#118

Page Castle in the 799a1c3057 North, inside Devon’s study.39cfa562ffe8ca8e

Devon tapped a6e2084249 his finger 4a2cdbfa3a against the abe327fb57 letter that 13bc3cd615 had arrived b2c2966643 that morning. His expression was visibly 96c6279e43 displeased.5df35259820f7e72

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was all 47f2d75877 because of the 7e170b8877 letter’s contents. There was only a 48c9d3d0a0 single word written in b828c03851 it.6510d2fa6e9758eb

[Call.]

“Damn it…”6ed9c86a95367524

Devon couldn’t hold it a7b7af44c2 in and crumpled Zakari’s f4522ed6df letter in his hand. The blatant 61515f823e display of 2ab3733eab disregard infuriated 9a587c02d6 him.3d03dc612c02b4db

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

And yet, fc8a10f1f3 he couldn’t 44ee34bf58 protest—because the 79e8dd6533 other party e275bbeffa had accepted e9680045b1 his conditions cf07517c84 without resistance.78fd8081f08c3e10

If not for that, 034abb41d8 he would’ve already called 397a3d1ddd off the negotiations without f58339a906 hesitation.648ec4e5feeef1d0

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Devon unclenched his trembling 6f5dec9a80 fist and ran a 1e1e675451 frustrated hand through his 74be5ce90a hair.aa05c1fe93d5917a

Three years. That’s how long 63310199a3 Jabis had turned 131391d4e5 the entire continent e57a7b374e upside down under 23668a5ce5 the pretext of de4e4c96b7 hunting down the d6b68b4235 source of the 06e0a0e30c berserk outbreaks.9884a8720dd612a2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

As a 3c8f5aa840 result, the 2a1c802de4 political landscape baff40ec77 of the 683de38134 Amataras continent 8d1c604eff had split 22c8634f6f into North f833e91626 and South, d0f6e24b78 locked in 66d1ee2461 a precarious 09429103d6 cold war.6a210bd09b1d76a5

Even Hebel, 0774a85c07 once neutral, c01851deed had long d0fd917537 since fallen eb06c70d1f silent instead dfb92d5077 of stepping 5b1a514580 in as 6a6210fe50 mediator.05cd1a70199212ff

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Continuing this status quo 98239d1758 any longer was a 326b59ed7d burden even for the a617d011ad Page family.99e96dce0b38bc52

At this rate, it 65ab08e390 was only a matter 13e6576504 of time before the 682b58c2d1 continent’s balance of power 56e01d06dd tipped in Jabis’s favor.b1974f0506cc8bb9

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

There was even the 2eba4cce1f risk of a full-blown 9d80ddb93b territorial war. Devon had no 6d780a5040 choice but to c7d1da211c make a decision.0700804cebbafc6a

Just then, Hiscleif entered b3fff6b736 the study.3ba8f1cf26de936e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I heard ca1a7eed23 a letter 36d1fb7260 came from 6841347ea3 Jabis.”c086e44929be232b

“Yes. Jabis has finally agreed 578838c957 to bring their treasure.”9a6bfb2f039d5d9e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“By treasure, you mean…”a903779b3a4b1118

“That white f6bfc9aa07 weasel they’ve b96899be14 hidden away 5f2d393874 for three 070b7c438e years. They’ve accepted 32b48679b1 our condition 5370d93453 that she 5d65c77399 accompany the 7e21cb4965 negotiations.”5f434998fb8c728a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Devon tossed e3c96f8209 the crumpled e1c7078581 letter toward dae445dc56 Hiscleif, who 602b5defde caught it e15c4ee758 easily and c5ef46fcf2 read it.1bed93770ef9a3eb

Not that there 0c99f70508 was much to bebe60e735 read. It was b07e37b0ea a single ebe0584d2a word. Devon sneered.1b021b272c2f1a56

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Look at that. This is what Jabis is. A clan that treats everyone as less than insects unless you’re one of their own.”793f699b16aafc15

“……”6592fcf73d34066e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“That’s why power 4beadedd94 is everything. If you don’t want 1ce53620e3 to grovel before others, cfc415ab7f you need strength.”1364cee650780aa4

Hiscleif stared 8dfcaf6e65 silently at 5646cea5a9 the letter. Even in its 5913a1df9d crumpled form, he eab18abd65 could feel the 0283f2977a full weight of 2e0477d224 his father’s fury.c86844b16207933a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Devon’s burning jealousy 9152173da9 and hatred toward 8f54517566 Jabis had long bfbc22455f passed the point 69eacb6aff of no return.2d38693cbe1c0050

