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may take advantage of the situation and claim your position for himself. I must return to Valken to handle matters.”
Wayne was prepared for Yuvan’s outburst. He took a deep breath and said calmly, “Your Highness, the situation is already a mess. While you’re recovering, the public will soon forget about it. It’s best if you stay here in the capital for now. I’ll go back to discuss the next steps with Prince Harvey. Half of our suicide soldiers are now under his control. We need to reorganize and strategize. And besides, can you really trust Prince Harvey to run Valken?”
Though Yuvan did not trust Harvey, he was reluctant to face the mess alone. His frustration remained evident.
Wayne pressed on, “Your Highness, the Spencer family has already expelled Lady Molly. You and the Spencer family are no longer allies. You can’t rely on their warhorses, weapons, or financial support. We need to find another way. If we don’t act now, we may lose our chance. We’ve got an army to maintain, and it takes money-money that Grand Princess Eleanor can no longer provide. I must return to find a solution.”
Wayne spoke the harsh truth, but he was careful not to let it crush Yuvan’s spirit completely. The reality was grim, but Wayne didn’t want to demoralize him further.
Yuvan didn’t immediately agree to Wayne’s departure and instead asked him to stay a few more days. He wanted to see if Salvador would issue any further edicts.
What concerned Yuvan most was the possibility of someone randomly bringing forth a woman and accusing him of dishonoring her. In such a scenario, he feared he would have no way to defend himself, and only Wayne could offer counsel and strategies. When Wayne understood his worry, he sighed inwardly. It was frustrating that Yuvan couldn’t see through such a situation.
“Your Highness, they won’t resort to that. The woman in question is Violet Spencer. They are eager to bury this scandal as quickly as possible. Besides, their efforts to establish the women’s academy and workshop are all for the sake of reputation. They advocate for protecting women’s rights and dignity-how could they then push a woman into the spotlight to be scorned? That would completely contradict their cause.”
But Yuvan wasn’t ready to listen to reason, whether based on facts or logic.
In the end, it was Fiona who persuaded him. She reminded him that years of careful planning couldn’t be allowed to fall apart now. If Harvey had any thoughts of rebellion, the power in Valken would fall into his hands.
Yuvan finally relented, but not before summoning his son, Lucian. He instructed Lucian to go back to Valken with Wayne, and insisted that Wayne repeatedly swear to ensure the authority would be transferred to Lucian. He even planned to request the title of heir apparent for his son.
Wayne knew that securing the title of heir apparent wasn’t a simple matter, but for the sake of returning to Valken, he had no choice but to agree. The next day, he left the capital with Lucian.
Meanwhile, Randall, who had been living in the capital as a political hostage, had moved to a separate residence after Yuvan’s initial departure from the capital. To this day, hehadn’t returned to Edgeview Estate. Though he wasn’t formally confined, someone always followed him when he left the residence, leaving him far from free.
When Randall heard about how Yuvan petitioned to name Lucian as his heir, a sour bitterness crept into his heart.
Though Randall was the eldest son borne by a concubine, he had been raised by Avis. Lucian and Raymond, on the other hand, were born to Fiona and thus were also the children of a concubine.
Yet, despite having an elder son,
Yuvan chose to pass his title to Lucian. Randall felt indignant, but knew there was nothing he could do-he had never been in a position to fight for anything. He couldn’t face Avis, nor could he face his cousin, Sophie. His life seemed destined to pass like this, without even the hope of marriage.
Perhaps it was for the best. At least now, he had found a friend of sorts. His name was Blake, the fallen son of the Jaffe family.
Blake had first sought him out to ask about Freya.
At first, Randall paid Blake no mind. Upon seeing him linger outside the courtyard for hours, refusing to leave, Randall eventually told him.
How Randall knew of Freya’s fate was another matter-he had overheard Wayne speaking with Yuvan about it. There were things he knew but had to feign ignorance.
Blake sat motionless for a long time. Randall had thought he might cry, but not a single tear appeared in his eyes. He just sat there blankly, lost in thought.
Unsure of what was on Blake’s mind, Randall handed him a bottle of wine. Blake drank it all in one go and passed out drunk. Randall didn’t bother sending him back home, letting him stay in the guest courtyard for the night instead. By the next morning, the steward reported that Blake had left before dawn.
He came by a few more times after that. The two didn’t talk much-they were simply drinking companions.
Randall heard that Blake’s wife had returned to her family, intending to divorce him.
One drunken night, Blake let slip that he knew one of his wife’s secrets. It was like a thorn lodged deep in his heart-something he couldn’t quite remove, yet he also didn’t feel the need to. He could live with it. However, she no longer wanted to look back.
