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Instead, he seemed unnervingly calm.
Perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing. Yuvan could use a calm and level-headed assistant, especially one who had authority over the king’s personal guards.
Wayne continued, “Lady Heather knows about everything that’s happened in the Jaffe family, and is deeply saddened. She feels guilty for not convincing Lady Sophie to stay, for letting her ruin the Jaffe family’s reputation by getting a divorce, and also tarnishing Lady Heather’s name in the process.”
Blake felt a strange, almost indescribable emotion rise in him. He had heard about what happened to Leona as well. She was Heather’s own daughter. When Leona was mistreated by her husband’s family, Harvey and his family didn’t intervene to help. So, to hear this man sent by Heather speaking about his divorce from Sophie sounded hard to believe.
“You should know that Lady Heather was left with no choice,” Wayne continued. “Prince Harvey has been able to remain in the capital only because he stays out of state affairs and lives quietly. There are many things he wants to manage but clares not to, so this guilt should have remained private. But seeing how things have turned out with the Jaffe family, she simply couldn’t bear it and sent me to express her condolences.”
Wayne’s ability to read people was sharp. Blake, standing in front of him, felt almost childlike in comparison. Blake thought back to how low-key Harvey and his family had been in recent years. It made sense.
Back when Sigmund was still alive, Harvey was the younger brother of the king, Augustus’ biological son. If he and his family hadn’t kept a low profile, they would have been vulnerable to false accusations of disloyalty. If that happened, wouldn’t that have ruined his entire family?
Blake nodded thoughtfully. “Your words make sense, Horace. I understand, and I appreciate Lady Heather’s concern.”
Wayne’s gaze was filled with sincerity and worry. “So, do you plan to observe the mourning period for three years? Don’t you want to consider another approach?”
“Another approach?” Blake furrowed his brow in confusion.
“Like applying for an exemption,” Wayne said with a small smile. “Three years is a long time. Do you know what the situation will look like then? The king plans to make the Crown Guard independent from the Mystic Army, meaning it won’t be under Lady Sophie’s control anymore. But for that to happen, there needs to be a commander for the Crown Guard. If you remain in mourning, that position will fall to someone else.”
Blake wasn’t really surprised. Though his time as the commander of the Crown Guard had been short, he wasn’t foolish and could sense the king’s intentions to make the Crown Guard an independent unit.
Salvador was wary of the Hell Monarch, so how could he allow Sophie to control all the security in the kingdom, including the king’s own safety?
Blake smiled wryly. “Well, it’s something beyond my control. I am in mourning for my mom and must observe the mourning period.”
Wayne smiled gently, pouring him a cup of coffee. He spoke quietly, “Prince Harvey can help you.”
Blake blinked, taken aback. Harvey barely interacted with anyone in the capital, so how could he possibly help him? Besides, would he really do it out of guilt-if that guilt even existed? And if there was guilt, it would be for Sophie, not for him.
Blake wasn’t stupid.
Setting aside whether Harvey could actually help him, if he could, it would be for a reason. If he truly did assist him, Blake would owe him, and from then on, he would become the prince’s servant.
“In accordance with tradition, I’m observing the mourning period for my mom, unless the king issues an edict to revoke it. However, I’m not an important court official, nor am I a general on the frontier. The king does not need me,” Blake said slowly.
Wayne chuckled softly. ‘Commander Jaffe, you underestimate yourself. You’ve disappointed the king time and again, yet he’s still willing to offer you a chance. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Blake asked, indeed confused about it.
“It’s because of your grudge against the Hell Monarch. The Mystic Army was originally led by Prince Rafael. After he became Chief Judge, he could have continued leading it. Many court officials hold multiple positions. So, why did His Majesty choose Lady Sophie to take over as commander of the Mystic Army?” Wayne posited, his gaze fixed on the other man.
Blake paused, thinking. Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place, but he still didn’t fully understand.
“Why?” he asked again.
Wayne didn’t bother holding back and spoke directly, “Changing the commander of the Mystic Army would cause dissatisfaction within its ranks, since the soldiers were all handpicked and trained by Prince Rafael. But Lady Sophie is his wife. Replacing him with her would make it easier for them to accept her.
“However, she won’t hold the position for long. The king will gradually reduce her power-first the Crown Guard, then the Royal Guard, and eventually the Capital Guard. At best, she’ll be left with the Garrison Unit, which is mostly made up of useless, undisciplined men who are no threat at all.”
