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My Fiancé Humiliated Me, I Wed the War General - Full
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00:00Ahead of my lavish nubitals to Lucien, heir apporned of the marcastit,
00:04I tried on the crimson gold thread consecrated bridal cloak.
00:07The garment stirred up fond wedding memories for his sister-in-law,
00:11who wept her eyes ret soon after.
00:13Lucien then had my consecrated bridal cloak and sun hazo crown it,
00:17changed to rose-colored overnight.
00:19The next day, he turned up at my estate with sanctonious pretensions to persuade me.
00:24Celestine, no matter what you wear for the wedding, you will still be the future Margare.
00:28Why must you upset my sister-in-law?
00:30Ever since she was titled a consecrated widow,
00:32crimson has never again appeared in the Marginga's castle.
00:35Although a bride blessed by the church must wear crimson,
00:37rose-pink still counts as red, does it not?
00:39I will still acknowledge you as my legitimate, orthodox spouse.
00:42You are the true blood daughter of the Duke of Valamont.
00:44You ought to possess noble magnanimity.
00:46Rose-pink is also a shade of red?
00:47By that flawed reasoning, anyone across the Marcus ship could lay claim to House Thornfield's lawful heirship.
00:53Being the house's heir-a-priot Lucien is bound to uphold the noble virtue of mercy.
00:58Lucien opened the chest.
00:59The consecrated bridal cloak kept the original design.
01:02Its color was changed to rose-pink fabric.
01:04This color is only for lesser consorts.
01:06The scene stunned everyone present.
01:08Ladies who came for the dower covered their mouth could be seen clearly.
01:11Celestine, I had this bridal wear stitched in an all-night rush just for you.
01:15Would you try it on?
01:16Lucien looked at me with a face full of tenness.
01:18I pointed at that ridiculous chest of rose and asked,
01:22This is my bridal gown?
01:23A rose-colored secondary bridal gown?
01:26The customs of your house, Thornfield, are utterly absurd.
01:29You had my crimson gold-thread consecrated bridal cloak taken away yesterday just to replace it with this.
01:35Why?
01:36Lucien looked somewhat troubled, but slowly spoke.
01:39Celestine, when you were trying on the bridal gown that day, my sister-in-law saw it.
01:44She went back and cried all night.
01:45It reminded her of the day she was married, and she was deeply heartbroken.
01:49My elder brother has passed away, and she is a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
01:54Now the sight has stirred her grief.
01:56You know she has not had it easy, so why must you wear a crimson gown and cause her such
02:00sorrow?
02:01No matter what you wear to marry into the Margarians' castle, I will acknowledge it.
02:05You will still be my future Margesine.
02:07Why must you be so stubborn?
02:09My sister-in-law has suffered much.
02:11Just bear with it and yield to her.
02:14All right?
02:17I almost laughed out of sheer anger.
02:19Elwyn had known the two Thornwood brothers since childhood, back when she married into the Margar's castle.
02:25Less than a year after the wedding, Lucien's elder brother died in battle, at the edge of the magical beast
02:30front.
02:30At that time, Elevin threatened to jump off the tower and smash her head against the coffin, set the whole
02:36town chattering with scandal.
02:38The Arpa ship and the queen were moved by this, and personally titled her a consecrated widow.
02:43Two years had passed, and she had not missed a single social ball in the royal capital, surrounded by admirers
02:49like the moon surrounded by stars every single time.
02:52One could hear everyone praising her, lauding her chastity and her deep devotion.
02:57How is it that she can revel in banquets and balls outside without a care in the world, yet when
03:02it comes to my wedding, she suddenly plays the part of one overwhelmed by painful memories?
03:07She cannot bear to see crimson?
03:10Could it just be because her husband died, all'd in entire the noble kingdom, must play the widow alongside her?
03:16One of the noble ladies could cannot stand it anymore, and spoke up for justice.
03:20Lord Eyre, a noble woman's vows at the High Chapel are everything.
03:24The crimson cloak, the sun halo coronat, that's what makes it real.
03:28A true wife isn't some secondary contort who'd marry a real bride in rose.
03:32The Lord Eyre is marrying a lady of the house, not some shameful mistress.
03:36How dare you humiliate Celeste with a rose-colored gown?
03:39Exactly.
03:40Does Alonwit know what an orthic consecrated bridal cloak symbolizes?
03:44Having it changed to rose-colored, she must have done it on purpose.
03:46Is your lordship taking a wife, or taking a secondary consort?
03:50Celeste is already suffering such grievances before even entering the castle.
03:53What will happen once she marries in?
03:54Elendon cannot bear to see red. Why do I find that so hard to believe?
03:58At the last royal banquet, wasn't she and she is the only one allowed to wear it, while others are
04:02forbidden?
04:03The group of noble ladies voiced their indignation on my behalf.
04:07Besides, it was unheard of for a rightful marchiest to be wed in rose-pink bridal wear.
04:12I slammed the trunk shut with a resounding crash and looked at Lucien.
04:15Your lordship, please take this bridal gown back.
04:18Forgive Selamine, but I cannot wear it.
04:20Lucien anxiously defended himself.
04:22I did not mean to humiliate you, Celestian.
04:24My sister-in-law is truly heartbroken.
04:26Why must you pierce her heart like this?
04:29Rose-pink is also a shade of red.
04:31Using a rose-colored gown for a grand wedding,
04:33I truly had not heard such a brazen distortion of right and wrong in a long time.
04:38Just as I was about to lash out, a maid led a woman inside.
04:42My lady, the lady of the thorn-wheeled Marjus castle, is here to visit.
04:46It was Elwyn.
04:47She was clad in somber funeral weeds typical of a widow's garb, standing at the doorway.
04:53At this moment, she looked at Lucien with red eyes, hurried forward to his side and said with urgency and
04:57heartache,
04:57How could you do this?
04:58If this royal betrothed is ruined because of me, how am I to explain this to the Marjurk and his
05:02lady?
05:03Then, Elwyn looked at me cautiously.
05:05Sister, do not blame Lucien.
05:07He simply aches for me as his sister-in-law.
05:09He did not do it on purpose.
05:11For my sake, please forgive him this once.
05:13Lucien said anxiously.
05:15Your eyes are swollen from crying.
05:16Why did you come here?
05:17Their back-and-forth exchange of mutual concern
05:20caused the noble ladies nearby to start whispering among themselves.
05:24I laughed mockingly.
05:25I am truly unaware of what the rules of House Thornfield are like.
05:28A woman calling her late husband's brother by his given name and so intimately.
05:33If word of this gets out, what might other people think?
05:36After all, a younger brother aching for his widowed sister-in-law so much
05:40that he makes his unwed fiancé wear a rose-colored secondary bridal gown.
05:44I have never heard of such a thing.
05:47As soon as my words fell, the murmurs among the crowd grew louder.
05:51As a widow consecrated by the church,
05:54didn't Ellermann always claim the past that she wouldn't speak a single word to other men?
05:57She calls out to Lucien more intimately than even his own fiancé does.
06:02Who would believe they are entirely innocent?
06:04No wonder Lucien would wrong Celestine for Elven's sake.
06:07Celestine is truly unlucky to be marrying into such a family.
06:11What will become of her in the future?
