《A Father's Redemption》 Yvonne The colorful confetti and the flower petals floating in the air. He and his group of men, marched through the sea of people, toward the palace. Praises and words of gratitude could be heard from both side. The young men from his group waved back to the people, even his right hand man. There was no reaction from him, and not once he glanced at the people cheering along the way. He only wanted to meet one person, but that person was not there. He greeted the King, the Queen, the Royal Consort, and the two Prince. He noticed the eyes on him were not the one of admiration or respect, but of those scorn and mocking. He had brought back honor for the kingdom, celebrated by the people, and yet, his fellow nobles were only expressing their distaste. He could care less about those people. He had never cared. ¡°Once again, you have brought back another victory for our kingdom. Indeed, Duke Leander was the hero for our kingdom. Come, tell me whatever you wished for and I shall granted it to you.¡± ¡°It was my honor to serve for the kingdom, and it was my duty to ensure the prosperity of our kingdom under Your Majesty reign. Moreover, it is without any doubt, the contribution of the first prince who had brought to us victory. I would never dare to ask for anything.¡± The King laughed. He was pleased and at the same time vexed with the respond he gave. ¡°Considering that you had no more child to succeed your title, why not I give you a wife? Then, you may continue your bloodline,¡± the King said, proudly with not an ounce of consideration, while ignoring the praise to the first prince. The man was appalled and so was the first prince. They had no clue for what had happened during their absence. ¡°Your Majesty, my daughter would be the one to succeed my title, and even if she do not wanted to, then her husband, or her child will do so. There was no need for Your Majesty to trouble yourself finding me a wife.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The King lifted his eyebrow, ¡°it seem you have not received the news at the battlefield.¡± He sighed, added, ¡°it sadden me to break the news to you in such a joyous occasion, however, it was not right to keep such matter a secret from you.¡± *** The joyous celebration, the colorful festival, could not found it way into the dull and bleak mansion. It was, as if they were still, yet in the middle of the war. No laughter nor smile could be heard nor seen. Trickles of raindrop poured down to the ground. The magnificent tombstone stood still in the middle of the rain. Next to it was a rather humble tombstone that stand out for it small size and dull appearances in the sea of other glorious tombstone. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡ªHere lies Yvonne Esperanza Leander, the daughter of Anastasia Antoinette Leander and Raynard Esteban Leander. May the sin of the soul be purified and found it way to the heaven where the Angels lie. He stood there with his drenched clothes. His solemn, somber look, was hidden under his wet silver hair. It was not known for how long had he stood there, not moving an inch. Blood dripping from the tightly clenched fist. He tilted his head, looking up into the dark gloomy sky. His eyes was dull as if it had lost it soul. ¡°Even you¡­ now, even you had gone,¡± he mumbled, ¡°what am I to do?¡± When he heard the news of his own daughter¡¯s death from the king, his heart sunk in despair. When he stormed into his own mansion, asking the butlers, the maids, and the servants for why had he been kept in the dark, they either told him they did not knew, or it was for the sake of him, who was in the middle of the war. He felt a strong desire to unsheathe his sword and slit the throat of those who hid the fact from him. He had not seen her for few years. The last time he saw her was nine years ago. Even before that, he did not remembered much about her. He hardly spent time with his one and only daughter. He spent most of the time at the land he own, the eastern border, while his daughter was left at his mansion in the capital city. He would never thought how much he regretted it. His heart that was on the edge of the cliff fell into the abyss upon hearing the rumors about his daughter and all her horrendous act. The wicked deed his daughter commit was unbearable for him to accept. What was it that made his daughter to behave in such way? He could not think of anything. Perhaps, she had to atone for her sin with her own death, was what he thought. Even he already begun to accept everything that happened. That was¡­ before meeting him. ¡°Your Grace,¡± his aide, walked closer and shielded his body with the black umbrella. He added, ¡°the first prince arrived and requested your audience.¡± ¡°Lead him to my study. I will be with him after I changed my attire.