- 12 hours ago
My Heir Was In The Stable HD
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00:01I saved a slave whose tongue had been let out.
00:04He looked about the same age as my son,
00:06but the flame mark on his neck was unmistakable.
00:09That bond belonged to House Valon alone.
00:11It was our bloodline, and ours only.
00:14My son, though, was with his father right now,
00:17celebrating his tenth birthday.
00:19I swallowed the blood rising in my throat
00:21and forced myself to think clearly.
00:23Then the sound of beatings came from the stable,
00:27and that flame mark drove into my chest like a curved blade.
00:31Beat him to death, you filthy little bastard!
00:34Stealing feed from the young master's purebred horse!
00:38A small figure lay curled on the ground,
00:41covered in foul-smelling mud.
00:42His mouth and nose were bleeding from the blows,
00:45but his eyes, his eyes were fierce, defiant,
00:49like he was ready to take everyone down with him.
00:53He looked exactly like my father in the heat of battle.
00:56When the killing rage took hold,
00:58my heart sank.
01:01Stop.
01:02Right now.
01:04One command.
01:05The years of war behind my voice
01:07dropped those stable hands to their knees
01:09before they could think.
01:11My lady?
01:13They scrambled and crawled,
01:15collapsing at my feet.
01:18The mute slave seized the moment,
01:21loosened his bite,
01:22crawled back into the corner,
01:23and watched me with guarded eyes.
01:26I walked toward him,
01:28one step at a time.
01:29He couldn't have been more than ten,
01:31starved down to skin and bone.
01:33Beneath his thin rags,
01:35whip scars and frostbite wounds
01:36crisscrossed his entire body.
01:39Old injuries buried under new ones.
01:42Ten years.
01:44Had he been sleeping and eating in this stable
01:46with the animals for ten years?
01:48My hand trembled as I reached out to touch his head.
01:51He swapped it away like a startled wild thing
01:54and exposed a dark red birthmark.
01:57Shaped like a flame.
01:59The bloodline mark of House Valon.
02:04The Valon bloodline runs hot in the vein.
02:07That mark looks like living fire.
02:10Lucas, the son I'd raised for ten years,
02:13didn't have it.
02:14I always thought he took after his father, Julian.
02:18The truth had been right in front of me the whole time.
02:21My own flesh and blood,
02:23dumped in a stable,
02:24living alongside animals for ten years.
02:28I pulled off my cloak and wrapped it around him,
02:30filth and stench be damned,
02:32and held him tight.
02:34He went surage for a moment.
02:36Perhaps it was the first warmth he'd ever felt.
02:39The ferocity in his eyes dimmed,
02:41just slightly.
02:43Don't be afraid.
02:45Come with me.
02:47I didn't take him to the main wing.
02:50Instead, I brought him to my private vault.
02:52The one where I kept my personal assets.
02:55The one only I knew about.
02:59I gave him a name.
03:01Cale.
03:02Cale Valon.
03:03I am the only daughter of Duke Roland Valon.
03:07Years ago, I set aside my armor,
03:09brought with me a vast fortune in dowry,
03:12and married down
03:13to a low-born scholar named Julia Ashfield.
03:17I spent years pulling him up by his bootstaps,
03:21until he sat in the highest seat in the kingdom,
03:23royal chancellor.
03:26Everyone said the chancellor was devoted and lovingly henpeckered.
03:29Our son, Lucas, was accomplished in both letters and arms.
03:33The king himself had named him heir.
03:36Today was Lucas' tenth birthday.
03:38The estate was packed with guests.
03:40I reached out to check the back of his neck,
03:43but he instinctively pulled away
03:45and ran straight into the arms of Lillian, the healer.
03:49She was Julian's childhood friend from the same village,
03:52taken in after her family fell on hard times.
03:55The day I gave birth,
03:56I'd lost consciousness from a difficult labor.
04:00Lillian, as the attending healer,
04:02had moved freely in and out of the delivery room.
04:05Julian had waited anxiously outside.
04:08When I came to,
04:10they placed a wrinkled newborn in my arms
04:13and told me it was my son.
04:16Julian was standing beside Lillian now,
04:19straightening the hairpin on her head
04:20as if no one else existed.
04:22His eyes were soft in a way
04:24I had never once seen in ten years of marriage.
04:27I looked at Lucas,
04:29at his almond-shaped eyes,
04:31identical to Lillian's,
04:32and the hand resting on my sword hilt began to shake.
04:37During that labor,
04:38I had fallen unconscious for three full days.
04:42No reason given.
04:43No explanation ever offered.
04:47Julian,
04:48my dear, devoted husband,
04:51what exactly did you swap out?
04:56Mama!
04:57I want that one!
04:58Lucas was pointing at the birthday cake,
05:00but he wasn't talking to me.
05:01He was talking to Lillian.
05:03She shot me a timid glance,
05:05then said softly,
05:06Young master,
05:07your lady mother is right here.
05:09Mind your manners.
05:10She said,
05:11Mind your manners.
05:12But her hands were already cutting the cake
05:14and lifting it to his lips.
05:16Lucas swallowed it in one bite and beamed.
05:19Lillian's the only one who actually cares about me.
05:22Not like some people,
05:24always forcing me to train with the sword.
05:26Some people.
05:27I was his mother.
05:29To give him a fighting chance among the nobility,
05:31I had hired the finest tutors money could buy
05:34for both scholarship and combat
05:36and driven him hard day and night.
05:40And this was what I'd become to him.
05:42A grievance.
05:43Julian laughed and smoothed things over.
05:45He's still young.
05:47Kids say things.
05:48Don't take it to heart, darling.
05:50As he spoke,
05:51he casually reached over
05:52and smoothed out a crease on Lillian's collar.
05:54Practiced.
05:55Effortless.
05:56Like he'd done it a thousand times.
05:58A sharp-eyed guest nearby made a joke of it.
06:01The chancellor really is generous.
06:03That's quite the attention for a household employee.
06:06Julian didn't even blink.
06:08We're from the same village.
06:09Of course I look out for her.
06:11How amusing.
06:13Looked out for her so well
06:14their son got her exact eyes.
06:17Lucas picked up the first slice of birthday cake.
06:20He didn't give it to me,
06:21the woman who'd carried him for nine months.
06:24He didn't give it to Julian either.
06:27He took it carefully with both hands
06:29and handed it to Lillian.
06:31Lillian's always been delicate.
06:33She needs the best piece.
06:35It'll do her good.
06:37Lillian put on her most flustered,
06:39grateful expression.
06:40But the corner of her eye slid toward me,
06:43sharp with something that looked very much like a dare.