06:14Hearing the gossip, Elowen feels very awkward.
06:18It's not like that.
06:20Enough!
06:21The surroundings fell silent.
06:23Lucien glared at me with ferocious eyes.
06:26Celestine, is this your scheme?
06:27Let these people humiliate Elowen here just to show your displeasure?
06:32To think she was worried about you feeling wronged and came expressly to reason with me.
06:36And you?
06:37You had people humiliate her here.
06:39Your petty small-minded streak.
06:42Makes me wonder how you'd treat her once installed at the castle.
06:46I laughed out of sheer fury.
06:48It wasn't enough for you to come to my door alone.
06:51You had to bring Elogen to play the victim.
06:54Could it be that whoever's husband dies becomes invincible and can do whatever they please?
07:00Lucien retorted in exasperation.
07:02Celestine, my sister-in-law is a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
07:06Can you not just take a step back and yield?
07:07You are marrying into Lothornhield and will face each other every day in the future.
07:11If you make things this rich and unyielding, it will do you no good.
07:15Elowen entered the Marjory's castle before you, and she is the most revered person of our entire family.
07:20Even when you become the lady of the house in the future, it will still be so.
07:23My mind is made up.
07:24Three days from now, at the vows in the High Chapel, you can only enter wearing this gown.
07:29A wife ought to obey her husband.
07:32That is the very doctrine set down in the canon of the Holy Maidens.
07:35And as the true-blood daughter of a duken house, it is high time you studied it.
07:41Properly.
07:42Elowen, standing to the side, said carefully and tendedly.
07:46Sister-in-law, Lucien is only showing consideration for me as his sister-in-law.
07:51After all, as long as one weds the one they love, does the color of the bridal cloak truly matter?
07:56Sister-in-law?
07:57After speaking, she trailed behind Lucien with practiced fragility as Lucien left the gates of the ducal estate.
08:04Several noble ladies swarmed around me.
08:07Celeste, you absolutely cannot marry in a rose-colored gown.
08:10It signifies a secondary union.
08:12You cannot willingly lower your status and go from an orthodox lady to a mistress.
08:18Exactly.
08:19I think Lucien and Elowen came here intentionally to humiliate you.
08:22Elowen did it on purpose, wanting you to be reduced to a secondary consort the moment you enter the castle.
08:28Who knows what she is plotting?
08:30His Majesty the King had bestowed the royal betrothal upon Lucien and me.
08:35After my father passed away, though the Valamont dukery estate still possessed deep foundations, both my parents were gone.
08:42Lucien was relying on the fact that my parents were gone, and no one was there to back me up.
08:47That was why he dared to marry me into his house in such a manner.
08:50I looked at that unbearably offensive chest of rose-colored gowns and smiled mockingly.
08:55Rose pink is also red?
08:56Wants me to have noble magnuity?
08:58I certainly possess the magnuity to tolerate others.
09:00It's just that while I have it, I wonder if Lucien does.
09:06Subsequently, I ordered the elite shadow wardens left to me by my father to carry out a certain task.
09:14Then, I rode a carriage overnight to seek an audience in the royal palace with Queen Seraphine.
09:19The queen was my maternal aunt.
09:21Since my parents were unable to make it back to the royal capital, it was only right for my aunt
09:27to preside over my marriage.
09:28Three days later, the Valamont dukery estate was marrying off its daughter, and the house of the Thornfield marshal was
09:35receiving the bride.
09:35It was the most aduspicious of days, and all the nobles in the city were watching the spectacle.
09:42However, early that morning at the Margarek's castle...
09:44Your lordship, this is bad! Our lady seems to have caught a severe chill.
09:48Her body is burning hot right now. Please go and see her!
09:51Lucien did not even have time to button his groom's main ceremonial assuring before he rushed anxiously to Elowen's courtyard.
09:57Elowen was burning up, her face flushed crimson, as she deliriously called out...
10:03Lucien's face changed with panic.
10:05Quick, fetch the royal healers!
10:08Your lordship, the auspicious hour is almost upon us. You should head to the high chamber to receive the bride.
10:13Lucien rebuked him angrily.
10:15The first lady is this severely ill. Is her life more important or is the wedding? Do I need to
10:18teach you?
10:19Anyway, this marriage is a royal betrothal. Selethion has to marry him no matter what.
10:23Go to my Lunger brother's union.
10:25He just led the night order back to capital. Have him receive the bride in my stead.
10:28Everyone was dumbfounded.
10:30Normally, unless it was a matter of life and death, what groom would not personally go to the high chapel
10:36to receive his bride?
10:37But seeing Lucien merely clipping Elowen's hand, entirely deaf to another word, the manservant had no choice but to go
10:45to the courtyard of the second son, Garrick.
10:47There, the second son of the family, Warden General of the North Garrick emerged, already dressed in the groom's crimson
10:53noble main ceremonial attire, followed by a retrain of escorting knights.
11:00The manservant thought to himself, Lord Garrick is truly a good brother.
11:04The heir is too busy to attend, so he immediately stepped out to receive the bride in his stead.
11:09Meanwhile, under Lucien's care, he drank a magic potion and woke up.
11:13Hearing the ceremonial outside and looking at his unbuttoned main ceremonial ossure, it lays well enough in her eyes.
11:18Lucien, today is your joyous day. Hurry and go.
11:21My illness is no mater-ness, and you must marry her eventually anyway.
11:24After speaking, tears fell down her face, poking pity in anyone who saw her.
11:29The bride's carriage has arrived!
11:31Elowen gripped Lucien's velvet cuff tightly, reluctant to let go, yet still said,
11:36You should go. How could Lucia bear to leave her?
11:39He jointly hugged her, hugged Ritley housed.
11:42Elowen, if only I could marry you openly and honorably, I could take care of you forever.
11:48Elowen let out a low sob.
11:51After tonight, you will be someone else's husband, and we will have no further ties.
11:57Lucien?
11:58Lucien gritted his teeth.
12:00Wait for me. She enters the castle in a rose-colored gown, and will certainly be the subject of bossips
12:05if in noble circles.
12:07When the time comes, I will claim it is only a secondary union.
12:10She will absolutely not outrank you in the family.
12:15I will go out only after the ostrich hour has passed.
12:18Once she enters the Margunk's castle, I will have to teach her the rules.
12:23The bells outside rang continuously.
12:26Lucien timed it perfectly.
12:27Once the ostrich hour had passed...
12:30Thank you all for waiting.
12:32At that moment, the Archbishop of the Highchapel proclaimed loudly...
12:35The sacred nuptial rules are concluded.
12:37The newlyweds may now proceed to the Great Hall.
12:42Congratulations, Lord of the Lord and General.
12:48General Garrick just led his army back to the capital yesterday, and today he forges a brilliant match.
12:53Truly, good things come in pairs.
12:55The General brings home a beauty today.
12:58What tremendous fortune.
12:59What a wonderful blessing indeed.
13:02Lucien's face had changed colour.
13:03He only asked Garrick to help receive the bride.
13:06When did he ever ask him to help take the vows?
13:09Hold on!
13:12He shouted loudly, his face turning ashing.
13:15Everyone looked over to see him striding into the Highchapel, suddenly blocking the path before Garrick and me.
