Chapter 152 Chapter 152- Birthday Accident (Part 3)
The cake was magnificent in every sense of the word. A sugary marvel that commands attention. Its towering tiers were adorned with vibrant colors and intricate designs. Delicate fondant roses and swirling patterns embellished its surface, with ribbons of icing cascading down its side. At the pinnacle, a small figure of who seemed to be Mikayla holding a sword while standing proudly from the peak. In his hand was a sword that pierced the middle of the cake.
It was a visual feast that cost a fortune and hours and hours of manwork to finish.
The maids then put the cake on the huge table of refreshments and sweets that was set up in the middle of the room.
"Now, Master Mikayla. Would you give us the honor?" Sebastian said as he moved next to the cake.
The latter seemed to be dazed for a few seconds before he felt a tap on his shoulder from Kaya.
He nodded his head before he stepped forward and looked at the cake silently. His eyes traced every candle on it. Each candle represented a year of his life. Many would look at such a magnificent number of candles with pride as they fondly remembered their years of life. They would remember their successes and failures, their happiness and sadness. Ultimately, they would feel satisfied with how their lives went and look forward to what the future holds for them.
However, this wasn't the case for Mikayla. His mind only asked one question: Which candles represent the years he ignored his wives' requests? Which candle represents the year he disowned his son? Which candles represent the years he mistreated his own son because he didn't live up to his expectations?
If nothing happened in the past few days, he might've looked at this cake with pride. But, now, this cake seemed more like a menacing reminder that he had screwed up… a lot.
It was a graveyard that preserved each and every moment of his life where he diverged from the path.
He just realized that his ambitions and goals were really nothing but his desire to forget what he did and that worked for a long while. Now, he was reminded of the past and he can't think of anything else other than that.
"Goddamit…" He murmured.
"Master Mikayla?" Sebastian spoke with worry when he noticed his master's weird behavior.
'Old man… Come on… You are better than some provocations from that piece of shit.' Kaya looked at him with a sad expression.
"Turn off the lights. I will blow the candles." He suddenly said.
"... Master."
"Do it," Mikayla ordered.
Sebastian could only do what his master told him and he signaled for the maids to turn off the lights. The two quickly did so and the room was submerged in darkness. Except for the light of the candles, nothing else can be seen.
Mikayla's eyes closed for a second before he took a deep breath and then blew all the candles. One by one, the fires were extinguished, reducing the light of the room. Eventually, it was complete darkness.
As everyone was about to start clapping, gunshots echoed in the room.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
Nobody could react in time as it was all too sudden. But, when they realized what sound that was, screams echoed in the room as everyone started running around in panic, smashing against things they couldn't see.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Gunshots! Those were gunshots!!"
"Did someone attack the birthday?!"
"Get away! I want to leave!!"
The only ones who didn't move immediately were Kai, Kaya, and Mikayla.
"Turn the lights on!" Mikayla ordered as his sharp eyes looked around. The gunshots were real. But, he wasn't hit.
'Kaya!' His first worry was Kaya as he heard that she was targeted too.
The lights were eventually back on and the sight finally revealed itself in full. However, except for the prior trio, everyone else had already run away. The guards and servants had to make sure they were safe and sound.
"Are you ok, Old man?" Kaya asked.
"I'm fine, you?"
"Fi-" As Kaya was about to speak, her eyes landed on something right behind Mikayla. A man was lying on the ground, soaked in his own blood. There were four bullet holes in his body, one in each one of his limbs. Beside him was a gun that wasn't that far away from his hand.
The man was barely able to breathe as he tried to fight the pain.
"Sebastian… Sebastian!! Are you ok?" Mikayla also noticed him and tried to approach the butler. But, he was held back by Kaya.
"So it was you… Sebastian? You were the one targeting me and the old man." Kaya asked coldly.
Mikayla's worried face turned shocked and then frowned.
"Kaya… Do you mean?"
"Yes. It seems he is the one behind everything. He was the one that poisoned you and he was also the one that hired those bandits to assassinate me."
"*Cough* *Cough* Dammit!! Dammit!! Dammit!! DAMMIT!!" Sebastian cursed as he tried to move but his body refused. His usually calm and collected face turned into a distorted anger.
"What the hell happened?! Why did they target me?! You bastards!! You were supposed to attack him, not me!"
"I made them target you."
Kai, who was standing in the background this whole time finally stepped forward. He put his drink on the table and approached Sebastian.
"Y-You… Who are you?"
"I'm nobody. But, I must say that your plan was perfect. You had the optimal opportunity to kill Mister Raullot without nobody knowing. Well, who would really suspect the butler that served that man for almost 50 years?"
"..." Mikayla and Kaya watched him silently.
"But, it really didn't make sense to me. In everything related to the old man, you were always present. In a sense, you have all the perfect opportunities to kill him. What made me almost certain that you did is one simple thing that I can't even consider to be a flaw: I can see through your eyes. Even under all that facade of respect and admiration, your hatred toward him would leak from time to time."
Sebastian looked at Kai with a shocked expression, a myriad of complicated emotions appeared in his eyes before he sighed and closed his eyes.
"Yes, I did it. I was the one who plotted against Mikayla Raullot and I don't regret it one bit."
The old man stared at Sebastian with a blank expression. He really didn't know how to react to such information. Sebastian hasn't been merely his butler, he was one of his very few friends that he trusted completely. Even at Mikayla's lowest, Sebastian was there on his side, working hard for him day and night.
Calling what he's feeling 'betrayal' was an understatement.
"... Why?" He asked the only question he had in his mind.
"Why? You're asking why, Mikayla Raullot?! You monster! I want to strangle you with my own hands!!" Sebastian yelled with eyes filled with deep hatred. "You were the one who killed my brother!"
"..." Mikayla wanted to speak but could only close his mouth.
"Of course, hahaha. Of course, you don't remember. Why would you remember a measly life you took away by mistake 60 years ago?"