06:48Oh, this isn't really proper, is it?
06:50Lucas announced loudly.
06:52In this house, what I say goes.
06:55Right, Dad?
07:02Of course.
07:03It's your birthday.
07:05You're the boss today.
07:09What a happy family.
07:13The crystal glass in my hand gave a sharp crack and shattered.
07:16Red wine ran through my fingers and dripped onto my skirt.
07:20The room went silent.
07:21A flicker of panic crossed Julian's eyes before he frowned.
07:25What are you doing?
07:26It's a celebration.
07:27Blood on a day like this is a terrible omen.
07:29I dropped the broken glass stone and wiped my hand with a silk cloth.
07:36Slipped.
07:38I'm going to change.
07:40Carry on.
07:40As I turned to leave,
07:42I heard Lucas mutter under his breath.
07:44Such a kill, Locke.
07:45Always walking around with that face.
07:48I didn't break stride.
07:51I am Ilara Valon,
07:53commander of the Valon Legion.
07:55My tears are for soldiers who die in battle.
07:57They will never for domestic affairs.
08:00I didn't go to my chambers.
08:01I went around to the stone terrace in the rear courtyard.
08:04Julian's favorite spot.
08:06Sure enough,
08:07footsteps came hurrying in not long after.
08:12Dad,
08:13when's that old witch gonna die already?
08:15Soon.
08:16Once I get my hands on the Valon Legion command seal,
08:20I'll send her to meet her maker.
08:22Lillian's voice came next,
08:23honeyed and trembling.
08:25Julian,
08:25I'm scared.
08:26That woman kills without blinking.
08:28What if she finds out?
08:30Finds out?
08:32She's just a woman who potters around the kitchen all day.
08:35She's got nothing left of the soldier she used to be.
08:37Kale is such a good boy.
08:39One day,
08:39the Valon Legion will be all yours.
08:42And so will every inch of Ashford Estate.
08:45Lillian kissed Lucas.
08:46My sweet boy.
08:48Ten years of calling that woman your mother.
08:50I'm sorry you had to go through that.
08:52Lucas spit in disgust.
08:54I never wanted to call her that anyway.
08:57She always smells like the stable.
08:59It's revolting.
09:01She's not even in your league, mum.
09:03I pressed my back against the stone wall.
09:06The pain in my knuckles was bone deep.
09:10Ten years.
09:12Every last day of it,
09:14a lie.
09:16The man sharing my bed.
09:18An animal wearing a human face.
09:21The sun I poured myself into raising.
09:24A creature just waiting for the right moment to bite.
09:28House Valon has served this kingdom with loyalty for generations.
09:32And we had been used as a stepping stone for this filth to climb on.
09:36I didn't step out from behind that wall.
09:38The way I stood now.
09:40No military authority.
09:42No evidence.
09:44Storming out would only tip my hand.
09:48Aladavalan does not go into battle unprepared.
09:54When I returned to the main wing,
09:57Julian was waiting with a cup of sobering tonic.
10:01He looked up with warm concern the moment he saw me.
10:05Darling, where did you go?
10:07I've been looking everywhere for you.
10:08I made this myself.
10:10Drink it while it's hot.
10:11I didn't touch it.
10:15Settling into my seat and adjusting my sleeve,
10:18I said.
10:21Julian,
10:22I was wandering in the garden just now
10:24and something came to my mind.
10:26Julian kept his smile.
10:28Oh?
10:29What's that?
10:30Lillian's not getting any younger.
10:32It isn't quite right for her to go on living here indefinitely.
10:35People will gossip.
10:37As lady of this house,
10:39it's my duty to find her a suitable match.
10:43Julian's expression shifted.
10:46Lillian's hasn't been well.
10:47The physician said she can't handle too much stress.
10:51A marriage right now might not be...
10:52All the more reason to lift her spirits.
10:55I've already found someone.
10:56The butcher's son on the east side of town.
11:00Built like an owl.
11:02Her family runs a butcher shop.
11:04She'd eat well every single day.
11:07He'll have her looking plump and healthy in no time.
11:10The color drenned from Julian's face.
11:12That butcher's son was a notorious drunk.
11:15Three dead wives, all beaten to death in a stooner.
11:20That's completely out of the question.
11:22Lillian comes from a decent family.
11:24She can't marry a butcher.
11:26I looked at him evenly.
11:28Oh, she thinks a butcher is beneath her.
11:33You were a penniless scholar when I married you.
11:36I didn't complain.
11:39Julian's speechless.
11:42Besides, her parents are gone.
11:44I'm her sister-in-law.
11:46As her sister-in-law and the lady here,
11:49I'm the one responsible for her future.
11:52This is my call to make.
11:55I didn't give him room to argue.
11:58The wedding carriage comes tomorrow morning.
12:05The next day, music and fan fang out across Ashford Estate
12:09at the crack of dawn.
12:11A red bridal carriage rolled directly up to Lillian's door.
12:16Lillian went white as a sheet and fainted.
12:20Or pretended to.
12:22Lucas came charging out and shoved the driver aside.
12:25Get out!
12:26All of you, get out!
12:29You're evil!
12:31You're just jealous of Lillian.
12:32I won't let you do this to her!
12:34I looked at that face.
12:35A face that shared not a drop of my blood
12:37and felt the last flicker of feeling inside me go dark.
12:41I'm doing this for her own good.
12:43Every woman marries eventually.
12:46Does she plan to spend the rest of her life
12:47at Ashford Estate as an old maid?
12:49Are old maids better than marrying a butcher?
12:53Lillian is down!
12:54Enough!
12:55Julian came rushing in
12:57and cracked a hard slap across Lucas' face.
13:01That surprised me.
13:03Julian actually struck his own precious boy.
13:07So that was it.
13:08He was afraid Lucas would let something slip.
13:10Julian turned to me with an apologetic smile.
13:13Darling, the boy doesn't know better.
13:14But this really is too sudden.
13:16Lillian just fainted.
13:18The physician says she can't be startled.
13:19Couldn't we put this off a little?
13:21I looked at the three of them,
13:23banding together, holding each other up.
13:25Fine.
13:26Then I'd make them suffer slowly.
13:28Let them feel every inch of it.
13:31Since she's ill,
13:32she should rest properly.
13:34Seal off Lillian's quarters.
13:36No one goes in or out for her good.
13:39She needs complete quiet.
13:41And since she's so weak,
13:42keep her simple diet,
13:44no more rich food.
13:45From now on,
13:46she'll eat nothing but plain porridge and bread.
13:49Lillian had just come around.
13:51When she heard that,
13:52she nearly fainted again.
13:53I looked at the three of them,
13:55huddled together,
13:56holding each other up.
