That’s right. I’m nearly at the end of my rope. And yes, I was indeed injured by a peerless martial god. His Heart-Crushing Palm destroyed my core and broke every major vein in my body. If he hadn’t shown mercy, I’d already be buried six feet under.

As he spoke, Uriel slowly turned his head, his sharp eyes glinting as they landed on Andrew. “The Lloyd family’s Dragon Prince truly lives up to his name. Go ahead, you may speak to Ms. Theron.”

He stepped aside, clearing the garden path.

Andrew did not hesitate or bother with formalities. He simply walked past, heading toward the pavilion on the other side of the garden.

Enzo looked dumbfounded. ‘That’s it? Mr. Atkinson is letting him through just like that? A second ago, he just said no!’

He could not make sense of how these powerful martial figures operated, always so unpredictable and contradictory.

Uriel followed behind Andrew with steady steps, his voice breaking the silence. “I’m curious. Since you can see my condition so clearly, tell me… do you think I still have a chance to live?”

Andrew walked ahead, shaking his head, then nodding again.

Uriel frowned. “The shake means I’m beyond saving, I suppose. But the nod… what does that mean?”

Andrew said calmly, “You’re doomed, that’s why I shook my head. But I nodded because, technically, you still have a sliver of a chance.”

Uriel’s eyelid twitched, his tone turning cold. “And where exactly does that sliver lie? If I think you’re mocking me, Ms. Theron’s garden might end up with a fresh pile of fertilizer today.”

Andrew smiled as if he had not noticed Uriel’s threat. He replied, “For most people, you’d be hopeless. A shattered energy core is something even the gods can’t fix. But I’m not a god, and I can do things gods can’t. I can’t restore your core, but I can keep you alive.”

Enzo silently groaned at how insufferable Andrew was. He wondered how someone could sound this arrogant and still keep a straight face. He thought Andrew was practically begging to get punched.

Uriel let out a cold snort, “You? Really? I’d like to hear the details.”

Andrew shook his head. “I only said I could save your life. But you seem to be missing the main point. I can save you, sure, but why would I? Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. So, sorry, you want the details, but I’m not in the mood to waste words.”

Uriel fell silent. Instead of getting angry, he seemed thoughtful, watching Andrew’s back with keen interest.

Enzo, however, was nearly trembling from fear. The Reyes family had about ten senior butlers, but Uriel was on another level entirely, and even Valerie feared him. The man only answered to one person: Finnegan. Everyone else, no matter their rank, was nothing in his eyes.

He was a terrifying martial emperor, and if Finnegan gave the order, Uriel could wipe out any member of the Reyes family without hesitation. That was why no one within the family dared to cross him.

Yet Andrew, of all people, had just told this man he could save him, only to turn around and say he would not bother. Anyone else would have been slaughtered on the spot.

The man was either fearless or insane.

In the main hall of the pavilion, behind a gauze curtain, Andrew met Finnegan’s second wife, Elaine.

“You may go now. This is my first time meeting the chosen one of the Lloyd family’s royal bloodline. I’ve long been curious to see what became of the boy who once made all of Chetvine talk. Has he faded into obscurity, or does his light still shine?”

Her face couldn’t be seen behind the gauze, but her voice was like a songbird’s, sweet, melodic, and just a little husky. There was something teasing about it, too, something that drew you in and made you wonder what kind of beauty was hiding behind that veil.