Having a powerful lord as a father figure, what's wrong with just wanting to draw cards?

His tone was as cold as the wind, and even the simplest words seemed to possess a magical power, making everyone who heard them feel their souls tremble.

Click-clack~

Another snap of fingers.

He turned the camera behind him toward the crowd, and now everyone could see it—a dark leg deliberately kicked Kal'tsit's ankle!

The spot where the woman used to kick was exactly the reddish area that Domi could see.

As time passed again, it became clear that it was that kick that caused Kal'tsit to lose her balance.

Oh my god...

"I never expected them to be like this! It seems the rumors were true..."

"I should have seen their ugly side long ago..."

"I want my investment back from them, now, immediately!"

The moment the truth came to light, countless eyes turned to the couple, filled with contempt, disgust, and disdain—a silent condemnation. But the truly brutal condemnation was yet to come…

Chapter 12 Family Above All Else

There has been a constant stream of talk about halting cooperation and imposing sanctions in economic matters.

Whether they were just talking or actually intended to do it, Carlos didn't care; he had his own methods.

Carlos looked coldly at the man who had fallen to the ground, as if he were a piece of trash: "I'll give you one day to get out of Brofeld territory, and all the property you can't take with you will be confiscated."

The fact that everything he couldn't take with him was confiscated meant that he could only choose to take things like jewelry and gold coins, which didn't matter how many cartloads they filled. But real estate, such as land deeds, shops, and mansions, were all included in the list of items to be confiscated.

When these words come from the lord, they carry significant weight; if he tells you to get out, you have to get out.

The man immediately became anxious upon hearing this.

He is indeed a businessman from out of town, but he made his fortune through his business in Bloomfield. Now, kicking him out is like taking his life away; half a lifetime of hard work will have gone down the drain!

Since playing the victim won't work, let's resort to legal means.

The man's tone became agitated: "My lord, what you are doing is not permitted by imperial law!"

"His Majesty the Emperor has issued a decree to protect the legitimate interests of merchants throughout the empire! Personal property is sacred and inviolable!"

If Carlos were to defy the law, he would be disregarding the legality of everyone's property rights, which would be tantamount to offending everyone at once.

He chuckled to himself. No matter how powerful Bloomfield was, he was still a subordinate of the empire. How could a lord challenge the emperor and the law? The masses would once again stand on his side.

As long as he can preserve his assets here, he will have ample time to transfer them elsewhere, so why worry about not having a chance to make a comeback?

Just as he was feeling smug, Carlos summoned his butler:

"Subaru, go to the archives and get all the dirt on their family."

"I want to see how much of this enormous asset is actually respectable; the rest will naturally be confiscated."

Carlos walked up to the man, and at that moment, the aura of a lord of a territory erupted completely, as terrifying as a prehistoric beast:

"Sir, you seem to underestimate the power of the Bloomfield family on their own turf. Our family has been rooted here for centuries, and nothing can escape my eyes."

I gave you face before, but unfortunately you didn't appreciate it.

How much of his own property is illicit? Others may not know, but how could the man himself not know?

Almost seven out of ten are!

Originally, if he had bled a little, he could have taken about half of the blood. Now, it would be a miracle if he could take a third of it.

The man finally broke down. Only then did he realize that a small-time businessman trying to take advantage of a behemoth was like an ant trying to shake a tree—overestimating his own strength!

He lowered his head like a defeated prisoner, accepting everything as if he had lost his soul, and then turned to leave with his wife, who was more trouble than she was worth...

"stop."

At this moment, Carlos spoke up again to stop them.

"What I just did was merely a punishment I gave to those despicable people from the perspective of a lord."

Besides, you and your wife deliberately harmed my maid, and even intentionally harmed my son at his first birthday celebration! As the head of the household and a father, I am not so merciful.”

Before the man could say anything more, Carlos's icy blue pupils instantly turned grayish-white, as if the flow of time itself was passing through them.

At that moment, almost everyone felt that time slowed down; the gears of the pocket watch stopped turning, and the dust floating in the air slowed down to an extreme.

Only Carlos's voice still echoed in my ears, like a divine punishment, so solemn and awe-inspiring that it was impossible to resist.

"I grant you ten years of solitude to atone for your sins. The endless desert, the sunless sky, may you dwell there, and return when your time is up..."

As soon as he finished speaking, time seemed to sink into a black hole, a prison, centered on the man.

For the man, a second was stretched to ten years, while for everyone around him, ten years was shrunk to a mere second.

It was gone in an instant.

Everything returned to normal. The second hand on the clock moved normally again, and the dust drifted to where it was supposed to go. People once again felt in control of themselves.

