Devil's Born In Past

Ethan was heading towards his room when he encountered a servant on the way. The servant, upon seeing Ethan's face, became utterly terrified, his body trembling on the spot. All the servant could think was, "Why did I have to face this devil? Oh, God, save me!"

Ethan also noticed the servant's peculiar behavior but walked past him without a word. Ethan thought to himself, "I don't understand why these people are so scared of me, as if I'm going to eat them alive."

After Ethan left, the servant heaved a sigh of relief and muttered, "I barely escaped from this devil!" He then quickly fled from the spot.

When Ethan reached his room, he glanced at the blue roses in the vase and silently thanked Shivani. Then, lost in thought, he began reminiscing about his past.

He remembered sitting on a hospital bed at Sagar Hospital, playing Angry Birds and laughing hysterically like a madman. Suddenly, someone snatched the phone from his hands and said, "You're supposed to be resting, and here you are playing games!"

Sagar was about to shout, "Who the hell...?" but stopped when he saw Shivani standing before him. She had thrown his phone on the floor. Shivani, fuming with anger, demanded, "What did you just say?"

Sagar, now nervous, stammered, "N-nothing at all, ma'am!" Shivani glared at him and replied, "Good!" She then began stomping on his phone with her feet. Sagar, with tears in his eyes but a smile on his face, watched helplessly because he knew he couldn't do anything against this Lady Hitler.

Shivani said, "You're supposed to be resting." To this, Sagar retorted, "How much rest do you expect me to get? I'm going to die of boredom sitting here!" Shivani replied, "If you're so bored, read books. Why ruin your eyes staring at your phone?"

Sagar, with a sulky face, muttered, "Books are fine..." He then asked for a pen and paper, jotted down the names of some magazines and books, and handed the list to Shivani.

Shivani glanced at the list and immediately tore the paper apart. "You won't get these!" she said, as all the magazines and books Sagar had listed were quite inappropriate.

After thinking for a while, Sagar said, "Then give me a book on bomb-making. I want to learn how to make bombs." Nearby, a doctor shouted, "Are you out of your mind? You want to learn what?"

Sagar smirked, "If you can't arrange that book, maybe you could consider something from the first list." Shivani, smiling slyly, said, "Of course, I'll get what you've asked for."

Sagar couldn't believe it. This witch had actually agreed to his demand.

The next day...

Shivani entered the room holding a tray covered with a cloth. Sagar couldn't believe how easily things had worked out for him. With excitement, he pulled the cloth off the tray, revealing a book on one side and a slipper on the other. Confused, Sagar looked at Shivani, who said, "So, tell me, which one do you choose?"

Sagar quietly picked up the book, knowing full well that if he made any silly demands, Shivani wouldn't hesitate to slap him with the slipper. He was absolutely certain this crazy woman could do it.

Sagar looked at the book, which was about guns, and remarked, "How could you give a book like this to someone as peace-loving as me?"

Hearing this, the doctor, who had just entered the room, exclaimed, "Peace-loving? You? The same guy who talks about making bombs and has made everyone's life miserable since arriving here?"

Sagar smiled and replied, "You all have to tolerate me because I've paid for it. I'm not here for free."

The doctor retorted, "Yes, yes, you've paid a lot of money. That's the only reason the head doctor is silent. Otherwise, the entire hospital staff is ready to kick you out."

The doctor continued, "Anyway, let's move on. Here's some bad news for you and good news for us. Shivani, from today, you're solely responsible for looking after this madman. You don't need to care for anyone else—just ensure he doesn't trouble others."

Sagar screamed, "Absolutely not!"

Back in the present, Ethan burst out laughing as he imagined himself holding a gun, posing like a gangster. He made finger guns with his hands and mimicked shooting, "Dishkyoon! Dishkyoon! Dishkyoon!"

Behind him, an old man's voice interrupted, "Young master, may I come in?" Ethan turned to see the elderly butler watching him. Feeling embarrassed about his antics, Ethan said without turning around, "You didn't see anything, did you?"

The butler replied calmly, "If by 'anything,' you mean your strange gestures and noises, then no, I didn't see a thing."

Ethan turned to look at the butler, whose thick, curled white mustache caught his attention. Seeing him, Ethan thought to himself, "What bad news has he brought this time?"

The elderly butler handed Ethan a letter and said, "This contains all the information about the competition." With that, he left. Ethan was about to say something but stopped himself. He then glanced at the letter.

After reading it, Ethan cursed in anger, "Son of a...!" He suddenly realized what he was doing because Alexander Kingswell, the subject of his curse, was his stepbrother. By that logic, Alexander's mother was also his own, so indirectly, he was cursing his own mother. Ethan slapped himself and stopped mid-rant.

Ethan thought to himself, "How dare he challenge me for the duel, knowing full well that my knights are utterly useless? If you were to compare them to dung, the dung would win hands down." After hurling a flurry of insults at Antes in his mind, he calmed himself down and said, "Forget all that. I only want the most precious prize in this competition. No matter what, I have to win this challenge. Losing would mean being sent to military service, and that's not happening!"

To clear his mind, Ethan stepped out of his room. As he walked, he overheard a group of servants talking among themselves.

One servant said, "Do you know that yesterday I barely escaped the devil? It felt like death brushed right past me."

Another servant responded, "Thank God you're safe."

A third servant chimed in, "Did you hear that rumor?"

The fourth servant asked, "Are you talking about the one where people say Ethan is the avatar of a demon?"

"Oh, that's old news. Haven't you heard the newer one? They say Ethan's mother sacrificed four people to a demon to get him!" The servant was about to continue when a voice behind them said, "Interesting. Tell me more about this."

The four servants turned around, horrified, to find Ethan standing there. Trembling with fear, they began to step back.

Ethan thought to himself, "How dare these wretches? If a servant is caught insulting their master or speaking ill of them, they are executed on the spot. So where are these people finding the courage to behave like this? Sure, my father doesn't pay much attention to us, but still, insulting a noble is reason enough to sentence not just them but their entire family to death."

Ethan, with a devilish grin, said, "By the way, has anyone found my ring? You might find it in the garden well. It's quite valuable, so I need it back as soon as possible. Please, I'm requesting you."

But from the servants' perspective, Ethan's voice sounded terrifying. They could already imagine the dire consequences if they failed to retrieve his ring.

The servants felt as though something terrible was about to happen to them. Their legs trembled as they stared at the small devil before them. One of them stammered, "Y-yes, young master. Right away."

Ethan's smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression. "Then go find it immediately!" he commanded, his tone sharp.

Without waiting for a response, Ethan walked away.

After some time, he encountered the old butler standing ahead.

The butler asked him, "Do you know anything about the fire that broke out in the palace?"

Ethan froze in place. Why does this man always come straight to me? he thought. Did he find out? My reputation is already terrible, and if this news gets confirmed, it'll make things even worse.