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± The first prince of Zelig, Caesar Lukasha Ivan Zelig, was an honorable and brave warrior that fought alongside him at the last six month of the war. Three years in the battlefield, he had requested for reinforcement few times. It was only seven month ago did the king sent support, which is the first prince and his fellow mercenaries group instead of the imperial knights. Although he was skeptical at the beginning, it was them that had brought victory to the kingdom. He had to admit. The first prince and his people were more than talented. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he greeted the first prince the moment he saw the man. ¡°Duke Leander,¡± Caesar answered his greeting, prompting the older man to have a seat. ¡°May I know why the sudden visit?¡± ¡°Yvonne.¡± Raynard flinched at the mention of his daughter¡¯s name. ¡°What about my daughter?¡± ¡°Do you know how she¡­ met her end?¡± ¡°I heard that she end her own life while in the prison. That child had been raised with the utmost care. She must have been unable to persevere in the face of hardship, hence took the most coward decision.¡± Listening to Raynard sent a chill to his spine. Not that he felt fear or anything in between. He thought it was ridiculous. He scoffed. He laughed. Raynard look at him, confused. ¡°Duke Leander. Do you really think that she took her own life? No¡­ I should first asked, do you really think she grew up rather spoiled? That was not how it seem to me.¡± ¡°What do you know about my child?¡± ¡°Your child¡­ Sure. Your child. The one that you met only twice in her life.¡± ¡°You spoke as if you had met her before, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I did,¡± he firmly said. Unveiling The Truth Who was he supposed to believe? He was confused. What had been told by a complete stranger defied what he had known for almost nineteen years. The old door creaked open. The air was stuffy. The dust had piled up, but not too thick, as if, it was only few month being left unattended. Although the furniture was old and almost crumbled down, it was still neatly arranged. There was traces of someone living in here. The question was, who? Even the lowest rank of maids and servants were provided with their own room. Slavery was banned thus there should be no slave. Even if there was, they would still be provided with a proper room, no matter how small. He opened the drawer of the small table beside the bed. There was nothing. He sighed in relief. He paused. He remembered that his late wife had a habit of hiding things in the pillowcase. Hesitation on his face. Regardless, he look into the pillowcase and there was two books. Both of them had one word written on the cover, ¡®Yvonne.¡¯ His memory flashed through. The conversation he had yesterday was still fresh in his mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether it was still there, but try to go to the attic and searched for her diary, and then you will see.¡± His hand was trembling. Raynard was in dilemma. He gritted his teeth and opened the book. The earliest entry was when she was four. Her writing was messy and it only improved a bit as the time goes by. All of her life experiences was crammed into two journal book. When he wanted to stop, his conversation with Caesar would popped into his mind, forcing him to keep reading. He plopped down on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he mumbled repeatedly followed with an ugly sobbed. He clutched the books close to his chest. All the residents of the mansion were taken aback by the sudden roar and the pitiful wailing that could be heard from the attic. Although they do not knew why, some of them was frantically quivering in fear. *** Raynard scrutinized the faces of all the workers of the mansion. He had all of them gathered in the hall. His aide who was standing by his side could only shook his head. ¡°I am sure none of you could imagine how amazed I was when I knew, how my daughter had been treated all these years.¡± The maids, the butlers and the servants, all flinched. The thing they had least expected was the fact that Duke Leander care for his daughter¡¯s business. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I have heard all those rumors, and I thought she owed apology to all of you, for her spoiled behavior. However, little did I knew. It was you lot, who should be begging on your knee, pleading for apology.¡± Black shadow squirming on the floor, shaping itself into numerous of tentacles, before shooting out from the ground and strangling every workers in that hall, except for few knights, and the aide beside him. Screaming and wailing of pain echoed through the wide hall. Tears streaming down their cheeks. Their throat was choked painfully, their body was strangulated, yet with every little strength they had, they begged for mercy. Just before they lose their life, the shadow retreated. They gasped for air and fell on their knee. They prostrated themselves on the bare floor of the hall, pleading to be forgiven. Raynard scoffed. ¡°Have my wife or I ever treated any of you unfairly? Have my wife or I abused any of you? Have we neglected our duty as your master? Why? TELL ME! TELL ME WHY!