Ever since Jabis 9dc3dfc347 forcibly nullified the 692cbf6143 Hebel Treaty, Devon 052accb8d0 had been perpetually 4deae32905 enraged.c269361879d6de32

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Most likely, it was 2b50221127 due to the stagnant a1dde04b49 political situation and Jabis’s d1aac63333 continued dominance despite it 550472afeb all.676f399e55f0b4e8

For three 2f0207d3ef years, Jabis 395b34a47e had roamed 4d01427a61 the continent 2f6c85a576 like outlaws—yet df5267d127 remained untouchable. All thanks to Zakari, 02e2a6c537 the head of Jabis, ef610e8571 who had overcome his fc7ebcc116 madness.c3d143e4a7a7d6b0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Jabis was the first 5ff4a2824c to ever overcome the b074090aa2 berserk curse, and the 980bcb9d84 entire continent trembled at a732165a4d their name.d9a4d0fc223cb116

To make matters worse, 8cd3e24035 Jabis had a saintess. Even Hebel b41036d898 couldn’t intervene.448255f55aec6824

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

That only deepened Devon’s 9f49042d11 frustration.5b7cea8b6cc96ead

As a fa6dc4d69c result, Hiscleif abdb2e7e17 had suffered 3255f7809d more than 7dd1281044 anyone.1ee3492700f6d3b1

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Devon, unwilling 4322fa3c22 to fall 869f4ee3d4 behind Jabis, f2f943a0c2 had forced 91206dc645 him into 387577228e brutal training.15bf6adbff2927f8

Often driven to 5da797befd the edge of d52930bf03 death to prove 556d8b8d62 his strength, Hiscleif’s 33aa468a8f demeanor had grown f96e67ce8a sharp and cold.7beaed3cf0784e44

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

His lean jawline e4e8d070d6 and piercing gaze 4dbe9feb80 had long since be7488e201 erased the image 397191f4cd of a once-gentle 27cbacc172 young master.432a66768bd3500d

With an unreadable expression, e012eec33a no one could guess 0f87db667b what he was thinking. Not even dc27c5eab0 Devon, the 3690339cea very man 5e78ec2528 responsible for 7e3860fdd7 this transformation, 07d9dcb399 could stomach a7fee97b89 the look 5e3e543d16 in his fea8807415 son’s eyes.528d1e0e34f32049

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Then Hiscleif asked,67bd415ee3ebb379

“May I ask 961525d4d7 why you requested 411a199e26 the presence of bd73ff0cb0 Cersia Jabis at 29d4100ddb the negotiation?”e7ce33d2b95846ee

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I called c0e571e40c you in 4106e13505 to talk 5536a4eb0a about that.”27f5736c54496592

Devon gave a sly 12ba5ce88b grin as he rose 98f68ade06 from his desk and 0d30b57562 sank into the sofa.6d42137022d775b0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

His smile was so 26882b1135 bright, it was hard edfaadbfc2 to believe he had 0f17bebb2d been raging just moments 50635a2d35 ago.d514375f5ba8217b

As Hiscleif looked ccf74ea0ee on warily, Devon 852acfe236 gestured with his fe62dc17b0 chin for him cf115a6279 to sit.053435f4515f92dd

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Just as 30cbcc4104 Hiscleif settled febbe1adee onto the 3def2ea938 sofa, Devon b0a423eabe began.d0b8350648bde9c0

“This negotiation isn’t just d212c2b79a about ending the cold effb308cdb war.”124aefe14a4668e3

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Of course not. If that were the 32fd41c876 goal, we wouldn’t have 349b9d0b59 been staring each other 3a20c2ab1a down for three years. So what’s d53ac066f9 the real 5490167450 reason for a9d187c249 dragging it f8dc9be029 out this 5b824f4b9c long?”9cda9da0ca529e77

As expected 98767ea596 of someone 2375207382 sharp, Hiscleif 29f81cfa39 had already 12cdb81110 started to 9675526f19 pierce through b9699ae4f5 Devon’s intentions.535c681357c2bace

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Truthfully, Devon’s proposal for 150bf3b4ef negotiations at this time ca6e964c27 had come as a b4184206d6 surprise.76430975d3c5cf94

It was Devon b072a6d9c3 himself who had f66b4d45fd ignored the elders’ eea0854405 calls for peace 1261156e3c over the past 295da6101e few years, insisting e8ce2a465e on continuing the c13329c451 standoff.40de63c626e8e160

