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When Malcolm heard his father’s words, he felt immense sorrow.
“Dad, you mustn’t think that way,” he chided, his voice cracking with despair.
At the sound of Malcolm calling him “Dad”, Gerald slowly looked up. There was a haunting emptiness in his eyes as he let out a bitter laugh.
“My son, this is the best way for the Quinton family.”
Tears welled up in Malcolm’s eyes. “No, I can’t stand by and watch you die. This… this isn’t so dire. No one knows about you. Even Lord Fabian wouldn’t dare say anything.”
Gerald closed his eyes once more, whispering with finality, “My mind is made up.”
Death no longer frightened him. If anything, he had grown keenly aware of how fragile his life was, knowing it could slip away at any moment.
No matter how much Malcolm pleaded, Gerald remained resolute.
Feeling helpless, Malcolm stepped outside, seeking Sebastian and Sophie’s counsel.
Sebastian sighed deeply. “He refuses to step out of this room. If he dies here, he can pretend as though nothing happened. He’ll still be seen as a revered royal tutor, both n life and death. It’s nothing but self-deception.”
Michael pulled Sophie aside, urgently saying, “We can’t let him die here. If word gets to His Majesty, the
Capital Guard won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
Sophie knew all too well the gravity of the situation.
Salvador had already berated her for not informing him of this matter in advance. If Gerald were to die here at the headquarters, her comrades in the Capital Guard would surely face the consequences. But how could she have warned Gerald in advance? Was she supposed to have sent someone to the Quinton family’s residence and have them tell him that the Capital Guard was about to raid the gentlemen’s retreats?
It would be a miracle if the Quinton family didn’t tear her apart for it. Who would believe that the old man would ever venture near a gentlemen’s retreat? And if Gerald denied it, she would be the one caught in a trap, painted as troublemaker.
Sophie furrowed her brow. “If he chose to go to the gentlemen’s retreat, he should’ve known this day would come. If he couldn’t face it, he shouldn’t have gone in the first place.”
She went to speak with Malcolm, but even after the latter spent an hour trying to persuade his father, there was no progress. The old man remained silent, his eyes closed, offering no response.
Malcolm tried to feed him medicine and water, but Gerald’s lips remained tightly shut. The liquid trickled down his chin, and not a single drop made it down his throat. It was worse than when he was unconscious.
Sophie watched from the side, sensing that Gerald might want to die, but there was also anger in him. Why did he insist on dying here, at the Capital Guard headquarters? Why involve so many people? Even when Malcolm told him that Salvador hadn’t blamed him, Gerald still showed no reaction.
Sophie couldn’t tolerate this any longer. She asked Malcolm and everyone else to leave, then grabbed the last remaining chair from the side room and sat down in front of Gerald.
“Lord Gerald, you blame me for this situation, don’t you?” Sophie asked.
Gerald didn’t open his eyes. In fact, there wasn’t a flicker of emotion on his face.
Sophie continued, “You’re either blaming me or blaming the world for not accepting someone like you.
But the truth is, you can’t blame anyone. The laws of this kingdom didn’t force you to marry and have children when you were young. No one could have forced you.
“You gave in to society’s expectations-you conformed. And now you want to turn around and blame others and the world? Doesn’t that seem foolish to you?
“Just like women, they can complain that the world is unfair to them. No matter what they try to do, there are always people like you who stand up to criticize them. But they don’t back down. They push forward, enduring the criticism along the way.
“And you? You never even stood firm in your own beliefs. You never put in any effort for the life you wanted. You were too afraid of losing your glory and your position, but you also wanted to be extraordinary. Now, when you’ve been caught, you can’t even summon the courage to face it.
“I can only say, thank goodness not all men are as cowardly as you. Otherwise, who would defend our borders?
“You’re lucky that Sebastian is willing to help you. Whether you want to go or not, I’ll release everyone tomorrow. If you don’t leave, I’ll have someone drag you out on a cart.”
Sophie finished speaking in one breath.
Though Gerald still kept his eyes closed, a vein pulsed on his forehead. Her words had angered him, but he remained tucked inside his shell, unwilling to respond. He was indeed a coward.
