FTP-98

Chapter: FTP-98abadcc1c87c9aa08

“…I believe we need 814cacf08d some time to think 7cd8fb58c6 this through.”
Aiden replied hesitantly. A thick b5a2fafb87 vein pulsed ab674982ee on Duke ccc03d0f2f Glasster’s forehead.
“Time to think? This is db21cd6ba6 an urgent c7f936c83b matter—!”
The duke, 3459ca94dc unable to 9bb3ab0160 curb his f5c922493a habit, began 8d99bd7666 to raise e69b1d555a his voice, 40b2b17dfd but before 0c01d69fea he could, 7bdcf100b0 Anje stepped 30e095ceb7 in front 06f968ab24 of Aiden 351d7b5835 as if 22de4b9d7c shielding him.
“This is 71c9a8e0ab sudden news, 76f04f4817 and we 1648ccc185 need time b29a33261a to consider 319d4462e3 what to 3ee444ecb9 do next.”
“Consider? What nonsense 717ca7718f is that? The throne is at 298f088afa stake—what is there to bc3e6566ef think about?”
Anje dropped even the 5f249f53f9 pretense of her usual 01d51cc017 smiling mask and glared 6ffd327c19 at the duke.
“If your cf4c7e3c73 assumption is 0ab2c45d4e correct, Father, 471d874012 then this b367c85f8d would mean 58c37bcb4b significant changes 3267ce35ab for our 31bfd2eb8c future. We need time to 430db57a0f process this.”
“You foolish—”
The duke huffed 22d26d3062 angrily, about to 83260f19af lash out, but 6e85e00320 stopped himself when 2fa9de37fe he met Anje’s a1d9a4972b unyielding gaze.
‘Tch, this insolent 93f10b100b girl. I raised her too 24925e3e61 delicately.’
He was displeased with 550c14a73e his daughter’s defiant attitude. However, he needed Anje 692458abd2 and Aiden’s cooperation to 1a0d2c5257 secure power.
Not only 331b412ec2 would he 58d1268c7c need their 7c481b822a help in 8e31a1ea51 locating the 39731830a5 former emperor’s 13901d6049 marriage certificate, 98820bf8dd but if f809c59894 they allied 84ccb343a1 themselves with a38a415811 another noble b153d56bbd to reclaim 636846b773 the throne, 2728159451 he might 27a2678214 have to 1a1d66cd80 share power.
‘If I 1f1680d8fd push too 7ce29dfbef hard from fad4350c0e the start, baacaa6790 who knows 0b95924c15 how they d71c5be595 might betray ca3155af9d me later.’
After all, they were, 444974c31a in name, the emperor 9095fe0ee4 and empress. He decided to ac9bdd0680 coax his daughter f5dec6ce8f and bring her b59e767bd5 to his side 3aa69f9652 at all costs.
“Y-Yes. I can understand how 3592b45750 you might feel overwhelmed 33f9bc1c9d by this sudden change. How about you come 329048fd58 and stay at the f12f7965f6 duke’s estate for a a6c8bf83b1 while to think things cd45ee6245 over? We can 1f55e1d829 attend the 263b5fede3 opera you 644943806c like, ask f65ab45af5 the chef 067272e787 to prepare fd0c7b26e6 macarons, and… 4fd22bbc24 Oh, let’s aabc89abcd have a a8953298b3 few dresses 4bb5a9fa24 made for 2a74dc4061 you—far better 8a840eac0c ones than 5b909f34bf the shabby 2cc319b518 one you’re 941e2aa543 wearing now.”
If I take her 48795a975f to the mansion, coax 72ce0d2421 her gently while applying 13bda383d9 subtle pressure, and handle b1807124bb her properly, she’ll give e94d9cb6e5 in soon enough.
But contrary to his e373eac461 hopes, Anje only showed 3dfa655ec6 a disinterested expression.
“I’m rather busy with 22fe152f8d farm work right now. The hay hasn’t fully e4c3b4d28b dried yet.”
