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What incredible luck the child had. Barely breathing, he was still alive when Adrian found him. Despite his misgivings, Adrian took Isaac back with him. After a few days of light food and two doses of medicine, he actually started to recover.
In the capital, David had consulted many physicians who could not make Isaac any better. Yet, just a few bowls of soup and two doses of medicine had worked wonders.
It was extraordinary.
Adrian wasn’t too impressed, though. The kid was so thin, with barely any flesh on him. Isaac was nearly six years old, but looked like he was only three or four. Adrian realized raising him would be a lot of trouble.
He thought about sending Isaac back, but then remembered how the kid didn’t scream when surrounded by poisonous snakes. He figured the child must be bold, and having courage was the most important thing in life. With that thought, Adrian decided to keep him. The rest would depend on the boy’s fate.
At that age, a child could already remember things. Once Isaac trusted Adrian enough, he shared his story. Adrian sent people to investigate and soon learned the full details.
After the fire at the temple, the Earl of Silverstone’s family thought Isaac was dead. However, Adrian found the charlatan and took him back to Meadow Ridge. Saying the cool autumn day was a good time for drying cured meat, he set up a long pole and tied the priest to it. The priest’s tongue was no good for eating, so he cut it off first.
No one knew exactly when the charlatan died, but he hung there for three months before being taken down. Burial was out of the question, and they couldn’t waste a mat to wrap him in. Digging a hole felt too disrespectful to the earth itself, so they simply threw his body to the wolves. Strangely enough, even the wolves rejected him. If it hadn’t been for the need to store fat for the winter, they wouldn’t have touched him at all.
The charlatan had lived in the or temple Isaac had been taken to, and it was almost laughable how a noble family with a long history of military honor believed the lies about borrowing the power of some deity. It was one thing for the ignorant common folk to fall for it, but the Earl of Silverstone’s family believed it completely. They even handed over their five-year-old son, placing him in the hands of a monster.
Isaac-that was the name Adrian had given him. He hoped the boy’s future would be full of music and joy, free from the hardships of his past.
“As Isaac grew older, Sage Adrian asked him if he wanted to return to Silverstone Estate,” Kyle continued. “But he refused, saying there was no need. Seraphina had died in that fire, and once a person is dead, they cannot come back.”
Sophie’s heart tightened, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t stop the grief from spilling over. When she thought of Isaac, she thought of Ryan. And then, thinking of Ryan’s tragic fate, she couldn’t help but imagine the torment Isaac must have endured in that temple.
A five-year-old child, once coddled and cherished, was suddenly abandoned to a cruel charlatan. He had been tortured, nearly dying in a few short months. Then, to be thrown away as if his life meant nothing-who knew what else the charlatan had done to him? “I think if he doesn’t want to acknowledge them, then don’t,” Rafael said, clearly angry. “Who knows if they really sent Isaac away hoping he would live, or if they just wanted him to carry on the family’s fortune?”
After all, the Earl of Silverstone’s family had fully believed in the charlatan’s lies.
“That’s probably something Isaac has wondered about himself,” Kyle replied. “But he never dared ask. The truth is, how could he not feel anything for his mom? He was her precious child for five years, and even after everything, she came looking for him. Because of that, he always had a soft spot for her.”
Rafael thought for a moment, then added, “But wait-Marshal Prince inherited the title. That means their dad never did. And Marshal Prince had some disabilities when he inherited, though not serious. The last time I saw him, it seemed like they were all healed.”
Kyle was unaware of the matter. He had assumed David was the previous Earl of Silverstone.
“Didn’t David inherit the title? Could it be that the people Sage Adrian sent to investigate made an error?” asked Kyle. “We’ll know once we ask Jacob,” Rafael responded promptly.
Jacob was invited to the study and asked about the events involving the Prince family from years ago. He did know some details about it—he was familiar with the matters of each noble family, going back three generations, though only to a certain extent.
“Yes, Mr. David never inherited the title. At the time, the then Earl of Silverstone, Vincent Prince, was still ill and hadn’t appointed a successor. After Mr. David returned with military achievements, he requested to be made heir. Once he became the heir, Mr. Vincent’s health began to improve and he eventually made a full recovery.
“Because of that, the passing of the title was postponed. I’m not entirely sure what happened after that, but Mr. Vincent later appointed his eldest grandson, Mr. Oliver, as the successor. Clearly, something went awry, though it’s unclear to outsiders and I’m not certain either. Those who might know are likely the elders from the Silverstone family and, of course, Madam Prince.”
The situation had suddenly become much more complex.
If David hadn’t inherited the title at that time, could it really be said that Isaac had brought good luck to him? But when Isaac was born, David was made heir to the title. When Isaac was sent away at five years old, David had yet to inherit the title.
It sounded like Isaac actually brought good luck to Vincent instead of David.
In any case, something was off about the situation. It seemed the elders themselves might be unaware of the truth. The only person who might know was Evelyn. “Perhaps we should stop investigating. Let Isaac make the decision. It’s enough to know what we do now. Whatever he chooses, we’ll support him,” Sophie suggested.
