Julia stood still in the corner, her hands trembling slightly as her gaze locked onto Lucian. The room was filled with an uneasy silence, the kind that weighed heavily on one's chest.
She took a deep breath before declaring, "I will justify this matter as I am the eyewitness Duke Arden is talking about."
A few gasps rippled through the crowd. Everyone knew she was being threatened, yet no one dared to speak up. Even Lucian, usually the first to confront injustice, remained silent.
Julia's voice was steady, but her fingers clenched into her sleeves. "Agnes was the first to provoke Lord Lamin. I saw Agnes teasing and bullying him."
Lucian's sharp eyes flickered toward Agnes. "Do you agree with her, Agnes?"
Agnes sighed, then nodded. "Yes, I do. I admit my punishment."
Lucian studied him for a moment. He's accepting this so easily… A heavy realization settled in Lucian's mind—Agnes staying here would only lead to more conflicts between these families.
And just then—
Lily appeared.
She walked into the room with the perfect grace of a noblewoman, greeting everyone with a formal nod, as if she had stepped right out of a royal novel. But as she approached Agnes, her face hardened with a look of pure arrogance.
Without warning, she slapped Agnes.
"Who do you think you are to act like this?"
Another slap.
"You dare to sully the very name of the family that raised you?"
And one last slap.
"Disappear from my sight."
Sound of the slap still ringing in the room.
Agnes barely reacted, his mind spiraling back to the memories of his past life.
" Why am I even here?"
"How did I end up in this world?"
Most of his previous memories had blurred, but the important ones remained intact.
He lowered his head and silently walked out of the room.
As he passed by, Lily turned away, her expression unreadable, and went straight to Lamin's side.
Lamin, looking pale but amused, smirked. "Lily, would you treat my wounds?"
Lily's face turned red in an instant. "O-Off! Of course, I would!"
Meanwhile, outside, Agnes sighed, placing a hand on his face. A small, wry smile appeared.
"What's wrong with these dumbass kids?"
With that, he left the mansion without another word.
As Agnes walked down the muddy road, two familiar figures appeared in the distance.
Agnes squinted. "I have seen those two somewhere? ." he was genuinely puzzled.
His eyes widened. "You two?!"
Lucian smirked. "Of course, we're here. We came to bid farewell to our dear son."
Agnus " I have parents? FrOm WhEn? "
Aurelia ignored him and shoved a small bundle into his hands. "Here, take this. Eat it if you get hungry."
Agnes blinked at the food. "Wait… is this my own rations that I left in the kitchen?!"
Aurelia coughed. "It's the thought that counts."
And suddenly—THE TEARS STARTED.
He hugged both of them tightly.
Agnes: "Why am I crying?"
Lucian: "Why are you crying?"
Aurelia: "Why are YOU crying?"
They stared at each other… then all three of them burst into tears.
Lucian sobbed harder. "I remember the summer we used to go fishing together… and you fell into the river because you were bragging about marrying the best fish."
Aurelia cried louder. "I remember taking you to the circus… where you set the entire tent on fire!"
Agnes wailed. "I just realized… I HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF FROM NOW ON!"
They all cried harder.
When they finally calmed down, Lucian handed him some letters.
Agnes squinted. "What's this? Property rights?"
Lucian sighed. "No. These are letters of recommendation. You can go train at any sect you want."
Agnes sighed dramatically. "Oh, how disappointing. But fine, I shall accept your generosity."
Lucian crossed his arms. "Also, there's a letter for you to join the Academy when you turn eighteen."
Agnes groaned. "Ugh. More education? I thought I was escaping the system!"
Lucian patted his shoulder. "Suffer."
With a reluctant wave, Agnes walked away, officially starting his journey.
That night, Julia met with Lucian and Aurelia, a heavy look on her face.
"I need to confess something," she began hesitantly. "Duke Arden blackmailed me into framing Agnes."
Lucian took a deep breath, his expression unreadable. "We already knew."
Julia blinked. "Oh… well then… can we bring Agnes back now?"
Lucian's face darkened instantly. "No, we can't."
