Chapter 36: The Price of Insult
After Edward and Lilian finished preparing the food, the palace's silence was shattered by violent knocks on the outer gate. The visitor was Morgan, a collector for the Barclay Family—the family that controlled the banks and had invested in all of Edward's family's trade caravans before they were betrayed and their investments collapsed. Initially, the debt wasn't massive, but after the loss of the caravan and the exorbitant interest rates imposed, the sum ballooned to ten thousand gold coins.
Morgan entered the Ferguson Family palace with an air of arrogance and disdain. He looked around and muttered to himself, "Look at this useless family... stray dogs are better off than them. They have a useless son who is good for nothing." He shouted at the top of his lungs, "You curs! Won't you pay your debt?" and began hurling insults at the family and its legacy.
Rage flared in Edward's chest, but he restrained himself, remembering everything he had learned about composure and planning. He stepped out wearing a mask of calm and a confident smile as if nothing had happened. He spoke gently, "Welcome, Mr. Morgan..." Then, he handed him a hundred gold coins and added, "I won out on a bet yesterday, and I will pay the rest in the coming days."
Morgan looked at the coins with contempt, then spat on the ground rudely, saying, "What is this filth? Do you think you're still the son of a wealthy family? These crumbs aren't even enough to cover the interest." He turned his back, grumbling as he walked away. The moment he passed through the gate, Edward's gaze turned as sharp as a blade.
Edward whispered with a voice dripping with cruelty, "Tula... go after him. Find out everything about him—his family, his weaknesses, and his possessions. I will show him the consequence of what he did today." Tula flashed a terrifying smile, as if everything was going exactly as he desired, then vanished like a shadow fading into the light, while Edward returned with total coldness to eat with Lilian .