Chapter 81 : I was trying to negotiate

Arthur’s steps halted.

Mid-stride—

He stopped walking completely.

The tension in the hall twisted, focusing on that single, frozen moment.

His back was straight.

His shoulders relaxed.

But his eyes—

Had turned darker.

Colder.

Sakura noticed it immediately.

A slow smile spread across her lips.

"Oh?" she said softly. "Worried now? Where did all of your confidence go?"

Her tone carried a faint mockery—

Like a predator amused by its prey finally realizing the danger.

Arthur lifted his gaze toward her.

For a brief second—

Silence.

Then he spoke, his voice calm.

"Okay," he said, "before you do something rash... I just want to ask you one thing."

Sakura arched an eyebrow.

"And what will that be?" she replied. "You don’t want to beg us to spare her life or something, right?"

Arthur’s lips twitched.

Instead of answering directly, he tilted his head slightly.

"Just call your soon-to-be husband, James," he said, "and see if he’s picking up your calls or not."

The atmosphere shifted.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed.

Her smile faded slightly.

"Oh?" she said slowly. "You think I can’t reach him? Just so you know... I already have my people monitoring your every movement."

Arthur’s gaze didn’t waver.

"I also know," he replied, "that the person you’re talking about is that beloved fiancé of yours named James, isn’t he?"

Sakura’s composure cracked.

For the first time—

Shock flashed clearly across her face.

Her pupils trembled.

"How do you know that...?" she asked, her voice lower than before.

Arthur shrugged lightly.

"Who knows," he said. "Maybe I can predict the future too."

Sakura’s mouth twitched at his words.

Annoyance flickered in her eyes.

"It doesn’t matter even if you know," she said sharply. "She cannot defeat James."

Arthur smirked.

"Well," he replied, "you don’t know her like I do."

He took a slow breath.

"And one more thing," he added. "It looks like you think she’s just from an average family."

His eyes sharpened.

"But her last name is Valmont."

He smiled faintly.

"Now, if you’re as smart as you think you are... you can already guess what will happen if something happens to her."

Sakura’s eyes widened slightly.

Her lips moved before she realized it.

"...The Valmont family," she murmured under her breath. "One of the top martial families, huh."

A moment passed.

Then—

She smiled again.

Different this time.

Colder.

"Then it’s even more beneficial to us," she said.

Her gaze sharpened with calculation.

"By killing her, I can hit two birds with one stone."

Her tone turned sinister.

"The Brandon family will be blamed for her death... and I will deliberately leave evidence that I’ve already prepared... connecting them to Yuichi Takahashi."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

A faint, humorless smile appeared on his face.

"Now I really get why your real mother loved your father more than you," he said quietly.

The words struck like a slap.

Sakura’s face reddened with pure rage.

Her aura flared for an instant.

"What did you say?" she hissed. "Watch your tongue... or I will rip it out."

Arthur stared at her without flinching.

"Then do it," he answered. "What’s stopping you?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"But at least try to call James first," he added, "like I suggested."

Sakura froze—

Just for a heartbeat.

Then—

She saw it.

The confidence on Arthur’s face.

That calm, unshaken expression.

Doubt began to spiral in her mind.

’...Why is he so sure?’

Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone.

Without another word, she pulled it out.

Her movements were quick.

Sharp.

She immediately opened her contacts—

And dialed James’s number.

The call rang.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

{The call could not be connected.}

Sakura’s eyes narrowed.

A faint trace of unease crept into her chest.

She tried again.

Call.

Silence.

{ The user you are trying to reach is currently unavailable.}

Her grip on the phone tightened.

A small crack appeared near the edge of the casing.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. "Why isn’t he picking up... that moron?"

Arthur suddenly laughed.

Loudly.

Openly.

It echoed through the hall.

"Let me try, okay?" he said, amusement thick in his voice. "I’m sure we’ll get something."

Sakura glared at him with ice-cold eyes.

If looks could kill—

Arthur would have been sliced apart a hundred times over.

But he didn’t seem bothered.

He reached into his pocket—

Brought out his own phone.

Calmly.

He dialed a number.

And the call connected immediately.

He didn’t even wait for a proper greeting.

"Hello, darling. You’re alive there, right?"

For a moment—

Only ragged breathing and faint background noise came through the line.

Then a rough, irritated voice snapped back at him.