13:21Seeing me in an orthodox crimson gold thread, consecrated bridal cloak.
13:26Celestane! How dare you make sacred vows with another man!
13:32Where is the bridal gown I sent yesterday?
13:34How did it turn into orthodox crimson?
13:37I told you, to marry into Laos Thornfield, you can only wear the rose-coloured secondary bridal gown I sent.
13:42If you do not follow my orders, how could you ever be fit to enter our family?
13:46Garrick slapped his hand away.
13:48Brother, today is the day your younger brother takes a wife.
13:51For you, the elder brother, to dictate what your sister-in-law wears to her wedding?
13:54Lucien stared at him.
13:56It is obviously my wedding today. What does it have to do with you?
14:00I was the one who went to receive her. The vows before the Holy Divine were proclaimed by her and
14:06me.
14:07Why would it not be my business?
14:09Even the Queen's Privy Warrant has my name written on it.
14:13How is it not my business?
14:15I took Garrick's arm and looked at Lucien with sheer bewilderment.
14:19My dear, why is your elder brother trying to stop our wedding?
14:23Lord Lucien, could it be that caring for your widowed sister-in-law is not enough?
14:27And you must also care for your younger brother's wife?
14:30You claim you are marrying me.
14:32But why is it that the one receiving the bride at the High Chapel today is...
14:36The Warden General of the North?
14:40Lucien was momentarily speechless, then hurriedly explained.
14:44My sister-in-law fell ill today.
14:46I was taking care of her while the royal healers examined her, and I truly couldn't step away.
14:51As soon as she took her potion, she told me to come receive you.
14:53I burst out laughing.
14:55Oh, are all the servants in the Marjix castle made of stone?
14:59The First Lady falls ill-sill and needs a royal healer who couldn't attend to that.
15:03Why must it be the Lord Hare, who claims to be getting married today, running about doing the chores,
15:09so busy he doesn't even have time to receive his bride?
15:12Aside from you and Elwyn, look at the Lord's present and see if any of them believe that.
15:17Humiliated and enraged, Lucien shouted Celestiana,
15:19just because I asked you to wear a rose-colored gown, you deliberately set a trap for me like this.
15:23You venomous woman!
15:25You haggle over every detail and possess not a single drop of noble magnivity.
15:28How can you be fit to be the future lady of the Marjixor's estate?
15:33The way everyone looked at him changed.
15:36Exactly.
15:37A widowed sister-in-law falls ill, and a grown man stays by her side like that.
15:41What kind of propriancy is that?
15:43I heard that for the sake of this widowed sister-in-law, he repeatedly demanded the bride bow her head
15:48to him.
15:49Could it be that he and that consecrated widow share some unspeakable secret that violates the church's dogma?
15:56I pulled out a pagement scroll sealed with the royal wax crest.
15:59Whether I am fit to be the lady of the house is not for you to decide.
16:02I can certainly tolerate that sister-in-law of yours, and I can also tolerate the gown you sent.
16:07Speaking of this noble grace and magnonsimity, I only wonder if your lordship possesses it.
16:11A queen's privy warrant, Lucien, heir to Thornweald,
16:14has disrespected royal dogma by humiliating a betrothal with a secondary union.
16:18For this blasphemy against the king's grace, he is stripped of his inheritance rights to the Marquistit.
16:24The family's inheritance rights shall be succeeded by the second run, Warden General of the North, Garrick.
16:29The betrothal is transferred to Garrick.
16:31He shall wed Celestine of House Valamont on the original date.
16:34So it is decreed.
16:37As my words fell, Lucien's face and he stumbled backward again and again.
16:41I smiled radiantly.
16:43This noble magnanimity of brotherly harmony.
16:46I do wonder, Lord Lucien, whether you possess even a trace of it.
16:50Lucien stared at the warrant sealed with wax, fell to the ground, and screamed.
16:55How is this possible?
16:57Just because of one trivial matter, the queen strips me of my heir title?
17:01I don't believe it!
17:02I demand to enter the palace!
17:04I will appeal to the royal tribunal!
17:07At that moment, an official dressed in a court warm stepped forward in the chapel.
17:10It was the royal chamberlain of the queen's inner court, recognized by all the nobles present.
17:14Lord Lucien, Lady Sallelt, an audience in the palace overnight to request this warrant,
17:18and she presented that gown symboling a mistress directly for her queen.
17:21His Majesty the King was also there at the time.
17:23His Majesty flew into a rage the moment he laid eyes on it,
17:26and swore he would never stand for such conduct of a hypocrite bullying the Duke's legitimate daughter.
17:30The verdict was not decided by anyone else.
17:33It was the king who gave his personal seal and full authorization for this warrant.
17:36How is it possible?
17:37This is an alliance between two great houses.
17:39How could it be treated so casually?
17:41I am the statutory heir of the marcher!
17:43The nobles finally realized that he had used a rose-colored secondary bridal gown to humiliate me,
17:49and they all looked at him with disdain.
17:51Now that the sacred sacrament is successfully completed,
17:54I must return to the palace to report back to His Majesty and Her Majesty.
17:58Still on the floor, Lucien mumbled.
18:00How is it possible?
18:01A royal betrothal!
18:03How can it be changed just like that?
18:05It's just the color of a bridal gown!
18:07Right at that moment, a maid showed from the West Wool suits,
18:10came howling into the high chapel and threw herself to her knees.
18:13Your Lordship, please hurry and see the First Lady!
18:16She is bleeding from the womb,
18:18and the royal healers say she might be having a miscarriage!
18:23All the guests in the chapel turned pale with shock.
18:27Elan Miss Mechering, she was a consecrated widow anointed by the church.
18:31Widowed for two years, dressing plainly and rarely going out,
18:35strictly adhering to dogma,
18:37and never involved with any men outside the family.
18:40How could she be pregnant, and even Miss Mechering?
18:44The news was world-shattering.
18:46The nobles, casting aside their etiquette,
18:48rose and surged toward the West Wing's swates,
18:51all wanting to witness this inconceivable, heretical scandal with their own eyes.
18:55I held Garak's arm, walking slowly behind the crowd.
19:00It's chaotic with so many people, be careful.
19:02I nodded lightly.
19:04A trace of understanding flashing in my eyes.
19:07The intelligence brought back by the Shadow Warders had proven true.
19:11Inside the West Wing's suite,
19:15The heavy stench of blood mixed with the smell of magic potions assaulted our senses.
19:20The woman lying on the bed was indeed the normally dignified, composed, gentle, and graceful Elowan.
19:27Only now, her face flushed with an unnatural redness,
19:30her forehead covered in cold sweat.
19:33Her usually clear and gentle eyes were filled with agony.
19:36Hiding a panic, she could not quite conceal.
19:40Lucien rushed in as well.
19:41He threw himself at the bedside,
19:44tightly clapping the woman's hand,
19:45his tone urgent and tinged with a subtle panic.
19:48Elowan, how are you?
19:50You were fine.
19:51How could you suddenly miss Kate?
19:53Did someone plot against you?
19:55The woman opened her eyes weakly,
19:57looking at Lucien as tears streamed down her face.
20:00Her voice was faint and full of grievance.
20:04Lucien, it hurts so much.
20:05I don't know what happened suddenly.
