Chapter 25 Facing the Engagement Annulment, the Mercer Family of Briarford City

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Facing the Engagement Annulment, the Mercer Family of Briarford City

Julian Mercer had never been particularly interested in the romantic affairs of other people. Matters of love and affection were personal choices, and he had no intention of interfering in them without reason.

But Elara Wycliffe was engaged to his cousin, Ethan Mercer, yet she had apparently grown close to another man behind Ethan’s back. Now, as if that betrayal were not enough, she intended to visit the Mercer Family personally to annul the engagement.

The sheer audacity of it disgusted Julian.

He felt even more sympathy for Ethan, who had already suffered the devastating loss of his cultivation. To be humiliated in this manner on top of everything else was a cruel twist of fate.

The situation also reminded Julian of Adrian Mercer.

Adrian had once sacrificed everything for the Aldercrest Order, only to have his Dantian shattered and be cast out when he needed help most. An organization he had served had repaid his loyalty with abandonment.

Now another member of the Mercer bloodline was being treated with contempt.

Julian’s expression grew cold.

The Aldercrest Order has already mistreated one of my family members. If anyone believes they can humiliate the Mercer Family without consequences, they are gravely mistaken.

He turned toward Edmund Mercer, who was standing beside him.

"Let’s go."

Edmund finally emerged from his thoughts and immediately nodded. He led the group away from the Mercer Family residence, and they set out for Briarford City.

...

Several days later, Briarford City.

A luxurious carriage rolled through the busy streets. Inside sat a richly dressed young man and a beautiful young woman.

The man was Kieran Locke, son of the Sect Master of the Aldercrest Order. The woman beside him was Elara Wycliffe, daughter of the Wycliffe Family Patriarch.

Kieran turned toward Elara, his eyes lingering on her fair complexion as he smiled.

"Elara, once we arrive at the Mercer Family residence, how do you want to handle the engagement?"

Elara lowered her head slightly beneath his gaze.

"We should simply annul it. The Wycliffe and Mercer families have maintained their relationship for more than a decade, and Ethan’s grandfather, Edmund Mercer, treated me well when I was younger. I don’t want to make things unnecessarily difficult for them. If we go too far, I won’t be able to face my own conscience."

Kieran’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly. A trace of coldness flickered in his eyes.

"If that’s what you want, I’ll respect your decision. But if the Mercer Family refuses to cooperate, they shouldn’t expect me to keep showing them respect."

"Please don’t act impulsively," Elara quickly replied. "The branch family may be weak, but the main Mercer Family behind them cannot be underestimated. If you create trouble, even the Sect Master might reprimand you."

Kieran felt a faint warmth in his chest at her concern. Yet that only made him more determined to maintain his dignity in front of her.

"Trouble? This hardly qualifies as trouble. So what if they have a main family supporting them? They’re still only a third-rate clan."

He leaned back in his seat, his tone dripping with disdain.

"If they refuse to accept the annulment and dare to oppose us for the sake of this insignificant branch, Uncle Kun alone will be enough to send every last one of them to the underworld."

He gave a contemptuous laugh.

"Why should I fear a small clan that doesn’t even have a Purple Mansion cultivator?"

Kieran continued, growing more arrogant with every word.

"From what I’ve heard, the most talented member of their main family had to spend a considerable amount of clan property just to enter our Aldercrest Order through connections. If their disciples were still studying under us, I might show the Mercer Family some courtesy for the sake of the Order. I wouldn’t hold the entire family responsible for a dispute involving one branch."

His lips curled.

"But Adrian Mercer has already had his Dantian shattered and was expelled long ago. What can a clan without talent, without a Purple Mansion cultivator, and without a solid foundation possibly do? Why should my woman feel the slightest concern about them?"

Elara’s cheeks reddened at his possessive words.

Then she remembered the middle-aged man driving their carriage.

Uncle Kun had been assigned to accompany Kieran by the Sect Master himself. His cultivation had already reached the second layer of the Purple Mansion Realm. With such a powerful cultivator at their side, destroying a small branch family would indeed be an easy task.

Her expression relaxed, though a trace of pity remained in her eyes.

Ethan Mercer had once been a gifted young cultivator. Adrian Mercer, too, had been a promising disciple before his Dantian was crippled. Two talented members of the same bloodline had suffered such terrible misfortunes.

It was difficult not to feel that their circumstances were tragic.

