Chapter 0009 - Expelled From The Mansion

******

No one had foreseen this, that Xylen's father would simply walk away without uttering a word.

Although it was common knowledge how apathetic he had always been toward Xylen, never bothering to inquire about him throughout the years since he had been chased and abandoned to the frigid, dark underground garage, still...

"Hahaha." A sharp, derisive laughter suddenly sounded, piercing the silence after a moment, breaking the tense atmosphere, and snapping everyone back to awareness.

In the following second;

Xylen's first brother sneered, "Did you see that, dear brother? Even Father doesn't want you anywhere near this mansion anymore."

"If I were in your position, I'd just find a way to hang myself and put an end to it all. You're nothing more than a cursed wretch, unwanted by anyone," his second brother taunted.

"Don't sob, bro. You should've realized all these years that if Father could strangle you to death, he would've done it already," his half-sisters chimed in mockingly, their words dripping with venom, each more cutting and crueler than the last.

Xylen, seated in his wheelchair and still facing the spot where his father had just exited, remained unresponsive for a moment.

Then, gradually, a bitter, disillusioned smile tugged at his lips.

'What was I even expecting to happen though?' he mused to himself.

Although he was well aware that his father's heart held nothing but apathy toward him, he had nurtured a glimmer of hope just moments ago, believing that a flicker of compassion might surface.

He had thought that even if the cold, unfeeling man didn't want him, he wouldn't be so merciless as to allow him to be cast out into the dark night… for how could he possibly survive it, especially with his condition and how poor he is? And yet…

Memories of his previous life flashed in his mind and Xylen couldn't help but internally mock himself.

He had constantly wondered if the outcome of his expulsion would have been different if his father hadn't been absent, thinking he might not have watched him be ganged up upon and bullied. But now...

….

As the jeers and ridicule from his half-siblings and the servants continued to assault him, Xylen exhaled heavily, then turned his gaze toward Aurelia.

She remained kneeling on the cold, hard floor, her face blank and devoid of light, staring vacantly at the place his father had just departed.

It was clear that she was taking it harder than him.

He couldn't blame her though. Who would ever imagine such a thing, that a father would be so heartless and indifferent to his own blood?

Xylen shook his head gently and said, "Let's go."

His voice was steady and composed, yet it managed to stir Aurelia from her trance.

In the following moment;

"I…"

Her throat tightened as she turned to him, tears welling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, brother. I failed to persuade F," she stammered, her voice heavy with sorrow, remorse, and anguish. Yet Xylen merely smiled faintly.

"It's all right," he replied softly.

However, hearing him only fueled the room's mockery.

"There's no need to pretend you're fine. It's obvious you're dying to burst into tears right now. Hahaha!"

Their cruel laughter intensified, but Xylen, as though deaf to it all, paid no attention, instead, he urged Aurelia to wheel him out.

Finally, trembling slightly, Aurelia stepped behind him, and then like someone whose spirit had died, she slowly began to push him toward the door.

"Just leave already!" One of his sibling's excited voices rang out behind them.

"I can't wait to announce to everyone that Father has finally disowned you, severing all the ties you have with our family."

"No, let's tell everyone that he died, taking his cursed bloodline with him."

Hearing all these venomous words, Xylen, who had thought he was already indifferent to them couldn't help but ground his teeth together, almost losing his mind.

But he suppressed fury, a fire of revenge igniting in his eyes.

As he reached the doorway, he muttered under his breath, "I'll return for vengeance."

Although his voice was soft, barely audible even to Aurelia, who was closest to him, an ominous shiver coursed through those mocking him.

Before they knew it, a fleeting look of fear also flickered across their faces.

'What was that?' some of them wondered collectively. Yet since the sensation was too fleeting to grasp, they quickly dismissed it, resuming their celebration of Xylen's expulsion.

….

"Bro… brother, why don't I beg them?"

Once outside, Aurelia, clearly at a loss for what to do next or where to go, spoke suddenly, her voice brimming with sorrow and helplessness, tugging at Xylen's heartstrings.

Pain flashed in his eyes and remorse coursed through him. 'I promised to make it up to you in this life, yet it's not even been a day, and I've already brought you suffering,' he thought, his hands twitching as he tried—and failed—to clench them.

After a long sigh, Xylen turned to meet her gaze, his eyes steady and piercing.

He could see the faint hope in her expression, the idea that maybe, just maybe, if she begged his siblings, perhaps, even prostrate before them, they'd let them stay. But…

"Sooner or later, we were going to leave anyway," Xylen declared suddenly, his words quiet and calm, but taking Aurelia by surprise.

She blinked at him, bewildered, but before she could react:

"As you also heard, they've been searching for ways to get rid of me before now. So, I think it's only better to face the inevitable now than later," he explained.

"This…" Aurelia's mouth opened, trying to process Xylen's words.

Yet the bitter helplessness in her eyes persisted as she looked at him.

"But now doesn't seem like the right time," she countered, her tone pitiful. "It's the middle of the night, and we have no alternatives. How will we manage?"

Xylen, as though anticipating her response, finally offered a faint smile.

"I saw a real estate sign on our way to the bank earlier and I already memorized the number," he stated simply.

However, the moment Aurelia heard this, her eyes widened in shock.

"You… you already knew we'd be thrown out?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I…" Xylen hesitated.

To be honest hadn't wanted them to be cast out yet, but he'd been preparing to leave, knowing full well that staying any longer would only endanger Aurelia and risk history repeating itself.

But could he tell her this? The answer is obviously false.

Eventually, his gaze returned to her after a momentary pause.

"Trust me," he murmured.

"Huh?"

Aurelia's mouth opened, wanting to process, but she hesitated before finally, she reluctantly nodded her head.

"Let's find a phone booth to contact the company. The sign mentioned they're open 24/7," Xylen said after a moment, changing the conversation in a new direction.

Aurelia, however, wavered.

"Something else on your mind?" he asked, noticing her reluctance.

Tears instantly welled in her eyes again as she burst out, "Brother, they should've at least given us a few days! I could've found odd jobs to cover rent and sustain us. How are we supposed to pay for rent now even if we contact the company?"

"This…"

Xylen was momentarily speechless, caught between exasperation and fondness.

"Have you forgotten we still have over five hundred thousand dollars on the ATM card?" he reminded her gently.

"I know, but that's for you… for when we find a cure someday," she admitted tearfully.

As soon as Xylen heard her, he froze, her words completely catching him off guard.

He had always wondered why Aurelia had never brought up the frozen funds in his past life, especially given how impoverished they had always been, so...

Xylen's eyes grew misty in an instant, a bittersweet smile curving his lips.

"You little fool," he muttered affectionately, his voice tinged with emotion.

"This small amount of money doesn't even account for 1% of what I'd need to treat myself," he blurted out before he could catch himself.

The moment these words left his mouth, however, his eyes narrowed in alarm, realizing he had once again let slip something he shouldn't have.

Luckily for him though, Aurelia misunderstood, believing he was merely trying to comfort her, which only shattered her even more.

She broke down completely, weeping uncontrollably, lamenting how worthless she was for failing at something as basic as taking care of him.

The more she cried, the deeper Xylen's remorse and determination to make things right for her grew.

By the time he finally succeeded in soothing her, it was already past 1 a.m., and only then did the pair finally head out to locate a phone booth to contact the real estate agency.