13:57You're sick!
13:58You're trying to starve her to death!
14:00It wasn't a hard kick,
14:01but it was the last one I would ever allow.
14:03I slapped him across the face.
14:05Hard.
14:07Lucas stood there,
14:08a stunned,
14:09hand pressed to his cheek,
14:11staring at me like he couldn't believe
14:12what had just happened.
14:14Ten years.
14:15I had never once raised my voice at him,
14:17never my hand.
14:19Until now.
14:22Bring me the house road.
14:24The steward crept forward,
14:26trembling,
14:27and held out an oil-soaked leather strap.
14:32Lara!
14:33Have you lost your mind?
14:34He's ten years old!
14:36You'll kill him with that thing!
14:39You're telling me he's ten years old?
14:47Ten years old.
14:49And already challenging me.
14:51Shouting abuse at his elders.
14:52No respect at all.
14:54If I don't act now,
14:55he'll burn this estate down tomorrow.
14:57I am the lady of this house.
15:00I have every right
15:01to discipline my son!
15:05When it was done,
15:06I dropped the blooded strap on the floor.
15:11Take the young master to his study.
15:13He's confined until he's copied
15:14the sacred texts 100 times.
15:16He doesn't eat until it's finished.
15:21After dealing with that mess,
15:23I felt surprisingly refreshed.
15:28Late that night,
15:29I slipped away from everyone
15:30and made my way down
15:31to the private vault.
15:35Kale was inside,
15:37using a wooden stick
15:38to practice strikes
15:39against the shadows on the wall.
15:41The form was rough,
15:42but every movement
15:43carried a reckless ferocity.
15:45It was the kind of drive
15:46that didn't care
15:46if it lived or died.
15:48When he saw me,
15:50he immediately
15:50tucked the stick behind him
15:51and pressed back
15:52into the corner,
15:53watching me.
15:55I set down
15:56a fine bottle of medicine
15:57and a pork chustle,
15:59roasted until the fat
16:00ran golden.
16:03Eat.
16:04He stared at the food.
16:06His throat moved.
16:08But he didn't reach for it.
16:09I tore off a piece
16:10and ate it in front of him.
16:12That was all it took.
16:14He launched himself at it
16:15and ate like he was trying
16:17to make up for every
16:18missed meal at once.
16:19When he finished,
16:20he looked up at me.
16:22Some of the Warreness
16:23had left his eyes.
16:26I picked up the wooden stick
16:27and settled into
16:28a proper opening stance.
16:29Do you want revenge?
16:33I didn't treat him
16:34like a child.
16:35I treated him
16:35like a soldier.
16:36Do you want to grind
16:37every last person
16:38who ever stepped on you
16:39into the dirt
16:39beneath your feet?
16:40Kale couldn't speak,
16:41but the fire that blazed up
16:43in his eyes
16:43nearly leaped out of him.
16:44He nodded,
16:45hard,
16:46once.
16:47I took his hands
16:48and adjusted his grip,
16:50corrected his posture.
16:51From this day forward,
16:53you are House Valen's wolf.
16:55You learn to hide your fangs
16:56until the moment
16:58you can close them
16:58around your enemy's throat.
17:00Meanwhile,
17:01Julian dropped to his knees
17:02outside Lillian's
17:03sealed quarters
17:04and begged.
17:07I let him suffer a while,
17:08then played along.
17:10I released Lillian.
17:12But I demoted her
17:13to my personal handmaid.
17:16Her first duty,
17:17washing my feet.
17:20And while I was at it,
17:22I took back full control
17:24of the entire estate.
17:27To make them completely
17:29drop their guard,
17:30I began to flatter
17:31and coddle them.
17:33I deliberately let Lucas
17:35steal the strategic manuscripts
17:36my father had left behind
17:38so he could run
17:39to his worthless father
17:40and take credit.
17:42Then I dismissed the strict
17:44swordmustry instructor
17:45and replaced him
17:46with a pack of fanning,
17:47idle rich boys
17:48as study companions
17:49and let Lucas throw himself
17:51into gambling dens
17:52and let his training rot.
17:53At the same time,
17:55I took Kale out
17:56to a valley beyond the city
17:57and ran him through hell.
18:00He didn't flinch from pain,
18:03blood or injury.
18:05Weighted runs,
18:06barehanded fights
18:08against wild wolves.
18:09He endured it,
18:10all of it without complaint.
18:12Within a single month,
18:13he could draw
18:14a 300-pound war bomb
18:16and he had completely
18:18grasped the essence
18:19of the Valon family
18:20spear style.
18:22Watching him train
18:24sweat pouring down
18:25his face,
18:26I knew with absolute
18:28certainty,
18:30this is the true bloodline
18:32of House Valon.
18:36Then came the day
18:37of the Royal Autumn Hunt.
18:39This year's hunt
18:40carried particular weight
18:41because after 10 years
18:43holding the northern border,
18:45my father,
18:46Duke Roland Valon,
18:47had finally returned
18:48in triumph.
18:51This hunt was my father's
18:53way of testing the metal
18:53of the capital's noble sons
18:55and he'd arranged
18:56every detail himself.
18:58Julian had a fine set
18:59of chainmail custom forged
19:00for Lucas,
19:01sparing no expense
19:02so the boy could make
19:03an impression
19:03on his grandfather.
19:05Lucas rode out
19:06on his purebred horse
19:07at the head of the procession,
19:09chin in the air.
19:10Lillian was supposed
19:11to be a handmaid,
19:12but Julian had quietly
19:14smugged her along,
19:15dressed as a traveling healer.
19:17I brought only one person,
19:19Kale.
19:20He wore a black iron mask
19:22and an ordinary guard's uniform
19:24tucked into my escort detail.
19:26He looked completely unremarkable.
19:28When we reached
19:28the hunting grounds,
19:29the noble sons
19:30were already sharpening
19:31their nerves and their blades.
19:32Up on the platform,
19:33my father stood in full military dress.
19:36His hair had gone white,
19:37but the force in him
19:38had not dimmed.
19:39His gaze swept the field
19:40like a hawk's.
19:41Today,
19:41the man who brings down
19:43the white-marked winver
19:44takes my warblade,
19:46companion of thirty years,
19:47and I will grant him one wish.
19:49Whatever he asks.
19:51The crowd erupted.
19:53That tiger was the apex predator
19:55of the hunting grounds,
19:56and Bane was the symbol
19:57of the Valon Legion itself.
19:59Lucas's eyes lit up.
20:01Dad, that tiger's mine.
20:02If Grandfather gives me the blade,
20:04nobody in the Valon region
20:05will dare to question
20:06and dismiss me again.