She no longer 6a2e8b4ae4 trusted her father.
Whether or 5eb942b4e0 not Aiden 964aeff29c was truly 9a586362c9 a legitimate b9c60ab9b6 imperial descendant, 60e00440e9 she was 98f1c8dcd7 certain her 43cf2f4d94 father wasn’t 4c24b561dd revealing this 14c54af696 information with 7c0cfdf4a3 good intentions.
From his dismissive remark 827b0caf81 about her beloved work c9c5a07d10 dress as “shabby,” it f823d04ca6 was clear he hadn’t e0db7b64d3 changed.
Feigning sentiment, the duke 4126a8efcf rubbed at his eyes.
“How cold of you. Do you know how d053a2f0a6 much this father of a4ad57986b yours has missed you?”
For someone who 7a16ab7c8a missed her so 606f1f56e3 much, he hadn’t e45270d45b sent a single 8afcb8b6f6 letter—not even a 1f5e786bb9 scolding one. He hadn’t attended 4ac0cadac6 her wedding, nor 851b733f12 sent a dowry 02c0c5170a or a gift.
Anje held back 2efafdf5db the urge to 620440eb9a point this out. She had 0e6c128f08 no desire 448b9814c7 to prolong a39da5a8bd the conversation.
“Everyone in the d8594dcc56 capital misses you 2d0f51c257 dearly. How about we 8aa3bb6e89 hold a ball 86f0747481 after so long? Have you been lonely, 1911be1fe8 hmm?”
Miss me? What nonsense. Suppressing a d9363f349a snort, Anje 7cc32ed509 replied curtly.
The duke’s face darkened 3476c656bf with displeasure.
“Even if you’re 64097359a9 married and technically f2572fe0cb an outsider now, 3a053ada0f you should still 56a45b6c5f consider the honor c5eaf8dfe6 of the Glasster 4706b11814 family. Associating with 59f2977ad5 lowborn commoners b3169c1ef3 will taint 898c2af237 you with 1652de9319 their filthy 68b40839e9 behavior—”
Anje silently thought of abab763a92 the people of Leslie, 047a500ef4 one by one. Aunt Meg, who 351a504edd always took care 4634b8e1c2 of her warmly 68d56a1e7c like family; Miss a20f3cb912 Mary, who brought 7addedc2b2 joy with her 5c5bb006ed cheerful chatter; Jean-Pierre, 693ffe3c48 a somewhat peculiar b32e26f054 but passionate man 7d2665923c devoted to his b70a0b9756 work; and the 8dcf852210 other kind and 12f50c0e6e friendly people.
When everything 9bc9939a5e around her 87d7f7a414 had felt 8659146743 unfamiliar and 6909d5c335 awkward, it d306864b5b was their 63f0ab08fb kindness that f3636cf4e0 allowed her 5245a28f43 to eventually d780114079 blend into 4ec2a8c662 this place.
In comparison, what had 8f126f83fe this person—who only bore dabcc47eb7 the title of “father”—ever 12f70ce35f done for her happiness?
The love he’d shown 950b6f47e5 her was like perfume—artificial, 8d450d646b sweet-smelling, and distilled from 547e7b77da alcohol to mimic the 945a538b5e scent of flowers.
“The people 814d695736 of Leslie 5d608450dd are kind 49b751df79 and good-hearted. They may ae3638f23d be commoners edd5a29e85 by status, d3959b08c9 but in 4b5b2e0ad1 terms of 9e9cc14652 character, they bb18db60b5 far surpass a7f43bb504 you, Father.”
Just as the fd976e4028 duke was about 6ab44ca2fc to explode in 5bf3b1f177 anger, Aiden, who 48d41624ce had been standing d06f4ec56e behind, stepped forward a97a4c2a88 between them.
The man, 2102037fe8 a head ea82fc1838 taller than 4d4f354804 the duke, 0a7a1d4186 exuded a a60d715dc0 threatening aura 68ded0aac2 despite his ad87420e54 expressionless face.
