Ascension Of The Villain

Chapter 57 - 57: Brothers Protect, Don't They?

"Iyana, get out of the way," Vyan ordered, his face twisted with fury.

"Please, Your Grace, I can't watch my brother being beaten like this," Iyana pleaded, her voice trembling but resolute.

"Then don't watch. Go to your room and shut your ears," Vyan responded coldly, the whip still clutched in his hand.

"I will apologize instead of him," she volunteered hastily. "I will kneel in front of Miss Freya, and if you need someone to vent your anger on, you can hit me with the whip. But please, don't hit him."

What is this girl saying? Is she dumb? Lyon thought, completely baffled by her willingness to take his punishment.

Vyan's expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained hard. "Iyana, he is the one who insulted and hit Freya. He should be apologizing, not you."

"Okay, fine. He will do that," she assured him. "But please don't hit him anymore."

Lyon watched in disbelief. There is no way Vyan would listen to you, Iyana. He hates you. Or…

More like, we made him hate you.

Lyon recalled how he lied to Vyan in the cell that Iyana didn't plead for his life when she had been willing to do anything to save him, but Prince Izac didn't pay heed to her words at all. It was only after that Vyan escaped and got hell-bent on destroying their family.

So, there was no way Vyan would listen to her request now.

But much to his and Freya's surprise, Vyan's grip on the whip loosened, then he gritted his teeth and turned away.

"Brother," Iyana called out, her voice soft yet firm, grabbing Lyon's attention, "please, just apologize to Miss Freya and do what His Grace is asking you to do with the stable."

Lyon frowned, his brow furrowing in defiance. "Why should I?"

"Are you—" she was about to raise her voice but held herself back and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Listen, as much as it hurts us to admit it, Father sold you off and His Grace is your owner now. You have to understand that you have no choice but to listen to him. The sooner you obey, the easier it is to deal with all this," she explained, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

"So, you are telling me I should just put up with it for the rest of my life?" His voice cracked, a mix of anger and despair.

"No, no," she vehemently denied, "I won't let you suffer like this forever. I will get you out of here somehow. But… for the time being, just be patient and listen to his orders," she elaborated.

Lyon stared at her,

She grinned and playfully said, "I mean, you seemed to have changed your mind only after Lady Iyana asked you."

Freya's words made Vyan's heart skip a beat at the possibility.

In a sense, it was true…

The idea of torturing Lyon later in the night only came to his mind after Iyana pleaded with him not to hit Lyon in front of her eyes.

But there was no way, right…?