¡± he scream his heart out. None of them could spoke. They had no word to utter, realizing the mistake they had done. It was a foolish mistake. They had commit blasphemy toward their own master who had shown nothing but kindness to them. But, one person. One person who had her face covered in tears and snot refused to acknowledge her mistake. No. She just thought, she had never commit any mistake. She was not wrong. All that she have done was giving proper education for the neglected child. ¡°Your Grace! I was not wrong! I have never commit any wrongdoing! I have never done anything wrong! I only acted accordingly to your behavior toward the girl!¡± ¡°W¡ªwhat did you just say?¡± ¡°That girl was undeserving of your love! Didn¡¯t you abandoned her because you blamed her for her mother¡¯s death? Your Grace! I punished her for her sin in your stead! It was not as if I had killed her. She, took her own life!¡± The absurd accusation brought forth his fury. The wide hall reverberated with sorrowful laughter. ¡°How dare you! Have you forgotten how my wife had treated you all those years? You paid her kindness with such atrocious cruelties! How dare you to put your word in my mouth!¡± He desired nothing but to kill her this instance. However, how could a quick death be enough to grant her absolution for her sin. The other servants had one thought, if their master had never meant to neglect the young lady, thus, all their deeds till now, was violation of their duty as the one who should serve the young lady with respect and care. She lost her mind. ¡°Your Grace¡­ You were the one¡­ You had never said anything before. Why now? She is dead!¡± ¡°You¡ª! My wife treated you like her own friend, but you treated her child with heinous hand!¡± Deep down in his heart, he already knew. It was his negligence that caused everything to happen. But, his negligence was not the ticket for the servant to treat his daughter as they wished! ¡°Lock her in ¡®that¡¯ room!¡± he glanced at the other servants, ¡°and lock the rest in the dungeon.¡± ¡°My Lord, will you killed all these people?¡± his aide asked for confirmation. ¡°Investigate who messed with my daughter first. I want a detailed report. Don¡¯t missed a single thing.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± He strode off and locked himself in his own room. He just wanted to run away. His foolishness, was the cause for his daughter¡¯s misery. Everything was his fault. He vowed, no matter what status they might hold, what power they wielded, each and every person who was involved in his daughter¡¯s suffering and death, will received his wrath. ¡°This foolish father of yours could only beg for forgiveness. I¡¯m sorry. Truly¡­¡± He spent the whole night crying, uttering the word of apology. Even if he knew, she was not there anymore to listen to his entreaty, what else could he do but to keep chanting his regrets. Eugene and Avery Raynard had a thought, to end everything, and met his daughter in the afterlife. However, he didn¡¯t. At least, didn¡¯t yet. Not until he had took his revenge. Until everyone who had caused his daughter¡¯s misery and death to meet the same end. ¡°Why did you suddenly came to see me, Duke Leander?¡± the young man said, averting eyes contact. ¡°Your Highness. It was not long ago that I knew about my daughter¡¯s death.¡± ¡°You have my condolences.¡± ¡°There were many things that I did not knew. I heard some rumors, stating that you were engaged with my daughter,¡± he scoffed, ¡°even I, as the father did not have any knowledge for the matter. It was ridiculous, would you agree?¡± ¡°It was a mutual agreement made by my father, the King, and the lady herself. I only followed what the King had ordered me to.¡± ¡°Was it also the King order for Your Highness to cheat on my daughter during your engagement?¡± ¡°C¡ªcheat? How presumptuous!¡± ¡°Was it not true that you brought back a lover of lower rank and trampled on my daughter¡¯s dignity?¡± ¡°Avery had the kindest heart. She was more noble than any noble women in the kingdom!¡± ¡°Your Highness. I do not care how kind that young lady was. What I do care was, how my daughter had been taken advantage by mere commoner.¡± ¡°Duke Leander, do not cross the line. Were you trying to challenge the authorities of royal family?¡± ¡°When did I ever? I believed that woman was no royal family. She was just a mere peasant in my eyes. Your Highness, I hope you did not forget, which family does my daughter and I belonged to.