20:07Go.
20:08Show your Grandfather
20:09what you can do.
20:10I've already arranged men
20:11to shadow you
20:12and make sure you come out on top.
20:14The horn sounded.
20:16A hundred horses exploded
20:18from the line
20:18and thundered into the trees.
20:22Lucas charged into the forest
20:24at the head of a small army
20:25of escorts.
20:26He had no idea
20:27that I'd already had bait
20:28laid inside that forest.
20:30Bait dreamt in the exact cologne
20:32Lucas always wore,
20:34the same scent
20:35that drives tigers
20:36into a frenzy.
20:37I glanced back at Kale.
20:41He gave a small nod,
20:42peeled away from the main group
20:44and disappeared silently
20:46into the far edge
20:47of the tree line.
20:48The game begins.
20:56The sounds came quickly.
20:58Animal shouts tearing
21:00from the trees
21:00followed by shouts of panic.
21:02The tiger!
21:03It's enormous!
21:04Run!
21:05It's gone mad!
21:09Every last one
21:10of the pampered young nobles
21:11who'd been riding
21:11at Lucas's back
21:12took one look
21:13at the real thing
21:13and scattered
21:14like startled birds.
21:15Lucas was swept
21:16off course in the chaos.
21:17His purebred horse
21:18reared in terror
21:19and bolted.
21:20Help!
21:20Dad!
21:21Somebody help me!
21:22The white-marked tiger
21:23burst from the undergrowth,
21:24eyes burning red,
21:25launching itself
21:25straight at Lucas.
21:26The cologne
21:27it had locked on.
21:28Lucas's horse buckled
21:29at the front legs
21:30and sent him
21:31tumbling into a mud pit.
21:32That fine custom chain art
21:34worth a small fortune
21:35now pinned him
21:36to the ground
21:36like a shell
21:37he couldn't shed.
21:37Lucas's eyes rolled back,
21:39a dark stain spread
21:40across the front
21:40of his trousers.
21:42The tiger's jaws
21:42were closing in
21:43on his throat.
21:44Then,
21:44at the last possible moment,
21:46a dark shape
21:46dropped from the teatops.
21:48Kale locked his legs
21:48around the animal's ribcage
21:50like iron clamps,
21:50one hand pressing down
21:51on the tiger's skull,
21:52the other gripping
21:53the splintered shaft
21:54of a broken spear.
21:55The tiger thrashed
21:56and bucked,
21:57trying to throw him.
21:58Kale didn't move.
21:59He found the throat,
22:00the one spot
22:01where the great cat
22:02had no defense,
22:03thud.
22:03The sound of steel
22:04pletting flesh.
22:05The broken spear
22:06drove deep.
22:07Blood sprayed
22:07across the boy's
22:08black clothing
22:09in a wide arc.
22:10The tiger let out
22:10one last desperate cry
22:11and then the massive body
22:13crashed to the ground
22:13and went still.
22:14Kale rose from the carcass.
22:16His spine was straight
22:17as a rounce.
22:18Up on the platform,
22:19my father's pupils
22:20shrank to points.
22:21His whole body
22:22was shaking.
22:23That technique,
22:24that's the Valens reversal.
22:26Our lost spear form.
22:28I thought it was
22:29gone forever.
22:30Kale reached up
22:31and pulled the black iron
22:32mask from his face.
22:33Beneath it was a sharp
22:35composed face.
22:36The brow,
22:36the jaw,
22:37the set of his eyes,
22:38carved from the same
22:39mold as my father
22:40in his youth.
22:41Unmistakable.
22:42My father forgot
22:43himself entirely.
22:44He leaped down
22:45from the platform
22:45and crossed the field
22:46in long strides,
22:48eyes wide and
22:48unbelieving.
22:50The resemblance,
22:51it's extraordinary.
22:53This boy.
22:57He looked straight
22:58at me.
23:00Elara,
23:01who is this child?
23:05I stepped forward
23:06and tore open
23:06the worn cloth
23:07at Kale's shoulder.
23:08A dark red
23:09flyam-shaped birthmark
23:10blazed into view
23:11before every eye
23:12on that field.
23:13The bloodline mark
23:14of House Valen
23:14passed down
23:15through generations.
23:16No one outside
23:17the true Valen bloodline
23:18could ever carry it.
23:19The hunting grounds,
23:20quiet just moments before,
23:21exploded into chaos.
23:23The nobles and quarters
23:24packed around the edges
23:24leaned into each other,
23:25whispering,
23:26pointing.
23:27Then Julian pushed
23:27through the crowd.
23:28How dare you
23:29bear yourself
23:29before the king?
23:30Cover yourself at once
23:31before you cause offense
23:32to his majesty.
23:35I lifted my foot
23:36and kicked him
23:37straight into the mud
23:38at the edge of the field.
23:40I didn't spare him
23:41a glance.
23:41I turned,
23:42faced the king
23:43seated on the high platform
23:44and my father
23:45whose whole body
23:46was trembling
23:46and dropped to both knees.
23:48Ten years ago,
23:48I nearly died
23:49bringing his child
23:50into this world,
23:51all for Julian Ashford's sake.
23:52And yet this man,
23:54this pillar of false virtue
23:55had been plotting
23:56against me
23:56from the very beginning.
23:57I raised my hand
23:59and pointed directly
24:00at Lillian
24:00who had been cowering
24:01behind a wall of guards
24:02shaking.
24:03He conspired
24:04with his childhood friend,
24:05this healer Lillian,
24:06to secretly swap
24:07the bastard child
24:08they conceived together
24:09into my bed
24:10while my own son,
24:11my flesh and blood,
24:12the only true heir
24:12of House Valon
24:13was thrown without mercy
24:14into the estate stables.
24:15Drew Kale in front of me
24:16and pushed up
24:17both his sleeves.
24:18The boy's lean arms
24:18were a map of damage,
24:19whip scars,
24:20burn marks,
24:21and years of layered wounds,
24:22old ones buried beneath new ones,
24:23not a single patch
24:24of unmarked skin.
24:25For ten full years
24:26my child slept
24:27and ate
24:28alongside the animals.
24:29He ate animal
24:30mixed with blood.
24:31He has been beaten
24:32and cursed without end.
24:34Even the lowest servants
24:35on that estate
24:36grind him under feet.
24:39The gathered nobles
24:40erupted in uproar.
24:41Those quarters
24:42who had spent years
24:42calling Julian a brother,
24:44praising his grace
24:44and refinement.
24:45Every last one of them
24:46now wore an expression
24:47of undisguised horror.
