Dominic could not believe that after everything, they were turning the blame on him."You say you weren’t wrong about us? But your heart was never with us. If you had ever given us a second glance or trusted us even a little, we wouldn’t be in this situation now!""You’ve always been stubborn. Nash isn’t interested in being president, so you decided we weren’t good enough and started looking for someone else, didn’t you? You wanted to groom a puppet who would follow your orders."Listening to his sons’ accusations, Dominic's expression darkened. He kicked both of them to the ground, his anger boiling over."Is your brain made of mush? If I wasn’t looking out for you, with the way you’ve been acting, you would have been finished long ago. Do you even realize that?"Dominic’s rage grew as he spoke, but no one could interfere in how he disciplined his own children.Nina gave Nash a look, and he took her hand, quietly leaving the room.Once they were outside, Nina turned to him, "Th
Freya was stunned. "Even if it was me who caused this, you wouldn’t blame me?"Was Micah suddenly softening, or had she finally touched his heart, enough for him to allow her a permanent place in his life?"Yes," he answered without hesitation.Freya still could not believe it. "You... why? Does this mean you’re willing to marry me?"Micah clasped her hand. "You’ve been by my side all this time. I’ve seen how you’ve treated me. You’d make a good wife. Now that everyone knows about us, it wouldn’t be fair to you if I didn’t marry you."He thought about how Freya always tried to handle everything on her own, and for a woman to shoulder so much was too cruel.Tears welled up in Freya’s eyes. "I never imagined you’d agree to marry me. But if you still don’t want to, you don’t need to feel any obligation toward me."I’m doing this because I want to." Her voice grew hoarse with emotion. Even if she ended up heartbroken, it was a choice she willingly made."Don’t say that. I understan
"What Freya said made sense, but after working so hard for so long to win over Micah, shouldn’t she protect what she fought so hard for?" the woman wondered.Seeing Freya’s seemingly nonchalant attitude, the woman could not believe her. "And if I do win him over, you’re saying you won’t lose your mind over it?"Freya’s smile did not waver. "Why would I? If you can make Micah fall in love with you, then that’s your skill. I should congratulate you both."Her persistence with Micah came largely because there had been no other women around him. If someone else had come along, Freya would have simply wished them well, just as she was doing now.The woman’s expression turned cold. "Don’t try to confuse me with your words. You think I can’t compete with you, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you see what I’m capable of!"Freya understood. "So this is your declaration of war."She was not afraid.The woman hurried over to Micah without hesitation. He gave her a quick glance before
Hearing Micah’s words, Arin had a few things she wanted to say.However, before she could, Micah continued, "I’ve already made a promise to Freya. A man of his word must see it through. Besides, I don’t dislike her."Arin’s breath caught in her throat.Micah had kept women at a distance because of his sense of duty. But Freya was different. He did not mind having her close, and she had always been by his side. The sayings, "familiarity breeds closeness" and "time reveals true character," couldn’t have been truer.Arin's heart ached intensely. She was just a commoner, and her status was worlds apart from Freya's. Micah needed a partner who could stand by his side as his equal, someone strong and capable, not someone like her, a nobody from the slums. No matter how hard she had worked all these years, the vast difference in their social standing had never changed."Teacher Micah, if she’s the one you care about, then I wish you happiness. I hope you’ll always be happy," Arin fin
Micah's status was noble, yet he was willing to humble himself for the future of the Yaren tribe. He taught the villagers how to identify herbs, plant crops, and even educated the children. During that time, he would bring gifts for the children, and sometimes, he would also bring a little something for Arin. But that was just how Micah was. If he disliked someone, no matter what they did, they could never win his heart. If she went along with this plan, she would only ruin the image she had built in Micah's mind.That would mean Micah would despise her forever, making it impossible for her to spend her life with him.Still, Arin knew she had to play along for now.Arin smiled and asked, "Out of all the women who like Micah, why did you choose me? I'm just a nobody with no background.""Precisely because you're a nobody," the man replied. "No one would suspect you. Don't you want to keep Micah by your side forever? He's exceptional, and your child with him would have the best g
Micah understood the situation clearly and called Joker over. "Take Arin to the lab for an examination."These people would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Arin was brave and she had risked everything to deliver vital information.Arin took a shaky breath. "Teacher Micah, you don’t need to worry about me. I don’t need treatment right now.""Even if they find out, your safety is the top priority right now," Micah said sternly.Arin felt a warmth spread through her. Although Teacher Micah’s concern was likely just out of basic decency, she could not help but take comfort in it. After all, wasn't this a sign that he cared for her, even in some small way?Joker escorted Arin to the lab. After running tests, the scientists all shook their heads."This is a powerful poison. It’s an enhanced version of what Seth once developed. Now... there’s no cure."Micah’s expression darkened. "I thought Seth’s poisons were all eradicated?"As Seth was turned into a human swine and Phara
Arin had taken Micah away from her using the same tactics she herself had used. If Arin had better methods, Freya would have accepted it, but this hurt deeply.Freya watched from a distance as Micah tenderly cared for Arin, patiently feeding her medicine and staying by her side until she fell asleep. It wasn’t until then that Micah finally left, only to lock eyes with Freya the moment he turned around.Micah pressed his lips together and said quietly, "Why are you here?"Freya glanced past him at Arin, lying on the bed. "It's not exactly a secret anymore."Rumors had spread across the Yaren Tribe about how Arin had risked her life to deliver crucial information to Micah. Some said Micah was so grateful he planned to cancel their wedding and marry Arin instead. Freya had come because those rumors made her feel like her world was crumbling.Micah could read all of this in her eyes. "She brought me the message, and I don't want her to die," he explained.That was Micah’s stance. Bey
As soon as Micah said those words, he gave Freya a deep, intense look, and she immediately understood.Freya smiled knowingly. "It's alright. As long as I can support you, the wedding is just a formality."Micah gently patted her head, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Freya's heart, usually so calm, rippled with emotion like a still lake touched by the wind.Once they agreed, the wedding was set for a week later. The announcement spread throughout the Yaren Tribe, followed by notifications to family and friends.Pharaoh hadn’t expected Micah to move so quickly this time and couldn’t help but tease him a bit. "When I brought it up with Nina and you before, you were so adamant that you didn’t want this. Now, look who’s changed their tune."Micah chuckled. It was true that he had contradicted himself. It just went to show that nothing was set in stone, and one should never speak in absolutes.Pharaoh added, "If you had your mind set on marriage, you should’ve