20:07The abdominal pain was unbearable.
20:09I am innocent.
20:10I am a consecrated widow.
20:13How could I possibly be with child?
20:15The healers must have made a mistake.
20:20Her defense triggered a chorus of whispers among the lords and ladies filling the room,
20:24their faces etched with shock and suspicion.
20:26A consecrated wid widow pregnant, this is an absolute joke.
20:30Widowed for two years and blessed by the church.
20:32How could she possibly be with child?
20:34Could it be that the royal healers lack magical proficiency and misdiagnosed if this is true?
20:39First Lady Elwyn's reputation for chastity is completely ruined.
20:42Seeing her so chastity and composed in the past, strictly adhering to the maiden's canon in her every word and
20:47a leader,
20:48she does not seem like a fallen heretic.
20:50But the royal healers all confirm a miscarriage.
20:53They couldn't just fabricate it out of thin air, could they?
20:56There must be an enormous mystery behind this.
20:59Amid the murmurs, the chief royal healer stepped out from the inner chamber,
21:04carrying an enchanted medicine box.
21:06He placed a hand over his chest, bowing to the surrounding nobles, and stated with absolute certainty.
21:12My lords and ladies, I have practiced medicine for over 40 years.
21:15I would never miss diagnosis.
21:17The lady on the bed was indeed over two months pregnant.
21:19However, her overwhelming grief and anguish disrupted the fetus vital pulse, resulting in a miscarriage.
21:26Two months pregnant?
21:28As the words of confirmation fell, the room erupted in uproar.
21:32The gazes directed at the woman on the bed shifted from initial sympathy to scrutiny,
21:38disdain, and even profound abhormony.
21:40A consecrated widow losing her chastity was a felony, punishable by burning at the stake,
21:46under church law.
21:47The woman on the bed.
21:50No, I didn't.
21:51I am being framed.
21:53I am truly innocent.
21:54Her defense was pale and powerless.
21:57Everyone merely assumed she was too ashamed to admit it,
22:00showing expressions of contempt.
22:03Just then, I stepped forward slowly, my gaze falling calmly on her face.
22:07My voice was not loud, but it perked clearly throughout the entire room.
22:09Elevin is a consecrated widow anointed by the church and maintained her chastice years.
22:13Naturally, she would not be pregnant.
22:15But you?
22:16Are you truly, Elevin?
22:19That single sentence was like a thunder clasp from a clear sky.
22:23The noisy room instantly fell into deathly silence.
22:27Everyone's gazes simultaneously focused on me, then violently shifted to the woman on
22:31the bed, their faces full of shock and disbelief.
22:34The woman's body stiffened abruptly, as if pricked by a needle.
22:38All color instantly drained from her face, turning ashen as paper.
22:42The panic in her eyes could no longer be concealed.
22:45She looked up at me fiercely, her voice trembling, laced with a hollow bravado.
22:49What nonsense are you spewing?
22:52If I am not, Elevin, who am I?
22:55I am the true-blood daughter of the Chancellor's House, the First Lady of the Margarg's Castle,
22:59the consecrated widow anointed by the church.
23:02Cease your wicked lies and stop slanding me!
23:05Slander?
23:05A faint, jockeying smile touched the corners of my lips.
23:08The real Elevin has a scar at the tail of her left eyebrow, left from a fall while riding
23:12in her youth.
23:13Since childhood, she was tutored by a royal scribe and her noble rude hand is elegant and profoundly
23:17graceful.
23:17Do you possess either of these two things?
23:21The new rings of Salkaintia sivir the dorside of her lairth.
23:25The yenda darted in the way, she her mape awakes to her who steen spake the throust.
23:28I-
23:29There was a fall in my youth, and the scar as long as it been healed and faded by magic.
23:33Enter my handwriting I have written up for a long time.
23:36Naturally I've grown rusty.
23:38Faded?
23:39Grown rusty?
23:40I scoffed coldly, turning to look at Lucian, who stood nearby, his face ashen, his entire body
23:44tense.
23:45Lucian, you and Elwyn have known each other since childhood.
23:47Growing up together in aristocratic circles.
23:49Her scar and her unique rune hand?
23:51Could you possibly be unaware of them?
23:53Lucian shuddered.
23:54His face instantly.
23:55His eyes darted away, unable to meet mine.
23:59Fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a
24:04single word for the longest time.
24:06Seeing this, how could the crowd not realize there was treachery afoot?
24:10The gazes cast upon the woman on the bed, and Lucian, were instantly filled with suspicion
24:15and scrutiny.
24:16I stopped looking at the panic-strucken pair, and raised my hand to signal.
24:20Two cloaked shadow wardens stepped forward from behind me.
24:23One held a yellowed paper and scroll, a formal complaint, while the other held a purple sandalwood
24:29broad box.
24:31I took the scroll of parchment, held it high, and spoke clearly and powerfully.
24:36As early as the day Lucian sent the bridal gown, I sensed something was in spress.
24:41Lucian and this Elwyn interacted inappropriately, and this Elwyn had manners, knowledge, and an
24:47aura completely different from before she became a consecrated widow.
24:50I'd spatched the shadow wardens to investigate in secret, and now, the truth is fully revealed.
24:55I paused, slowly recounting the shocking secret that had buried for two years.
24:59Her husband died fighting on the magical beast frontier.
25:02She refused to believe he had fallen, shutting herself inside the house to grieve endlessly.
25:06He spotted her deep sorrow and resolved to exploit her vulnerability.
25:09He told her he could track down evidence and reveal the full truth of her husband's death.
25:13Elwyn believed Lucian's lies.
25:14She boarded the carriage with him, filled with sincere gratitude.
25:17The woman who accompanied them on that trip, is this impostory here?
25:21The crowd listened, dumbfounded, turning to the woman on the bed in sheer disbelief.
25:30I continued.
25:31The day they left the territory, halfway at a post station, Mira offered Elwyn a bowl of potion.
25:36She knew full well that Elwyn was severely allergic to a certain powder since childhood,
25:39so she secretly added the allergen nut and drank it.
25:41Moments later, she burned up, her face swelling rapidly, until her features were indistinguishable,
25:45and she quickly lost consciousness.
25:47Right then Lucian and Mira declared publicly that base-born daughter, Mila, had encountered
25:52bandits on the road, had her face disfigured, and was too ashamed to face her parents.
25:56So Mira volunteered to enter a border monastery for a life of purification.
26:00House Ashcrossed had never valued her, so they didn't probe further.
26:03Then Lucian and Mira sent Elwyn, under the name Mira, to a hidden appy in the southern borders,
26:08dispatching guards to watch her, utterly erasing her existence from the outside world.
26:12From that day on, Mira became the Elwyn.
26:18So that is what happened.
26:20No wonder this First Lady's aura is completely different from the rumours.
26:24They aren't the same person at all.
26:25Lucian and this Mira are absolutely insane.
26:28Daring to commit such monumental fraud, usurping the identity of a true-blood daughter,
26:31and impersonating a consecrated widow?
26:33It's sheer lawlessness!
26:35The Chancellor's house is far too foolish.
26:37Their true-blood daughter was swapped, and they remained oblivious for two years.
26:41Simply believing Mira went into reclusive due to disfigurement.
