The tutor remained as unforgiving on the final day as he had been on the first.
Not once did he soften his attitude or lower his expectations. From morning until afternoon, Shawn's fingers never left the embossed pages spread across the table. Every lesson became another test, every page another exercise meant to ensure that nothing taught over the past two weeks had been forgotten.
If anything, the old man seemed even stricter than before.
Shawn still didn't know his name.
The thought had crossed his mind more than once. Two weeks under the same teacher, yet they had never exchanged anything beyond instructions and answers.
Perhaps the man simply wasn't interested.
The final lesson wasn't anything special.
There were no words of encouragement, no speech about his progress, and certainly no congratulations.
Only questions.
Question after question.
Passage after passage.
Shawn answered each one without hesitation.
His fingers moved confidently across the raised letters before giving every answer the tutor requested.
When the last page was finished, the old man collected the materials and silently reviewed them.
Several moments passed.
Finally, he gave a small nod.
"...Adequate."
That was all.
To anyone else, it would have sounded disappointingly plain.
To Shawn, however, it was probably the closest thing the old man was capable of calling praise.
"The introductory lessons are complete," the tutor said as he stacked the remaining books together. "I've already informed Lord Morgan. He should arrive shortly."
Shawn nodded.
Outwardly, he remained calm.
Inside, however, irritation slowly built.
So every lesson... every assignment... every bit of progress had been reported.
He couldn't even learn in peace.
His every movement seemed to find its way back to Morgan.
"You're angry," Eva observed.
"I have every right to be."
"You don't sound angry with me."
Shawn couldn't help smiling faintly.
"I'm not."
"Then who?"
He leaned back slightly.
"The man who somehow knows everything I do."
Eva became quiet.
After spending enough time with Shawn, she had already learned who "that man" usually referred to.
Several minutes later, firm footsteps echoed through the room.
Morgan.
The tutor rose immediately.
Morgan acknowledged him with a slight nod before turning his attention toward Shawn.
"I see you've completed your lessons."
"Did I have much of a choice?" Shawn replied.
Morgan didn't react.
He had expected nothing less.
"You've benefited from them regardless."
Shawn remained silent.
Arguing wouldn't change anything.
Morgan glanced briefly toward the tutor.
"You've done well."
The old man inclined his head.
"I merely fulfilled my duty."
Morgan returned his attention to Shawn.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
Shawn didn't move.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then...
The familiar pressure returned.
It settled around Shawn's body like invisible hands.
His feet left the floor.
Instinctively, he struggled.
His arms moved.
His legs kicked slightly.
Nothing changed.
No matter how hard he resisted, the unseen force carried him forward as though he weighed nothing at all.
Morgan simply turned around and began walking.
Shawn floated behind him like luggage.
Eva's timid voice broke the silence.
"...Are we in trouble?"
Shawn hesitated.
"...No."
The answer left his mouth automatically.
He wasn't even sure he believed it himself.
Morgan guided him through the manor without another word.
This time, however, Shawn noticed something unusual.
Silence.
Not ordinary silence.
His surroundings had simply... disappeared.
The distant footsteps of servants.
The soft creaking of doors.
Even the faint breeze flowing through open windows.
Everything had vanished.
Morgan had isolated the space around them completely.
Shawn clenched his jaw.
The more he experienced the man's abilities, the more powerless he felt.
If Morgan truly wished to kill him...
There would be nothing he could do.
The realization only deepened his hatred.
One day.
No matter how long it took.
No matter what he had to sacrifice.
He would kill this man.
Even if it cost him his own life.
The journey ended several minutes later.
His feet gently touched solid ground once more.
The invisible force disappeared.
At the same time, sound returned.
Shawn listened carefully.
Nothing sounded familiar.
No servants.
No distant conversations.
No footsteps.
It was a place he had never visited before.
Morgan spoke.
"The library wasn't built with someone like you in mind."
Shawn remained silent.
"So I corrected that."
A slight frown appeared on Shawn's face.
"I had an entire section prepared for you."
The words caught him completely off guard.
Morgan continued calmly.
"Most books here are useless to someone who cannot see. This section isn't."
Shawn finally spoke.
"...Why?"
Morgan looked at him.
"You've asked me that question before."
"And you've never answered it."
Silence lingered between them.
Then Shawn's voice hardened.
"You destroyed my clan."
"My parents are dead because of you."
"You imprisoned me."
"And now you're building libraries for me?"
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Do you honestly believe any of this changes something?"
Morgan listened without interruption.
When Shawn finished, he answered with complete calm.
"No."
The single word made Shawn pause.
"I don't expect your gratitude."
"I don't expect your loyalty."
"And I certainly don't expect your forgiveness."
His voice never changed.
"I'm simply giving you an opportunity."
"What you choose to do with it is your decision."
Shawn's hands slowly clenched into fists.
"I don't care if you make me your heir."
"I don't care if you hand me your entire family."
"The first chance I get..."
"I'll kill you."
Morgan met the threat with the same composed expression.
"I know."
There wasn't the slightest trace of mockery in his voice.
Only certainty.
"Before this month ends," Morgan continued, "I expect results."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.
His footsteps gradually disappeared.
Shawn remained standing in complete silence.
His breathing had become uneven.
Every conversation with Morgan ended the same way.
The man never argued.
Never defended himself.
Never became angry.
Somehow...
That only made Shawn hate him more.
Slowly, he stretched out both hands.
His fingertips brushed against polished wooden shelves.
Rows of books.
Dozens...
No...
Hundreds of them.
Every single spine carried raised markings instead of ordinary lettering.
He froze.
These books...
They had been made specifically for him.
Eva's tiny voice sounded inside his mind.
"...He built all this for us?"
Shawn didn't answer.
He simply rested his hand against the nearest book.
For the first time since arriving at the Vonte estate...
He found himself standing before something he couldn't understand.
Not because he was blind.
But because he couldn't understand Morgan Vonte.