The man was kneeling on the ground, his eyes glazed over like a salted fish, his mouth slightly open, and saliva flowing like a long river, cascading down to form a puddle on the floor.

He looked like a teenager who had just returned from treatment by Professor Yang.

His wife had no idea what was happening; she struggled to get to her husband, but no matter how much she waved or shouted, it was no use.

The man was like a vegetable, unable to respond to any external stimuli.

Carlos declared on his deathbed, "His punishment is over. He will regain consciousness tomorrow morning. Then, take him and get out of here."

After saying that, he ignored the couple and apologized to the others.

This unexpected incident spoiled everyone's fun, and the banquet had to be ended early.

However, the nobles didn't think so. They had only come to socialize, but they hadn't expected to witness such a big juicy story and even get to see Carlos make a move. They could brag about it for a while.

Most importantly, regarding the third son of the Bloomfield family, his appearance... well, they'll have to embellish it a bit, maybe it'll attract a lot of attention, and they'll have something to talk about for afternoon tea.

Everyone has their own little schemes, things even Carlos can't control, so let them be.

Tall trees naturally attract the wind, and trees that attract the wind are naturally sturdy.

One by one, the guests left, boarding the carriages at the gate. They had arrived in such a hurry that they left just as hastily as they had arrived.

The maids began tidying up the venue, and the army led by Osmond prepared to wash up and go to bed. Thus, a first birthday banquet that was mostly successful but somewhat absurd came to an end.

Prince Capet, still burdened with official duties, bid farewell to Carlos and left the castle.

Mitchell, on the other hand, had plenty of time to stay a little longer. Based on their years of tacit understanding, he knew that Carlos needed someone to give him advice and confide in, so he naturally became that person.

“Grace has checked, and Domi is not possessed or cursed by demons or monsters.”

Carlos looked worried.

“But that’s not necessarily a bad thing!” Mitchell quickly added upon seeing this.

“How come you see?”

"Look, Domi could run when he was only one year old, and he can use magic skillfully. What does that mean? Domi has the potential to be an emperor! And think about it, why did Domi bite that woman in the first place?"

After Mitchell's words of encouragement, Carlos immediately understood.

Why did he bite that woman? Wasn't it because she deliberately kicked Kelsey?

"Is Domi taking revenge on that woman?!"

"Correct~"

"Isn't this the spirit that the Bloomfield family has always upheld—family always comes first! Domi is just putting it into practice in his own way."

Chapter 13.13 To nip the weeds in the bud

The next day.

The woman who caused the accident then left Broilfield with her three carriages of belongings and her unfortunate husband.

The carriage was loaded with gold dragon coins and jewelry, which, while not a large sum compared to their entire fortune, was still a considerable amount of wealth.

The woman herself has no special skills. Now she just wants to find a place to settle her husband's affairs after leaving here, and then use the money to make ends meet. Being a slightly wealthy woman would be a good choice.

At this point, the convoy had already entered a dense forest some distance from the territory.

Just as the woman was fantasizing about a future where she wouldn't have to care about public opinion, could keep any gigolo she wanted, and live a shameless life, the coachman suddenly stopped the carriage.

The woman's train of thought was abruptly interrupted; she was trying to figure out what kind of fun would make her more comfortable.

The moment she stuck her head out of the car window, she launched into a tirade of profanities:

"How do you drive?! If you can't drive, get out! Don't take my money and then do nothing!"

The driver still had his back to her: "I can't drive? Yes, I just can't drive. Well, I'm leaving now. You can find someone else yourself."

After saying that, the driver ran away on the spot, disappearing into the dense forest and never being seen again.

Before the woman could react, the drivers of the two carriages behind her also disappeared. Soon, the entire convoy consisted only of her, her husband, and a group of hired guards.

"What's going on?! What's going on?! You're just giving up like this?! I paid for it!"

"A bunch of damned Sword Tomb thugs! Servants! Don't they have any professional ethics? Pigs!"

She continued to hurl insults, now abandoning even the pretense of aristocratic restraint, completely reverting to her grassroots nature, and utterly unaware of the predicament she was in.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the surrounding bushes.

The woman immediately shut her mouth; she began to panic, fearing that some wild animal or robber had set its sights on her and her property.

Immediately afterwards, several men dressed in black emerged, wearing pure black hooded cloaks, black boots, and black gloves. There was nothing distinctive about them; perhaps this attire was their only distinguishing feature.

"Who are you?! What do you want?"

The leader of the men in black didn't speak, but simply walked towards the woman.

The group of men in black behind him rushed out like wolves into a sheepfold, their sharp daggers slicing open the carotid arteries of each guard. In no time, all the hired guards were dead.

A woman who has lived a life of luxury has never seen such bloodshed.