Draco turned to face the cat.
Behind him, Emilia thrashed wildly in Ariana’s arms.
"PLEASE! FATHER, PLEASE! DON’T DO THIS!"
Her screams were raw with terror and agony, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Because to her, even if her magical beast turned out to be the weakest, there was no way in hell she would hurt it. No way she could stand by and let it die beneath the Dagger of Severance.
Because Emilia had always been this way. The girl had a good heart, a heart full of kindness and empathy.
She had always believe in the wonderful, powerful bond between the magical beasts and their tamers.
Some in the clan had said the Silvervein genius was a little strange, and they weren’t wrong.
From the day she was born, Emilia had shown a deep love for magical beasts. It didn’t matter what kind—rare or common, strong or weak, fearsome or adorable—she loved them all.
She had always dreamed of the day she would finally have a magical beast of her own.
That was why she worked so hard.
She had spent countless days buried in books, studying the art of beast mastery, learning everything she could to become a worthy partner. And every night, without fail, she would kneel and pray to the Goddess of Magical Beasts, sending her wishes and love to every creature in the world.
And so, in this moment, she would rather die...than let her father go through with it.
Alexander turned away, his jaw clenched, while his brother, Marco simply stared, his face a mask of pale horror. Even their mother, lady Ariana, usually so composed, was trembling. Tears spilling from her eyes as she clutched Emilia tightly.
And Elmandir... he stood frozen in place.
He knew what Draco was about to do. He knew it was wrong.
But still... it had to be done.
_______________________
Ignoring Emilia’s sobs echoing behind him, Draco stepped forward. He gritted his teeth, the black blade in his hand gleaming ominously under the light.
The noctifelis stared up at him, its small body trembling. Its wide eyes shimmered with fear, and it stumbled backward as he advanced. It probably could feel it—that creeping, suffocating aura bleeding from the dagger.
Draco’s heart pounded in his chest, heavy and relentless.
Because, of course, as a beast tamer—one trained to form sacred bonds with magical beasts—he could feel it too...
The resistance in his soul.
The ache in his spirit.
Taking the life of a summoned creature, no matter how weak, went against everything a tamer stood for. It would leave a scar, a mark, one that wouldn’t fade.
And more than that... this wasn’t just any beast.
This was Emilia’s first summon.
She was his only daughter, his little girl.
Ever since she was just a baby, he had been by her side, telling her countless stories about magical beasts, about their beauty, their nature, their bonds with tamers. It was he who had passed that passion down to her, who taught her to love, to care, to show compassion.
Because, in truth, Emilia’s love for magical beasts... had come from him.
And now... to think that he would be the one to go against all of that.
It tore at him to hear her crying, to hear her scream his name, pleading for him to stop. Her voice was full of pain, and it shook him more than he dared admit.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there would be consequences, grave consequences for this.
As a sinner, he would be punished. The Goddess of Magical Beasts does not forgive easily. To slay one of her kin, one of her chosen, is a grave sin in her eyes.
For the next ten years, his own magical beasts would suffer a temporary 20% drop in all stats.
That kind of penalty was crippling, even for someone like him.
But... he had to do it.
He would bear the burden alone.
Even if Emilia hated him for it—even if she never forgave him—he had already made his choice. His resolve had been set the moment he saw the noctifelis in the circle.
Because Emilia... Emilia was the future of the Silvervein clan.
She was their pride, their star. She was a girl born with astonishing talent, with the potential to rise far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
But if she remained bound to a noctifelis—the weakest of all magical beasts—her path would be crippled before it even began.
That was something Draco could not allow.
As Clan Head, as a father, he had to make the hard choice.
One day, he told himself, she’ll understand. One day, she’ll thank me for this.
That thought was the only thing keeping his hand from falling limp.
"I’m sorry..." he whispered, looking down at the small creature beneath him.
It looked so helpless, so weak, its sides rising and falling with rapid, frightened breaths. It hadn’t done anything to deserve this...
Draco’s heart clenched and his hand trembled.
For just a moment, the dagger nearly slipped from his grasp.
________________________
Suddenly, the noctifelis moved!
With a panicked cry, it darted toward the edge of the summoning circle. Its tiny paws skittered across the marble floor, ears flat against its head, tail tucked tightly between its legs!
"RUN! PLEASE! RUN AWAY!" Emilia screamed, her voice breaking, desperately hoping the little creature might somehow escape.
Against Draco, there was absolutely no chance.