“The ascension ceremony is tomorrow. There’s something I wish to discuss with you, Mother.” Liam walked to the couch and sat down. without crossing his legs as he always did. Instead, he looked at Tanya with a stern gaze. The ceremony will not go well. Have you thought about how you are going to deal with that, Mother?”
“I am fully prepared for that.” Tanya sat opposite him, revealing a tender smile. “You normally don’t pay attention to such things. Why the sudden concern?”
“Nothing much. I’m just worried about Eleanor.” Liam sighed. “I have four older sisters, but two of them unfortunately passed away. The youngest among them is mentally disabled, and you never dared to announce her identity to the world. I’m worried that if something happens to Eleanor, the hidden clan will have no successor…”
“Utter nonsense!” Tanya shot him a reprimanding stare. “It’s purely hypothetical!” Liam looked at his mother. “If-and I mean if-something were to happen to Eleanor, who would be the next head of the clan?”
“That… His question left Tanya stunned. Her face grew taut as complication and weightiness arose in her deep eyes.
“It’s Dominik, isn’t it?” Upon her hesitation, he straightforwardly continued, “Although the position of the head of the clan is not typically passed down to a male heir, you’ll allow only Dominik to succeed in the position if Eleanor gets in trouble. After all, you understood that the position can be seized, and it wouldn’t be bad for a man to be your successor.”
As if Liam’s statement hit the bullseye, Tanya grew silent. “I’m here today to give you something.” Liam pulled out a thumb drive from his pocket and put it on the table. “You’ve been having a hard time looking for the cause of my sisters’ deaths, right? It’s all in here.”
After placing it on the table, Liam remained quiet, getting up and ready to walk out of the room. Right as the door was shut, he added a piece of advice to Tanya. “Tomorrow, not only will we need to stay cautious against the Elrods, but the ‘snake’ among us as well.”
With Liam gone, Tanya stared at the thumb drive on the table. She then picked it up and toyed with it with her fingers before eventually turning on her computer. Afterward, she inserted the thumb drive and opened the documents and video footage saved within. After she looked through the files, her face dramatically changed.
Hours later, under the clear, sunny day at the hidden clan’s territory, the ascension ceremony commenced, and it was held in an arena not far away from the palace. The elders got to their respective seats, with guards all over the arena, while Dominik was in charge of the arena’s security and ensuring that Eleanor successfully became the head of the clan.
Donning a traditional gown of the hidden clan, Tanya got to her seat, which was the primary seat near the podium.
Meanwhile, as Eleanor was getting ready to enter the arena, Liam suddenly came over and grabbed her hand. “Eleanor, spare me a minute.” He then dragged her to the dressing room and handed her an item from his bag. “Put this on. It might save your life.”
“What is this?” “A bulletproof vest.” Liam took out the bulletproof vest. “I had someone tailor it for you a month ago. The material is very light, so it won’t be visible. Hurry, put this on.”
“Thank you, Liam.” Comforted, Eleanor revealed a smile on her elegantly dolled-up face and accepted the vest. “Okay, give me the room for a second. I’ll put it on right away.”
“Be quick,” Liam reminded before exiting the dressing room and waiting outside. A couple of minutes later, Eleanor came out, to which he asked, “How is it? Comfortable?”
“Yes, it is. As you said, it’s very light.”