After chatting idly for a while, the pair heard a deep voice from outside the carriage.

"Young Master, we’ve arrived at the Mercer Family residence."

The carriage gradually came to a stop.

Kieran reached out and opened the window, allowing sunlight to spill inside. Then he extended his left hand toward Elara.

"Come down with me."

Elara hesitated.

They were standing directly in front of the Mercer Family’s residence. If she stepped out while holding Kieran’s hand, what would the people inside think when they saw them?

But Kieran was the son of the Aldercrest Order’s Sect Master. He could afford to disregard the opinions of a small branch family.

As that thought crossed her mind, her heartbeat quickened. She felt a strange thrill at the prospect of openly displaying her closeness to someone of his status.

At last, she placed her slender hand in his.

Kieran smiled as his fingers closed around hers. Together, they stepped down from the carriage.

More than a dozen members of the Mercer branch family were waiting at the entrance.

The moment they saw the pair holding hands, their expressions darkened. Anger rose in their chests, and several clenched their fists.

Everyone understood why Elara had come.

She intended to annul her engagement to Ethan. That was already humiliating enough. Yet she had arrived with another man and was behaving intimately with him right outside the Mercer Family’s front door.

It was an open insult.

Still, no one dared to speak carelessly. Kieran was the son of the Aldercrest Order’s Sect Master, and the middle-aged cultivator accompanying him possessed the strength of the Purple Mansion Realm.

The Mercer branch family could not afford to provoke such people lightly.

So the family members swallowed their anger and cursed the pair silently, wishing they could simply look away.

Kieran noticed their gloomy expressions and laughed.

He made no attempt to release Elara’s hand.

"Come on. Let’s go inside and see what this family has to say."

He led her straight past the waiting members and entered the courtyard as though he were visiting a place that already belonged to him.

By the time they reached the council hall, the senior members of the Mercer branch family had gathered inside.

The moment they saw Kieran and Elara enter hand in hand, the hall erupted.

The Mercer branch had lived in Briarford City for more than a century. Though it was not a powerful clan, it had maintained its position through generations of effort. Its members had their own dignity and would not willingly accept public humiliation.

Kieran and Elara’s behavior felt like a deliberate attempt to trample that dignity beneath their feet.

If word spread throughout Briarford City, the Mercer Family would become a laughingstock.

Amid the angry crowd stood a thin young man with black hair.

Ethan Mercer stared at the pair, his anger burning hotter with every passing second.

After his cultivation had vanished, he had gradually accepted the harsh reality of his situation. He had once possessed extraordinary talent, but now he could no longer cultivate. No matter how much he struggled, the strength he had lost remained beyond his reach.

Eventually, he had stopped hoping for a miracle.

He had even considered asking his grandfather, Edmund Mercer, to arrange the annulment himself. If Elara no longer wished to marry him, he would not force her to remain in an unhappy engagement.

He had thought that ending things quietly would allow both families to preserve some dignity.

But Elara’s personal visit, combined with the sight of her holding another man’s hand so openly, struck a nerve he had believed was already numb.

This was no longer a simple matter of ending an engagement.

It was a public provocation.

Ethan had lost his cultivation, but he had not lost his pride. If he was destined to remain a cripple, then at least he would not allow others to trample on his family’s dignity without saying a word.

He stepped forward.

"Elara Wycliffe, our engagement is still valid, isn’t it? So tell me, what exactly do you call this behavior?"

His voice was weak, but the words rang clearly through the hall.

Everyone turned toward him.

When the Mercer family members realized who had spoken, several of them felt their hearts tighten.

Some of those standing closest to Ethan reached out, hoping to pull him back before the situation worsened.

They agreed with every word he had said. But the Aldercrest Order was an enormous force, and Kieran was the Sect Master’s son. Speaking the truth to someone like him could easily bring disaster upon the entire branch family.

Their anger was real, but so was their fear.

Elara, confronted by Ethan’s direct question, struggled to meet his eyes. Guilt flickered across her face, and she instinctively withdrew her hand from Kieran’s grasp.

Kieran immediately noticed.

His expression darkened.

He raised his head and looked at Ethan. After sensing that the young man possessed no cultivation whatsoever, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Then he burst into laughter, though there was no warmth in it.

"Hahaha! A useless cripple who can’t even cultivate dares to question me?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked Ethan up and down.

"You certainly have courage. But do you have any idea what happens to people who offend me?"