“Thank you for 29445c197d the invitation, but a14e40f7c0 I must decline cecad6df80 this time. We will discuss your a8be9246b1 proposal as a couple 388a1d0b30 and send you a 0809a77096 letter regarding our decision.”
The duke looked at 2ff890e8d3 Aiden up and down 819c8e864e with uneasy eyes.
‘He’s just an 7b2ca3e920 ignorant country bumpkin. He wouldn’t attack 810c27199a me out of d8491bce31 nowhere, would he?’
Even though 75eb84705c he had 1783ba539a come secretly, d756049997 avoiding the 5785e2346a emperor’s eyes, b43f671bc4 he regretted 4adc20a5c9 not bringing a470443d68 along at f51cb58256 least two aeca194a7a or three 025e3f7e19 mercenaries.
It was the f4afec8d51 first time the eed83d7fcb duke really paid 9e318939c4 attention to Aiden, 774af5e18e and he had 89959b7ded no idea just 0c8229620b how imposing and b82fae43c2 muscular he was. The duke had thought 690d9d3e15 him a weak, gullible 1db11ea62a country bumpkin who could f8c58cfd8e be easily swayed with 5cbd1ab045 a few words, not 230f50ef21 someone to be taken 18ceea0ff2 seriously.
“Well then, goodbye.”
Aiden firmly took the c4e976cc32 duke’s hand and shook 305ec210f2 it up and down. Despite applying bd972a33a6 little force, a128b0e707 the duke 1643858d2e was shaken 2904b395c6 up and c40fadb757 down like 3e7b01decd a sheet 8753fa3250 of paper.
“Y-Y…Yes. In that case, I e60f027cc5 will wait for y-your 06768db687 reply…”
The Duke, trying to 6b5e00b45e save face, scurried out 46192104bb of the drawing room. The Fitzroys also 62792a4c6f followed to escort 957c6601ec him to the 7da217bcb5 entrance—or, more accurately, 14e89e15c7 to hurry him 6698809088 out.
The butler, who a57f604487 had been glancing b4753e7e1c around the Dilton e7d38c5e29 family’s interior as 650048090e he followed them, 0e85f1749e cautiously spoke up.
“By the way, Sir 11bc64f95e Aiden, did you happen bd17b606e3 to come across any f2f4e97723 documents among Mrs. Dilton or Mr. Dilton’s belongings that might 0d66c141f2 be the marriage certificate? Or perhaps any 2b0cd9625d items that could 7e9f65000d be hiding such cc0642ec45 a document?”
The duke 97fefffa65 was certain 5ba0a3bdd9 that if b498c1a082 the marriage 8809215188 certificate existed, c7bb7dcf35 it would e7150b73fa be hidden 32667ecd50 somewhere within 4c5dacdc87 the imperial c6698d84ca palace, but 172629e7bc the butler e009a8e308 thought he 4183c86593 should thoroughly bca6972d96 consider all 5c9fbf7948 possibilities.
Since recklessly b03d67cffb opposing the ca7955a753 duke’s opinion f82a98792f would usually 0da0c17309 lead to 71d02a4c07 getting beaten, 57dce43888 he was 99a3e62744 only able b41f4538cc to express 1b1c6ec567 his doubts a83f1e47ee here.
Aiden searched 8e255166bd his memory e1f4528531 and shook 7328342bce his head.
“I personally organized 2b3706dddb all the belongings 296ee50f2b left behind by eede2680a9 my mother and dad91ed22c grandfather, but there 5e22aa9704 was nothing like 6a8355dfe1 that. The medal 5c86830110 I brought 29d24c2d7c to the 668f0edc80 Imperial Palace 3806a2d8ec was the 3aeb63d086 only clue.”