26:44How absurd.
26:44I looked at the pale, teetering Lucian, my tone icy.
26:48Over the past two years, Lucian relied on the reputation to win the unanimous greed will of the entire Margetith.
26:54He built up his knightly renown, cleared away obstacles step by step, and secured his position as heir.
26:58Meanwhile, he and Mira, using this facade, remained together in secret, with no one daring to suspect a thing.
27:04Originally, their plan was flawless.
27:06It was indeed I to marry into House Thornweald.
27:09I am the true-blood daughter of Duke Valamont, and once I married into the castle and took charge of
27:14the internal affairs, their facade would eventually be pierced by me.
27:21To prevent me from rightfully taking power, they contrived this venomous scheme to humiliate me.
27:25Firstly, they aimed to suppress me with the status of a secondary consate, forcing me to back down.
27:30Even if I married in, I'd be the laughingstock of the aristocracy, too lowly to ever threaten their rule.
27:35Did they think that I, Celeste, am some helpless thing to be trampled upon at will?
27:39Ridiculous!
27:40They had played every card they held, but miscalculated my temper, and miscalculated the majesty of his majesty the king
27:47and church dogma.
27:48I entered the palace overnight to see the queen, not only tearing apart their humiliating trick, but also utilizing the
27:54warrant to tear Lucien down in one false wage.
27:57Stripping him of his title as heir, these words completely shattered Mira's psychological defenses.
28:02It was him! Lucien forced me to do it all!
28:04I only loved him! I just wanted to escape the lowly life of a base-born daughter, living like a
28:10rat!
28:12Lucien bellowed fiercely.
28:13Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?
28:15Me? Spouting nonsense? Things have come to this and you still want to keep hiding it?
28:20Her words completely tore away the final pretend between them, verifying everything I had said.
28:26Lucien was exasperated, yet he could find no words to defend himself.
28:30Just then, the steward's announcement echoed from outside the corridor.
28:34The Chancellor of the Kingdom and the Chancellor's Lady arrive.
28:37Before the words faded, a middle-aged couple in luxurious formal attire walked quickly into the suite.
28:42They were Elavon's parents, Chancellor Osrak and his lady.
28:44Having rushed over, they looked at the formation of people in the room and then at Mira who was wailing
28:48on the bed, their faces full of bewilderment and shock.
28:50What? What exactly is going on here?
28:53I looked at the Chancellor and his lady in my tone calm.
28:55Lord Chancellor, my lady. You arrive at the perfect time.
28:59Today's matter concerns the life and death of the noble true-blood daughter Elowen.
29:03I implore you both to identify two things.
29:07With that, I took the parchment rule from the Shadow Warden and presented it to the Chancellor.
29:11This is a formal complaint written blood by the real Elowen's own hand.
29:14She has been imprisoned by Lucien and Mira for two years, enduring endless torment.
29:18Elowen has been confined in the Abbey's damp cellar for two years.
29:22She endures endless cold, hunger, and brutal torture day after day.
29:27Her body is so incredibly frail that she could not withstand the jolts of a long carriage ride,
29:32and thus she was unable to return to the royal capital with the Shadow Wardens.
29:36But she had already written this complaint, detailing the entire process of how she was swapped and imprisoned two years
29:42ago.
29:42Elowen studied under a royal scribe since childhood.
29:45I beseech the Lord Chancellor to verify.
29:47Is this your beloved daughter, Sunrite?
29:49The Chancellor hurriedly took the parchment and unrolled it for a closer look.
29:53His fingertips trembled slightly, and his face grew darker the more he read.
29:57Yes. This is absolutely Elowen's handwriting.
30:00The magical circuit habits in her strokes are utterly unique. There is no mistake.
30:05The Chancellor's lady stood beside him and took the scroll from his hands.
30:09As soon as her eyes fell on the writing, tears filled her eyes.
30:13It is Elowen, my dear daughter.
30:16I gestured to the Shadow Warden again to open the purple sandaludum brusage box in his hand.
30:20Inside lay an ancient blood-sealed teslam pendant.
30:23This blood-sealed pendant was personally commissioned by you, my lady, from a mage in for Elowen on her name
30:27-binding day.
30:28It is bound by bloodline and has never left her side.
30:31The Chancellor's lady accepted the pendant with trembling hands, stroping the runic patterns on it as tears cascaded down.
30:37It is... it is Elowen's ward!
30:39That's right, the scar on Elowen's left eyebrow was accidentally me. It is absolutely real.
30:43My daughter, how much suffering have you endured these past two years?
30:46The evidence was conclusive. An irrefutable mountain of ironclad proof.
30:49What a pair of heartless wolf brutes!
30:51How dare you brutally harm my true-blood daughter like this, deceive the heavens, and usurp the legal order!
30:55I will absolutely present this to His Majesty, the King, and send the two of you to the Royal Tribunal
31:00for Heresy!
31:02With the truth revealed, every lord in the room was furious, furiously cursing Lucien and Mira's venomous deeds.
31:08Lucien completely powerless to argue further.
31:11He staggered backward a few steps and fell heavily to the ground, his eyes vacant, thoroughly stripped of his past
31:16hypocritical arrogance.
31:17The chief eldery of the House Council, leaning on his cane, had a beard trembling with rage as he sighed
31:23continuously.
31:24Absurd! This is a terrible scandal for our kingdom! It's disappointing that someone from House Thornfield acted disloyally and hurt
31:32the family's reputation.
31:33He has made serious mistakes.
31:35He looked at Garak and said in a deep voice,
31:38My lord, although the evidence of guilty is conclusive, the Margan and his lady are far away and have not
31:42yet returned.
31:43According to the law, being erased from the tappery requires the Margan's approval.
31:48We should wait for the Margan's return before dealing with him.
31:51Before Garak could speak, a majestic, furious shout suddenly echoed from the corridor outside, carrying monstrous wreaths.
31:57The crowd turned to the sound, only to see Margic Aldrich and his lady, clothed in travel-worn hunting attire,
32:03striding briskly into the room.
32:04Cornhill has no such treacherous son. Why bother?
32:07They had been patrolling the borders when they received a message from a magical raven detailing how Lucien humiliated me
32:12with a rose-colored bridal gown.
32:13They rushed back in a frantic hurry, never imagining it would also involved a world-shattering scandal of the eldest
32:19daughter-in-law being swapped and a true-blood daughter being imprisoned.
32:22The Margan's gaze was like a blade, fixed dead upon Lucien on the ground.
32:26You vile spawn! We have been loyal to the Holy Crown and the Divines for generations. How could we birth
32:33a heartless, treasonous creature like you?
32:35The Margort's lady was already weeping profusely, looking at Meera on the bed and thinking of the real Elowen in
32:40prison for two years. Her heart twisted in agony.
32:43You have not only destroyed yourself, but also thrown away all the honor of our house. You have disgraced our
32:49ancestors.
32:50Seeing the Margic and his lady return, the chief elder immediately placed a hand over his chest.
32:54Lord Margic, no need for words.
32:56The Marculeti interrupted, his tone refused to leave.
32:58Lucien's actions incur the ralk of heaven and the resent of men.
33:01He is unworthy of the family blood flowing in his veins. Immediately have his name burned and violated the laws
33:05and church documa.