Julia felt a pang of guilt. "But Why?"
"Who knows?" Lucian replied coolly.
Little did they know, Lily had been hiding nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation.
She knew if she done that to Agnes, Duke Arden would have killed him as even she was blackmailed.
She clutched a broken crown in her hands, a relic of the past—one that Agnes had given her, only for Lamin to break it.
"He probably fought because he knew this was dear to me," she thought, closing her eyes.
But she was wrong.
The truth was much pettier than that.
When they were kids, Agnes used to make her flower crowns. But every time they rotted, she'd cry.
"What is with this crown-hungry creature?" Agnes had once wondered.
So, to shut her up, he had saved up his pocket money to buy her a real crown.
"Why am I the one buying this? This witch better appreciate my efforts," he had thought at the time.
And thus, he hadn't fought out of noble intentions—he had fought because Lamin had broken something he had spent his money on.
Agnes scratched his head. "Wait. I've seen this tree before."
A minute later—"HOLD UP, I'VE SEEN THIS TREE THREE TIMES!"
Another minute later—"AM I WALKING IN CIRCLES?!"
Then it hit him.
"I AM LOST!"
For the next hour, he wandered around like a confused chicken. His frustration built up until he finally spotted some villagers in the distance. A beacon of hope!
Excited, he leaped like a frog and landed right in front of them. "HEY! CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE THE CULTIVATING SECT IS?"
The villagers screamed.
One dropped his basket of vegetables. Another fainted on the spot. A child burst into tears and clutched his mother's leg like Agnes was a monster from the abyss.
"AHHHHHHH!"
"Demon! It's a demon!"
"GET THE HOLY WATER!"
Agnes blinked."Huh?"
An old man pulled out a wooden charm. "BEGONE, FOUL BEAST!" He threw it at Agnes's face. It bounced off harmlessly.
A woman grabbed a frying pan."DON'T WORRY, EVERYONE! I'LL SLAY IT!"
Agnes dodged."HEY, HEY, HOLD ON! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
The bravest villager squinted."Wait a second… It's not a demon… it's… A HUMAN?!"
The villagers went silent. They took a good look at him.
Agnes, completely unaware of his cursed facial structure, smiled brightly. "Yeah, I'm human! Can you help me find the sect?"
The villagers winced.
One of them whispered,"By the heavens… he's human, but he's… ugh… really, really…"
Another muttered,"Ugly. He's ugly as sin."
A child sniffled."Mom, why does his face look like that?"
Agnes blinked."Look like what?"
The mother covered the child's eyes."Don't stare, sweetheart. It's rude."
A younger villager leaned toward his friend. "Is this the first case of someone getting hit by the ugly stick… AND THEN THE ENTIRE UGLY TREE FELL ON THEM?"
Agnes was starting to get annoyed.
"Alright, enough with the commentary! I get it, I'm not a beauty pageant winner! Just tell me where the sect is!"
The old village chief cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. Forgive us, young man. We were simply… startled. Your face is… ah… unique."
"Gee, thanks."
Another villager coughed. "So, uh… are you cursed?"
Agnes sighed. "No, I was born like this."
The villagers exchanged horrified looks. "Oh… oh no…"
Agnes groaned. "Just—please—tell me where the sect is."
One villager cautiously pointed. "It's near our village… but, uh, do you… need a mask?"
Agnes crossed his arms. "Why?"
The villager coughed awkwardly. "No reason. No reason at all."
Then an old lady stepped forward, her heart full of kindness. "Poor child… you must have suffered so much in life…"
Agnes, touched, smiled. "Finally! Someone with a kind heart!"
The old lady held out a cloth. "Here, wear this over your face. It'll help."
Agnes: "…"
"I'm leaving."
The old village chief quickly spoke."Wait! Young man, if you don't have a place to stay, you can rest at my inn for free tonight."
Agnes narrowed his eyes. "You're just trying to get me indoors so I don't scare people, aren't you?"
The chief coughed."…No?"
Agnes sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. I'll take the free room."
The villagers collectively exhaled in relief.
And thus, Agnes the Ugly continued his ridiculous journey.