This was Isaac’s matter to resolve. He had the authority to decide how to proceed, and whatever made him comfortable would be the course they followed.
Still, Sophie couldn’t help but feel sorry for Isaac. In the past, they hadn’t been particularly close. One reason was his reputation as a libertine, often frequenting places of ill repute. The second reason was that he always acted arrogantly and didn’t take anything seriously. Sometimes when everyone was playing together, he would fold his arms, say something childish, and then walk away.
Sophie still remembered the winter of her second year at Meadow Ridge. She had built three snowmen in the backyard-one for her dad, one for her mom, and one for herself. As she was planning to make snowmen for her brothers too, Isaac had come along and kicked them down, one by one.
She was furious. Without thinking, she charged at thim, determined to fight. Back then, she had only recently started learning martial arts and had no real skill to speak of. One punch from Isaac was enough to knock her to the ground, butche didn’t fight back. He simply stood there, arms crossed, letting her strike him. After she was done, he walked off.
At the time, she thought Isaac was utterly cruel.
Even when Adrian scolded him, he didn’t seem afraid. Instead, he gave Sophie a dismissive smirk. If Everett hadn’t come with a rope to tie him up, Isaac would have just taken his punishment with that same careless smile.
“No matter what Isaac plans to do, I suspect he doesn’t know the full story himself. If we investigate, we’ll at least have a clearer picture,” Rafael said, breaking Sophie’s reverie.
Everyone nodded. Based on what Jacob and Rafael said, it seemed David had never inherited the title. So, it was possible that some details from Adrian’s investigation had been misrepresented.
It was a pity the charlatan priest was dead, or they could have interrogated him.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Sophie thought about turning to Zoey for help, thinking the other woman could ask Evelyn about what had really happened all those years ago. But this was a delicate matter. After all, it was an invasion of someone else’s privacy. If Sophie didn’t reveal Isaac’s identity to Zoey, it would be hard to ask for her assistance.
She couldn’t bring herself to do that.
They couldn’t pretend to be doing what was best for Isaac while actually doing things against his will. That would be hypocritical.
The matter had taken place nearly twenty years ago, and it was likely done in secret. If they investigated themselves, they might not be able to uncover anything.
What troubled Sophie most, however, was Isaac’s current belief that he had been sent to the temple to recover because no physician in the capital could heal him. He hadn’t expected the charlatan to torment him the way he had. But his family’s intentions had been good, and that was the part that made it hard to bear.
It was why Isaac had been pacing back and forth outside Silverstone Estate these past few days. He seemed lost in thought, as if reflecting on the bond of family.
Jacob and Luke used their connections to dig into this old affair. They began with the relatives from other branches of the Earl of Silverstone’s family. When they inquired, they were told that the child had died in a great fire, and that David and Evelyn had mourned for a long time because of it.
It was clear that this information was incomplete, just like the findings of Adrian’s previous investigation. It was only the surface of the truth.
While the investigation continued, Blake and Viola had already parted ways, each going their separate paths. The divorce had been finalized without dispute, with both sides agreeing to the terms. The dowry, which had once been paraded through the capital on their wedding day, was now quietly returned to Viola.
All she wanted now was to keep things as low-key as possible. She told Zoey that since the Jaffe family was facing difficult times, there was no need to take large items like bedding or chests. They would only take back smaller valuables, such as jewelry, silks, and other fine items. As for the properties and farmland that came with her dowry, she had already sent people to reclaim those first.
Zoey didn’t handle this personally but had entrusted it to the estate’s steward.
Evelyn and Viola still urged Zoey to see Riley and ask her to clarify the matter. They even offered to pay Riley a thousand gold coins. However, Zoey, along with Luna, had opposed this. It wasn’t worth spending such a sum just to clear Viola’s reputation.
Once that matter was settled, Zoey fell ill. That night, a sudden high fever gripped her, one so intense it left her delirious. They quickly called for a physician, who explained it was due to excessive stress and internal strain, worsened by catching a chill from the autumn breeze while still dealing with the lingering summer heat.
Her children-both biological and those borne by concubines-rushed to care for her, while the concubines in the household also pitched in.
Though the concubines’ daughters had never had the chance to study at the prestigious Gracewood Women’s Academy, Zoey had not neglected them. She had hired a nanny to teach them with great care, while the sons all attended the family’s school together. Zoey had poured all of her energy into this marriage, doing what most could do and even what many could not. She had given her all.
When Evelyn saw that Zoey was ill, she realized she had pushed her too hard. Feeling guilty, she angrily scolded Viola, telling her to move to the countryside villa and not stay in the main residence where she might cause trouble for her own nieces and nephews. Viola couldn’t help but throw a fit, which enraged Evelyn to the point of nearly bursting with fury.
She slapped Viola across the face. “You wretch! Hasn’t your sister-in-law done enough for you? How long will you continue to drag this family down? Do you think that just because we brought you into this world, we’re bound to care for you for the rest of your life?” It was only because Zoey was so ill that Evelyn’s heart softened with pity.
Evelyn was also a woman of pride. Her daughter had married twice and returned to her parents’ house both times. It was a stain on her reputation.