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On top of that, Tiberius was someone with no great ambitions. He had all sorts of bad habits-drinking, gambling, and other vices. He had already squandered most of the family fortune passed down by his ancestors.
According to previous background checks, he had one wife and 32 concubines, and at least 50 to 60 women in his harem. His ability to gather women was unmatched-if he couldn’t purchase them, he would trick them. If that didn’t work, he simply took them by force. Because of this, his relationship with the local authorities was also poor, and the officials often had headaches from his actions. Each year, there were at least a hundred cases involving him causing trouble and forcibly taking women.
However, Lunvale was his fiefdom and they couldn’t drive him out. Even though he was causing trouble, he was still the Realm Defender. The officials couldn’t be too harsh with him.
There weren’t many complaints filed against him. The governor of Lunvale served for three years and was always careful to protect the royal family’s image. They didn’t dare submit too many reports because they were afraid Salvador might favor a relative, and that it would hurt their career. So, they just put up with it as much as possible.
This allowed Tiberius to keep causing trouble in Lunvale.
“He has one clear characteristic,” Jacob said, breaking the silence. “He’s reckless because he’s desperate.”
Rafael thought for a moment.
“When one gets desperate enough, he’ll try anything to make money. But after all these years in Lunvale, Tiberius hardly has any friends left and doesn’t have any real power. How does he make money? He can’t even borrow any. Let’s check which of his properties or land he owns privately.”
Jacob pulled out the earlier investigation notes, flipping through the pages as he spoke. “He only has one or two estates left. The better land has been leased out. The remaining estate is in an awkward location. It’s either impossible to rent or unsuitable for farming or planting fruit trees.”
“Send someone to investigate quietly,” Rafael instructed, his fingers pressing against his temple. “I’ll speak with the king. We’ll give Randall a task and see what he reveals.”
No one wanted to be useless. Randall, born of a concubine, had never known a father’s love. Even though Avis had raised him, her health was always poor. While there was maternal affection, it never gave him the strength he needed.
He was raised with harsh discipline and constantly put down. As a result, he lacked confidence and drive, had no temper, and was extremely passive.
However, it was precisely this kind of life that needed a rope-a rope that might either strangle him or help him climb out of the depths.
Giving Randall a task would reveal whose side he chose. If he helped Yuvan, he would condemn himself. But if he remained loyal to the task, perhaps there was a way out.
Salvador also believed that giving
Randall a role could be useful, and so arranged for him to work at the Supreme Court as a warden to oversee prisoners. The positio net wasn thigh-ranking, but it would allow him to see many lives rise and fall. The hope was that this might reshape his outlook on life.
When Randall received the appointment to the Supreme Court, his emotions were a complicated mess. Honestly, he was scared because this was something he got by betraying his dad. Everyone around him now would no doubt try toopry more information from him.
Amid his fear, there was also a flicker of happiness, as if he had glimpsed a faint light shining down on him. Deep down, he felt that while he might be insignificant in Yuvan’s eyes, he might finally be taken seriously by others. That night, he thought a lot, and one word kept coming to his mind-power!
No wonder Yuvan was so obsessed with that ultimate power-what one in power said could change lives and even determine their fates.
The attraction of power was as great as its terror.
Just before dawn, Randall picked up his quill and wrote a letter to his only true friend-Blake.
From that moment, Randall felt like they were truly moving forward on their own path.
–
Randall started his new position with great apprehension.
At first, he feared someone would come to question him about his dad. After several days passed without so much as a word from Rafael and no inquiries about Yuvan, his anxiety began to ease.
It was Matthew, Rafael’s deputy, who spoke to Randall on a few occasions. Matthew was kind and eager to offer guidance, and Randall was grateful for his advice.
Whenever Randall found something unclear, he wasn’t afraid to seek Matthew’s help, even if it meant bypassing his immediate superior.
Having never held a proper office before, Randall was determined to perform well in his new role. As the warden, there was much to learn. He also had to manage the guards under his command, and the days were busy with his many responsibilities. Rafael had advised Matthew not to push Randall for answers just yet. He needed to learn how to handle the job and experience a sense of accomplishment before deciding what path to take.
Only then would he truly be able to decide where his loyalties lay.
Since Midwinter’s Dawn, matchmakers had begun to flock to the Farrell family’s residence.
Naturally, Alice was eager to find a suitable wife for Thomas. Beyond the need for heirs, he needed someone by his side, someone who could care for him through life’s ups and downs.
Ever since her son had narrowly escaped death and made it back alive, Alice no longer fixated on the idea of grandchildren. All she wanted was for him to live a peaceful, steady life. That was more important than anything else.
After what happened with Viola, Alice placed a high priority on a woman’s character when choosing a daughter-in-law.
She had previously considered a match for Thomas with the daughter of a sixth-ranked official, a young woman of both virtue and talent. However, that prospect had fallen apart after Viola and Silas’ scandal came to light.
Now, more families were showing interest. Alice hadn’t had a chance to look into the characters of these young women, and she intended to take her time investigating.
To her surprise, the Quinton family also sent a proposal.
Jocelyn Quinton, the youngest daughter of Howard Quinton, head of the Quinton family’s fourth branch, had just turned 15 six months ago. She wasn’t even 16 yet.
When Alice heard this, she didn’t even consider the girl’s character yet-she just thought Jocelyn was too young. The candidates Alice had been looking at were all over 18.
While it wasn’t common for someone to still be unengaged at eighteen, it did happen. Sometimes it was because the family had gone through a period of mourning, which delayed the marriage. Other times, it was because an engagement had been broken off. Either way, it was important to get to the bottom of what had happened.
Some women were on their second marriage. Alice wasn’t opposed to them, as long as the match was suitable. However, none had caught her eye as a proper match for Thomas.
As for the Quinton family, she politely declined. She said the Farrell family wasn’t worthy of them and that Jocelyn was far too young. Thomas couldn’t possibly be a good match for her.
To her surprise, after refusing, Kylie sent for her to come to the palace.
Alice felt suspicious-how did the queen know about this?
It was uncommon for a woman of her status to be summoned to the palace so suddenly. She had turned down the match the evening before. And now, in the early hours of the following day, came the royal edict. It felt as though someone had intentionally informed Kylie about her rejection.
Was the Quinton family acting on the queen’s instructions?
Feeling uneasy, Alice immediately sent for Timothy’s wife, Opal.
“The queen has summoned me to the palace, and I fear it concerns the marriage between Thomas and Ms. Quinton. Something’s not right. You must go quickly to Lady Sophie and Violet. I’m worried the queen will issue an edict to marry them.”
Opal was immediately alarmed. “Buy some time, Aunt Alice. Tell the chamberlain that you need to bathe and change before entering the palace. I’ll slip out through the side door and look for Lady Sophie.”
“Alright. I’ll try to delay as much as possible. Hurry and go,” Alice replied.
The chamberlain who had come to deliver the edict, Ellis Latham, was outside sipping a cup of coffee.
The Farrell family’s steward, Lincoln, went to the treasury room to retrieve a banknote. Then, he approached Ellis and nodded respectfully.
As he discreetly slipped the banknote into Ellis’ hand, he smiled and said, “Mr. Latham, please wait a moment our mistress needs to take a bath and change before entering the palace. I’ll have some pastries brought to you, so please enjoy them while you wait.”