Chapter 277: Mrs. Grayson

Words : 1029 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 277: Mrs. Grayson The light in the parlor had faded into a soft, even blue—no longer golden from sunset, no longer sharp from day, but it wasn’t moody or dramatic. It just existed there now, like dusk had chosen to settle and stay for a while, but inside the room, nothing had softened. "Yes. Never touched her again after Lucas. Never spoke kindly of her. Never brought her to gatherings. She was invisible again. Even while saving everything." Not close enough to be relevant. Not far enough to be exotic. No zone affinity. No ascendant inheritance. Just... numbers." "He loved her. Quietly. Desperately. The younger brother did too, though he was always away. Liliana shifted her stance by the nearest support column, crossing her arms. Her voice was blunt, but not cruel. "That’s how they’ve always operated." And the Kobold clans—especially the hybrid lines like Graysons—had numbers. Had loyalty. Had desperation." There was no rebuttal. Her voice didn’t rise. It didn’t command. It simply landed. Firm. Unbothered. Measured. Like a judge reading a verdict, everyone in the courtroom already knew but didn’t want to say out loud. "He broke," Isabella finished. "And that," Elowen said, "made them invisible. And as for the Grayson bloodline? They could be considered part of the noble circle over there." And unlike the beastfolk, they don’t have internal conflict patterns. No territorial infighting. No dominance rites. "She couldn’t contribute to their future," Lilith said softly. "So she became a weight." "They started out at the bottom," Elowen said. "Literally. It is one of the minor races near the tail end of the race list. Balanced the estate’s internals. Reconciled the books. Kept their servants paid. And stabilized the household from within." "She was more than that," Elowen said. "She was irreplaceable. But no one gave her credit. Not the clan. Not the community. Not even her husband." Reproductive variance. Line expansion. And she had none of it." "But he never let her go," Seraphina said. "Exactly," Elowen said. "They didn’t spread because they were strong. They spread because no one saw them as a threat. Just be fast and silent, the way someone thinks when everything starts to fall into place. There wasn’t a need. Everyone in the room had already guessed that sentence was coming, and no one wanted to stop it. "You see, they are not part of any major factions, as no super-powerful people are leading them. "She didn’t give birth in cycles," Elowen said quietly. "No clusters, or like how each birth gave birth to a litter of cubs, no assisted growth chambers like the Kobold norm. "Yes," Elowen said, turning to her. "But she wasn’t like the others." Liliana’s voice darkened. "So when Ethan ignored him..." Elowen leaned back slightly in her chair, just enough for her spine to press into the cushion behind her. She wasn’t tense, but she wasn’t relaxed either. Her eyes stayed level, her posture composed, but her mind was clearly turning. Not in a frantic way. "They called her worse," Elowen said. "A failure of the bloodline. An aberration. Her kind measures are worth through genetic yield. The air didn’t ease or loosen with the hour. It held, steady and still, like a room breathing through someone else’s chest. "And the cult noticed," Elowen said. "They needed numbers. Bodies. Mouths to repeat their gospel. "Mr. Grayson was clever. Not gifted. Not powerful. Just smart in the political sense. Knew how to read a room. She let the sentence sit. The others waited. "Exactly," Elowen replied. "When a territory alignment deal collapsed and redirected two trade routes away from their holdings, the Graysons were on the brink. "She wasn’t just useful," Liliana muttered. "She was the spine." Seraphina filled in the unspoken conclusion. "So they called her broken." She took a slow breath, not to calm herself, but to let the next part settle. She glanced at Seraphina, who gave a small, confirming nod. The kind of nod that says, Yes. That matches what I’ve seen. "The Clan behind them is....," Elowen continued, "The Kobold Clan." "Because she kept him afloat," Elowen replied. "She held the ledgers that held his name." "He hated her," Isabella said. "Didn’t he?" They’re cooperative, stable, and structured. The kind of species that can exist in tight quarters without devouring itself." No High-class artifacts. Not even low-tier ones, they are not part of any secret factions or anything." Seraphina looked a little surprised after hearing the name, but the other three were not surprised, and no one interrupted. No one questioned the truth. "Because she did something no one else could," Liliana said. "She saved the house." "And Lucas?" Lilith asked. But neither were allowed to speak of the Kobold side. Not publicly. Not even internally. They were raised as Graysons. Paper-only. No blood rituals. No ancestral ties." "So," she said after a long enough pause that everyone in the room could feel it, but no one was brave—or stupid-enough to break it. "Let’s clear this up." They offered labor. Took on long contracts. High-risk, low-reward work. Mined deep. Built fast. Stayed quiet. No headlines. No flags. Just results." "No glory," Isabella added from her place on the couch. Her tone was even, but it carried weight like she understood it too well. Elowen didn’t disagree. "They labeled her a liability. Outcasted her in private, tolerated her in public. But she stayed. Not out of duty. Out of necessity." She carried a single child, full term. No enhancement. No tampering. Just a human-style pregnancy." Lilith’s brow lifted slightly. "Survivors." "It triggered everything," Elowen said. "All that silence. All that pressure. The fake image. The hidden shame. And when he still wasn’t seen..." Seraphina narrowed her gaze. "The mother." Mr. Grayson’s bluff had fallen flat. Debt was climbing. His family advisors were splitting off. But she stepped in. How to play a role. He married a woman from his own kind—or so he claimed." Elowen nodded once. "They reproduce faster than any sentient race that isn’t classified under artificial creation. Seraphina spoke first. "They offered him status. Power. Legacy tech. A seat. Not as a leader. As a door."

Chapter 277: Mrs. Grayson

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