When Randall asked what the secret was, Blake didn’t answer. He simply smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“If I tell you, it’ll ruin her. If she wants to divorce me, she’ll need to marry again. She’s the daughter of an earl’s family. She’ll have no trouble finding another husband.”
Randall didn’t press further. The secrets of women in the inner households could be harmful, often tied to life or love affairs. In the end, the two men were nothing more than drinking companions. Blake was poor, so Randall paid for all the meals and drinks. It didn’t matter. Having someone to keep him company was enough.
–
Meanwhile, Zoey hadn’t been going to the workshop lately. She was overwhelmed with many troubles.
First, she received a letter from the Southern Frontier. It said that two of the concubines who had gone with Oliver had fallen ill and passed away. Now, only one concubine remained by his side, and this woman had diligently cared for him during his time of loss. With Oliver so busy with all the military duties at the Southern Frontier, this concubine had been managing the marshal’s residence, Redstone Manor, as well as his daily needs. Now, Oliver was writing to Zoey, discussing the possibility of elevating this concubine to the status of a rightful wife.
The letter didn’t even mention the concubine’s name, likely out of caution. Oliver knew of Celeste’s true identity and had already arranged new one for her. If he were to elevat her to a rightful wife, her former identity would no longer suffice. He would need to find her a new one to match his status as an earl.
The second matter was Viola’s return to her family, where she was insisting on a divorce.
However, she wasn’t entirely set on divorcing. Whenever Evelyn scolded her, she would cry, claiming she couldn’t bear it because Blake was going to enlist and start again as a lowly soldier.
He had once been a general, and now he was returning to serve as a mere foot soldier. If that happened, their reputation would be in complete tatters. Viola’s tears were merely a plea for Evelyn and Zoey to intervene and secure a better position for Blake.
Evelyn had already declared that she wouldn’t get involved in Viola’s affairs. When her daughter continued to cry, she reluctantly summoned Blake to speak withnet ve him. However, he refused to leverage his in-laws’ connections, insisting he simply wanted to join the army even if it meant starting as a cook at the campsite.
Evelyn berated him, calling him spineless. He had a good position but threw it all away, causing himself to end up with nothing. He brought a wife home but never treated her well, always breaking her heart.
In the end, Evelyn ordered that until their issues were resolved, Blake wasn’t allowed to join the military. The situation remained at a standstill.
Zoey couldn’t escape the fallout. Evelyn was sick, demanding Zoey and Luna stay close and tend to her daily. She would cry about Viola’s lack of understanding and disgraceful behavior, while also lamenting Blake’s incompetence. Her underlying message was clear- she expected Zoey and Luna to help look after Viola.
Zoey couldn’t even talk to anyone about such matters. She kept it all bottled up inside, while also trying to figure out her daughter and son’s futures.
Her daughter was to marry, and finding a good match was no small task.
What troubled her more was her son. He was the legitimate eldest son, and if the title of earl could be passed down without any issues, he was supposed to inherit it.
The title of Earl of Silverstone looked prestigious on the outside, but Zoey knew better The family was corrupt through and through. She knew just how many dirty secrets were buried beneath the surface. Aside from her brother-in-law and his wife, who were innocent, Oliver and Viola had their share of shameful deeds.
Zoey was exhausted, but as a mother, she had no choice but to keep planning for her children’s futures-no matter the cost.
In the end, she turned to Sophie.
Sophie was a bit surprised.
“I remember your son is quite good with his studies. Why would he want to study martial arts with me? Madam Zoey, I don’t know how to be a good mentor, especially for someone who is meant to inherit a title. Surely his best path is to continue his studies and become an official?”
Sophie didn’t want to take on an apprentice. She already had a public position, and she couldn’t devote the time necessary for proper teaching. And Cedric was still young-just a boy in his teens. Besides martial arts, she would need to teach him how to conduct himself and guide him toward the right outlook on life.
It wasn’t like Violet, where her apprentices were all older than her, each with their own responsibilities.
“Inheriting a title?” Zoey gave a wry smile, her eyes full of helplessness. “Your Grace, whether this title can even be kept is still uncertain. And even if it is… I fear it will be more of a troublesome burden.”
She sighed. “I’m not asking you to take him as an apprentice. I don’t care who teaches him, as long as he learns how to defend himself. If something happens to him one day, at least he’ll have the strength to face it-so he won’t be tortured to death in just a few days.” Sophie was taken aback. “What kind of trouble are you anticipating? Why do you speak of such grim things, Madam Zoey?”