The plan had been simple: grovel, apologize, and survive. But as I stood in the suffocating silence of the Crimson Estate's grand lobby, facing the tribunal of my new family, I knew that plan was already ash. The air was thick with a tension so profound it felt like a physical force, pressing down on me, trying to force me to my knees.
'I need help with this situation,' I pleaded internally, a desperate, silent cry to the golden mote of light that was my only ally. 'Can you do something? Give me a skill, a dialogue option, anything!'
The System's response was instantaneous and utterly unhelpful.
[Request denied. User does not possess the required system access level for direct intervention. Also… this situation is your mess, not mine. Good luck!]
'What kind of useless, parasitic system are you!?'
[A delightful one. You're welcome.]
I muttered a curse under my breath. "Shit."
The Queen of the Nowa Empire, Althea, rose from her gilded chair. She moved like a tempest in royal silk, her eyes sharper than freshly honed blades. Every line of her body radiated a lethal grace, a promise of violence held in check only by the thinnest veneer of courtly etiquette.
"If he weren't your son, Serena," she spat, her voice a low, venomous hiss that cut through the silence, "I would have had his head mounted on a spike above the palace gates for this insult."
I gulped. Not out of fear, but because I could see in the chilling depths of her eyes that she meant every single word. This wasn't an idle threat; it was a promise.
My father, Marquess Regus, took a step forward. His face was a blank, emotionless mask, but his hand was raised, his knuckles white. The infamous Crimson disciplinary slap was incoming, an act of public punishment designed to break both body and spirit.
But before his hand could complete its arc, I spoke. My voice was louder than I expected, devoid of the tremor I felt in my soul. It was cold, detached, and utterly defiant.
"Fine. Enough of this circus."
Everyone froze. The Marquess's hand stopped mid-air. The Queen's eyes widened in disbelief. Even my sister, Lucielle, flinched as if my words were a physical blow.
I turned my head slowly, my gaze locking onto the Queen.
"You want to kill me? Go ahead," I said, my voice dripping with a casual disdain that I didn't know I possessed. "But you won't have to worry about offending my mother, because from this moment on… I am no longer part of this family. I am nobody. Unclaimed. Unwanted. And very much unbothered by your royal threats."
Gasps rippled through the room, sharp and shocked. The butlers, Garrick and Thomas, looked as if they might faint.
I wasn't done. I turned my cold gaze on my father.
"Father," I said, the word tasting like poison on my tongue. "This is what you always wanted, right? For the weak, useless son to disappear? Congratulations. You can now tell the world you've officially disowned me. Feel proud."
His face, once a mask of fury, was now a canvas of stunned confusion.
Then, I turned to my mother. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears, her body trembling with silent sobs. For a fleeting moment, Kai's empathy warred with Ashen's cold survival instinct. I crushed it.
"Mother, you're free now," I said, my voice softening just a fraction, a calculated cruelty. "No more worrying about your liability of a son. No more sleepless nights wondering how to fix the broken toy. Be at peace."
She broke into open, heart-wrenching sobs, her carefully constructed composure shattering like glass.
Finally, I faced my sister, Lucielle. Her cold fury had been replaced by a look of utter bewilderment.
"Sis…" I said, a mocking smile touching my lips. "You always wanted the spotlight without my shadow dimming your light. You're the sole heir now. The perfect daughter. Consider this my gift to you. You're welcome."
With that, I spun on my heel, my borrowed cloak fluttering dramatically behind me, and walked toward the massive front gate. The sound of my footsteps echoed in the cavernous, silent hall.
No one tried to stop me.
Only my mother moved, a desperate, choked cry escaping her lips as she started to rise. But my father's hand shot out, gripping her wrist in a vice.
"He's bluffing," he said, his voice a low growl. "He's a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. He has nowhere to go. He'll come crawling back by nightfall."
Fools. All of them.
I wasn't the original Ashen, a moody, broken teenager acting out. I was a reincarnator with a lifetime of knowledge from another world, a clear vision for my future, and way too much genre awareness. I knew things they couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Ashborn Academy, the most prestigious and powerful neutral institution in the empire, had already accepted me. The entrance exams were in three months. Once I was within its hallowed walls, I would be untouchable. Protected by ancient laws and a faculty of monstrously powerful mages, not even royalty would dare to touch me.
Easy life, here I come.
As I stepped out of the oppressive shadow of the estate and into the bright, unforgiving sunlight, the System chimed in my mind.
[MAIN MISSION COMPLETED: Survive the Family Confrontation]
[REWARDS UNLOCKED:] ‣ Shadow Element Synchronization: 12% ‣ Skill Acquired: [Shadow Veil (Passive)] – A constant, low-level aura that dampens your presence and muffles sound, reducing the chance of detection during nighttime by 30%. ‣ Inventory Slot Expansion: +2 ‣ Bonus Trait Acquired: [Cold Composure] – Your mind is now a fortress against emotional manipulation. Resistance to panic, fear, and pressure-based intimidation enhanced by 40%.
A slow, genuine smile spread across my face. 'Now that's more like it.'
I reached into the dimensional ring on my finger—one of the few perks of being a noble brat—and pulled out a sleek, dark travel cloak and a pouch filled with enough gold to last me for months. I tightened the strap of my gear pouch, the weight a comforting reassurance.
Destination: Hally Forest.
According to Ashen's fractured memories, a rare and powerful beast—a silver wolf blessed by the first moon god—was hidden deep within its ancient woods. In the original timeline, it would have been the protagonist's familiar, a loyal companion on his heroic journey.
How poetic. The savior's beast, now destined to serve a demon.
Because yes, that was the truth no one in this world knew. Ashen Crimson was never the real demon of the story.
I am.
And honestly? I'm doing a damn fine job so far.
The five-day journey to the forest could have been a comfortable ride in a mana-beast carriage. But why waste coin when you could train, camp, and… acquire resources from less-deserving travelers on the road?
I smiled as I walked down the long, winding road leading away from the capital. The first night, I encountered a trio of arrogant merchant's sons, bragging loudly about their father's wealth and harassing a local tavern owner. Using my newly acquired Shadow Veil, I slipped past their hired guards, relieved them of their coin purses, and left them tied together with their own expensive silk belts.
Train. Walk. Steal. Repeat.
It wasn't much, but it was honest villain work. And with every passing day, I could feel the dormant power in this body beginning to stir, the shadows themselves seeming to whisper my name.