"You asshole," Julia snarled, her tone sharp and breath uneven. "Stop calling me that, or I’ll rip that tongue of yours out."

Arthur’s mouth twitched.

’What problem do people have with my tongue...?’ he thought. ’Even Akkie keeps threatening me to stop talking.’

He let out a small sigh.

"So I take it," he said dryly, "that guy James is lying at your feet, unconscious."

Without waiting for her answer, Arthur tapped the screen and switched the call to speaker.

The sound in the hall shifted as Julia’s voice spilled out for everyone to hear.

"Yeah," she replied between rough breaths. "The motherfucker was pretty tough. Started attacking me out of nowhere, just like you predicted..."

There was a dull thud in the background, like a boot nudging something heavy.

"But I fucked him up pretty good."

A few people in the hall tensed at her casual tone.

Julia continued.

"By the way, where are you right now?"

A smile formed on Arthur’s face.

"Just come inside the auction house," he said. "Take a right and walk straight. You’ll find a big hallway."

He glanced around at the silent group watching him.

"That’s where I am—fighting valiantly against multiple people," he went on, completely serious, "and I also just saved an old man, even returning his sword, which was a keepsake from his wife."

He nodded to himself.

"He even thanked me, you know," Arthur added. "Saying that I’m a really good guy."

Everyone in the hall froze.

Mouths nearly fell open.

Even Jericho, lying slumped in a corner with his body aching and his pride shattered, stared in disbelief.

The man who had defeated him in under a minute—

Was now proudly bragging that he had saved him.

Arthur frowned.

"Are you listening to me...? Hello? Hello?"

A short beep cut through the air.

The call ended.

Arthur stared at his phone for a heartbeat.

"How rude," he muttered. "At least hear the full story."

He finally lifted his gaze toward Sakura and the others.

"So," he said calmly, "what will it be...?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Should I message Julia to kill him?"

Sakura’s teeth ground together.

Her eyes were cold, but there was a flicker of agitation beneath the surface.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Arthur’s lips curved faintly.

"What do you know," he said, "looks like you do like him... immediately wanting to compromise."

Before Sakura could respond, the red-haired woman finally spoke.

"My lady," she said, her voice steady but tense, "are you sure about this...? James is not someone who possesses gifts like us..."

She was about to continue—

"Stop, Vamina," Sakura cut her off sharply. "I already know what you’re going to say."

Vamina’s jaw clenched.

She shut her mouth at once, her fingers tightening around her wand, but she didn’t say another word.

Arthur chuckled lightly.

"Well, just hand over Miss Himari," he said. "Your other current wife."

His gaze sharpened, his voice still annoyingly casual.

"And agree to meet your father at least once... then you can do whatever you want."

The words hung heavily in the air.

Sakura’s expression darkened, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

But before she could respond—

A thunderous boom echoed from the direction of the corridor.

The floor trembled faintly.

Everyone turned.

A figure came flying through the dust-filled entrance—

Crashing onto the floor and skidding across the marble—

Stopping right at Arthur’s feet.

Arthur looked down.

The man was battered and barely conscious.

James.

And behind him—

A blur of motion sped through the settling dust.

A girl, no older than Arthur, burst into the hall, her long blonde hair streaming behind her like a storm—her presence fierce and wild.

Julia.

She stepped forward without hesitation, her eyes immediately locking onto Sakura.

In the next instant—

Julia vanished.

Then reappeared right in front of Sakura.

Her fist was already cocked back.

She launched a punch straight at Sakura’s face.

Sakura’s instincts screamed.

And she was also lucky that she had saw that coming.

She brought her arms up in a cross guard just in time.

The impact landed.

A dull, sickening crack echoed through the hall.

Sakura felt her arm bones fracture under the force.

The punch sent her flying backward—

She slammed into the ground and skidded before finally coming to a harsh stop.

A vein popped up on Arthur’s forehead.

"You stupid woman!" he yelled. "I was trying to negotiate with her!"

Julia snapped back immediately.

"But you just said on the phone that you were fighting!" she shouted.

Arthur’s mouth twitched.

He paused for a moment.

’...Well, she is right,’ he admitted inwardly.

Out of the corner of his eye—

He saw the red-haired woman move.

Vamina stepped forward, magic gathering rapidly around her wand.

At the same time, Sakura pushed herself up from the floor, pain flickering across her face, but her gaze colder and sharper than before.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"Here she comes," he muttered.