In Simonton City, Oliver was growing increasingly impatient. After four rounds of negotiations, Victor refused to budge. He insisted that he would only release Septimus in exchange for Simonton City.The other prisoners had already been exchanged long ago. In fact, Starhaven had been on the losing side of the deal. The number of Sandorian captives they had was twice more than the Sinclair Army soldiers in Victor's hands.The numbers didn't add up, revealing how many prisoners Sandoria had killed. Now, they were demanding an entire city in exchange for Septimus' life.It was absurd.If it hadn't been for Rafael arriving a couple of days ago and urging him to delay the negotiations, Oliver would have flatly rejected Victor's demands.Timothy and Louis had repeatedly stressed that Septimus had been an important figure in recovering the Southern Frontier, but Oliver didn't agree. He had reviewed the list of people in the Sinclair Army, and Septimus wasn't even on it. Even if his name
On the fourth day since the assassins appeared in Valor Estate, Carissa was summoned to the palace. Before this, no one from the Royal Citadel had come to question her, nor had the garrison unit appeared.Carissa wasn't surprised. After all, the Royal Citadel and the garrison unit would have used the information they got from the Warren family to conduct their investigation. They needed to gather a coherent account before reporting to the king. Only then would the king summon her to the palace for questioning.As Carissa made her way to the palace, Barrett finally forced himself out of bed and headed straight for Aurora's room.He had been bedridden for several days, recovering from his injuries. He had also been stewing with anger for days. Although his wounds were superficial, he had received over a dozen sword wounds and had no choice but to remain in bed to recover. If he didn't, he risked permanent damage. If that happened, he would lose all his value and might even be unable t
Barrett watched Aurora with a cold, unfeeling gaze as she smiled and mocked him with her words."If you hadn't fed me all that nonsense about wanting success for our future, I might've believed you. But Aurora, now I'd sooner trust a dog than you. You lied to me from the start. When I questioned you about Fawnrun City, you never told me the truth. Even when the truth came out, you were evasive and tried to cover it up. And now you want to incite me to doubt Carissa?"He leaned in closer, his voice icy and disdainful, "Do you think I can still trust you? Do you remember how unsightly you acted that night? You were only concerned with saving yourself. You rushed straight to Grace Mansion and locked Viola and her two maids out."No matter how hard they banged on the door, you refused to open it. Actually, I was wrong. It wasn't just an unsightly display—it was a show of how selfish and cruel you are. If you told everyone else what you said to Viola, do you think they would believe you?
Barrett looked at Viola, his heart heavy as he recalled her two deceased maids."I'm sorry about Julia and Yvonne. It's my fault, I couldn't protect them."Viola clenched her fists and demanded, "Tell me, what is my place in your heart? Don't change the subject."Leaning against a nearby tree, Barrett took a deep breath to steady himself and tried to calm the anger that had flared up.He spoke softly, "I'm not changing the subject. I just… deeply regret and mourn their deaths. As for your place in my heart, it is naturally that of a primary wife.""Just that?" Viola pressed, tears welling up in her swollen eyes. "Do you feel no affection for me? Don't you have any feelings for me at all?"Barrett was momentarily stunned by the question.He looked at Viola and opened his mouth, intending to explain that their marriage had been arranged by Natalie with the king's blessing, and that it was simply a union of families. As long as they treated each other with respect, that was enough.
Carissa knew that going out at night with a weapon and being aware of a potential attack on the Warren family would undoubtedly raise Salvador's suspicions. Although she was the deputy commander of the Mystic Army, her position was largely ceremonial, and it was not appropriate to carry weapons at night or to know the whereabouts of assassins.Salvador would suspect her, and by extension, Rafael, of having a network of spies.Carissa looked up and spoke directly, "Your Majesty, as you're aware, my family was massacred by spies. Since Ryan was found, I have been worried day and night about his safety. So, I asked my guild senior to assign a few people to keep an eye on suspicious individuals who enter the capital."A few days ago, we discovered that some suspicious individuals with strong martial arts skills had checked into Prestige Lodge. They didn't leave their rooms. It was as if they were plotting something. I was concerned they might be targeting Ryan, so I had people keep them
Since the war, the border city of Sandoria had been heavily guarded, especially now that negotiations with Starhaven were underway. Sandoria's aim was to exchange the prisoners in their custody for the city of Simonton. Consequently, the dungeon where the prisoners were held was guarded by a substantial force.After being in Sandoria for several days, Rafael and his team had finally pinpointed the location where Septimus was imprisoned—a heavily fortified outpost on the edge of the city. They had also thoroughly mapped out the prison's layout within the high walls.However, they didn't know about Oliver's five-day deadline, and what's more, tomorrow would mark the end of this period.Rafael knew that Victor would be meeting with Oliver for negotiations again the next day. Even though the prince wasn't aware of the exact deadline, he suspected that Oliver wouldn't follow his orders to delay the negotiations further.Rafael decided that while Victor was occupied with negotiations at
On the evening of June eighteenth, the ten men raised their coarse cups that were filled with cold water. For years, they hadn't had coffee or a drop of alcohol.In the border city, coffee was a luxury they couldn't afford. And though cheap, they didn't dare touch the local wine. They feared that even a single sip might lead them to reveal their identities in their drunken state, which would lead to their doom.The only time they had bought alcohol was when they learned about the deaths of Hector and his six sons. Even then, they hadn't drank it, but instead poured the liquor onto the ground in tribute to their fallen leader. That night, they had spent hours sobbing under their blankets.But they were only allowed a single night of mourning. The next day, they had to dry their tears and continue their perilous journey, as the Southern Frontier had yet to be reclaimed then.After the Southern Frontier was recaptured and Victor brought his troops to the border city, it became impossi
When Rafael saw them, his heart jumped into his throat.Where had these people suddenly come from? Also, some of them seemed to have average martial arts skills, needing hooks and ropes to scale the high wall. Who were they? What were their intentions for infiltrating the garrison in the dead of night?If these people made a commotion, Rafael's rescue plan would be ruined.Though the place where Rafael, Everett, and Jacob had landed and hidden was in the shadows, they had to remain quiet, even as these new arrivals moved quickly along the wall and approached their hiding spot.There wasn't anything Rafael and the others could do about it at this point. The guard change was nearly over, and they had to act swiftly.-Thomas and his group also noticed the three men hiding ahead. But since they were hiding in the shadows and dressed in black clothes, Thomas couldn't tell who they were, even though their faces were not covered.It was unclear whether these people were friends or foe