Silence dominated the room as Hector joined Lucian, seated at the other end of the table.

Lukas had already risen to his feet and stayed on the side of the room with Gustav. As for the three—Vincent, Dante, and Alejandro—they also made their way to the table, joining Lucian around it.

Lucian continued to eat quietly, his calmness enough to maintain the tension in the air. From the beginning, he had barely said or done anything.

Why?

Because he had already decided. Meaning, these men’s fates were already sealed.

"You should eat," Lucian broke his silence, his voice cool.

He lazily lifted his gaze, scanning every face around the table. When his gaze landed on the trio, a faint, disappointed sigh escaped him.

"Dominion... has always been filled with proud people who would not flinch even in death," he commented. "I am disappointed."

His eyes moved to Alejandro. "Especially you, Ale. I was expecting that, until the end, you’d hold on to your dignity even if it were futile."

Alejandro hung his head low, his expression blank, his eyes wide and drained of color.

"You have made it this far," Lucian continued, shifting his gaze to Hector. "With him. You shouldn’t have shamed him the way you did."

All three of them gulped, sliding their eyes toward Hector.

Hector’s expression tightened, keeping his stern gaze fixed on Lucian. Unlike the other three, Hector showed neither panic nor desperation. If anything, he remained composed.

"The temple’s food is good for your health, Hector," Lucian remarked. "At your age, you should be watching your diet."

"Lucian, do you think that even if you kill me today, everything will be resolved?" Hector snorted, shaking his head, his eyes still on Lucian. "I am not the only one who wants to see you go down, and my death... will not resolve anything."

"Mhm," Lucian hummed as he took another bite, gliding his eyes over the trio. "Eat."

Their shoulders stiffened at the command as they reached for the cutlery. But who could eat in this situation? Digesting it was just one of the problems; choking was another variable they had to consider.

Lucian watched as they took their first bite before he said, "It’ll be less painful with a full stomach."

"Huh?" Everyone paused, food in their mouths, eyes widening at Lucian.

Lucian placed down his chopsticks and took something from his suit. Then, very carefully, he placed a small vial beside his bowl of food.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the small vial, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. Lucian hadn’t said what it was, but they could already guess.

"Two years ago, Dominion funded research on all sorts of poisons so they could create an antidote for each. Or possibly, an antidote for entire categories," Lucian began. "Although in these modern times, assassination has evolved into more efficient methods, poison is still one of the cleanest ways."

"Considering Dominion will always be Dominion, whether we enter full legalization or not, my life—and those in the high-circle ministry, commanders, top to bottom—will always be subject to the same risks and dangers," he continued.

"This only increased the chances of us dying from ever-evolving poisons," he stressed. "It does not guarantee life, but it does guarantee a higher chance of surviving assassination through poison."

The three could only stare at Lucian with quiet dread, gulping their food with great difficulty. Meanwhile, Hector never once looked away from the man who would be delivering him to hell.

With a stern voice, he asked, "What are you getting at? Are you asking me to beg and abandon my dignity just like these three fools for an antidote?"

"No." Lucian almost laughed, but he could only muster a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "I would not subject one of my elders to such humiliation. Even if you wished for my death, I will still grant you a dignified death for all the years you served the late madam and Dominion."

Dignified death?

Hector laughed as a murderous glint flickered in his eyes. He and Lucian both knew that the latter never believed in any dignified death or any sort of nickname one would associate with it.

Lucian had said it before: there was nothing noble, dignified, or poetic about death.

Death was just... death.

And this? It was just his way to mock him.

"All I am saying is, this research I funded will not stop any bullet from killing any of us. However, poison will be less of our worries," Lucian explained patiently. "Just like how your deaths will not resolve everything, it will scratch one problem off this long list."

Lucian glanced to his side, and Lukas immediately lowered his head.

Pushing himself up, Lukas headed for the door and opened it. There, waiting for him, was another resident of the temple carrying a tray of teacups and a small teapot. As soon as Lukas took it, he carefully marched back to the table and set it down beside Lucian.

With that, Lukas and Gustav lowered their heads to Lucian and, without a word, walked out of the room.

While the two men were leaving, Lucian began arranging the cups into a single, organized row.

As he did so, he began to speak again in his calm voice.

"I understand that all of you have grudges you wanted to settle with me. When I inherited Luciano’s name and Dominion, I did many things that didn’t sit well with any of you." Lucian poured tea into each cup, filling them only halfway.

Then he picked up the vial he had placed on the table and poured a few drops into each cup of tea, all while continuing to speak.

"Friends and colleagues you used to work with and build relationships with paid in blood as I ascended to the position. You, on the other hand, had to kneel and acknowledge me through gritted teeth. Perhaps, all of you promised yourselves that before your deaths, you would settle the score."

Lucian finished preparing the teacups and slid one toward the person closest to him—Alejandro.

With cold confidence, he said, "Pass it."

Alejandro’s breath hitched as he stared at Lucian in horror. But Lucian had already slid another cup toward the man across from Alejandro, telling him the same thing.

However, neither of them passed the teacups. They simply stared at Lucian.

"You..." Dante hissed through gritted teeth, darting his eyes around the room.

Lucian was all alone now that Gustav and Lukas had stepped out. Even if they were older and Lucian was still young and strong, they could still overpower him.

The trio looked at each other.

They were going to die, anyway. Might as well drag him down with them.

But before they could jump him and force the tea down his throat, Hector let out a ridiculing laugh.

"Fools," he scoffed, watching as the three looked back at him. "It’s the food."

For a second, their brows furrowed. Then, instinctively, they gazed down at the food they had eaten, only to see the silverware turning black.