¡± Eugene tighten his jaw as he clutched his fist. He had never liked the authorities that the duke family have over the royal family. Who did not knew? The kingdom was founded by four extraordinary people. One of those four were elevated as the king, and the other three stood by the first king as the three duke and duchess. The royal family, Zelig, possessed the ability of light. Leander of the east, possessed the ability of darkness. Hildegarde of the south, possessed the ability to dominate animal and beast. Mandeville of the north, possessed the ability of fire elemental. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The authorities that the three great family had could almost overthrow the royal family. However, they chose to remain as the vassal of the royal family. ¡°Your Highness. Even if you did not like my daughter. You were not supposed to treat her with such disrespect. For that, you have dishonored the Leander.¡± He stood up, and without a bow, he exited the room, leaving the young man gritting his teeth in anger. Of course, it did not go unnoticed by Raynard. He simply did not care. What could an immature stripling like him could do anyway. Raynard had it in his mind. What was it that was so intriguing about that woman to the point his daughter were treated with such discourtesy. His daughter had the same beauty as her mother. That was what he remembered from the last image he saw her, albeit she was young at that time. Thus, he could not understand why does he never heard praises for her beauty. When he look at the woman in front of him, he thought that the woman were not worthy enough to even be compared with his late wife. ¡®What does the people see in her? Kindness? A kind person would never take advantage of other people or worm their way into other¡¯s relationship.¡¯ Even her smile, was full of deceit. ¡°Avery greet the Duke Leander of the east.¡± Raynard ignored her greeting, tilting his head toward the maid next to him. ¡°What is your name?¡± The maid was flustered but still composed her calm, ¡°this humble servant is called Rita, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Rita¡­ I see. That is a good name indeed.¡± ¡°I am grateful for your kind words.¡± Avery did not flinched and merely stared at the maid. She did not said any word until she saw Raynard turned his face toward her. Her tenacity almost brought his admiration. If she was not the person involved with his daughter¡¯s death, he might have recruited her to work under him. ¡°Your Grace,¡± she said, bowing her head. ¡°You are not part of the royal, nor the noble families, and you don¡¯t seem to be maids or servants either. Who are you?¡± Even if there was mockery in his tone, she remained calm and collected. ¡°I am Avery, Your Grace. The love of Prince Eugene.¡± ¡°Love?¡± He scoffed, bursting out laughter. ¡°What kind of foolishness are you trying to sell here?¡± ¡°Your Grace, you might think it was absurd, but Eugene and I loved each other. That was a fact that everyone could see. Yvonne, I mean, your daughter could not accept the truth and many time, she tried to harm me. It was unfortunate that she took her own life, because I had always meant to forgive her.¡± ¡°Forgive her?¡± Despite trying to keep his composure, murderous aura was seeping out from his body faintly. The deep crimson light circulating around his body. ¡°What right do you have, to think you could forgive her? It was you, who must begged for forgiveness from my innocent daughter.¡± The pressure from the air was heavy, as if a boulder were placed on top of her body. Sweats running through her forehead. Avery used her mana to repel the forces of the aura, yet, she only manage to make herself able to stand. ¡°Y¡ªyour G¡ªgrace.This¡­ is¡­ the¡­ royal palace¡­¡± she used every inch of her strength to utter few words for him to stop. ¡°What did I do?¡± he replied, grinning in satisfaction observing the pain in her face. ¡°W¡ªwhat¡­¡± she saw a glimpse of the maids. They were standing perfectly still, as if there was nothing that was pressuring them. She gritted her teeth in realization. He was directing his aura only on her. It was¡­ a warning. He could end her life without anyone able to say anything. Even the prince could do nothing to stop him. He clicked his tongue. ¡°I hope the next time we meet, you will be grovelling on the ground instead.¡± The moment he stormed off from there, Avery fell on the ground, gasping for air. She clenched her fist. ¡°We shall see who will be the one who grovel on the ground in the end,¡± she mumbled. Father-In-Law ¡°Your Highness, Duke Leander requested for your audience.¡± ¡°Bring him in.¡± His aide retired from the study room. After few rounds scribbling on the paper, his aide brought with him, Duke Leander, whom face was far from gentle. Caesar beckoned Raynard to take a seat on the sofa, and instructed the maid to bring some tea and refreshment for them. ¡°I had not expected you to come to me this quickly,¡± Caesar commented as he rose from his seat and went to sit on the sofa opposite to Raynard. ¡°Was it you, Your Highness?