33:06Hand them over to the royal tribunal.
33:09Yes, my lord!
33:11Heavily armed knights of the North stepped forward in response, ready to escort Lucien away.
33:17No! I do not accept this!
33:19Lucien, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly erupted with a roar and struggled violently to his feet.
33:24He stared fiercely at the Margaire and his lady, his eyes filled with years of suppressed resent and indignation.
33:30Each word wrinked from him like blood as he screamed out his grievances in mad despair.
33:34Why? Why is it that since childhood you have always favored the eldest son?
33:39The position of heir was his. The true blood daughter was his too.
33:42I am also of your bloodline, yet I was always an expendable shadow.
33:48It's all your fault!
33:52Celestine, if it wasn't you, my inheritance wouldn't be lost and my plans wouldn't be destroyed.
33:57You ruined everything of mine and I will not let you up!
34:01He then looked at the stern-faced Garak beside me, his hatred intensifying.
34:05And you, Garak, why do you get to pick up my title and marry Saland?
34:08You are nothing but a brute who only knows how to swing a sword out in the frozen west.
34:12By what right do you trample over me?
34:14You just wait! Even if I die, I will absolutely not let you off!
34:17Finally, he looked at the Margay and his lady, uttering a shyle, tragic curse.
34:21And you too, if I ever have the chance in the future, I will make House Thorn and pay the
34:24price,
34:24for I, Lucius, swear to Gazamegas, not ever!
34:26You had better send me to the guillotine right now for live for a single day.
34:28I was long make Celestia, Garak, and the entire Marcus Castle pay in blood!
34:32This deranged, roaring Telaide left every lord present deeply shaken.
34:35The knights hesitated no longer.
34:36They stepped forward, pinning the struggling Lucian down tightly.
34:39Lucian fought madly all the way, his curses and resentful cries ringing endlessly,
34:42until he was dragged out of the court.
34:43Only then did his voice gradually fade, yet it still carried a bone-piercing chill.
34:48Meera was also escorted away.
34:50Her face was assin', having long lost the strength to struggle.
34:52Like a walking corpse, she was dragged away by the knights.
34:55The storm momentarily subsided.
34:57The Chancellor's leg lady, already crying like a bade Mernov, thanked me repeatedly.
35:01Thank you, my lady. Thank you for seeking justice for my daughter.
35:04Had it not been for you, we would still be kept in the dark.
35:07My poor Elevin, suffering two years of inhuman torture.
35:12I gently consoled her.
35:14My lady, you need be so formal.
35:17The gods above will punish the wicked in the end.
35:19This is the fate they deserve.
35:21Says the truth is revealed, I will meedly pertite his majesty to depatch paladins to the southern borders
35:25to bring through the Trenblood daughter.
35:27Chancellor Osric nodded continually, saying with gratitude.
35:30Thank you, my lady.
35:31I will immediately arrange for mages to accompany them,
35:35heading to the hidden abbey in the southern borders together,
35:37to bring Ellermann back to the royal capital.
35:41The Marguard looked at the mess on the ground,
35:43his heart filled with exhaustion.
35:45He spoke to Garrick in a heavy voice.
35:46This affair shall be referred to the Royal Trudnel for a rigorous legal trial to uphold justice.
35:51As head of the house, you must speak and act prudently to stabilize the domain.
35:54Yes, father.
35:55I gazed in the direction Lucio was dragged away,
35:57a trace of coldness flashing in my eyes.
35:59I didn't take his vicious words to heart,
36:01yet I also knew deeply that a man as deranged and revengeful as Lucio
36:04would absolutely not let things go so easily.
36:06A far greater storm was likely only just beginning.
36:08The dungeons of the Royal Tribunal were dark and damp.
36:11Lucian was locked in methian shackles.
36:13The former Lord Hare, draped in silks and fine jewels,
36:15noble and ostentatious, now wore tattered rags.
36:17His face covered bloodshot, burning with inusquist resentment and mads are...
36:20Celeste Garrick, you just wait!
36:25Three days later,
36:26the Royal Tribunal announced the trial's verdict
36:27for the crimes of privately imprisoning a true-blood daughter of the kingdom,
36:30impersonating a consecrated widow to frame the church,
36:32and defying royal authority.
36:33Lucian was stripped of all noble protections in the primary judgment,
36:35exiled to the Frostmarches, and forbidden from returning to the royal capital for eternity.
36:40Meera was convicted of the same crimes.
36:41The moment the verdict fell, Lucian froze in place.
36:44There was no relief in his eyes, only monstrous indignation and malice.
36:47Exiled to the Frostmarches, how is this any different from death?
36:50He was once the Marjork's heir to end up in such a state,
36:52and worse, to be trampled underfoot by Garrick and Celestia.
36:55He was absolutely unresigned to this.
36:56Before being escorted to the place of exile,
36:58Lucian was temporarily held in the fortress dungeons outside the royal capital.
37:01In the dark and damp cell, he curled up in his digging fiercely into the stone wall,
37:05his eyes full of crazed hatred.
37:06He could not just leave like this.
37:07He wanted revenge.
37:08He was certain he would not let it end like this.
37:12He wanted to ruin Celestine's reputation and make her life worse than death.
37:15He wanted Garrick to lose everything and be beheaded.
37:17He wanted his biased parents to live in lifelong regret,
37:19and for the entire house Thornfield to pay the most agonizing price for what they did to him.
37:22Lucian slowly closed his eyes,
37:23forcing himself to calm down and sorting through the remaining contacts and leverage in his mind.
37:27Having held power for two years,
37:28he had secretly won over quite a few old retainers in the tarry
37:31and had also made the acquaintance of some dark guild factions
37:33and fallen mages on the fringes of officialese.
37:35Most of these people had received to him by interests.
37:37Though he had lost power now,
37:38as long as he had enough gold and promises,
37:40they might not be entirely useless to him.
37:42Furthermore,
37:43he knew quite a few secrets about Garrick's northern army
37:45and was well aware of the defenses around the family's treasury.
37:47These were all weapons for his...
37:48Using the opportunity to secretly contact his old subordinates,
37:50Lucian quietly sent messages via Raven.
37:52Every word was vicious,
37:53orchestrating a meticulous revenge plot.
37:56He wanted to destroy Garrick's military merits.
37:59Ruin Salensta's reputation and plunged the royal capital into chaos.
38:02Even if it meant mutual destruction,
38:03he would never give up.
38:05Lucian's first step was to employ his old trick again,
38:07using rumors as a sharp blade.
38:09He took out gemstones he had hidden away in earlier years
38:11to hire street thugs,
38:12destitute bards,
38:13and scribes,
38:14along with several disgruntled tax officials,
38:16to begin spreading a new wave of vicious rumors.
38:18This time,
38:19the targets were pointed directly at Garrick and Celeste.
38:21In just a few days,
38:23the rumors spread like poisonous vines
38:24through the streets and alleys of the royal capital.
38:26Have you heard?
38:27Warden General's Garrus Miller excites are all fake.
38:29The great victory against the magical beasts back then
38:31was entirely due to the desperate fighting of his knights,
38:33but in truth,
38:33he is as cowardly as a mouse.
38:34It doesn't stop there.
