Chapter 21

Eldest Young Master Fedia saw his brother being attacked by Spirit Power until he spat blood, and his expression instantly changed. He flew into a rage and was just about to lash out, demanding who had done it: 'Who...'

'It was me.'

But when he whirled around, he saw that Auston's wheelchair had somehow stopped right behind him. The imperial family's famously mad dog, Duke Auston, was staring at him with cold, gloomy eyes.

Eldest Young Master Fedia's eyes immediately filled with extreme surprise: 'Au... Duke Auston...'

Even as the heir of the Feidiya Ducal Mansion, he wouldn't dare show the slightest disrespect toward Auston.

But Auston completely ignored him. With a grim face, he pushed his wheelchair right up to Owen.

Owen suddenly felt as if he was being stared at by a venomous snake. His whole body began to tremble involuntarily, and he squeezed out words from his throat in extreme fear: 'Au... Au...'

He was terrified to the extreme.

No one had expected that the imperial mad dog, who usually disliked such occasions, would appear at an event like this.

The nobles present were not afraid of Ruan Tang, but none of them were unafraid of Auston. He was a complete mad dog who would bite anyone he caught, regardless of whether you were a noble or held high status.

After realizing his arrival, the whole venue fell into dead silence, utterly quiet.

Apart from the sound of breathing, not a single other sound could be heard.

Ruan Tang hadn't expected Auston to come either. Recalling how he had just been using the identity of the Duchess to bully others like a fox pretending to be a tiger's might, he felt a bit embarrassed, not knowing what the madman would think of him.

Although Auston was in a wheelchair, his presence was even more imposing than everyone else standing. He coldly looked at the bleeding Owen, then simply raised his hand and sent him flying!

Even the bar counter behind Owen, where the drinks were set up, was knocked over by the flying Owen!

A series of crackling sounds.

The sound of countless glasses shattering made everyone's heart tremble involuntarily.

Auston had suddenly unleashed a high-level Spirit Power suppression of an Alpha upon a low-level Alpha without warning. Although he was a madman, his genes made him a madman with 3S+ Spirit Power, while Owen was a useless playboy with only C-level Spirit Power.

As soon as his Spirit Pressure was released, Owen immediately started twisting in pain, his face contorting. He was directly suppressed to the point where he lay prostrate on the ground, unable to stand up.

Everyone was utterly confused, not understanding what exactly Owen had done to provoke this madman.

'...Lord Auston, what are you doing?' Seeing his brother humiliated, Eldest Young Master Fedia's expression stiffened.

'What did you just say? Say it again?' But Auston paid him no attention, pushing his wheelchair right up to Owen again. He looked down at Owen's twisted, pained expression with enjoyment, then suddenly spoke.

Under the Spirit Pressure, Owen was in such pain that his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. He had no idea how he had offended this Duke. He wanted to repeat what he had just said, but was so overwhelmed by fear that he couldn't get anything out: 'I... I...'

Auston was too crazy. No one thought he cared about his pride, and no one expected that he was actually standing up for Ruan Tang.

Seeing Owen in agony with sweat beading his forehead, even those who had been happily watching the drama couldn't help but hold their breath.

They were terrified that Auston might lose control on the spot and kill someone. Though Auston was a madman, he was also one of the top Spirit Power experts in the entire empire.

If he wanted to kill, they simply couldn't escape.

If they were killed by the imperial family's madman, they wouldn't even have a place to seek justice.

'Go on, why aren't you talking? Weren't you talking happily and laughing joyfully just now? Hmm?' Auston savored Owen's suffering with great interest, his voice hoarse and low, like a demon crawling out of hell.

Owen was so suppressed by the Spirit Pressure that his face turned blue, and even breathing became difficult. He spat out another mouthful of blood.

Seeing that this was about to become a murder scene, Ruan Tang feared that Auston might overstep and cause trouble. After all, they were now wedded partners—their fortunes and losses were intertwined.

Although he had originally only planned to coexist peacefully with Auston, treating each other with cold courtesy and living separate lives, given how well they had been getting along lately, Ruan Tang didn't want him to cause trouble. He stepped forward immediately, walked up to Auston's wheelchair, and thought about how to stop him: 'Your Grace...'

People's greed is often cultivated by indulgence. At first, Ruan Tang had only wanted to live a humble life under Auston's roof, but as Auston indulged him more and more, he gradually began to develop the intention to influence and change Auston.

The nobles of the imperial capital were all deathly afraid of Auston. Seeing Owen being punished for no reason, no one dared to speak. Seeing Ruan Tang dare to go up and talk to Auston while he was losing control, they all stared at him in shock, not like a brave man, but like an idiot.

They were all waiting for Auston to vent his anger and madness on Ruan Tang.

After all, this was a lunatic who had no logic and didn't listen to reason. Who could reason with a madman?

They were all waiting to see how the overconfident Ruan Tang would die.

