Nero and Nyx spent the next three days inside of his home.  He properly introduced to Nyx every inch of the house and made sure they made memories there.  On the fourth day, Celine sent a maid to invite Nero for breakfast and Nero reluctantly attended, letting Nyx sleep in.  

Nero entered his parent’s home with his whole family already at the table.  His brother, Hanson and his sister-in-law, Ivy, were looking at Nero with a hidden smile.  They all knew that Nero would be getting an ear full from Celine.

“Sit down and eat before the food gets cold.”  Celine said as she frowned at Nero.

The Nero she saw in front of her was not her son.  He had a aura around him that caused her discomfort.  

Their breakfast was silent while they ate.  No one spoke about the true matter as to why Celine and Hastel were so unhappy.  Which made everyone, except Nero uncomfortable. Nero ate his breakfast as if it was just another day and as if there was no issue at all that his parents were unhappy about.  His nonchalant attitude caused Celine to lose her appetite and she threw her spoon down, causing everyone to look up from their plate and turn towards her.

“Nero.”  Celine finally said after calming herself enough to speak.  “Do you know what you’ve done wrong?”

“No, Mother, what have I done wrong.”  Nero asked as he took his tea and sipped on it.  

“You dare pretend that you didn’t bring home an unclean girl from the pleasure district and make her your concubine!”  

“I didn’t lie to you.  What I did, was not wrong.  And don’t call Nyx unclean. She is my woman now, please treat her with respect as the woman I chose.”  

Celine suddenly hit the table with her hand.  The dishes near her was rattled by the force.

“You dare say those words to me!  She is not welcome here! Take her back where you found her!”  Celine demanded.

“No.”  Nero said with a stern voice.  He had just found her, he could not lose her, no matter how much his family opposed.  “The moment I decided that she was mine, was the moment I knew she will be by my side forever.”  

“Insolent boy!”  Hastel yelled. “Just a few days with that fox and you dare be unfilial towards your parents?!? If it is a woman that you want, we will find you a good wife!”   

“I don’t want just any woman.  The woman I want I already brought home.”  

“How dare you smear the Pareem name with that filth!”  Celine shouted.

“I told you respect the woman I chose.”  Nero warned.

“Now you want to go against your parents for that woman!”  Hastel shouted. “Have you forgotten everything that we have taught you!?!  We raised you so well with so much love and this is the way you treat us? You would rather go against your family for that woman!”  

“That woman’s name is Nyx.  And she is the woman I chose.  She will not leave my side, no matter how much you hate it or try to tear us apart.  Wherever she goes, I go. That is the end of it!”

“Fine!”  Celinel shouted without thinking.  “I told you that she is not welcome here, so she isn’t.  By now, she has already been kicked out of the Pareem Estate.  If you want her so badly, then go follow her. She probably already found a new patron to warm her bed!”  

Nero stood up.  He felt as if his whole life was a lie.  His parents who seemed so intelligent, broad minded, loving and caring were hypocritical when it came down to their own children.  Like others, they only care about their reputation and the judgement of others.

“If she is no longer welcome here, then neither am I.”  Nero told them. “This unfilial son will give you one last bow.”  

Nero kowtowed to his parents one last time before quickly rushing to his courtyard. When he reached his courtyard, what he saw made him surprised.  

Not only was Nero surprised, but his whole family, who followed him, were surprised too.  There were six maids, six male servants and four guards all laying on the ground groaning in pain.    

Nyx sat at the outside seating area drinking tea, while four maids knelt beside her while crying as silently as they could.  

“Nyx.”  Nero said as he ran up to her.  “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”   

“I’m fine.”  Nyx told him as she let him pull her into his arms.  “They didn’t hurt me.”

“You slut!”  Celine yelled as she immediately became angry.  “How dare you seduce my son and make him act so willful!  You deserve to die!”

