Chapter 51 #2
I looked at him incredulously. I tested my barrier, but it had crumbled to pieces on the floor.
“You destroyed my barrier?!” I shouted indignantly. “Why did you do that?”
Zion watched us with amusement, but Serguei frowned and turned his attention back to his cake.
“Because weak barriers must be destroyed so that better ones can emerge,” he replied, shrugging as he rearranged the plates and silverware. I tried to recreate the protection, but as soon as it was up, he knocked it down again without even looking my way. I felt another sharp twinge in my spine.
“And when will it be good enough?”
“When it doesn’t fall. Obviously,” he said, staring at me as if I were a houseplant he was trying to teach to read. “Look at Zion—he’s already achieved that feat.”
“After decades of you tormenting him and destroying his defenses,” I grumbled.
“I believe that when the goal is to teach someone discipline and strength, the most effective method is pain.”
“Love and patience also teach, and they don’t corrupt bonds in the process.”
“But they don't teach as quickly, and I need immediate results. Look at him—it worked.”
I clenched my fists and saw Zion doing the same. The general looked like he'd swallowed hot coals. The thought of Serguei treating Zion like a lab rat made me nervous.
“Don't you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?” Zion asked, and Serguei smirked.
“No, I don't! I love hearing myself talk because it's the only voice I can truly trust. You never know when something is a thought or something spoken aloud,” he replied, gesturing toward the table. “Dinner is served—come!”
Zion and I rolled our eyes. Sometimes Serguei was exhausting.
I sat down at the table, facing the wall of books on the other side of the room. My eyes lit up at the sight—it was incredible. There was even a rolling ladder on rails to reach the highest shelves, since the wall had to be about five meters tall.
“I didn't know you liked to read,” I said to Serguei.
“They're my escape from reality. When things get too heavy, I turn to them to rest my mind.” He spread the napkin across his lap. “I believe a world without books is like a vast desert.”
“Good thing you think that, because I brought the Book of the Gods to be unlocked,” I said, nodding toward the black volume Zion had placed on the coffee table.
“First, let's celebrate. Then we'll talk about boring subjects.”
Serguei sat at the head of the table—the host's seat.
I sat to his right, and Zion settled grumpily to his left.
I ended up facing him, which I didn't want, but I promised myself I'd try to keep things civil out of respect for Serguei.
A stern-faced butler entered through the side door and began serving us.
While he worked, I studied my companions: Zion glared at us sullenly, Serguei looked ready to burst with excitement, and I was trying to balance it all on a tightrope.
We ate in silence. I was starving after spending a whole day crying and hadn't eaten anything since the fight.
When I helped myself for the third time, I couldn't help but smile.
Dinner was actually pleasant—something I'd thought impossible.
Somehow, everyone was behaving, and I felt happy to be at a family dinner for the first time.
“So, how long are you two going to pretend you hate each other?” Serguei asked, taking a sip of wine.
“It was too good to be true,” I muttered to myself.
“I don't see how that's any of your business,” Zion said, setting his silverware on his plate.
“If you're throwing tantrums at my table, then it is my business. Besides, it was really stupid not to tell her.”
Zion stared at Serguei as if he wanted to shove the plate in his mouth to shut him up.
“You can say that again,” I muttered, poking at my food.
“I already apologized,” Zion said sulkily. I took another sip of wine and retorted:
“Ever since they invented apologies, everyone does whatever they want.”
“Including biting people,” he replied sharply.
I narrowed my eyes at him, and he held my gaze.
“I'm with Kyller on this,” Serguei replied while chewing, but added, “not about the bite, of course.” He turned to me. “You were terrible at that, but you know, you could have at least spared that bottle of whisky. I was very fond of it.”
I shoved food in my mouth and avoided looking at either of them.
“You should have told her about Kaori,” Serguei said a few minutes later. “Telling your partner about past romances is a fundamental part of any relationship.”
Zion snorted.
“And what do you know about relationships, oh great sage of love? Tell me what you know about women. As far as I remember, you killed the only one you ever loved.”
There went my hopes for a peaceful dinner.
“You learned well, Zion. The best defense is a good offense.” Serguei smiled dangerously. “But at least I had a love life, even if it was tragic. What can we say about you? That you don't even know the right moment to kiss a woman?”