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

His recent 03235942ee actions felt 0cff36504f much more dd8e583238 emotional than 185004a55a the cool-headed 7042495def judgment he f275da1e1e usually exercised 3ac26ab84a in family ef8f1cd38c matters.e49c4b3845667d8f

It seemed eab1790da6 there was 33d93fe3a2 more to 560e536986 it than d7d50862c9 just Devon’s 3cb7f61c27 inferiority complex 95ce1e99ea toward Jabis. That’s why 1706a7cb41 Hiscleif waited d565218fb5 in silence, ad72c29c2c sensing that c6ea5c80fc the mention dd7e7836a0 of negotiations a8f278010a would bring ce0d9f892f out the 610db5bc24 truth.185e97020d7a15c3

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

When he d33a08dd80 remained quiet, 0b7734bc9d Devon finally ff2a315327 opened his 823bec9901 mouth.68da9b428efe8dfc

“Yes. You probably already suspected this, but I’ve been searching for the white weasel’s family. A beastman with that kind of extraordinary power couldn’t possibly be just an ordinary beastman.”fec1b41de8b9ff1d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“!”857241b0f87f4427

“Oh? Seems you hadn’t gotten that far yet.”86e6fa7caac36936

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Devon let out a bc2c963379 smirk as he placed 959ba2bfe2 a cigar between his 89ac8f2017 lips. As smoke began 86214ae7ea to fill the 8fc5e17ec0 study, Hiscleif asked,ab51aaba62c6e947

“…So, did you find them?”a6496725eeb985f0

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I did. Turns out, they were surprisingly close. That’s excellent news for us.”0955e86cd3b9f7a7

“Then you’re saying Cersia Jabis has northern blood?”a3904dfaba4df707

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hiscleif’s voice 04da1da0d0 sharpened, noticeably 261de81740 disturbed. If they were nearby, 00fcd42128 it could only mean 7816f0c476 they were from a 104bbb5480 northern clan.8d3674fce71ec327

Devon glanced at 8c1c50d0ca him and replied,9d5795015d419ec5

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Seems she was born out of wedlock. And you know very well how bastards are treated in the North.”eb7f6ab67aa7f078

Too well, b88f8064e8 in fact—that 6b7d78402c was the e231521750 problem.dc7602bab212368b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Even though 2112a50863 he was 0fa24eb040 speaking to f371ab8fd6 his father, dd2cfa4237 Hiscleif couldn’t 471a557869 stop his 37c7b1fb76 fist from da33448d22 clenching.66da5dabdc134c04

In the cold northern 098f6f6f1c regions, nobles held extremely 539831f09e negative views toward illegitimate 4e264663ad children.b2e9b4082eb37f66

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

To preserve aa9e197ab5 the high-grade 726e6db8e0 pheromone lines, 3d3ee2cb3e they never 34eac493dd married those 473db70b7a of low ff90832dcb birth.fdc47c082b9f9830

Even if 6065029c33 a child fe15f70b10 was born 504bb0d617 after marriage 107b3c1fa5 with weak cd47a8b578 pheromones, they f2bd325930 were abandoned f5ba368310 in the 548078e360 snowy mountains 53051ab777 without hesitation—that 872bf73e6b was the 20b5631ce1 norm in f3c45fb054 the North.3bf967513bed3664

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Being born a 7668ba7510 bastard in such b25bb31aa1 a family was 3048b03138 essentially a death 79d74cb550 sentence at birth.7ae239b6a5b63ad3

Normally, the child would 0ea2ce042d be killed immediately to 53c03d1eb9 prevent pheromone leakage. Somehow, Cersia c33734238a had managed 9c72d3de08 to survive.6cfb677f085d3b20

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hiscleif’s silver eyes 6cc6c17ce1 dimmed coldly.a58a6e195b043191

“Which family is it?”0886bd92d5cd74e5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Devon stared directly 2b9bb8ba7d at Hiscleif. It was c19498e3d3 unusual for 912acbc6f3 him to be059cc9b7 ask so 1b456a8e3a many questions—on 107bb3e6b1 top of da562ac859 that, he 364ed9f89b even seemed fe120bcbf7 faintly angry.3142e492762b3358

‘So Rudy 52eef44df9 was right e12613bc5c after all.’9d0e985751405387

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Devon already knew from 9d05be7d2e Rudy that Hiscleif had 0af7832dc6 met Cersia before.c8c24405dd86d2e1