38:35The newly succeeding Lady Celestine is no saint either.
38:38To seize control of the castle,
38:39she stopped at nothing to frame Lucian.
38:40She is a ruthless witch corrupted by dark magic.
38:43The two collude,
38:44deceiving the king into seizing the Margonks castle.
38:45Garrick married Celestean
38:46only for the power of the Valamont dukery estate.
38:48The two are thick as thieves.
38:49They will come to no good end.
38:50The rumors were even more vicious than before.
38:53Not only slanding character,
38:55but even daring to defache military gourds
38:57and frame us for treason.
38:59Many ignorant commoners believed it to be true,
39:02pointing fingers at Garrick and Mai.
39:04Even within the High Council,
39:05several lower lords bought off by Lucia
39:07took the opportunity to speak up,
39:08subtly impeaching Garrick for false merits
39:10and me for improper conduct.
39:12Inside the Markyer's castle,
39:13the atmosphere was heavy.
39:14The Markyer's lady looked at the rumors
39:16reported by the head maid,
39:18fraught with worry.
39:18These rumors are far too malicious.
39:21If they reach his majesty,
39:22the king's ears,
39:23I fear it will cause trouble.
39:25Garrick's face was stern,
39:26his fingers grepping his sword hilt tightly,
39:28eyes filled with wrath.
39:30He is must willing to accept exile
39:32and wishes to stir up chaos with rumors
39:34to seize a chance for revenge.
39:37I sat upright to the side,
39:39my expression calm,
39:40having long anticipated that Lucian
39:42would not give up so easily.
39:44Paranoid and deranged,
39:45he couldn't accept the outcome of exile
39:47and was bound to take desperate measures.
39:49His methods,
39:50the same tired tricks as ever.
39:51Though the rumors are fierce,
39:53they lack evidence
39:53and will collapse at the first blow.
39:55My dear,
39:55you may dispatch knights
39:56to secretly track the source of these rumors,
39:58capture those spreading them one by one,
40:00follow the vine to get the melon,
40:01root out Lucian's contacts,
40:02and obtain magical projection evidence.
40:04Garrick nodded.
40:06I have already sent spies to work on this.
40:08Within three days,
40:09we will certainly uncover the source.
40:11Sure enough,
40:12two days later,
40:13Garrick's men captured dozens of barbs
40:15and scribes spreading the rumors.
40:16Under the truth exeter,
40:17they all confessed that Lucian's old followers
40:19had provided the gold coins and orders.
40:21They even confiscated paper and smeat letters
40:23written by Lucian's own hand hand.
40:24The handwriting was clear,
40:25the evidence undeniable.
40:28Garrick presented the dosses and evidence
40:30to his majesty the king.
40:31The king was infuriated
40:32to thoroughly investigate the involved officials,
40:34stripping them of all titles for prosecution.
40:36The rumors collapsed on their own,
40:37and the citizens of the royal capital saw the truth.
40:39And then at Leos,
40:40rather than being damaged,
40:41Garrick's and my reputations
40:42gained even more public support.
40:44Upon learning of the rumor splot's failure,
40:46Lucian was not disheartened,
40:48but became even more deranged.
40:49He knew that since soft tactics had failed,
40:52he had to use hard force.
40:53Lucian's second step was to hire assassins
40:55for an interception and assassination.
40:57He contacted the underground assassin organization
40:59he had befriended in his early years,
41:01the Nightblade Guild.
41:03Using his entire fortune as the price
41:05and promising heavy additional gold upon success,
41:07he sought only to intercept and kill Garrick
41:10and Celestace during during his exile journey.
41:12He calculated perfectly that the exile convoy
41:14would leave the royal capital in three days,
41:16and that Garrick would definitely escort him personally,
41:19first to uphold the law,
41:20and second to guard against any tricks.
41:22And I would very likely accompany him to send him off,
41:25making this the perfect opportunity for assassination.
41:28Upon receiving the heavy gold,
41:30the Nightlight Guild rapidly assembled
41:32dozens of elite assassins
41:33and ambushed them at Shadow Gorge,
41:35a necessary passage out of the city.
41:36The terrain here was treacherous
41:38with steep cliffs on both sides
41:39and a narrow valley floor,
41:40easy to defend and hard to attack,
41:42an excellent location for an ambush.
41:44Three days later,
41:45the exile convoy set out as scheduled.
41:47Clad in chainmail,
41:48Garrick led the vanguard knights of the north
41:49to escort Lucian.
41:50I rode in an armored carriage alongside them,
41:52heavily guarded from front to back.
41:54As we reached Shadow Gorge,
41:55the surroundings fell abruptly silent,
41:57and an era of slaughter filled the air.
41:59Careful! It's an ambush!
42:00Garrick shouted fiercely.
42:02The knights instantly drew their two-handed swords,
42:04guarding the perimeter of the carriage.
42:06Before his voice had faded,
42:08dozens of assassins clawed in black leather armor
42:10leaped down from the cliffs on either side,
42:12wielding poison-quenched blades
42:13and exuding murderous intent.
42:15They surged down upon the exile convoy
42:17with killing in pate.
42:18Their target was clear,
42:19aimed straight at Garrick and me.
42:20The assassins let out a strill hower.
42:22Their moves were ruthless,
42:23every strike lethal,
42:24all fighting with a suicidal disregard
42:26for their own lives.
42:28Knights and assassins instantly clashed in slaughter.
42:31Blades flashed and blood splattered.
42:33Within the narrow slopes of the gorge,
42:35the sounds of bursting spells,
42:36clashing weapons,
42:37and agonized screams intertwined
42:39in a soul-sturning conophony.
42:40Garrick's movements were agile,
42:42wielding a runic greatsword so swiftly
42:44that neither wind nor rain could pass through.
42:46He slayed several high-tier assassins,
42:48but the enemy was numerous,
42:49and every one of them feared not death,
42:51making it difficult to break free for the moment.
42:53I sat in the carriage with a calm expression,
42:55having long anticipated
42:56that a cornered dog like Lucien
42:58would leap over the wall.
42:59I secretly sent out a magical signal,
43:01indicating to the accompanying shadow wardens
43:03that there was no need to hidden,
43:04and to strike with full force.
43:06Dozens of shadow wardens hidden in the dark
43:08emerged in response joining the flay.
43:10The shadow wardens were all elites
43:11who had undergone cruel training.
43:13Coordinating flawlessly,
43:14they instantly turned the tide of the battle.
43:15Though the assassins were fierce,
43:17they were no match for battle-heart knights
43:18and the shadow wardens of the Ducal Estate,
43:20suffering heavy casualties.
43:21After half an hour lack of time,
43:23the slaughter ended.
43:23Dozens of assassins had been slain,
43:25leave only two severely injured captives.
43:27Meanwhile, Lucien,
43:28who had been in the prisoner carriage,
43:29had long since cast an escape role amid the chaos.
43:32Looking back at the aftermath in Shadow Gorch,
43:34Lucien knew his momentum was gone,
43:36yet he still refused to give up.
43:37He had never expected that
43:38his meticulously planned assassination
43:39would be so fragile.
43:40During his flight,
43:41Lucien launched his final counterattack
43:43and remnants of the cult of dark sorcery
43:44to incite rebellion and treason.