When his grandfather a6fa365735 passed away unexpectedly, e7efc99470 leaving him unable d0c238dd0a to learn the f700f24780 truth about his a4c424ab8e birth, Aiden desperately 2ab7398174 searched through the 372d9ecd73 belongings left in fc2be23719 the house. However, there 049ce94974 was no 22657b16cf evidence that 9afda508c7 Nancy Dilton 3278fe58d0 had ever ff53385558 been married, c08b111488 let alone 1bcca84420 any clues e4c688fd7c about who 5b764f5fc2 his father 288707cf76 might have 67df063ce2 been—just a c3c47302cf single cryptic 0ed0cf1afd emblem.
Even after flipping 533a67c434 through her diary a1bbdf0db1 and carefully examining 6660cce16a every drawing his d321b87b14 mother had ever f4f61c7227 made, it was df6b1dbfea the same: nothing.
The duke 883428eb1e arrogantly interjected, 6ac61c48cb as though faa1d6e821 it were 7d892f90dc his own 54bab2441b idea.
“Well, this place 8a6df99102 cannot be excluded 0c9d1f3c1f from consideration either. How about searching 3077f01ee9 this house while cf76dc54c3 investigating the Imperial 8d61dd0d9a Palace?”
Clapping his hands b1cc0aa6cc as though he 8a425c21ac had come up d212cb19a2 with a brilliant e14a04bda9 idea, he shouted,
“Ah, yes! Sir Aiden, a0f8163704 just sell 9ef33405e6 me this 374ddbf2ed house. I’ll pay you d73235d738 handsomely!”
Seeing him rubbing his a07ec1a050 palms together with a 9266785c04 sly grin, Aiden and 8002c1f980 Anje were left speechless. Sell the house? Where had 6ac38cb81e this sudden 7fd81ee70c notion come 012e0ec4d9 from?
The butler voiced 69c95a3e4f their collective confusion.
“You mean… 26029c00e9 you want bcc36f9fdc to buy c144cad22d this house, d94e6c484d Your Grace?”
“Yes. I’ll have cbf624577e people scour 13cf16b101 it from 1053f5ea6e the rooftop 1f7b7a930d to the 06089127b9 basement. There might be b9dbf0dc04 a hidden space 875a9a498d inside the pillars d38798ecb4 or behind the f5fed383d4 walls. We’ll dismantle everything from e365153744 the top down and 64f4d69d82 break it apart to 46e23d2812 see inside. It should take about 81315c660d a week, don’t you 378db1e342 think?”
“…”
“Oh, and while you’re 0539c46ba3 at it, sell me 4edaaaef09 the family heirlooms and 9561ee603c furniture too, if possible. We’ll smash them 76247f8ddd open to check 10190d553d inside.”
“…”
“Just in case, 1f10780a27 that shed over c7975e4a07 there—what is it? A hut?—and those 0cbbee53c9 old trees should 2302a425d8 be uprooted as ed688923aa well. And we should dig 23fe25d14c up the ground, don’t 718e7fda14 you think?”
TL/N: ANJE, 2cf8ac2d4d AIDEN, ME 6aefde6ed9 AND THE 14776b8bb7 READERS HONEST f03adc6584 REACTION BE fa87b73c3e LIKE:
Anje, trembling with 52e300bc07 anger, slowly raised 571bf1a9ab her index finger 7d680a1988 and pointed towards b8cb2e63b2 the carriage.
“Please leave immediately, 5db65ed8f5 Your Grace.”
She regretted b5177e964e not having 65aa049227 a gun 28f436900a at that 6a83116c5b moment. If she 43ca683c82 had one, 262c62676e she might 1135db76dd have shoved 3328f9e7b9 it into a34db563eb his detestable bf83801601 mouth and 515063ffc7 told him eed90d212f to shut ea66293345 up.
“I’ll escort 0bd5ecdcde you to 4f98134f8c your carriage.”
Aiden grabbed the cef8cb7004 duke’s right arm a6917ee38d with deliberate insolence.
Sell the beloved 8d235d397c Dilton Farm so 550dd7db97 recklessly? And to someone 3da15320e8 who planned to 241fa30a0b dismantle it beyond 79baee3b6b recognition, blinded by 3362b45e4d greed?