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Luka. The name of the mercenary in my daughter¡¯s diary. That was your name when you were in your disguise.¡± ¡°Brendon must have done a great job.¡± ¡°I recruited my aide for his competency.¡± ¡°Is that why you never look at your daughter? Because she was not competent enough according to your standard?¡± ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡± ¡°I only dare to say it because that was how it seem to me, listening to her story.¡± ¡°You do not know anything, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I might not know why you did what you did. But¡­ I knew how she had lived her life for those nineteen years, alone. I knew how she felt. I knew she would never take her own life. She was someone who will persevere, in any trial and tribulation of life. That¡¯s how she had lived after all.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Have you any evidence?¡± ¡°There was a witness. One of my people, saw a person went to the dungeon where she was locked in, on the day that she took her own life. But there was no record of visitation.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°It was a familiar person, thus the witness confirmed that they could not be mistaken.¡± ¡°Just spit it out.¡± ¡°Avery Geertz. The woman whom Eugene brought into his castle.¡± Raynard scoffed. ¡°I knew that woman was up to no good when I saw her. How dare, those impudent brat! That witness, was they trustworthy?¡± ¡°He was the eyes I sent to work in Eugene¡¯s castle.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­ my daughter, do you truly cherished her?¡± ¡°More than anything else in this world, more than myself. I cherished her, adored her, and loved her with all of my emotions and logic.¡± ¡°Did she¡ª how does she looked like?¡± ¡°The last time I met her was seven month ago, before departing to aid your troop. She was¡­ cheerful and¡­¡± A smile formed on his expressionless face ¡°¡­quite talented in cursing people.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Duke Leander, truthfully, I regretted going to the war as your aid. I regretted that I asked her to wait. Since, there was no one to protect her when I was away.¡± ¡°Your Highness. If you wanted to blame me, then you do not have to do it in such roundabout way.¡± Caesar sneered. ¡°How could I? You were my father-in-law. That would be such a blatant disrespect if I were the one to voice out my criticism on your way of education.¡± ¡°Father-in-law? Your Highness, you have not yet married my daughter.¡± ¡°We were engaged to each other.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Of course, it was between the two of us only. She did not write it down in her diary?¡± ¡°Either way, you do not have to blame yourself for her death. It was me, who failed to provide enough protection to my own daughter. I was the one who failed to provide her the safe environment for her to live, to grow.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Duke Leander. Of course that was your fault. I have no intention of spouting nonsense such as you hold none of the blame. You were the roots of her misery after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, was that all you wanted to say?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I still have another meeting after this. I would not send you off.¡± Caesar stood up and walked out of his study room after grabbing a file of document in his hand. 208, 050 ¡°All of this?¡± Raynard asked, in awe of the amount of document stacked on his desk. ¡°All of this, My Lord,¡± Brendon replied. ¡°Ha!¡± he laughed maniacally. ¡°How dare those imbecile!¡± ¡°My Lord, how would you like to deal with them?¡± ¡°I will see that ungrateful woman first.¡± ¡°She is in that room.¡± Raynard went down, into the underground where the dungeon lies. Far at the corner was a single room where various torture device being kept. In the middle of the room was a woman tied on a chair. Her hand and her legs were tied to the chair¡¯s armrest and both it front legs. Her mouth was gagged with a thick rope and her eyes was blindfolded with a piece of rough fabric. Raynard beckoned one of the knight to loosen the tie. She gasped for air. The corner of her mouth and her cheeks were chafed. When the knights took off the blindfold, she winced her eyes, slowly taking in the light. ¡°Put her fingers in the pilniewinks and laid her down on the planks,¡± Raynard said with his cold and sharp raspy voice. There was no hint of mercy in his radiant eyes the color of ruby. He never wanted to. His eyes that was the color of blood stared down at the woman who was whimpering and pleading for mercy. ¡°Your Grace! Duke! Please! Please! Please forgive me! I was wrong! Please don¡¯t do this to me!¡± she repeated again and again with her sore throats as the same words echoed from her mouth. The knight grabbed her and laid her on the planks face downward and tied her legs to stop her from moving. The other knight held her hand and placed her thumb fingers into the rusty pilniewinks. He tighten the screw. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The shrilling screams echoed all over the underground, scaring the wit out of the other servants who were locked in the wide cell not fare from the room. They trembled in fear, while regretting everything they had done. If only¡­ Yes, they could only imagine, if only they could turned back time. ¡°Whip her legs 208, 050 times,¡± he added. Her pale face was drained of any color. Shocked remained in her eyes. ¡°Why? Why? Why? Why? Your Grace!¡± she shouted with every strength she had. ¡°30 whip was for the servant who dare to leave bruises on the body of the noble. I knew you had used the lashes of whip to inflict your superiority on my daughter. She had lived for nineteen years with that scar, hence you shall received nineteen years worth of punishment.¡± ¡°¡ª¡± she exclaimed in her weak hoarse voice. The painful slashing noise resonated with the gut-wrenching wail. The agony had been pricking on her throat since the day she was locked in. Not a drop of water or a crumb of stale bread been going into her stomach. ¡°Tighten the screw.¡± The knight followed the order. Neither the knight, nor the aide wince their eyes in sympathy or disgust, as if, it was something common for them to see. ¡®Crack¡¯ The pressure that was so tight that her delicate fingers was squashed like a mashed potato. Her bone was crushed that her fingers lost it frame, becoming a flat flabby meat. ¡°Switch the fingers,¡± he said, again with that cold tone of his. They loosen the screw and took out the flabby thumb, filling the pilniewinks with forefingers next. However, before they started to tighten the screw, they took minutes of break, enough so that she would not yet die. ¡°Gave her the potion,¡± he said turning to his aide. Brendon took out a round bottle filled with dark green liquid, and poured it into her mouth, forcing her to gulp it down. Her breathing stabilized, yet her suffering was made clear once again. She saw a glimpsed of the potion. Her eyes widen in realization. She once used it on Yvonne when she was lashing out her anger. The potion would strengthen your body but it would not heal any wound or injuries that were inflicted. Even worse than a painkiller. Her misery keep going. Even though the pain were only inflicted on her legs and her fingers, it was as if every part and every corner of her body was tortured. ¡°Please¡­ Please just kill me¡­ Kill me¡­ Please¡­¡± she begged with tears streaming down and snots that were mixed with saliva all over her lips. Her plea was ignored. The process was repeated over and over again, until her body could no longer withstood the torment and she breathe her last breath on the plank. ¡°My Lord, what about the body?¡± Brendon asked as he wiped off the dust on Raynard¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Feed it to the monster.¡± Brendon nodded and ordered two knights to handle the rest. He followed Raynard to the cells where the servants was locked in. A Friends Concern ¡°Now then¡­ where should I started,¡± Raynard said, glowering on the faces of the servants who were trembling on their knee. It was the instinct they had, perhaps, to ask for some leniency even though they did not deserved any. They begged on their knee, to be spared of their life. They confessed each and every atrocities they had committed toward the young lady they should have served with respect. ¡°How absurd,¡± he mumbled as he ruffled his hair, added, ¡°to think that you thought of asking for mercy when you had blatantly confessed all your sins.¡± ¡°Please forgive me, Your Grace.¡± ¡°Forgive me! Forgive me!¡± ¡°Your Grace, I only followed what Miss Rosaria told me!¡± ¡°I am innocent, Your Grace! It was a momentary mistake!¡± The cries of plea keep surging into his head. Angered, black fog seeping out from his body, engulfing the cell. The black fog harden into numerous sharp blade and pierced into the body of every servants trapped in the cell. ¡°It was a waste of time to listen to your dreadful words.¡± That was the last thing they would hear before shutting their eyes forever. Raynard ascended the stairs, exiting the underground that was full of blood stench to his own room. ¡°Your Grace,¡± an old butler came holding a small tray with a piece of letter, said, ¡°a letter came from the royal palace.¡± Raynard opened the letter. He scoffed. ¡°Celebration banquet for the first prince? That old man sure know how to rub me in the wrong way.¡± ¡°Perhaps, because they were not able to hold the banquet for you, My Lord, thus they decide to use the first prince to hold the banquet,¡± Brendon commented seeing the look of anger on his lord¡¯s face. ¡°He was only using the fame as the hero to establish his own authority against the people. He was desperate enough because the people had started to show aggression toward his sovereignty.