43:46Lucien contacted several of his old subordiments,
43:48who had been stripped of their military parrots
43:50along with the leaders of the bandit groups.
43:52Upon receiving Lucien's promises
43:54of territory and wealth,
43:55they immediately decided
43:56to raise their arms in rebellion.
43:59They began gathering in provinces
44:00with weak border defenses,
44:02capturing towns,
44:03using this to threaten the royal court.
44:05They demanded the punishment of Garrick
44:06and the revaction of his heir status.
44:08Otherwise, they would summon dark magic
44:09to wreak havoc on the borders.
44:11Lucien's calculations were extremely strew.
44:13Zabellian started,
44:14the royal court would surely grow offensive.
44:15They would either compromise
44:17or he could profit from the situation
44:18and this to come back.
44:19The border rebellion erupted suddenly.
44:21Magical beacon fires
44:22swiftly transmitted the news
44:23back to the royal capital,
44:24shocking the entire court and kingdom.
44:27The king was furious
44:28and summoned the high lords to counsel.
44:31Garrick volunteered,
44:32leading the main vanguard knights of the north
44:34to the borders to suppress the rebellion.
44:36I knew deeply that this was Lucien's final madness.
44:39He was certainly hiding within the rebel camp,
44:41waiting for his moment to strike.
44:42I instructed Garrick to be extremely careful
44:44and subsequently depotched shadow warders in secret
44:46to infiltrate the rebel camp
44:48and investigate Lucien's whereabouts.
44:49The army arrived at the border
44:51and swiftly engaged the rebels.
44:52Though the rebels were numerous,
44:54they were nothing but a disorganized mob.
44:56Under the charge of orthodox heavy knights,
44:58they collapsed at the first blow
44:59and were quickly beaten back,
45:01retreating in defeat again and again.
45:02The shadow wardens infiltrated the main rebel tent
45:05and quickly found Lucien hiding inside.
45:07At that moment,
45:08Lucien was directing the remnants
45:09to put up a stubborn resistance,
45:11his eyes full of the desperate madness
45:12of a final gamble.
45:14The shadow wardens remained unmoving and unobserved,
45:16secretly gathering all the letters and contracts
45:18detailing Lucien's collusion
45:19with the cult of dark sorcery,
45:20his orchestration of the riot.
45:22Then, coordinating from within and without,
45:24they aided the night order
45:25in breaching the defensive barrier.
45:26The camp was broken
45:27and Lucien was captured on the spot.
45:30Looking at Garrick mounted on his war horse,
45:32he fell into absolute despair,
45:35screaming like a madman.
45:36I will not accept this.
45:38I clearly could have taken back the castle.
45:40You are the ones who destroyed me.
45:41Garrick's face was ice cold
45:42as he took out the evidence
45:44collected by the shadow warders.
45:45Colluding with dark guilds,
45:46orchestrating assassinations,
45:48conspite with bandits and treason and rebellion.
45:49Every single one is a capital offense
45:51punishable by the stake.
45:52With both witnesses and physical evidence present,
45:54Sudian could no longer offer any defense,
45:56leaving only deathly silence to spare.
45:58The royal tribunal convened once more.
46:00Lucien's crimes were listed one by one
46:01by the Arpa ship.
46:02Privately imprisoning a true blood daughter,
46:04fabricating sacred miracles,
46:05spreading rumors,
46:06hiring assassins,
46:07colluding with heretics.
46:07Every single charge was an unpardonable felony.
46:10With multiple crimes punished concurrently,
46:11his sins were unforgivable.
46:14The previous sentence of exile
46:15was completely overturned.
46:17The king signed the final death warrant.
46:18Lucien, guilty of heinous crimes,
46:20was sentenced to execution at the king's gate.
46:22He would be publicly beheaded in three days
46:24as a warning to all.
46:25On the day of the execution,
46:27the royal capital square was an ocean of people.
46:29Citizens scrambled to watch,
46:31all spitting curses at Lucien
46:32for his hypocritical wickedness,
46:34agreeing he deserved his fate.
46:35Lucien was escorted up to the execution block.
46:37His hair disheveled,
46:38his former nobility and ostentatience
46:40were completely gone.
46:41He looked at the surrounding Sibbins,
46:43then at Garrick and I in the hide-warring box.
46:45A trace of indignation flashed in his eyes,
46:48eventually fading into deathly silence.
46:49The mid-dose sun was blindingly bright.
46:51The giant axe in the headsman's hands fell.
46:53With a flash of cold steel,
46:55Lucien was decapitated,
46:56ending his madly paranoid,
46:57hypocritically degenerate life.
46:58Blood dyed the stone slads red,
47:00and every commoner watching clapped and cheered.
47:02He who blasphemed the divine and the law
47:03could not escape the vast net of justice,
47:05reaping what he sowed.
47:08After Lucien's death,
47:09his remaining accomplices were purged
47:10one by one by the paladins.
47:12The border rebellion was pacified,
47:14and the royal capital returned to its former stability.
47:16The storm was thoroughly settled.
47:17The royal capital returned to its former peace,
47:20and the thorn-wheeled Marjoscick's castle,
47:21yet regained its tranquility.
47:23Having gone through this ordeal,
47:24the Marjok and his lady were physically
47:26and mentally exhausted.
47:27No longer having the heart to manage
47:28the territory's affairs,
47:30they handed over keeping the seals
47:31and all defenses entirely to Garrick,
47:33retiring peacefully to the south-wing tower
47:35to recuperate,
47:35no longer involving themselves in worldly matters.
47:38The real Elowen,
47:39having survived this calamity,
47:40became disheartened
47:41and saw through the vanity of the world.
47:42She declined the Chancellor's House's pleas to stay
47:45and refused to remain in the royal capital.
47:47Ultimately,
47:47she chose to withdraw to Moon Abbey,
47:49spending her remaining years
47:50in closted prayer amid candlelight
47:52and sacred codonks.
47:54As for Garrick and me,
47:55after enduring this life-and-death trial,
47:57the bond between us grew ever deeper
47:59and indestructible.
48:00Following our grand wedding,
48:01Garrick treated me with gentle consideration
48:03and utmost respect.
48:04He consulted me on all matters of the domain
48:06and never once imposed his will
48:08by virtue of husbandly authority.
48:09I too devoted my heart
48:11to keeping the seals
48:11and the castle's internal affairs,
48:13showing filial pie to the Margarc and his lady,
48:15and treating the knights and servants well,
48:17managing the Margarc tree flawlessly.
48:19Months later,
48:20I smoothly gave birth to a baby boy.
48:22Healthy, strong,
48:23and incredibly adorable.
48:24The storms and conspiracies of the past
48:26had long since dissipated like morning mist.
48:29Those mad calculations and hatreds
48:30ultimately could not stand
48:32against order and justice,
48:33nor the warmth of walking hand in hand.
48:35For the rest of our lives,
48:37as the clouds rolled
48:38and the years passed peacefully,
48:39Garrick and I stood shoulder to shoulder
48:41atop the northern walls.
48:42With children at our knees,
48:44year after year,
48:44blessed by the holy light,
48:46we remained together for a lifetime,
48:48faithful to one another,
48:49through all the years to come.
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