some conditions. At least, things were looking way better now.
Herwin and Harvey were inwardly satisfied, seeing that she did care about her master's face and wanted to send a thumbs up to Alchemist Azrael for pressurizing her.
Damien asked in a stiff tone, "Fine. What are those conditions?"
Everyone's ears perked up, wondering what kind of conditions she was going to propose, and felt that she was shameless to extort benefits from them.
Valentina's expression became clear as she said firmly, "One, I want to annul the agreement I had with my master. No matter who wins for the competition between Damien and Roy, I will still follow my wishes and decide whom to date."
Damien clenched his fists and raised his finger as if he was about to say something but then sighed as he receded his hand, "Fine. Compared to the future of these kids, such an agreement doesn't have any value. I hereby free you from that agreement."
Damien then looked at the patriarchs and asked them, "I hope this is fine. I am sure you two also feel the same as I do."
Herwin had a discontent expression, while Harvey's expressions didn't change as he couldn't care less about some stupid agreement that didn't even concern him or his daughter.
Herwin had been daydreaming for the past few weeks, thinking how his status and wealth would rise even further by joining Roy and Valentina in an official marriage. He could create a strong bond with Alchemist Azrael and further his influence till his family's power overshadows the rest of the four families.
However, now he felt as if all his dreams were shattered and couldn't feel more frustrated about it. But weighing his options, obviously, his family's future outweighed the need of desiring to have more power with the help of Alchemist Azrael.
If Roy isn't saved now, he was sure that his family would be ruled by retards or inept people like Cedric Clive, who would only bring down his family even more, and Roy would end up rotting in a bed somewhere in a corner of his mansion.
With a sigh of resignation, he said, "Yes...it is fine with me."
Damien inwardly chuckled, seeing his expression, and turned to Valentina, "Okay, what is your next condition? Don't put up too many conditions because my patience is running thin."
Valentina faintly smiled, "My second and final condition is that Roy and Dennisa should apologize to me by kowtowing before me for being a nuisance to me and Damien."
Herwin and Harvey's expression inflamed as they gritted their teeth. Even the crestfallen figures in the side, Dennisa and Roy wondered if they heard it right.
Kowtow before a junior? How dare she!...Dennisa and Roy inwardly screamed in a fury.
Kowtowing was equivalent to showing obsequious deference to someone, and it was a gesture reserved only for one's masters or parents. But here, a young girl was asking them, her seniors, to kowtow and apologize to her.
It was no different than tearing up their only leftover reputations and that of their families. Even if they got cured of this strange disease on their bodies, would they be able to walk with their heads high whenever they see Valentina?
Or what if she decides to be shameless and spread the news of them kowtowing before her? They couldn't imagine the humiliation they would have to bear and the looks on the faces of their fathers.
They couldn't see which was better...kowtowing before her and having a chance to get cured of the ugly disease on their bodies or cripple their future?
It seemed like the former seemed better, but at the same time, they felt as if it was no different than the latter in a way. In their whole lives, other than their masters or parents, they never had to kowtow to anyone, not even the imperial family.
But Valentina was just their junior without having a very exalted status. At least, her status was still below the main members of the imperial family, who were the only ones they considered superior to them.
If they were asked to kowtow before the Ethereal Fairy, Roy would gladly do it while Dennisa would do it while bearing some indignation in her heart but nothing more as they knew their places.
"Valentina, don't push this too far. A simple apology would have still been acceptable, but how could you ask them to kowtow? Don't you realize who you are talking to?" Damien said in a severe tone.
The patriarchs felt as if Alchemist Azrael took the words right out of their mouths and subtly glared at Valentina while still trying to restrain their raging emotions.
Valentina's expression didn't falter as she said confidently, "Master, I am actually being generous. I first thought of asking them to kowtow before Damien as well since they tried to bully him. But I decided to be more forgiving and decided not to ask them to do that as well. If I wasn't there, they might have left him in a half-dead state."
The patriarchs and their heirs clenched their teeth as they felt mad enough to chew nails, hearing that she was actually 'generous' with her conditions.
They never thought that Valentina could be so audacious and outrageous with her conditions. Roy and Dennisa couldn't even in their dreams imagine kowtowing to Damien. They would rather kowtow to a pig than see the mocking smile on his face as they kowtow to him.
Valentina's intoxicating face now seemed like a demoness face to them, wishing that they don't want to deal with such a person ever again.
Damien sighed as he looked at the expressions of bitterness and indignation on the faces of the patriarchs and said in a helpless tone, "My disciple is too out of line. But I can only do so much, and I can't break my promise and force her to do things.. I will now leave the final decision to you two."