Melody’s expression softened briefly, her sapphire eyes sparkling slightly. But in the next moment she turned her head abruptly, a faint pink hue rising on her cheeks. "It’s fine... I probably would have lashed out if you didn’t." She replied. Michael couldn’t help but smile, since she was probably telling the truth. If he hadn’t have lost control, he could imagine the kind of treatment she would have given Braydon in his stead. As his thoughts turned softer, he felt a hot breath close to his face, causing him to jerk back instinctively. There he saw Rudy studying him intently, as if trying to reveal his secrets. Newest update provided by novel·fıre·net "Are you sure you two aren’t really engaged?" Michael shot him a glare, ready to give him a verbal lashing—but he suddenly froze, realizing he had forgotten to relay the news from the student council meeting. "Rudy... It happened again," he said, his expression turning serious. "What?" The guy asked, "I swear I washed my hands after my morning poop," he explained, holding up his hands as if to show evidence. However, seeing how Michael didn’t react, Rudy’s demeanor shifted abruptly. Michael glanced briefly at Melody before launching into the explanation, sparing absolutely no detail—even the information that Magnus had revealed to them in confidence. "M-Michael! You weren’t supposed to mention that." She stated with panic. However, he merely ignored her. Rudy deserved to know the full story, especially since his family were victims of the first instance of this happening. Rudy listened with an impassive expression, neither interrupting nor showing any emotions. It was as if the innocent and carefree teen no longer existed—replaced by an emotionless mask. "So it wasn’t an accident..." he said softly, closing his eyes. For a moment, it seemed like the guy was wrestling with something internally before his tense body relaxed, slouching slightly on the couch. As he opened his eyes, a single tear spilled from his left eye, the drop glistening in the morning sun. "Good..." he said, his tone hoarse. Good? What does he mean? Michael questioned in his heart. He began to worry that the news was too much for the vulnerable Rudy to handle. However, the teen stood up from the lounge in the next moment, turning his back before approaching the open window that overlooked the rolling fields. "Now that I know someone or something was behind the attack... I have somewhere to channel my rage," he said calmly, the eerie tone causing Michael to shudder subconsciously. "Rudy... you’re a survivor from one of those places?" Melody asked, her tone filled with notes of shock and realization. Her swift mind was able to piece together the puzzle easily. "Claywall," he replied, still gazing out the window. "I was out exploring for the day and came back to find my family were gone..." Melody’s hand moved to her mouth, covering it as a sad expression framed her pretty face. She was speechless, visibly struggling to find the words to say in this situation. Finally, she spoke up, albeit softly, "I’m sorry Rudy, I couldn’t imagine going through such a thing..." Rudy turned, but not towards Melody. Instead, his gaze locked directly onto Michael, "You haven’t told her..." he said, a statement, not a question. Michael nodded, only to see Melody turn to him with a questioning gaze in his peripherals. He sighed inwardly, realizing that it was probably time to come clean about everything—well almost everything. The fact that his real identity was Michael Aurelius needed to remain hidden, no matter what. Despite his father’s hard work to keep his son’s embarrassing birthright ring a secret, many within the noble circle knew, even if they’d never met Michael personally. If word were to get out he was born a white-ringed mage, who knew what would happen. He could be reduced to a mere lab rat, forced to endure horrible experiments all for the sake of finding out his secrets. Michael wasn’t being dramatic. With how zealous mages were with acquiring lost and ancient magic—it wouldn’t be surprising if they were to look at him covetously. "I lived in Velmara City..." He said, his expression unreadable as he looked at the young girl. "My father and mother were both killed," he stated truthfully, though not revealing the details of their deaths. "I was not in town at the time of the incident, so I was spared. But when I returned..." he paused, swallowing, "everyone was dead." Shock and sadness painted Melody’s features as she looked at him again. Her intelligent eyes seemed unfocused as she stared, seemingly deep in thought. "So you traveled all the way to Whitevalley from Velmara, through the forest..." she said, as if the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Though he had stated to the Winterborne’s that his mother had died, he had not provided much detail. And since Brian and Mary were reasonable people, they didn’t persist in their questioning. Melody would have heard their account, hence why she was so shocked to learn the truth. "And then your family took me in," Michael stated, his impassive expression finally cracking. Despite the political moves Brian Winterborne had used to protect his daughter at Michael’s expense, it was true that the man had done a lot for him. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips, "If they hadn’t taken me in, I’d probably be dead—or something worse." He added, his eyes imperceptibly moving to Rudy by the window. Rudy caught the gaze and lowered his head slightly, a look of pain flashing past his features briefly. "That is all behind us now," Rudy said, straightening his back and addressing the two. "We might be weak and helpless now, but it won’t be for long..." he added, his eyes shining. "I say fuck those bastards who killed our families... Fuck those slave traders, and FUCK those damn nobles who treat Melody as nothing more than a political chess piece." He said emphatically, banging his fist on the nearby wooden table with a thud. "We’ll take revenge for the pain they inflicted—for the one’s they took away from us... We’ll make them pay... With our own hands."