SSS Ranked Dragon King: My Innate Ability is Unbelievable.-Chapter 207: What do you take me for?

Chapter 207: What do you take me for?

The cool, gentle breeze of the late afternoon was a blessing in the height of summer, and nowhere was it more perfectly enjoyed than on the wide, marble-tiled patio of the Montgomery estate.

The space was a masterpiece of designed leisure, shaded by a canopy of exquisite, carefully-pruned wisteria vines whose purple blossoms hung like fragrant curtains, dappling the light and casting a mosaic of shifting shadows on the ground. The air smelled like freshly cut grass, blooming jasmine from the nearby gardens, and the faint, expensive scent of the lemon-oil polish used on the patio furniture.

In the very heart of this tranquil scene, like a king holding court in his private pavilion, sat Henry Montgomery. He was seated in a stylish, chair, one of the several round the table in the patio, cushioned with embroidered silk, the very picture of indolent luxury. His stance and air around him, perfectly depicted description of egotistical.

Two young female servants, dressed in identical dove-grey uniforms with crisp white aprons, stood to his left and right. Their arms moved in slow, rhythmic arcs, wielding large, hand-painted fans of peacock feathers. They created a constant, artificial zephyr that stirred the curls of his carefully styled blonde hair and cooled his neck. Behind him, a third servant, her expression one showing careful concentration, worked her fingers into the tense muscles of his shoulders and upper back. Giving him a massage, completely focused on seeking out the knots of stress in them.

But the centerpiece of his indulgence was the fourth servant. She was kneeling gracefully on a small velvet cushion placed directly before his lounger, holding a polished silver bowl that was filled to the brim with plump, fresh looking green grapes, each one glistening with a faint sheen of morning dew. With a calm, almost serene look on her delicate face, she would select a perfect grape, lift it gently, and place it between Henry’s waiting lips. He would eat it directly from her fingers, his eyes half-lidded with pleasure, never once looking at her face.

The one thing all the maids had in common was the expressionless looks on their faces, not even a smile could be seen. Courtesy of his explicit instructions.

To any casual observer who happened to glimpse this scene from across the manicured lawn, it was quite clear that Henry was living a dream most men could only fantasize about, a life of absolute ease, serviced completely, his every physical whim anticipated and catered to without him having to utter a single word of request.

The servant girl, Infront of him, fed him another grape. Her face remained a mask of placid calm, though one with sharp eyes could detect the hint of revolt in her eyes as she did so, especially each time his lips touched her fingers.

Henry’s lips were curled upwards in a smug, contented smile as he indulged himself in these small, sensual pleasures. He quietly chewed the sweet, cool flesh of the grape, the sound barely audible over the soft swish-swish of the fans. For a moment, all was perfect in his world.

Then, his expression hitched. He suddenly paused, his chewing jaw freezing for a moment. His brows, which had been relaxed, drew together into a tight, severe line. A look of profound distaste, as if he’d just bitten into something rotten, twisted his features.

Ever so slowly, he raised a hand to his mouth. His fingers probed between his lips and emerged shortly after, pinching a small, pale green object. He held it up directly before the maid who was feeding him. The grape pit rested innocently on his fingertip, glistening with saliva.

"What’s this?" he muttered. His voice was calm, yet that calm was no different from the eerie stillness before a thunderclap. It was a calm that held no warmth, only showing dissatisfaction.

Elise’s body gave a tiny, involuntary tremble, a shudder that ran from her shoulders down to her knees on the cushion. The perfect mask on her face cracked, revealing a flash of pure, undiluted fear in her eyes.

Just from his tone alone, she concluded that she had definitely done something she shouldn’t have. The atmosphere on the patio, once lazy and luxurious, seemed to drop several degrees in an instant. The two fanning servants missed a beat in their rhythm. The hands massaging Henry’s shoulders stilled for a half-second before resuming, now with a frantic, nervous pressure.

"It’s a pit, my lord—" Elise began to stutter, her voice similar to a thin reedy whisper. She wanted to explain, or in their case, apologize even though she knew nothing of why he was upset with her. Of course she knew that he was dissatisfied by the pit in his grape but didn’t grapes usually come with pits, she thought to herself.

Alas, before the final syllable could leave her trembling lips, Henry’s palm pressed against the side of her face.

Unlike what one would expect, It wasn’t a wild, angry swing but a controlled, backhanded slap, delivered with the crisp, efficient force of someone who wasn’t new to dishing out such punishments.

The sound was a shocking SMACK! that echoed off the marble patio tiles, disrupting the gentle sounds of the garden.

" Ahhh!" The maid cried out in pain as the force of the blow wrenched her head to the side and sent her hurtling off he feet and onto the hard, unforgiving floor. The beautiful silver bowl flew from her grasp, clanging and clattering loudly as it hit the ground, scattering the perfect green grapes like emerald beads across the grey stone. They rolled in every direction, some coming to rest against the legs of the furniture, others crushed underfoot.

Elise lay on the cool tile, her cheek pressed against it, one hand rising instinctively to her face. She was shaking visibly, her entire frame wracked with silent sobs as she struggled to register the stunning, fiery pain blooming across her cheekbone and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth where her teeth had cut the inside of her lip. Her ears rang without stopping, though Henry had held back his strength, a crisp slap from a tier 3 was still more than she could bear, it seemed.