But Sophie’s words had some effect, particularly the last sentence. If he were dragged away on a cart, he would lose all his dignity and reputation.
Soon, Malcolm and Cody helped Gerald into Sebastian’s clothes. Meanwhile, Michael took the opportunity to drive away the crowd, as he had been doing several times throughout the day.
After Gerald was sent away, the Capital Guard headquarters remained busy-meals still had to be prepared twice a day for the people being detained.
Once Sebastian’s plan to switch identities with Gerald was carried out and the people were released the next day, the Capital Guard headquarters finally quieted down. But the rumors about the gentlemen’s retreats were far from over, spreading like wildfire across the city.
For a time, the Quinton family had remained untouched by the scandal. However, just as Malcolm was overwhelmed with worry, a group of scholars began publicly condemning the Marquis of Glandale. They accused him not only of bringing corrupt practices to the nation, but also of running businesses tied to the traitor, Eleanor.
Though the Marquis of Glandale had been imprisoned, Salvador hadn’t yet taken action against his family. But when the scholars raised their voices, someone went so far as to accuse him of treason.
The people making the accusation? None other than Malcolm’s former pupils.
This enraged the members of the marquis’ household. Treason meant the execution of nine generations, after all. Desperate to save themselves, they stepped forward to claim that several of the gentlemen’s retreats were operated under Gerald’s orders, and that he was a frequent visitor himself.
The news, regardless of its shock value, had only one result-it completely enraged Gerald’s admirers. Like Trevor, Gerald had been one of Starhaven’s most respected scholars and was renowned for his wisdom. Trevor had stepped back from court politics, leaving his influence to dwindle. That was why when trouble befell the Young family, few people spoke up for them.
However, Gerald was different. His son still held a powerful position in the Civil Department, and many officials, unaware of the truth, saw this as a way to win favor with the Quinton family. They clamored in court, demanding the Marquis of Glandale be held accountable for spreading rumors about Gerald. Under normal circumstances, this would have been little more than a passing storm. But that day, several officials and prominent young men had been arrested. Though Salvador tried to preserve their reputations, the common folk were relentless in their gossip. Wherever one went, there were whispers, fingers pointing in every direction.
The officials were desperate to shift the public’s attention elsewhere, so they acted quickly.
Within days, servants from the gentlemen’s retreats began to speak out. They confirmed they had seen Gerald there on numerous occasions, sometimes braving the fiercest storms just to make the trip. When that happened, the scandal escalated beyond anyone’s control.
At first, Salvador had been furious. However, Jeremiah advised that, since the truth had already come to light, it would be unwise to keep covering it up. The matter had become so public that acknowledging it and taking steps to clear up the misunderstanding was the only sensible option.
Moreover, Sigmund had other tutors, and honoring his true mentor would preserve the late king’s dignity. Thus, the once-respected scholar, Cloud Draken, was posthumously honored with the title of Royal Tutor. His memorial plaque was moved to the royal chapel.
Cloud had no descendants. He was a scholar who had placed third in the national examinations during the seventh year of Augustus’ reign. Brilliant and highly talented, he served as an official for two years before resigning to travel the world.
Upon his return to the capital, Augustus appointed him as tutor to Sigmund, who was crown prince at the time. However, after two years of teaching, Cloud couldn’t resist his restless spirit and requested to resign again.
Cloud had a free-spirited personality and often wrote articles criticizing social issues, sometimes in an extremely sharp manner, which made him less liked by people. Later, he turned to poetry and published many collections. After his passing, over a thousand of his poems had been passed down through the world, and he was celebrated as a great poet.
After his death, Sigmund himself wrote a tribute in his honor. Now that he had been posthumously named a royal tutor, it seemed reasonable for his memorial plaque to be moved to the royal chapel.
Salvador had his reasons for this move, one of them being Victoria’s words that the Quinton family was large and well-established, with deep, far-reaching connections. It was time to trim a few of their overgrown branches.
What he didn’t expect was that before the branches could be trimmed, half of the roots had already been dug up.
There was no way around it. After all, it was something he himself had set in motion. Being a king sometimes required going with the flow, something Salvador knew all too well.