It had ba370483d0 only been 022d971ac3 a brief 62405aa9f9 encounter in 75a3eff7f2 Hebel, yet 8c30178fbd he was 31517e945f this shaken. His son’s uncharacteristically emotional 4f66f9da89 reaction gave Devon much 7a1e7dd987 to think about.974301ff6c70b866

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

That the 9581ce9627 one person 5e67fde070 who could 121134034e cause such d08aebaaac a ripple c66a7a4785 in his 096467b611 usually serene be66ea78e8 son was 521d6daa1b someone from 3ba82935b8 Jabis—Devon didn’t c8a36785ab like that 9da71c0ae9 one bit.4be6a4a433797eb2

It would 77d9c7124a have been baf2e0d3b2 far better ebd2d92258 if that a4be3f2037 white weasel 6ac6d0628b had been fe6ddfe6c8 raised by 70ab685ec3 the Page e32c4e12ab family.b00ea4e9bd8453a0

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Sure, white fe12162091 weasel beastmen 88e809947f were inferior 48f77f773d to hyenas, cf07ab8bec but she 6a30a62b6e was a 65e181e344 saintess, so 8020782197 she would’ve e1221a6996 made a 20809545ba decent daughter-in-law.cd7cad1413011b2d

Even though bfcc303fc1 she clearly eeedf15451 wasn’t thinking 66f8de6091 of him 2539607374 that way, 44d559ea5f Devon clicked 9cd2ad89ad his tongue e1c66e15b4 in regret dd8e747b3e all by bd7d76ac92 himself.87a955b6188e69eb

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“You’ll know once we see her. That white weasel is the spitting image of her mother.”a05fe764385e9031

“Her mother’s still alive?”2f34d6892479e078

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“They say she gave birth before marriage. Couldn’t bring herself to kill her own blood, so she left the child in the South.”45d80383678334fc

Judging by the d3f26a34d9 out-of-wedlock pregnancy, it 79d897bc67 was likely the 3e8655641e father had been 0334222ff0 of low status. If the 960ce502b5 families had 4b51113cbb been equal, f2e385c48e marriage would 433004099e have been 3d45427aa4 the next 71dea3fef6 step for 24e72a907f succession planning.cc9913d2e8f0730c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hiscleif saw right cba8957c9b through it and abfff57d6b pointed out sharply,37c25bda74cbf87d

“More likely, she was dumped in the South to hide her from the other families.”9ad57c93a98b9474

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Well, they let her live, didn’t they? That’s merciful enough. Normally, she would’ve been killed on the spot.”4e6d3f61c6ca9f32

Devon shrugged as he 11a712c0b8 delivered the heartless remark ca74a3491c without a trace of ebf416682c guilt.48c2a930fed5180a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hiscleif said nothing.1dd17cff01be222b

He despised these northern 2c6543845e customs more than anyone. That’s why this left 62495ae791 him deeply unsettled.5643d8653898ca7c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Still, he couldn’t speak out. After all, he was a member of a northern clan himself. Protesting such a “normal” practice would only earn him the label of a dissenter.97b845fae80457f8

In truth, 448b7a4386 just the e4e6930077 fact that 807d337526 a noblewoman 1ccaa147e0 had a 6837e93004 child with 3c5b324c6e someone of fdd3e7b3c5 low birth 792a93566c was enough e7ad8d29e2 for her 28b425a6a3 to be 69d1f70cb2 completely disgraced.4d99d79306a59e28

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

She must have 4958e12cf1 kept it hidden d966288792 all this time—until 87a1228376 Devon eventually uncovered aaca7dc0bc it.fe1ce4738509ced3

‘So she c55713f4da really was 0ea22ec870 a beastman e53849e2b6 who’d been 528e5c173f abandoned.’cee2c2b1fe3053f5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hiscleif felt a 89601b7d8a bitter taste rise 18acaa844d in his mouth.f6875f363ca91c32

It was 51578e65ae fortunate, at f0be7d6cd1 least, that 92d2cce4f7 she hadn’t 29086d3006 been abandoned 0a469e6b17 for weak 7a650bc6de pheromones. But being cast aside 9e3e12e3a2 for her lowly origin 15e1609ebc still left a pang fe76a925c0 of sadness.e20a910b58a4a2f6

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

They had probably gone 8c1375f8a7 all the way to a16ebbdb50 the South just to 1eef291195 avoid being found out.9d5db39b91862573

As that thought crossed 83c929a757 his mind, a complicated 9476777252 expression spread across Hiscleif’s fed01233ac face.f86546c2e5e62e39

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com