24:48Julian,
24:49waist deep in mud,
24:50found some last
24:50savage reserve of spiders
24:52death closed in around him.
24:53He clawed his way out
24:54on all fours
24:55and jebbed a finger at me,
24:56voice cracking with fury.
24:57Alara Valon,
24:58you faithless,
24:59scheming witch!
25:00You want to hold onto
25:00the estate's assets
25:01so badly
25:02that you drag some
25:03unknown urchilin off,
25:04pass him off as Valon blood!
25:05He didn't bother
25:06wipe the fill from his face.
25:07He flung himself
25:08at the platform,
25:09pounding his forehead
25:10against the ground.
25:11Your majesty,
25:11I beg you to see the truth!
25:12Lillian and I are innocent!
25:14We have never once
25:14crossed a lie!
25:15This bastard
25:16is obviously the spawn
25:18of this woman's own affair,
25:19conceived behind my back
25:21with another man.
25:22Now she's afraid
25:23I'll expose her
25:24and cast her out
25:25so she's turning it around
25:26and dragging my name
25:27through the mud!
25:29I let him finish.
25:30Then I gave a cold laugh.
25:32I humbly request
25:33that his majesty
25:33summon the royal physician
25:34to administer
25:35the bloodline reagent
25:35here,
25:36in front of everyone.
25:37The reagent properties
25:38are absolute.
25:39It will not bind
25:39unless the blood
25:40is that of a true parent
25:41and child.
25:41Not even close chin
25:42can fool it.
25:43The moment Julian
25:44heard the words
25:45bloodline reagent,
25:46the colour left
25:47his face entirely.
25:48He stumbled backward.
25:50Absurd!
25:50This is sorcery!
25:52It proves nothing!
25:53I refuse!
25:54You don't get to refuse.
25:56Two royal guards
25:56stepped forward
25:57like walls of iron
25:58and locked down
25:59Julian's shoulders.
26:00The royal physician
26:00came forward
26:01at a brisk pace,
26:02white cerium bowl in hand,
26:04silver needle glinting.
26:05My blood,
26:06then Kale's.
26:07Both fell into
26:07the clear reagent,
26:08one drop after another.
26:10The two drops
26:10moved through the liquid,
26:12drifting,
26:12circling,
26:13seeking,
26:14and then merged
26:14completely into
26:15a single,
26:16full,
26:16perfect bead.
26:18They merged!
26:19They actually merged!
26:22King slammed his fist
26:24against the throne.
26:25Julian Ashfield!
26:26You treacherous,
26:28lying snake!
26:29What do you have
26:29to say for yourself now?
26:31Seize them!
26:32Both of them!
26:32Now!
26:34The royal guards
26:36drew their blades
26:36cold steel
26:38catching the light
26:38pressing towards
26:39Julian's throat.
26:41Lillian,
26:42who had spent
26:42the whole time
26:43hiding at the back
26:43of the crowd
26:44playing the victim,
26:45went completely
26:46to pieces.
26:47She threw herself
26:47at Julian on hands
26:49and knees,
26:49grabbing his leg.
26:50Julian,
26:50say something!
26:51You're the royal chancellor!
26:52Do something!
26:53Tell his majesty
26:54everything we did
26:55we did for our future!
26:56For our child!
26:57Julian looked down
26:58at her like she was
26:59something that had
26:59crawled out of a grave.
27:01To save his own neck
27:02and his official title,
27:03he had no use
27:04for old affection.
27:05He drew his foot back
27:06and drove it into her
27:07without hesitation.
27:08Get off me,
27:09you poison woman!
27:11Lillian hit the ground,
27:12coughing blood.
27:13Julian threw himself
27:14at the platform,
27:15banging his head
27:16on the ground.
27:17Your majesty!
27:18I have been wronged!
27:19I swear it on my life!
27:21It was her,
27:22this viper!
27:22She put every last bit of it!
27:24The switching of the children,
27:25the whole conspiracy!
27:26It was her scheme
27:27from start to finish!
27:28I was deceived!
27:29I'm a victim in this too,
27:30your majesty!
27:31I swear it!
27:31Lillian lay in the mud,
27:33staring up at him
27:33with eyes that couldn't
27:34process what they were seeing.
27:36The man who had sworn
27:37the world to her
27:38not an hour-er
27:39was now pushing her
27:39toward a grave
27:40with both hands.
27:41She clutched her chest.
27:42A long, broken sound
27:44clawed it way out
27:45of her throat,
27:45somewhere between
27:46a laugh and a scream.
27:47A victim?
27:49Julian Ashfield,
27:50you ungrateful,
27:51backstabbing dog!
27:52Lillian came completely undone.
27:53She dragged herself
27:54half upright from the mud
27:55on one arm
27:56and screamed at the...
27:56Your majesty!
27:58I have crimes to report
27:59against Julian Ashfield!
28:01Over the past ten years,
28:02he used his position
28:03as royal chancellor
28:04to embezzle military funds
28:05from the northern border,
28:06200,000 gold coins in total!
28:08He also rigged
28:09the noble selection process,
28:11selling recommendations
28:11to the highest bidder!
28:13Every ledger
28:14and every piece of evidence
28:15is hidden behind
28:16the third secret panel
28:17behind the display cabinet
28:19in his study!
28:20Julian's face contorted
28:21in pure panic.
28:22He lunged at her
28:23like a man possessed,
28:24hands scratching
28:25to cover her mouth.
28:26Shut up,
28:26you stupid woman!
28:27I will kill you!
28:31The king surged
28:31to his feet
28:32on the high platform,
28:33fury shaking the air.
28:35Commander of the royal hard,
28:36take your men
28:37and tear Ashvisate apart!
28:38I want those ledries found
28:40if you have to
28:40dig up the foundations!
28:42I watched those two,
28:43the pair who had made
28:44my life a living nightmare,
28:46tear each other apart
28:46in the mud
28:47like ravid animals.
28:48I reached into my coat
28:49and drew out
28:50a rolled sheet of parchment,
28:51already sealed
28:52with the house valon crest.
28:53I flicked it up
28:54with one hand.
28:55It struck Julian's
28:56ashy face and fell.
28:57Read it carefully,
28:58Julian Ashfield.
28:59Every word.
29:00That is a decree
29:01of disillusion.
29:02Our marriage is over.
29:03From this moment,
29:04you are no longer
29:05an ally of house valon.
29:07You're nothing.
29:07A stray dog
29:08that the whole world
29:09wants dead.
29:10Less than half an hour later,
29:12the commander
29:12of the royal guard
29:13came calloping back
29:14to the hunting grounds.
29:15A thick stack
29:15of ledgers and letters
29:16was laid before the king.