¡± ¡°Will you attend the banquet this time?¡± ¡°Why not? I have no more reason to avoid it¡­¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Brendon mumbled with an unspeakable expression on his face. ¡°Do not dwell on it,¡± Raynard said, waving his hand with casually. ¡°How could I not be concerned?¡± ¡°Nothing will happen, at least during the banquet party.¡± He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Please keep your word. At least hold it in during this period of time.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°You fret on it too much.¡± ¡°I am sure you have not yet forgotten the incident years ago. By that, I mean, the last time you visited the royal palace, nine years ago.¡± ¡°I was enraged because he refused to grant me the Mermaid Tears. I lost the chances to gift it to Yvonne that year.¡± ¡°And you get yourself the restriction from entering the capital city instead.¡± ¡°Ah~ It because of that ban he imposed, that my poor daughter was being left behind.¡± ¡°My Lord¡­¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­ It was no use to dwell on the past. Regrets can¡¯t bring my daughter back. What worse, she lived with the thought that no one loved her. Even though I love her as much as I love my dear Anna.¡± ¡°I am sure she will see the truth up above.¡± ¡°Brendon, my friend. Do not console me. I deserved this heartache. It was not that prohibition, or than old man, whose at fault, but me. If only¡­ If only, I care more about her¡­¡± ¡°My Lord¡­ What had happened already happen. You can only keep going forward. Please do not bound yourself to the past. Although I am remorseful for what had happened to Young Lady Yvonne, there was nothing we could do to make up for our mistake in the past.¡± ¡°There is something¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°At the very least, everyone who had brought upon her suffering and death must met the same end.¡± ¡°Will she be grateful for what you done, My Lord?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps no. But¡­ It was too unjust to let it go. She was innocent. She had never wrong anyone. With that naive heart of her, how could she be at fault? It was the people who painted her as some vicious witch when all she was, is a young girl seeking for happiness.¡± ¡°Regarding the rumors, I had confirmed that it was indeed her who was behind it.¡± ¡°When did it started?¡± ¡°It was not long after she appeared with the second prince. It was a deliberate attempt to dye the young lady¡¯s image as the wicked third party in their relationship.¡± Raynard sighed. ¡°All my daughter did was breathe and lived¡­ All the family behind the two¡­ make sure they would not see the light ever again.¡± ¡°Will you commit massacre next?¡± ¡°That would be too easy¡­ I want all of them to fall and would never be able to stand back again.¡± ¡°I understand, My Lord.¡± Brendon bowed, said, ¡°then, pardon me, I shall finished my work.¡± *** ¡°Were you trying to strangle me?¡± Raynard said, annoyed. He loosen up his tie, but was tighten by Brendon again. ¡°My Lord. This is the royal banquet. Unlike the one at the estate, the banquet here was quite the silent war between nobles. A ruthless one, at that.¡± ¡°Why should I be on pins and needles? Those spoiled nobles who could do nothing but trembling behind their status had nothing to scare me off.¡± ¡°You do not have to be on pins and needles. Just¡­ Your appearances said a lot about you, My Lord.¡± ¡°Why should I care about my appearances? No! Why should they care how I appeared?¡± ¡°You will be carrying the image of the family into that war, My Lord.¡± ¡°Do I have any image left to protect? Everyone knew my temperament. No one would be brave enough to mess with me in front of other.¡± ¡°Please think of the deceased Madam and Young Lady. They were worthy of all honor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t used their name to provoke me, Brendon. Even if you were my friend, I will not forgive you if you used their name on me.¡± ¡°Please forgive me. I have no intention to use them to put a leash on you. I just¡­ I do not wish for their name to be tarnished any further than it is¡­¡± Raynard stared at himself reflected on the mirror, from head to toe. Illustration of his late wife materialize. She was smiling while clutching on his hand with her head rested on his shoulder. ¡°My dear Anna liked to doll me up. She said I was the most good looking man in the whole world,¡± he mumbled, smirking by himself as he recalling his memories. His nostalgia was cut off with a knocked from the door. The old butler came in, said, ¡°Your Grace, the carriage sent by royal palace had arrived.¡± ¡°Prepare my own carriage.¡± The old butler was already used with the whimsical side of the duke that will definitely refused anything sent by the royal family. ¡°Yes, Your Grace,¡± he bowed and withdraw from the room.