I’m Just a Background Character, But I Used to Be a Delinquent, So Why Are the Girls Falling for Me?! - Chapter 7

The day after I spoke with Master Giles, I was sitting in my room, planning my next move. The manor was quiet, but the silence felt heavy, like before a storm.

Suddenly, my door burst open with a crash. It was not just one person.

Edward (Darren’s father) stood in the doorway, his face purple with rage. Behind him were Darren and Elias, their faces twisted in angry confusion. Shoved between them, her dress torn and her eyes streaming with tears, was Anna.

“CALLEN!” Edward roared. He was shaking, barely in control. “Look at this! This is what your lies have done!”

Anna, seeing me, stumbled forward, pointing a shaking finger. “You liar! You have no proof! You hate me because I tried to make your brother more capable than you! You have no right to touch the Duke’s staff!”

Edward stepped in front of Anna, his huge shadow falling over me. “You cannot just accuse a respected servant! You have no authority here, Callen! Your father trusted me to run this house while he’s away! Do you understand?”

I stood up slowly, keeping my face perfectly calm. I was about to speak, when the air suddenly changed.

A cold, clear voice cut through Edward’s rage.

“That is incorrect, Lord Edward.”

Master Giles, our steward, walked into the room. He moved slowly, dressed perfectly, but his presence was absolute. He was followed by two new, unfamiliar knights in clean, official livery, the Verdan uniform.

Giles stood beside me, instantly positioning himself as my defense.

“The authority of this house ultimately rests with the Duke,” Giles stated, his voice ringing with power. “And I have received the Duke’s final order.”

Giles looked straight at Anna, who shrank back, her tears freezing on her face.

“The Duke’s personal rider arrived before dawn,” Giles continued, looking at Edward, Darren, and Elias. “The maid Anna was found guilty of ‘systematically attempting to psychologically disable one of the Verdan, and abusing the memory of the late Duchess.’ Her punishment is absolute.”

Giles looked at the silent room, ensuring everyone heard.

“She is to be slashed one hundred times by the whip for her cruelty, stripped of her titles, and immediately banished from all Verdan lands and manor service. She is never to work for any noble or official party in this kingdom again. This is the Duke’s direct order.”

Anna let out a desperate, whimpering cry and dropped to her knees. “Master Giles, please! It was just discipline! I beg you! Have mercy! I promise I will serve the young masters faithfully!”

Giles didn’t even look at her. He looked only at Edward, his eyes hard.

“Furthermore,” Giles said, pulling a scroll sealed with the Duke’s crest from his sleeve, “the Duke warns that any individual servant, family member, or knight who questions this ruling, attempts to delay its execution, or attempts to employ Anna in any capacity, will face the Duke’s own judgment for High Treason.”

Edward’s face went from purple to a sickly grey. He stared at the Duke’s seal. He understood this was not a threat from a boy, this was a sentence from the Duke’s power.

“I understand perfectly, Uncle,” I said, my voice quiet. “The Duke has spoken.”

Edward, completely defeated, yanked his sons backward. “Get out. All of you. Now!”

Anna was sobbing on the floor as the two new guards pulled her roughly out of the room. Edward dragged his sons away without a word to me.

I walked to the door and calmly closed it. I had gained a massive, decisive victory. Inzo was safe, and the entire house had just learned exactly how much power lay behind the “foolish” Callen.

I didn’t relax immediately. I listened to the sounds of the retreat the heavy, angry footsteps of Edward, the confused whispers of Darren and Elias, and the distant, fading sobs of Anna being hauled away. The two knights Giles brought would ensure the punishment was carried out and that Anna was off the Verdan lands immediately.

The air in my room, usually stale and quiet, now felt charged. I was no longer just the weak boy they plotted to kill.

I looked at the scroll Giles had left behind on my desk the one with the massive Duke’s seal. I hadn’t read the whole thing, but its message was clear. They wouldn’t touch Inzo again. They wouldn’t touch me openly. Knowing Giles is on our side and always report to father.

But this confrontation also meant the plot would accelerate. Edward wouldn’t let this loss go unanswered. They had 3months left until the banquet, and now they would operate in absolute secrecy, desperate to eliminate me before the Duke’s attention turned back to the manor.

I already have my suspicion that Edward ordered the original attack on Callen. Even though the Duke said the heir would be decided at the match, Edward couldn’t afford to leave the direct heir alive. As long as I live, they cannot fully secure their claim, and they know it.

I let out a huge sigh, knowing I could finally breathe fully. I walked over and sat on my bed.I pulled the cufflink from its hiding spot beneath the floorboard. 

I can’t waste any more time.

My thoughts immediately jumped to my lack of skill. I’m still stuck practicing the basics of swordsmanship.

I suddenly remembered a crucial detail from Callen’s memory He and Inzo were supposed to have a master swordsman as a private tutor.

The trainer was one of my father’s trusted people, highly respected for it’s skill. If it hadn’t been for Darren’s relentless bullying, which humiliated Callen, and Duke’s the real Callen might still be alive and practicing properly right now.

What a pity. The real Callen was a child utterly failed by his guardians and his own strength.

Yes, the real Callen died earlier than I expected. I just realized it fully now, looking back at his memories. He tried so many times to kill himself and was completely tired of his life. Yet, he kept hanging on, remembering his mother’s last words to live, be a man like his father, and protect his brother.

But in the end, he didn’t have the courage to face his awful family on his father’s side. He was scared his father hated him for being a coward and disappointed in his lack of skill. And his biggest fear? His brother. He thought Inzo might hate him because of what Anna and Darren told them. He was paralyzed, terrified that if he got too close to Inzo, Darren would only hurt his little brother more.

He didn’t need someone to kill him. He was already drowning in fear and self-hatred.

I walked to the cracked mirror I had in my room and looked at my reflection. No, I looked at Callen.

This child died at the age of eighteen. We were similar, but at least he died in his sleep. Me? I died saving someone, and I experienced the full, sharp pain of death. And now, I’m going to face that pain again?

No. I am not that child. I am not going to die this easily this time. I am Ren, and I am the only thing standing between this family.

Looking at Callen’s body now through the mirror, I realized how much he had changed. Months ago, he was so thin his bones seemed about to break through his skin. Now, he had grown some muscles thin, hard lines from the training. He was also taller. His black hair and deep green eyes resembled his late mother, but looking at the sharp features and high cheekbones, I saw how much he truly looked like the Duke.

The physical training had given him an unexpected edge. He was handsome, but more importantly, he was finally ready.

To be Continued…