Zion seemed to tremble in his chair.
“Oh, don't say that, Serguei,” I mocked, feeling strangely mean. “Maybe he does know, but then we'd have to ask Kaori, since she's the only one he's ever kissed.” I turned to Zion, putting on my best fake smile. “Oh, I almost forgot! We can't ask her, since I was removed from her case.”
Serguei clicked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval.
“I heard about that. I'm sorry they took your credits—it would have been a nice feather in your cap.”
“It would have been,” I grumbled, looking at Zion. “But someone ruined everything.”
“If it makes you feel better, then go ahead,” Zion said, gesturing toward me. “Blame me for everything in the past that I had no control over.”
I knew I was being childish, unfair, and mean.
Even if he had told me about Kaori, this still would have happened.
I was just taking out my frustrations on a scapegoat, and that wasn't right.
From the way Zion clenched his jaw and balled his fists on the table, I could only imagine he was summoning every ounce of self-control he possessed.
“Pathetic,” Serguei said, laughing, and my cheeks flushed. “You two are pathetic.”
I looked at Zion and he stared back at me. We both immediately looked away in different directions. Then I forced myself to shove large forkfuls into my mouth and chewed loudly, which kept Serguei from provoking me further. If I let myself open my mouth, I’d end up starting another argument.
“I tried to warn you who she was. If you’d listened to me, none of this would have happened.”
“Serguei!” Zion hissed, his voice hoarse.
“And you? I warned you too that dating a gorgon wasn’t a good idea. Especially that girl! Do you know how many mental blocks she has?”
My ears immediately perked up. Zion looked at Serguei as if he wanted the psychic to burst into flames.
“I can’t believe you’re bringing this up again.” His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. “There’s nothing wrong with Kaori. You’ve known her since she was a child—you trained her and her brother.”
“And that’s exactly why I don’t trust her. She was a good girl, the smartest of the three of you. But now... all those mental blocks smell like trouble to me.”
I remembered Serguei being bothered by the blocks during the neural surgery, but I didn’t think he’d still be dwelling on it.
I was wrong.
“You know why she has those blocks,” Zion hissed. “She’s a Vinturian Yamamoto—obviously the family has a psychic to hide their technological secrets from other nations. They’d never let their formulas leak.”
“I still don’t trust her!” Serguei exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. The glasses and silverware rattled on the white tablecloth. “Those blocks aren’t easy to create, and whoever made them is extremely powerful!”
“Ah, so the problem isn’t her!” Zion exclaimed mockingly. “The problem is that psychotic brain of yours that can’t function in society unless it’s in control of every thought around you.”
With each exchange, their voices rose higher. I shrank in my chair, afraid of where this conversation was heading. Serguei, noticing my movement, glanced my way. He blinked a few times, as if he’d forgotten I was there, then leaned back in his chair, softening his tone.
“Who’s the psychic that creates the mental blocks for the Yamamoto family?”
Zion also glanced my way, took a deep breath, and relaxed his hands, placing them open on the table.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?”
“I thought about asking, but that girl is never inside the walls. She’d barely woken up when she was taken to Vinturis to recover. I get the impression she wants to stay away from me.”
“Then, as you said yourself: she really is very intelligent,” Zion said dryly, taking another sip of wine. “Apparently, more so than me.”
Serguei stared at him for a few seconds, and I thought they were going to start arguing again. Then, surprising me, he leaned back in his chair and said:
“You never tire of testing my patience, boy.”
And that was my cue to rejoin the conversation.
“Speaking of tests, I wanted to congratulate you on that cliff stunt. I’m sure you heard everything I thought about the idea.”
Serguei laughed, this time genuinely amused.
“Ah yes, you were very clear when you told me to shove the test up my ass.” I practically growled at him. “Don’t be mad at me. Did you know that coal only becomes diamond under high pressure? I needed you at your limit to properly evaluate your mind. And I’m surprised—you were magnificent.”
“I’m not a damn piece of coal, Serguei!” I growled. Zion was watching us with amusement now, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Did you call me here just to stress me out even more?”
“We’ll change the subject then. Please, calm down,” he said, relenting, though he still wore that cynical half-smile.
I stared at him a while longer. My mood hadn’t been great to begin with, and now, with all this talk about Kaori, it felt like a flame was eating me alive.