Solomon couldn't figure out the joke. If there even was one.
He had seen Rena, clear as day, from yesterday afternoon to early this morning.
He didn't understand what kind of sympathy Uriel was trying to derive from the clan with such an obvious and blatant lie.
"I'm afraid… this is all we have left of her."
Uriel pulled something out of his pocket that made Solomon doubt his vision.
It was but a single piece of fabric. An eyepatch made of dark leather.
There was no way Solomon could have mistaken it.
His pulse quickened uncontrollably.
Rena hated all of her scars, but she hated her missing eye the most.
Solomon had seen all of the most vulnerable parts of her, but the one time he tried to see what was underneath her eyepatch, she bit him.
Rena was not the kind of person who would take her eyepatch off for anyone or for any reason.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that you would have to kill her to remove it.
Seeing that eyepatch in Uriel's hand… it had effectively turned off Solomon's brain.
His world faded away into a sea of white. There was nothing he could see or focus on aside from the small scrap of leather.
He became akin to a statue.
Raizel noticed Solomon's sudden change in demeanor and discreetly tried to get his attention.
"Hey… what's the matter with you..? Why do you look like that?" He whispered.
Solomon didn't even hear him, so he had no response to give.
The line of successors expected to pay their respects just kept moving. They would be the last to go up, but Solomon needed to snap out of his funk quickly.
Uriel was dismissed by his father shortly after his revelation of Rena's death. Zadkiel did not even think to offer him some sort of condolences over the loss of his right hand.
The disgraced son was stepping back into the crowd when he discreetly brushed past Solomon.
His mind briefly flickered back into the present. Which meant he could finally hear again.
"I should get a try as well if the body isn't cold yet…"
Solomon neither shouted nor warned of what was coming.
There was only the swift crack of bone and the sound of a body hitting the floor.
Shrieks and cries of genuine surprise interrupted the grand evening, but Solomon didn't care about the ruined evening of a few privileged noble women.
Uriel held a badly broken nose and pointed at Solomon with a trembling finger.
"Y-You animal! What is the meaning of this? How dare you strike one of the direct line-"
Solomon kicked Uriel so hard in the stomach that his body briefly took flight.
"You miserable little shit…! Where is she!? What did you do with her!?"
Emmanuel and Raizel rushed through the crowd to restrain Solomon before he could make things worse.
The center of the ballroom had cleared up quickly. Even Zadkiel had stood up from his seat with a clearly displeased expression.
Whispers were circulating amongst the crowd, but Solomon couldn't hear anything over the sound of blood rushing to his head. Not even his own roaring.
"Give me a fucking break, coming up here spouting some nonsense about a spider bite! You're full of shit, you sniveling little worm!"
"Boy, what the hell has gotten into you!?"
"Brother, remember where you are!!"
Emmanuel and Raizel's words fell on deaf ears. Solomon only became angrier when he saw Uriel had the gall to get back up after he'd hit him.
No matter how gifted he might have been, Solomon was still only a mid-ranked yellow core knight. He couldn't so easily break free of the grip of another knight at his same level, and another who was two stages above him.
But that didn't mean he didn't try.
Solomon was so filled with anger that it turned into madness.
He struggled even after Emmanuel dislocated his arm and hit his pressure points.
"What is the meaning of this disgrace…? Have you all forgotten how to conduct yourselves in my presence?"
The room was suddenly filled with a smoky white aura.
Over half the crowd either passed out or were no longer able to stand. The pressure generated by the patriarch was nothing anyone could so easily withstand.
It had even gotten Solomon's attention. Though for some reason, he wasn't as affected by the patriarch's overwhelming presence as he should have been.
Rather, he grew lucid and defiant in front of it.
"…Your son is lying to you openly, Patriarch!Rena didn't die from any monster bite!!"
"Remember your place. Your behavior is no less galling than the accusations you're making. And you stand here without proof to back up your words. ."
Solomon bit his lip. "…She was with me last night. We… have a very good friendship."
The murmuring of the crowd became louder. Emmanuel wanted to hold his head in his hands.
"A 'friendship'... isn't that rich... Accusing me of lying when you're doing the exact same thing..."
Uriel got to his feet slowly, with his nose still leaking and a vile sneer slathered across his face.
"There's nothing worse than a hypocrite, little outsider." Uriel smiled a bloody smile. "Go on. Tell everyone here the truth. As they say, it will set you free."
Solomon began fighting against the men who were trying to restrain him. "I've said all I had to say, you spoiled little scrotum!"
"Oh, really?" Urie's sneer widened as he reached inside of his coat pocket.
He pulled out a brown pece of paper.
Solomon flew into another rage. The likes of which neither Emmanuel, nor Raizel could fully contain.
He broke free with ease. And he closed the distance between himself and Uriel like a wild animal.
He would never see the conclusion of his actions. The world went dark just as his hand grazed Uriel's coat.