Celine completely lost her calm when she saw Nero holding Nyx in his arms.  The thought of her son with the slut made her see red. She ran towards one of the guards and picked up his sword.  

“Mom!”  Hanson yelled as he tried to stop her, but her actions were too quick.  

“Celine!”  Hastel yelled too, but his feet was glued to the ground.  

Celine ran toward Nyx and wanted to cut the slut in two, however before she could even raise the sword up to cut Nyx, Nyx stepped out of Nero’s embrace and kicked the sword that Celine held in her hand.  

Celine’s grip immediately loosened and the sword dropped to the ground.  Nyx caught the handle of the sword and flipped away from the raging woman.  Nyx immediately proceeded to show them a few flamboyant martial moves. She swung the sword as if it was an extension of her arm.  It was only when she guided the sword into the air that she shot lightning out from the tip, causing the everyone to step back in awe and fear.  

“Cultivator.”  Hastel, Hanson and Ivy all said at the same time.  

When the world they live in respects the strong and tramples on the weak, the weak complies with the strong to survive. Everyone in the Pareem family were only average people with a cultivation level 2.  The reason why they were held in so much respect and had so much power was because of their college and their years of contribution to the nation. If not for that, they would only be an average family and their bloodline would have ended a long time ago.  

“Do not play with sharp things that you do not know how to handle.”  Nyx said as she stood up straight. Her white dress and hair blew along with the wind causing the cherry blossoms to be swept away as well. Nyx stood tall, commanding and confident of herself.  “Especially those who run with sharp, pointy objects. You could have hurt yourself.”

Nyx threw the sword towards Celine as she backed up, the sword flew and hit the ground with a thunk.  It was embedded into the ground and moved back and forth until it stopped. Celine held her chest as she swallowed her saliva.  She could feel her life flash before her eyes and she saw all the bad things she did to survive the Pareem household to maintain her position.  What she saw made her even more unhappy.

The woman Nero brought home, made her feel insecure and threatened.  Nyx was exactly like the woman she fought and schemed against all through her life.  Celine couldn’t handle the fact that she would be losing her son to such a woman. If she didn’t lose to her husband’s concubines, she wouldn’t lose to Nyx either.

“You dare try to kill us!”  Hastel shouted as he ran to Celine’s side and hugged her.  

“Try?!? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already and I would have succeeded.”  Nyx told them as she placed her hands on her hips. Her stance was arrogant and confident. “Dare?!?  I dare do anything that makes me happy.”

“You!  You…. you’re unbelievable!  How dare you bully us!” Celine shouted at Nyx.  

“Bully you?  Look around you old woman.”  Nyx said pointing at all of the maids, servants and guards. “Who was it that sent all these people to force me out?  All these people against one woman, and you want to cry wolf that it was I bullying you? Who was trying to bully who?  Ha! Stop pretending that you’re the victim here. You’re just mad that your plans didn’t succeed and that Nero saw your schemes first hand.”  

“Get out!  Leave! You’re not welcome here!”  Hastel shouted.

“You don’t have to worry about that.  I’ll leave, but on my own time.”

“Nyx.”  Nero cried out worriedly.    

“I won’t stay where I’m not welcomed at.”  Nyx told him. “Even if they are your family, I will not be disrespected, schemed against, or be blamed for something I did not do.”  

“Okay.”  Nero said as he walked up to Nyx.  He took her hands into his and kissed the back of her hands.  “Wherever you go, I go. And wherever we go, we can overcome any obstacles.”  

“We’ll go on an adventure.”  Nyx told him.

“Yes, let's go on an adventure.”  

“Nero!  You just can’t leave us like this!”  Celine cried out. “You can’t leave your family because of an unclean woman!”  

“I can and I will.”  Nero told them as he began to walk out of the courtyard with Nyx.  “If Nyx is not welcomed, then I am not welcomed.”

“Nero!  Stop right there!  You... stop!” Celine called out pitifully.  “Husband, make him stop!”