29:18The king had barely
29:18turned three pages
29:19before the fury
29:20on his face
29:21threatened to set
29:21the entire field alight.
29:22A fine royal chancellor,
29:24indeed.
29:24By royal decree,
29:26Julian Ashfield
29:26is stripped of every title
29:28and office
29:28effective immediately.
29:30His assets
29:31are to be seized
29:32in full.
29:33All those complicit
29:34are to be punished
29:34without exception.
29:35Under the king's
29:36thundering order,
29:37the guards
29:38dragged all three
29:39of them into the darkness
29:40of the royal dungeon's
29:41death row
29:42to await judgment.
29:44Stripped of the deep
29:44purple robes
29:45that had marked him
29:45as royal chancellor,
29:46Julia now wore
29:47a reeking filthy
29:48prison uniform.
29:49The dungeon
29:49saw no daylight.
29:50Rats and cockroaches
29:51moved freely
29:51through the rotting straw.
29:53When feeding time came,
29:53the jailer tossed
29:54half a stale hardened loaf
29:55through the iron bars
29:56like throwing scraps
29:57to a dog.
29:57Back off!
29:58That's mine!
29:59The man who had once
30:00embodied scholarly
30:01refortment now lunged
30:02like a starving animal.
30:03He drove his foot
30:03into Lillian's stomach
30:04and clutched the stale
30:05bread to his chest.
30:06Lillian's legs were
30:07already broken.
30:07That kick tore a gush
30:08of blood from her mouth
30:09and Lucas,
30:10rather than help
30:10his own birth mother,
30:11threw himself at Julian
30:12and sunk his teeth
30:13into his arm
30:13trying to wrench
30:14the bread away.
30:14Dad, please!
30:15I'm starving!
30:16Just one bite!
30:17Please!
30:18Get away from me!
30:19Useless waste!
30:20Ten years I fed you
30:21and for what?
30:21Julian backhanded
30:22Lucas across the cell.
30:24The loving father,
30:25the devoted family,
30:26all of it stripped away
30:27by half a mouldy loaf.
30:28The dungeon took its toll
30:30on Julian in other ways too.
30:31Political enemies
30:32he had crushed
30:33under his boot
30:33over the years
30:34had bribed the guards
30:35and every day
30:36brought fresh humiliations.
30:37Drinking from buckets,
30:38performing like an animal
30:39on command,
30:40the fall from the heights
30:41to this had shattered
30:42something in him
30:43beyond repair.
30:44Alara Valen,
30:45you poisonous witch.
30:46Even if I come back
30:47as a ghost,
30:48even if I have to
30:49sell my soul,
30:50I will bring your
30:50entire family down
30:51with me into the grave!
30:56That very night,
30:57a shadow disguised
30:57as a meal delivery guard
30:58moved silencely
30:59to Julian's cell door.
31:01My Lord Chancellor,
31:02it's good to see
31:03you're still breathing.
31:04The figure kept his voice
31:05low and pushed up his sleeve,
31:06revealed the wolf's head
31:07tattoo of the northern
31:08border tribes.
31:09Julian's eyes went sharp.
31:10He knew that mark.
31:12This was one of the
31:13tribal spies he had
31:14secretly dealt with
31:14years ago,
31:15back when he'd been
31:16skimming the northern
31:17border's military funds.
31:18Ten thousand northern
31:19troops are massed
31:20and ready at the border.
31:21Our chieftain has
31:22made his terms clear.
31:24All he needs
31:25is the city defense
31:26layout of the royal capital,
31:28the one you kept
31:29hidden from your
31:30time in office.
31:31All you gotta do
31:32is use your guys
31:33inside the dungeon,
31:34have them open the gates,
31:35and we hit the city
31:36together.
31:36When it's done
31:37and the city falls,
31:38you receive half the territory.
31:39We crown you the one
31:40and only non-royal king
31:41this land has ever seen.
31:43The hunger for power
31:44and the hatred for me.
31:45The two of them together
31:46consumed whatever was left
31:47of Julian's reason.
31:48He bit open his finger
31:49and drew the contact signal
31:50onto a strip of cloth.
31:51The next day,
31:52during the exercise hour,
31:53Lillian smashed her drinking bowl
31:54and picked up a shard
31:54of sharp ceramic.
31:55Without hesitation,
31:56she dragged it across
31:57her own face,
31:57deep enough to reach bone,
31:58the features she had always
31:59been so proud of.
32:00She threw herself on the ground,
32:01rolling and waning and laughing,
32:02performing a convincing breakdown
32:03to pull the warden's attention away.
32:04Then, dragging herself
32:05on broken legs,
32:06using what remained of her charm
32:07and a promise of gold
32:08hidden outside the city,
32:09she seduced a greedy,
32:11lutherish guard
32:11into carrying Julian's message
32:12to his remaining contacts
32:13in the capital.
32:14She believed she was
32:15earning her way out,
32:16buying her survival.
32:17What she didn't know
32:18was that from the moment
32:19I threw down
32:20that desolation jeet,
32:21the royal dungeon
32:22had been ringed,
32:23inside and out,
32:24with my own operatives.
32:25That treasonous letter
32:26was on my desk,
32:27intact,
32:28within half an hour
32:28of leaving the cell.
32:29I traced the bloodstains
32:30on the letter
32:31with my fingertip,
32:32a cold smile curling
32:33at the corner of my teeth.
32:34A non-royal king, huh?
32:35Sending in the wolves.
32:36Bold move.
32:37I dropped the letter
32:38into the burning coal bosie
32:39and watched it catch.
32:40Since he wants to play,
32:42I'll see the game
32:43through to the end.
32:45Let that guard go.
32:47I want to draw them
32:48all out into the open
32:49and cut them out
32:50at the root.
32:53Three nights later,
32:55the royal dungeon
32:56caught fire.
32:57The blaze came from nowhere
32:59and spread fast,
33:01swallowing half the prison
33:02in minutes.
33:03Under cover of the chaos,
33:04with the northern spy team
33:05moving silently
33:06through the smoke,
33:07the door to Julian's gas
33:08was eased open.
33:09Julian, take me with you!
33:10You promised me
33:11you said I'd be your queen!
33:12Lucas was beside her,
33:14choking on the smoke,
33:14both fists knotted
33:15in Julian's coat.
33:16Both of you,
33:17get off me,
33:18you're dead weight!
33:19Something flickered
33:20through Julian's eyes.
33:21Cold, final, decided.
33:23He kicked Lillian
33:24into the burning timber
33:25without looking down.
33:26Then he planted
33:26his boot
33:27on his own son's spine
33:28and used the boy
33:29as a step
33:29to vault himself
33:30over the flames.
