Around him, his group remained frozen in the aftershock of what had just happened.
Horren was the first to break the silence.
He slowly leaned forward, his composure cracking under the overwhelming disbelief that emerged on his expression.
"W-why did you do that, Ruvian?!" he demanded in a hushed yet shaken voice. His eyes darted restlessly across the hall, scanning every corner.
All things considered, Ruvian had already anticipated their reactions.
The disbelief on their faces was exactly what he had expected; the natural consequence of the audacious act he had just displayed.
After all, who in their right mind would not be surprised by something like that?
In truth, Ruvian had merely followed the precedent set by Zian Herga. In the novel, Zian had been the first to step forward the moment Vanessa volunteered herself to bear the responsibility.
The only difference was that Zian had never provoked Julian the way Ruvian just did.
'Well… it had to be done regardless.'