'What's wrong? Your expression is so terrible. Did they bully you? Don't worry, I'll get even for you!' Unexpectedly, as soon as Ruan Tang approached, Auston did a complete turnaround, gently taking Ruan Tang's hand and asking warmly.

He was so careful, as if he were afraid of scaring Ruan Tang.

It left Ruan Tang momentarily stunned: '...'

And obviously, it wasn't just Ruan Tang who was stunned. Everyone present was shocked to see the madman behaving like this.

After their shock, they belatedly realized that Auston's sudden outburst against Owen Fedia had actually been for Ruan Tang.

With that thought, the way they looked at Ruan Tang instantly changed.

Who was it that said Ruan Tang wasn't favored at all in the Auston Ducal Palace, that he was just a breeding tool, abused every day, and only now recovering enough to show his face?

This clearly showed that he had tamed the madman Auston perfectly, cherished at the very tip of his heart.

Owen had just declared that Auston would never stand up for Ruan Tang, and then Auston did exactly that, a blatant slap in the face.

And as for bullying Ruan Tang—who had bullied Ruan Tang?

It was true that Owen had provoked Ruan Tang first, but Ruan Tang hadn't been bullied at all; instead, he had thoroughly overpowered Owen. He really was a black-hearted lotus. Still, no one dared say that in front of Duke Auston, who genuinely thought his beloved spouse was a delicate little thing.

'Which of you were laughing just now? Who bullied my wife? All of you?' But Auston was completely oblivious to their thoughts. He swept his gaze over everyone coldly, his tone doing a complete 180-degree turn from the way he had spoken to Ruan Tang just now.

He looked as if he could kill at any moment.

He remembered that when Owen had humiliated Ruan Tang, not one person had stepped up to defend Ruan Tang, and there were even people laughing. Everyone had been bullying Ruan Tang.

Those who had laughed at Ruan Tang and watched the show were now trembling in fear, not even daring to breathe, in case Auston completely lost it.

Seeing that no one spoke, Auston contemptuously looked at Owen, who was trembling all over from the Spirit Pressure. Without another word, he prepared to unleash a full-scale Spirit Pressure on everyone who had just been ridiculing Ruan Tang.

As soon as he exerted his Pressure, others felt the pain and their expressions changed.

'Enough.' Seeing that something was wrong, Ruan Tang immediately grabbed Auston and whispered in his ear: 'Your Grace, the capital's laws prohibit high-level Spirit Power users from unleashing Spirit Pressure in public.'

He hadn't expected Auston to stand up for him, but he only wanted to demand an explanation from the loose-tongued Owen, not to escalate things further.

Using Spirit Pressure on these nobles in the imperial capital was a great humiliation, no matter how high your status.

These people had only stood by coldly, but hadn't done anything too excessive. There were already enough people in the imperial capital who hated Auston; everyone here was a powerful figure. Ruan Tang didn't want Auston to antagonize more people because of him.

Auston looked deeply at Ruan Tang, then obediently withdrew his Spirit Pressure from everyone. He spoke coldly: 'Apologize. Anyone who bullied my wife or upset him must apologize to him.'

He understood these people's faces too well; Ruan Tang was simply too soft-hearted.

Even after marrying him, Ruan Tang could still be bullied to this extent. He must have suffered so much from these people in the past.

Even though Ruan Tang had just shown how fierce he could be, in Auston's eyes, Ruan Tang was still a completely victimized little cabbage.

When Auston said this, everyone became fearful. They had not anticipated that Ruan Tang's status in the heart of the Bluebeard Duke had reached such a level.

Even if they felt they hadn't done anything, they had no choice but to submit to Auston's tyranny.

'I'm sorry, Tang, it's all my fault. I knew that you and Young Master Fedia didn't get along, but I still sent him an invitation. It's my poor organization and my failure to stop him from confronting you. Please forgive me...' As the hostess of the banquet, Countess Wengsi was the quickest to react. She immediately found an excuse and began apologizing to Ruan Tang.

'I'm sorry, I'm an Omega, and when Owen Fedia was acting like that earlier, I didn't dare stop him, but I know that by doing nothing, I was condoning the crime...' With her setting the precedent, under Auston's oppressive presence, other nobles who had been watching also began finding excuses to apologize to Ruan Tang.

'I'm sorry...'

'I'm sorry...'

Because of Auston's forcefulness, those who had been watching and laughing just a moment ago were now awkwardly apologizing to Ruan Tang one after another.

After mingling in the noble circles of the imperial capital for so many years, Ruan Tang had never received such attention, but he knew it was thanks to Auston's fearsome reputation.

He had never been one to throw his weight around, and he didn't want to make things difficult for others. Whether their apologies were sincere or not, he responded gently: 'It's fine, it's no big deal.'

Better to let go of grievances than to hold onto them. He never wanted to make enemies.

'I'm sorry, Countess, it was me who ruined the atmosphere of this banquet and disturbed everyone's enjoyment.' Ruan Tang finally said to Countess Wengsi.

The Countess quickly forced a smile and said: 'How could it be your fault? You are the victim. We must keep in close contact from now on.'