33:33Julian,
33:34rot in hell!
33:36Lillian's streak
33:36tore through the fire
33:37behind him.
33:38Julian didn't look back.
33:39He vanished into the dark.
33:41He ran without stopping,
33:42slipping back
33:43into the city
33:43and making for
33:44a hidden abandoned chapel
33:45on the outskirts
33:46of the capital.
33:47Behind the altar base,
33:48buried under a layer
33:49of dust and stone,
33:50he dropped to his knees
33:51and clawed at the earth
33:52with bare hands
33:52until he pulled free
33:53the city defense layout.
33:55The northern border
33:56assassin commander
33:57and the garrison
33:57military traitors
33:58Julian had bought
33:59with gold
33:59and promised titles
34:00were already waiting inside.
34:02They sealed their pact
34:03in blood.
34:04Tonight,
34:05they would break open
34:06the royal capital.
34:07Back at the dungeon,
34:08the prison fire
34:09was brought under control
34:10by the royal guard.
34:11Lillian was still breathing,
34:12barely,
34:13scorched beyond recognition.
34:15Lucas encrushed
34:15under a falling bame
34:16during the stampede.
34:18Both legs gone,
34:19he would never walk again.
34:20The warden interrogated
34:21them through the night.
34:23Faced with their own executions,
34:24that mother and son
34:25came completely apart.
34:26I know where he hid
34:27the money for the rebellion!
34:28I know the contact codes!
34:30He's the traitor!
34:32I was forced in this,
34:33I swear!
34:34At the same time,
34:34across the city,
34:35the royal council chamber
34:36blazed with candlelight.
34:37Your majesty,
34:38I have a request.
34:39Deploy 80% of the capital's
34:41city guard
34:41to the outer districts
34:42immediately.
34:43Leave 500 royal guard soldiers
34:45to hold the palace.
34:45That is all we need.
34:46The king was quiet
34:47for a long moment.
34:48He looked at me steadily.
34:49Then, without a second's hesitation,
34:51he brought his palm down
34:52hard on the table.
34:53Granted,
34:54tonight,
34:55I place this kingdom,
34:56its people,
34:56its walls,
34:57and my own life
34:58entirely in your hands,
35:00General Vallon.
35:00It was a devastatingly
35:02dangerous gamblet.
35:03An empty city
35:04laid out like fate.
35:06A deliberate illusion
35:07constructed to draw
35:09the rebels
35:09into a killing ground.
35:10I needed Julian
35:11to believe
35:11that layout was accurate.
35:13I needed him certain
35:14the palace was exposed
35:15and poorly defended.
35:16Hungry enough
35:17and desperate enough
35:18to walk straight
35:19into the trap.
35:21The night was moonless.
35:23The air tasted like blood.
35:26Julian had put on
35:27black armor.
35:28He carried a sword
35:29and walked at the front.
35:30Behind him,
35:30over a thousand
35:31northern assassins
35:32and Turnged garrison soldiers.
35:34They moved along
35:34the routes marked
35:35on the layout.
35:35The resistance they met
35:36was almost nothing.
35:37A few scattered guards
35:38easily cut through.
35:39They walked into
35:40the inner palace grounds
35:40without breaking stride.
35:41Julian stepped over the bodies
35:43without slowing down.
35:44The throne room plaza
35:45opened up ahead of him.
35:46The seat of absolute power
35:48right there,
35:49almost close enough
35:49to touch.
35:50Julian threw his head back
35:51and laughed
35:52at the empty sky.
35:53The sound was raw
35:54and unhinged.
35:55Elara Valen,
35:56get out here and die.
35:58This is the end
35:58of your whole family.
35:59I'm going to take
36:00your head off myself
36:01and hang it on the city wall
36:02for everyone to see.
36:02You?
36:03Is that so?
36:04In the next instant,
36:05every torch on every
36:05white marble palace wall
36:06ignited at once.
36:07Thousands of flames
36:08snapping to life
36:09in a single breath.
36:10Julian's head snapped back.
36:11There I stood,
36:12silver battle armor,
36:12the Valen warblade bane
36:13gripped in my hand
36:14at the very top of the steps
36:15before the throne room doors
36:16and beside me
36:17stacked along every tier
36:18of Palawal above and behind
36:19the 10,000 cavalry
36:20of the Valen legion
36:21who had been waiting
36:22in silence for hours.
36:23Countless archers
36:23with bows drawn full,
36:25every arrowhead fixed
36:26on a target
36:26in the plaza below.
36:28It was a net
36:28with no exit.
36:29Julian looked around
36:30at his men,
36:31hunters who had a prey
36:32and one brat boy
36:33in the next.
36:34The sword fell from his hand
36:35and rang against the stone.
36:37Julian Ashfield,
36:38I told you once before,
36:40House Valen
36:41does not go into battle
36:42unprepared.
36:43I looked down at him
36:44the way you look
36:45at something rotting
36:45on the ground.
36:46That layout you thought
36:47was your winning card?
36:48I threw it to you.
36:49It was bait.
36:50Strike!
36:52Bane swept down.
36:53The battle cry
36:53that answered it
36:54shucked the palace
36:55to its foundations.
36:56The Northerns
36:56and rebel soldiers,
36:57for all their reputation,
36:58were nothing in front
36:59of a real steel tide.
37:00They were ground apart
37:01in the time it takes
37:01a stick of incense to burn.
37:02Julian came apart completely.
37:04He could see it was finished,
37:05eyes wild.
37:06He snatched a sword
37:07from the ground
37:07and seized a court attendant
37:08by the throat.
37:09One last human shield,
37:11one last attempt
37:11to break through.
37:12Don't touch them!
37:13The command split
37:14the night air.
37:15Kyle dropped from above
37:16in silver light armor,
37:17fluid and fast
37:18as a hunting cat.
37:21The long spear
37:22in his hands
37:22moved like water
37:23finding its path
37:24and then the Valen
37:25reversal technique
37:25unrolled.
37:26The spear tipped
37:27screaming through the air.
37:28The spear found
37:28both of Julian's
37:29sword tendals
37:30and both of his
37:30heel tendals
37:31in a single arc.
37:32Julian's scream
37:32was animalistic.
37:33He folded and went down
37:34into the blood
37:35pooling beneath him.
37:36Kale set his boot
37:37on Julian's face.
37:38The king emerged
37:39from the throne room doors
37:40surrounded by hundreds
37:41of royal guard soldiers.
37:42He looked down
37:43at Julian,
37:43gasping,
37:44broken,
37:44face in the dirt.
