Chapter 507: You've Hit the Wrong Person!

"Pfft! You're still hung up on Caroline? Did you secretly hide some of your mother's jewelry again this time? If so, I wouldn't mind taking it back to Caroline for you!" Gervas wore a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth.

And his smile, together with the word "jewelry," clearly struck right at Raniel's sore spot.

Remembering how last time the gift he had carefully prepared was ultimately put on Caroline by Gervas, Raniel ground his teeth, his eyes reddening, and he roared furiously, "Gervas, what did you say?"

However, the moment his words fell, before Gervas could even answer—

Andrew suddenly stepped forward and came right up in front of Raniel.

Andrew's face was full of fury as he glared viciously at Raniel.

Raniel got a fright and instinctively explained, "Father, it was Gervas who first—"

*Slap! *

Andrew paid him no heed at all and stretched out both hands.

Before Raniel could react, he had already tucked him right under his arm.

Then, palm-slaps like a palm-leaf fan began raining down on Raniel's bottom without pause.

*Slap-slap-slap! *

The sound of the slaps echoed through the banquet hall—Old man Andrew was going at it for real, holding back not the slightest bit!

And Raniel naturally bawled and screamed in disorder, thrashing wildly.

"Father, why are you hitting me! I didn't do anything wrong, it was Gervas who made fun of me first!"

"Boo-hoo! Father, so many people are watching—if you hit me like this, how am I ever going to face anyone again?"

It had to be said, this time Raniel really had been caught completely off guard by Andrew.

The pain aside, the problem was that they were still at the banquet, surrounded by guests!

From now on, he was probably going to have no face to see anyone.

And after watching Andrew deliver some thirty-odd slaps, Gervas at last strolled forward unhurriedly.

"Father, that's enough. Raniel is still young—once he's a bit older, he'll come to his senses!"

Hearing this, Andrew viciously landed a few more slaps before finally letting Raniel go.

"Gervas, if it weren't for you talking him down, today I would have made him remember it for a lifetime. In the past it was always his mother who spoiled him rotten!"

Hearing this, Gervas naturally knew that this cheap father of his was mostly putting on a show for him.

"Father, in the future you really should be stricter with him. Only then will he grow up to achieve great things—who knows, he might even become a Golden Knight one day!"

"Father, you're unfair! For Gervas's sake, you actually hit me like this at the banquet! I'm going to Mother to tell on you!"

And while Gervas and Andrew were talking, Raniel, who had just barely escaped Andrew's "demonic clutches," was clearly unconvinced.

After dodging a few meters away, with tearful eyes he accused Andrew, clearly preparing to go tell on him to Lady Mary.

In the past, this had always been his usual tactic. After Lady Mary learned of it, although she knew Raniel was in the wrong, she couldn't help but rebuke Andrew for being too harsh and hitting too hard.

And then another round of family quarrels was inevitable, which left Andrew utterly fed up.

And as luck would have it, just as Raniel had finished his tough talk, Lady Mary happened to walk in through the main entrance.

Seeing Lady Mary arrive, Raniel's eyes lit up as if he had found his savior. "Mother! You've finally come!"

"Raniel, what's wrong?" Lady Mary was taken aback.

"Mother, it's Father—he's biased toward Gervas. He just hit me in front of so many people!" Raniel reported tearfully.

Lady Mary's face immediately darkened.

Seeing this, Raniel instantly revealed a look of delight.

His own mother was angry!

This was clearly the beginning of her preparing to get him back his dignity.

"Mother, I only asked Gervas to return the Caroline he tricked away from me. If I become a Golden Knight in the future, I can forgive him!"

"But after Father heard that, he just grabbed me and then hit my bottom hard—my bottom has no feeling left at all now!"

"Mother, you must stand up for me!"

Raniel pressed on, preparing to add more fuel to his mother's fire.

Sure enough, after Lady Mary heard it, her whole body began to tremble.

"Haha! Gervas, you're done for!"

*Slap! *

Just as Raniel thought his mother was about to unleash a thunderous fury on Gervas and his father, he suddenly felt his numb bottom throb with pain again.

Raniel froze, then looked at his mother in confusion. "Mother, you… what are you doing? You've hit the wrong person!"

Lady Mary, however, was grinding her teeth. "I didn't hit the wrong person. The one I'm teaching a lesson today is you!"

*Slap! *

"I told you to take Caroline back!"

*Slap-slap-slap! *

"I told you to become a Golden Knight!"

*Slap-slap-slap! *

"I told you… told you to show no respect to your second brother Gervas!"

*Slap-slap-slap…*

"Huh? Mother, have you lost your mind?"

Raniel was beaten into a complete daze.

Under Lady Mary's pursuit, he ran while crying out in shocked questioning.

And the more Lady Mary hit, the more into it she got, with no intention of letting Raniel off at all.

"Go fetch the rattan whip—I'll make him run!" Lady Mary shouted toward her personal maid.

"Waaah!"

Hearing his mother's words and seeing the look on her face, as if she wanted to eat him alive,

Laniel, who had been trying to flee, could no longer hold on and collapsed where he stood, bursting into tears.

This is the deepest sorrow: when the heart is dead.

The very person who had beaten him the hardest today was now his greatest reliance.

"Lady, the rattan whip..." After a moment, the maid brought the rattan cane.

Seeing it, Laniel's eyes were filled with terror.

"No, Mother... don't hit me..."

Lady Mary paid no heed, raised the rattan whip high, and struck Laniel down with a vicious blow.

Crack...

However, the expected pain never came.

Laniel, his eyes brimming with tears, looked up and saw Gervas block the strike with his sword scabbard.

"Lady Mary, a little scolding is enough. With so many guests here, hitting him too hard will make the servants laugh! For him to reform, he must do so gradually!"

"Gervas, previously, as his mother, I failed to discipline him properly, which led him to commit so many wrongs and to offend you, his second brother, so greatly!"

"I apologize to you on his behalf here. I promise that from now on, he will never repeat his past mistakes!" Lady Mary's arm trembled slightly.

Whether from exhaustion or from extreme agitation, no one knew.

Hush!

Upon hearing Lady Mary's promise, Gervas had not yet spoken a word.

The crowd around them erupted first.

Many neighbors had recognized Gervas before, so naturally they knew his former status within the family.

Now, Lady Mary was disciplining her own son without holding back, and even personally apologizing to Gervas, the son of her ex-husband's wife; this was simply astonishing.

"Lady Mary! We are all family; there is no need for such solemnity. Discipline Laniel well from now on, and I believe he will improve!" Gervas showed a warm smile.

Although this change in Lady Mary's attitude came only after his status had changed.

But isn't that how this world is?

There is no right or wrong; one can only say that between people, to earn respect, one must first possess equal strength.

Otherwise, besides one's own blood relatives, how many people can treat you with complete sincerity?

Especially in such a noble family.

After hearing Gervas's words, Lady Mary naturally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

The reason she had just gone to the kitchen under the pretext was to give herself enough time to adjust her mindset.

Thus, her attitude toward Gervas had now completely reversed.

At this moment, she looked at her son, who was squatting on the ground, weeping with a bewildered expression, and felt a slight pang of heartache.

She immediately urged, "Laniel, why don't you get up quickly and thank Gervas!"

"Your second brother Gervas is now a Count and Lord! Do you know that?"

"Don't say you aren't even a Bronze Knight yet; even if you truly became a Golden Knight, you would still not compare to your second brother Gervas!"