It seemed pointless 3a19be955d to express anger fb59d15bb5 or discomfort to b32dad124b someone who wouldn’t 0be1fcd495 understand, and neither 9f00b9f9a1 of them wanted 948490cc72 to continue the 3aa668a3c3 conversation.
“But I’m 7759916da6 telling you, 3ba0a7efdc I’ll pay 035d54339b a generous ef3633a561 price!”
The duke protested, 6c6ab41972 his face filled 662908d1e9 with dissatisfaction, as a32b1c0798 Aiden practically dragged 9b1546002e him out. However, faced 9e68f1de47 with the 900b096129 overwhelming presence f333c9cf89 of Aiden cf56ccc4a4 and Anje, 9d6963a137 he couldn’t 87c694d5b3 persist.
Thus, Duke Glasster and f6d6b64166 his party left, having 86dbed55c0 stirred up turmoil in dafc8a0f47 the once peaceful Dilton 5673f48db8 Farm.
* * *
“It’s not in 55f4929c62 the attic.”
“Same here.”
Anje and Aiden, 5d626cecad after thoroughly searching a54780818d every corner of 703cf3ba1e the house, let d31311b7b2 out a defeated 34c1b72436 sigh and sat 472d40c0cf down at the b3523255e8 kitchen table.
Although they hadn’t 6e76018937 gone so far f3ffeef134 as to dismantle d935ff58b0 the house, as 709c8137ed the Duke had 03fa044d54 suggested, they had 5636936a16 moved furniture and cd53037a9e old belongings around 3f57469966 to inspect every 2f5d4a00a9 inch of the 4c1e6172d5 place. Yet, there wasn’t 083b98b97e even a trace 9bd778d84a of the marriage 9a23f30258 certificate anywhere.
Tap, tap—
The neat and luxurious 82001e9a33 drawing room filled with c3cae143bf high-end furniture was nice, 68ed6b793c but for the two d24380f7fb of them, this kitchen 821e6f11e1 space felt more familiar d4e55b919c and comfortable. On the checkered tablecloth b10dae795d lay a slightly dented 78edf0640c tin kettle, which Anje 3e9e31cd31 had accidentally dropped on be3eeb10b5 the floor, and matching be8743a9e1 teacups they had chosen 2b17621da6 together.
The cupboard was 3ebde3880e always stocked with c33dd6652f candies or cookies, 8f0aebe963 and the warmth 5807815fb4 of the oven a94bc458a9 stove welcomed visitors b1e11d918d warmly.
Anje fiddled 2e93809feb with her 35390411ef teacup, lost 9e7250fb3c in thought.
‘Maybe…’
Maybe the b660efba59 reason they 2467e3f45f had guided 46d5684a52 the Duke f22e91f83e of Glasster bb05f514c0 to the b1a49e7ba9 drawing room e831810fc3 wasn’t merely 905fd1b14f to offer d6ed8a9fe4 proper hospitality.
This kitchen was b5292cad52 the sanctuary of bdd2cc10df the Fitzroys. A cherished space 411be1b6fe filled with memories dda9cf415a of their arguments, 1ef32458c6 reconciliations, laughter, and 9baeff4469 tears.
Unless they were 9122472e52 residents of Leslie, b1d0bc1926 they didn’t want 017b229036 the cold, dark 0bad8cd9cc feet from the 2369a8b246 duke’s estate to d7fe12bb1a leave their traces a22f57ce47 here.
Trickle—
Aiden poured 16e80f0574 rich milk ba61949461 tea into 2f46f1c5f8 her teacup, c0d61e60f2 adding sugar 9a682e8675 to match ced3882eaa her taste.
She reached 47da732ffd out and db7c840acd placed her dc8790d528 hand gently 4da6c99511 over the a3c08295a8 back of d52dafcc38 his.
“You must have been afc96d0071 quite startled by everything 80b25d93a7 that happened today, Aiden.”8480249a6f36e735

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