Inside the guests' building, in Lily's room.

Lily was holding a small mirror checking her make-up.

She would do this action every time she felt that Rhys was coming.

'He will vent on me, he always does.'

Lily never had the chance to get instructed due to the fact that she came from a poor family.

However, her beauty was renowned, attracting even the attention of the nobles.

That was how she met Rhys and managed to live in the Balvan mansion.

From the commoners' perspective, she was blessed and she felt that too before Noah was born.

'To think that such happiness could turn into so much pain.'

She knew that her son was amazing.

She might not know anything about cultivation but she was sure that Noah would become someone important in the future.

'I still remember when he tried so hard to learn to walk. How could a baby have that kind of determination?'

She smiled when she remembered the scenes from his youth.

'You've worked so hard, and I know that you hide a lot of things from me. You are not even a man but you already want to protect me.'

She shook her head.

She knew that Noah cared for her, that he always checked her body for scars every time they met.

She knew that part of his hardworking personality was because of her situation.

She then remembered the first night that Noah spent training in the Kesier rune, his pale face, his bloodshot eyes.

'How many nights did you end up like that? How many times did you end up worse than that? Jeez, what a reckless son I have.'

She moved the mirror to point at her right cheek, some bruises were still healing on that spot.

'I never told you that your father hits me to hurt you. Everything he does is for ruining your life, I'm just a tool for this goal and it seems that his methods are working.'

She sighed.

What she learnt most since she came to the mansion was Rhys' personality.

She could almost predict what his every action would be.

'Today you seemed really worried otherwise you wouldn't have told me. That means that Rhys' response will be harder. Don't worry though, I might be useless as a mother but I finally have the courage to stop being your burden.'

She threw the mirror on the floor, smashing it.

Then she picked two sharp shards and hid them in her sleeves.

'I hope you will understand and, in time, forgive me.'

Then her eyes became resolute as she waited on the bed for her lover to come.

Rhys didn't make her wait much and arrived in her room only a few hours later.

As he went inside, he noticed that something was wrong with Lily's expression but then he remembered his plan and put a smile on his face.

Before he could speak though, Lily took the initiative.

"Have you come to kill me?"

They have been together for a long time, Rhys knew that Lily wasn't just a stupid woman.

"Kill you? Not at all, you probably don't know but it would be against the direct order of my Father to do that. Our son has become quite a celebrity already."

She raised her head to look right in Rhys' eyes.

"What will you do then?"

Rhys put a complacent smile and answered.

"Well, everyone knows about the treatment that I reserve you. I was just thinking that I might as well leave some permanent sign this time. I might have lost the chance to kill you but that doesn't mean that I can't increase the hate he already has for the family.'

Lily smiled at his words.

'If he hates him this much it means that my son really is extraordinary.'

"So, what were you thinking of doing."

Rhys put a pensive pose and then casually answered.

"I was thinking if I were to disfigure your face, wouldn't his hate for the family increase every time he looked at you? The lofty Patriarch sure wouldn't intervene personally for a few cuts on a whore's face.'

Lily continued to smile and stood up with her hands behind her back.

Then, she went close to Rhys with a bewitching expression and put her arms around his neck.

"Don't you want to enjoy my face one last time before you do that?"

Rhys excitement grew and he held the woman tightly by her waist, putting her close to his groin.

"You sure are a whore, eheh."

He was about to kiss her when Lily took out one of the mirror-shards from her sleeve and stabbed it in Rhys' left eye.

Rhys instinctively flung her away at full strength and she slammed in the wall of the room and then fell on the floor.

Rhys was weak but still a cultivator, his blow broke some of Lily's ribs.

He began to yell madly at Lily's figure on the ground.

"You mad woman! Now nothing can save you, not even the Patriarch! I will slowly torture you and make sure that your bastard son watches as I do it!"

Blood flowed from his eye socket, the shard had pierced him deeply, he wasn't sure that the injury was curable.

However, Lily had already held her other hidden shard and stabbed it on her throat.

She showed a bright smile as life left her and was happy to know that her plan had succeeded.

'Now he won't have any hold on you, my dear son, and you will think that your mother was just a weak woman. I hope that like this you will grow strong in the Balvan family and you won't do anything reckless. Be safe my dear.'

Then she died.

Rhys was still yelling and was about to near Lily's corpse when a suffocating pressure engulfed the room.

"You idiot son, are my orders only farts in your ears?"

Thomas Balvan appeared in the room and stopped Rhys from taking any other step.