Chapter 90 Paying Respects 

 

Quinn looked at Julius with surprise, as if she hadn’t expected him to say something like that. 

After all, to her, Julius was absolutely a dangerous man. Her instincts had always told her to stay away from him, to never get involved with someone like that. 

When Julius saw her expression, his gaze dimmed slightly. He understood she had probably never even considered the possibility. 

“What a pity,” he murmured quietly. “I’m not your comrade. If I were, would you protect me the same way you protect Harlan?” 

He looked into her eyes, as if some ripple was stirring in his own. 

Expectation, perhaps, or maybe even a silent plea. 

Quinn pressed her lips together. “A hypothetical question like that has no meaning. I’m your bodyguard right now, so of course I’ll protect you.” 

“And if you weren’t my bodyguard?” he asked. 

“Then you’d have plenty of other bodyguards to protect you.” 

At her words, Julius‘ lashes fluttered slightly. “Right. It’s true. There’s no point in hypotheticals.” 

Time couldn’t be turned back. He would never be her comrade. 

Yet, a sense of loss welled up in his heart, one that he himself couldn’t quite put into words. 

In the evening, after taking a shower, Julius stood in front of the mirror, studying his face that was a blend of his parents‘ features. 

His jawline resembled his father’s more, but his eyes and brows were unmistakably his mother’s. 

And so, every time his mother looked at him, all she saw was the man she loathed. She would shove him away again and again, screaming, “Don’t come near me! You’re his son. When you grow up, you’ll be just like him, a demon!” 

A demon. His own mother had called him a demon. There had never been any tenderness in her eyes, only hatred and fear. 

His father, meanwhile, would whip him again and again, cursing him for being worthless, cursing him for not being able to win his mother’s affection. 

Yet, after every beating, his father would stare into his mother–like eyes and sol 

1 sorry, Julius. I just 

love your mother too much. I can’t lose her. You have to help me keep her. She has to love me. You’re her son. She’s bound to love you.” 

From the moment of his birth, he had only ever been a pawn. 

The so–called love was so repulsive that it made him want to retch. 

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09:19 Tue, 8 Jul \ @ Q 

Chapter 90 Paying Respects 

And now, this feeling he had toward Quinn. What was it, really? 

15 Free Coins 

“Quinn…” Julius murmured under his breath, “I think I might be a little jealous of Harlan.” 

Today, when he saw her with Harlan, a strange discomfort had surged inside him. 

Then that discomfort had morphed into a sharp sting… and unease. 

It felt like something was gnawing away at his heart, like he was afraid of something being taken away. 

When he saw her gaze fixed on Harlan’s face, when she stood up to him for Harlan’s sake, the pain and unease peaked. 

Only then did he slowly realize this was what jealousy felt like. 

The next day, Quinn woke up at the crack of dawn. 

Today, her parents‘ ashes would be laid to rest in the Hero’s Memorial Garden. 

She dressed in plain black formal attire and headed to the Bridger family’s ancestral hall. 

Inside, the Bridger family members were all dressed in black, standing in order according to seniority. 

The atmosphere was solemn and dignified. 

Murren, leaning on his cane, stood in front of the memorial tablets for the fifth branch, deep in thought. It seemed as though he was lost in thought, or perhaps reminiscing about something. 

“Great–grandpa, Quinn’s here,” someone called softly. 

Murren came to his senses and turned to see her approaching. “Quin, you’re here. Today, give your parents a proper send–off. The Bridger family is fortunate to have had people like them. Come, kneel and give your respects to your parents, your grandfather, your great–grandfather, and the ancestors of the fifth branch.” 

Quinn responded quietly, stepped forward, and knelt before the memorial tablets, bowing deeply. 

“What about the rest of you? Shouldn’t you all give the fifth branch a proper farewell too?” 

-After finishing his words, Murren took the lead, bending over in a deep bow towards the memorial tablets 

of the fifth branch. / 

Even at his age, even though such a simple gesture had become difficult, he still managed to complete three full bows. 

It was admiration, nostalgia, sadness, and profound guilt! 

He had once most admired the fifth branch, his older brothers. Seven had gone to war, but only one had 

returned. 

He had sworn to protect the descendants of the fifth branch. 

Alas, one by one, they all passed away. Now, all that was left of the fifth branch was Quinn.