37:45Julian Ashford,
37:47I strip you
37:47of the last dignity
37:48you have left
37:49as a man.
37:50By royal decree,
37:51this traitor
37:52is to be taken
37:52to the royal gate
37:53execution ground
37:54and put to death
37:55by a thousand cuts.
37:56His entire line
37:57exterminated.
37:58Three days later,
37:59the royal gate
38:00execution ground
38:00was packed so tightly,
38:02the crowd spilled
38:02into the surrounding streets.
38:04Word of Julia's treachery
38:05had spread through
38:05the capital.
38:06The people
38:06were not there
38:07to mourn.
38:08Rotten vegetables
38:09and garbage
38:10rained down
38:10on the platform
38:10from every direction.
38:12The executioner's blade
38:13fell again and again
38:14and Julian lasted
38:15three full days
38:15under the slow cutting
38:16before he finally
38:17stopped breathing.
38:18The blood that ran
38:18from the platform
38:19turned black and reeking.
38:20A wicked man
38:21left the world in pieces
38:22with nothing to bury
38:23in the dungeon.
38:24When word of Julian's
38:25death reached them,
38:26Lillian and Lewis
38:26lost whatever was
38:27left of their minds.
38:28The infected burns
38:29across Lillian's face
38:30and the wounds
38:30on her broken legs
38:31had gone semic,
38:32crawling with rot.
38:33She died in agony,
38:34starving,
38:34consumed from the outside in.
38:36Lucas,
38:37as a traitor's family member,
38:38was sentenced accordingly,
38:39tendums cut,
38:40then discarded like refuse
38:41on the wasteland
38:41outside the city walls.
38:43In the dark of that night,
38:44a pack of half-starved
38:45wild dogs found him.
38:46There was nothing left
38:47to identify by morning.
38:49Evil had met its end.
38:51All debt
38:51were finally paid.
38:56Three days after the rebellion
38:58was crushed,
38:58the throne room
38:59stood in solemn ceremony.
39:01The king overruled
39:02the objections
39:03of every narrow-minded
39:04old courtman
39:05who dared raise a voice.
39:06He stepped down
39:07from the throne himself
39:08and placed the purple-gold
39:10tiger steel,
39:10the symbol of supreme
39:12military command
39:13over the entire kingdom,
39:15into my open hands.
39:16Alara Valon,
39:17hear your title.
39:18House Valon has served
39:19this kingdom with
39:20unwavering loyalty
39:20across generations
39:21and has now saved
39:22the crown itself.
39:23By my decree,
39:24I name you Grand Duchess
39:25Protector of this realm,
39:26equal in rank
39:26to the three pillars
39:27of the court.
39:28You kneel to no one.
39:29Your servant receives
39:30this honor with gratitude.
39:33When I turned,
39:34I found Kael standing
39:35at the front
39:35of the military ranks.
39:37This boy,
39:37who had grown up
39:38eating filth in a stable,
39:39now stood in the silver armor
39:40of House Valon,
39:41straight and still,
39:42exactly where he belonged.
39:43I had already entered
39:44his name into
39:45the Valon bloodline record.
39:46He was formally recognized
39:48as the young master
39:49of the Valon Legion.
39:50He looked at me.
39:51In those eyes,
39:52so much like my father's,
39:53a fire burned
39:54that nothing would ever put out.
39:56Ten years of shadow
39:57swept clean
39:58in the light
39:58of this breaking dawn.
40:00I put on the deep red
40:01commander's cloak
40:02and climbed the steps
40:03to the top
40:04of the capital's
40:04command platform.
40:06The autumn wind
40:07moved hard,
40:07pulling at my hair.
40:09Below me,
40:09the Valon Legion
40:10stretched ten miles
40:10beyond the city walls,
40:11blades and spears
40:12like a forest,
40:13the breath of ten thousand
40:14soldiers rising in the cold air.
40:15I thought back
40:16across those ten years,
40:17the suffocating back rooms,
40:18the laughable marriage,
40:18all of it.
40:19Nothing.
40:19A pebble on the long road
40:21of Alara Valon's life,
40:22to hell with playing
40:23the dutiful wife,
40:24to hell with obedience
40:25and submission.
40:26I drew Bane slowly
40:28from its sheath
40:28and raised it toward the sky.
40:30From this day forward,
40:31this vast land
40:32and every soldier who rides,
40:34this is where I belong.
40:37Less than two weeks
40:38after Julian's execution,
40:39after Lillian and Lucas
40:40met their end,
40:41the Chancellor's mansion plaque
40:42had already come down.
40:43In its place,
40:44three gilded characters
40:45hung above the gate,
40:46Val and Manar.
40:47When the sunlight hit the gold,
40:49it was almost blinding.
40:50My handmaid Ivy
40:51stepped close
40:52and lowered her voice.
40:53My lady,
40:54the audit of the household staff
40:55is complete.
40:56Sixteen servants remain
40:57who are loyal to Julian and Lillian.
40:59Five of them are still
40:59quietly passing information
41:00to Ashford's distant relatives,
41:02keeping tabs on the manor.
41:03A cold edge moved through my eyes.
41:05I should have expected it.
41:07Julian had spent ten years
41:08building his network
41:09inside this house.
41:10You don't cut out roots
41:11like that overnight.
41:12The worst poison
41:13in a household war
41:14was never the open blade.
41:15It was the rat
41:16hiding in the corridor,
41:17waiting for the moment
41:17to gnaw through the foundations.
41:21Who's leading them?
41:22One of Lillian's
41:23former personal maids.
41:24She's been assigned
41:25to sweep the rear courtyard.
41:26She's been meeting regularly
41:27with Julian's distant cousin Marcus,
41:29took money from him,
41:30and apparently made promises
41:31to avenge the Chancellor
41:32when the chance comes.
41:33Kale stepped forward.
41:35He picked up the charcoal pen
41:36from the table
41:36and pressed two words
41:37onto the paper
41:38in firm, deliberate strokes.
41:40Every line cut through
41:41to the other side.
41:42Not a trace of hesitation.
41:44Nothing like a child of ten.
41:45I reached over
41:46and set my hand on his shoulder.
41:48Something in my chest tightened,
41:49then hardened back into resolve.
41:51The ten years of beatings
41:52and hunger and humiliation
41:53he had survived in that stable
41:54were not something
41:54I could simply let pass.
41:56But I would not let him
41:56drown in hatred either.
41:58And I would not let his hands
41:59carry more blood
41:59than they needed to.
42:00Not yet.
42:01Marcus is small.
42:03Someone bigger is moving him.
42:04We cast the net wide
42:07and let them step
42:09into it themselves.
42:09We cast the net wide
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