Even though Blake had suspected some of it, hearing it laid out so plainly still sent a chill down his spine.
Salvador’s repeated attempts to keep Blake close weren’t because he appreciated his talents. No, Blake was just a pawn in Salvador’s game, used to balance out Rafael and Sophie, who had personal grudges against him. He remembered Sebastian’s words-how Blake had potential, but wasn’t a great man of talent. Sebastian could see it, so how could the king not? In other words, without the tension between Blake, Rafael, and Sophie, Salvador would have cast him aside long ago, right?
A complicated storm of thoughts swept through Blake’s mind. In the back of it all, he wondered if he would rather be just an ordinary member of the Capital Guard.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Wayne continued to push, “I imagine you’re not content with the situation, Commander Jaffe. A woman who divorced you, who even caused such a public scandal, is now above you and holding power over you.
“Don’t you want the power to put her beneath your feet? When she divorced you, it caused a citywide uproar. It tarnished the Jaffe family’s reputation and even caused your mom’s death. If it weren’t for her, Sebastian would never have stopped your mom’s medicine.”
Blake looked up, his expression darkening, his gaze full of anger and confusion.
Pleased to see that look, Wayne’s voice was laced with even more persuasion as he added, “It was Lady Sophie who killed your mom. It was she who destroyed your family’s reputation, turning them into a joke.
“If you lose the Crown Guard commander’s position, you’ll never rise again. The king may want you to help balance out Prince Rafael and Lady Sophie, but he doesn’t need you. If you want a future, Prince Harvey can help you, Commander Jaffe.”
Blake met Wayne’s gaze, feeling an icy chill run down his spine as he saw the calculating glint in the latter’s eyes.
The case involving Eleanor’s rebellion wasn’t even resolved yet, and now Harvey was trying to place someone by the king’s side? Was he really as timid as he seemed? What exactly was he trying to do?
Blake knew his own limits. He could never play double agent, especially not with Salvador. Having ten lives wouldn’t be enough if he tried that.
He stood up immediately and respectfully said, “There’s a matter at home that requires my attention. I must take my leave.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
Wayne stared after Blake’s retreating figure, his expression growing serious.
Had he misjudged? Did Blake truly lack any ambition? Did he understand what it meant to be commander of the Crown Guard? That role meant he would be the king’s most trusted personal guard, even more influential than a second-rank minister.
There was no way Blake lacked ambition. Wayne had done his research before seeking him out. He had always dreamed of bringing honor to the Jaffe family-it was almost an obsession for his entire family. How could he possibly be content with mourning for three years like this?
Unless someone else had already approached him? His mourning paperwork had been filed-someone must have known. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone had got to him first.
But lately, there had been eyes on him. After the New Year celebrations, Blake hadn’t gone anywhere other than the Capital Guard headquarters’ training grounds. Because he was in mourning, he hadn’t visited anyone, nor had he received visitors, with the exception of people from the Earl of Silverstone’s family.
Could it be them? But that didn’t make sense. Oliver was at the Southern Frontier, Caspian was useless, and the rest were women. How could they help Blake?
Wayne thought it over. It was more likely that Blake didn’t trust Harvey’s abilities. After all, these past years, the prince had been no better than a coward hiding away. But that was out of their hands.
He also couldn’t approach Blake using Yuvan’s name or status. And as for the ministers Eleanor had tried to win over, none of them could be used now, as they had all retreated.
Sighing, Wayne recalled how he had advised Yuvan years ago to slowly take over Eleanor’s network and to never let her hold all the cards herself. But the prince had insisted she wouldn’t be suspected, and now, years of effort in the capital had been lost in an instant.
Now, besides Harvey and a couple of others they had recommended, there was no one else useful. That was why they had no choice but to take a risky move, sending Harvey to Westhaven to secure the cooperation.
What worried Yuvan now was that the queen dowager had sent someone to Hartstone Estate and discovered Harvey was no longer in the capital, yet no action had been taken against him.
Wayne had studied Salvador thoroughly. The man’s ambition ran deep, and he trusted no one. Harvey’s sudden illness and departure from the capital at such a sensitive time should have raised alarms, yet the king had done nothing.
His inaction left Wayne at a loss. Without knowing Salvador’s next move, he couldn’t make any predictions or prepare for what was to come.