MasukShare
He promised to come back soon.
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-10 18:45:36
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Bab terkait
Second chance at happiness If a lion doesn’t show it’s might, it is no less than a kitten, unworthy of his lineage
“If the Zumerongs were involved, then it makes perfect sense for Jerome to pass their token and heirloom for safekeeping to me.” Matthew nodded thinking back to Jerome’s caution about not handing it to anyone other than the bearer of the heirloom.“But isn’t there someone already in charge of the Duchy?”“Dad didn’t you say that the Zumerongs were exiled with the charge of high treason?”Both Almera and Mira asked in unison.Matthew pursued his lips unable to answer as that was the last piece of information he had; But he didn’t have to think long as Cornelius spoke “I cleared their name as soon as I took the throne and re-instated them but……” He paused and then continued with a depressed expression “But the direct family, the old duke’s brother and sister who were exiled, along with their family refused to come back. The current owners are the old duke’s cousins.”“If there is already an owner, then why are people still pursing the heirloom?” Mira asked out loud, knitting her brows.“
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11Second chance at happiness I will not betray you.
Everyone slowly relaxed as Jack turned his attention back to Harrison. He thought for a moment before saying “Accept his visit.” Jack paused narrowing his eyes before adding “Don’t let them know that the royal sovereign, his highness and the others are here. Notify the household that any slip ups, intentional or not, will not be tolerated.”“My Lord, the staff that we have left…” Harrison sighed with a heavy heart “are all the loyal ones… who stayed back out of loyalty.”“But their loyalty is not towards me.” Jack retorted with a childish grin, he seemed to have found a new hobby, he enjoyed taunting the otherwise stiff upper lip, flawless Butler.“My Lord…” Harrison sighed helplessly “They will not betray you, but they may decide to quit once the original masters return.” He knew Jack knew…. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said that… there was no point in talking in circles or feigning ignorance.“What about you?”Mira pinched Jack’s waist as she noticed Harrison becoming visibly uncomfor
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-12Second chance at happiness Kingdom of Hal
“Why did the previous king resent the Zumerongs?” Martin asked with a puzzled expression out of the blue.“I don’t resent them.” Cornelius’s face darkened as he spat out resentfully.Martin: “”. He turned his head looking at the faces around him with his naïve comical expression that had ‘Did I say that?’ written all over.“Orseus is the current sovereign.” Thomas chuckled looking at Martin’s colorful expression. Martin smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head and corrected “I meant the one before the previous king.”“Nothing in particular other than greed and jealousy.” Cornelius opened his mouth uncomfortably. He sighed seeing Jack and Mira’s blank and curious gaze “To know the reason, you have to know the history of our kingdom’s establishment.”He started his narration looking at the eager faces around him-“When the kingdom of Hal was established my great ancestor, Cornelius, the righteous, was chosen as the ruler at the end of a duel with the six founding dukes, who
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13Second chance at happiness Son, how did you survive this long?
“And then….” Cornelius repeated a little lost before shrinking within himself “my sorry excuse of a father happened.”He took a deep breath composing himself before opening his mouth to continue “The next duel was meant to happen when I was 30 and it was meant to be with the heir of the Worthington duchy.”“My father, was not only greedy but also stupid as a pig.” Cornelius was not at all reserved nor did he consider his station as he fumed “Misguided by the Asters, he thought that if he tripped the Zumerongs, he could rule over for another 100 years.”“He forgot that if the duel was forfeited without the actual duel taking place, then the chance would befall the next duchy that was due in the chain.” Cornelius shook his head “The Asters were conceited; they knew they could never win against Alex nor me as long as Alex was around, so they first tripped Alex.”“Stripping him of his title so that the Zumerongs would be disheartened and give up their chance. They convinced the old man tha
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-14Second chance at happiness My embroidery bought me a dukedom....
The Sorens arrived pompously by late afternoon. Not just the old duke and duchess but also the marquess and his wife along with Lord Amberton and his wife, Lady Basvec.Jack’s lips curled up subtly as he saw the line up but feigned an ignorant yet proud expression as he portrayed the picture of an arrogant lord who was stuck up with his overnight good fortune. What was curious was the appearance of eight extra guards surrounding Jack and Mira along with Lazarus.Martin followed Jack with an uncultured, greedy expression; Mira could hardly hold her laughter, she struggled to maintain a haughty expression as she walked beside Jack, holding his arm, arriving fashionably late along with Jack to welcome the unwelcome guests.“Apologies…” Jack spoke lazily without a trace of sincerity as he arrived and sat down with his wife, yawning impolitely “We were resting after our big move.”“We still haven’t even finished exploring the castle.” Mira added with an equally lazy expression.“Apologies…”
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-15Second chance at happiness Both me and my duchess, we are both cowards!
“I did not….” Marcus slowly opened his mouth as he finally remembered the relationship between Mira and Almera. ‘How stupid? How could he forget? Why did he have to bring himself over here to be humiliated?’“Oh…. Good…good…good...” Duke Soren paused only for a second before he started grinning, “This is even better…. We are family then…there is no need for formalities. Ha…ha…ha…”Jack and Mira’s lips curled up in mockery although they didn’t respond verbally; the fakeness of the old duke’s feigned happiness was not lost on anyone. However, everyone pretended not to notice.“I have heard that the businesses of this duchy have not been properly managed due to being reclaimed by the king and not being attended to closely.” Duke Soren sighed regretfully once again before cautiously asking “You do know that this is not the king’s original duchy but one that was reclaimed from the original owners…don’t you?”Both Mira and Jack feigned an ignorant expression as they raised a single eyebrow q
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-16Second chance at happiness How come I didn’t get an invitation?
“Who?” Jack and Mira asked in unison; they didn’t know the duke of Northington.The faces of the father and son paled, but it was only for a second before the Duke regained his composure and shook his head regretfully “No, we cannot count on the Duke of Worthington anymore.”Jack and Mira: “Huh?”Danielle was about to correct the Duke when her brother gave her a warning glare, quieting her, resulting in her visibly shrinking back. Danielle was most scared of her devious brother; he was even more scarier than her father. No one knew what happened to their younger brother but she knew!“The Duke of Worthington used to be our strongest ally and the best of friends.” Duke Soren started to narrate his friendship with the Duke of Worthington with overwhelming emotions; he finished his narration with a sigh “But that is a lifetime ago, my dear friend is no more, and the current Duke and I are not that close, but we can still call on him in the hour of need.”The only thing worth noting was a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-17Second chance at happiness How can I kitten be born in a lion’s den?
“Cough…cough…” Matthew could no longer hold it in; he twisted his lips awkwardly as he stepped out from his position and sat down on the couch opposite Jane with a resentfully expression.“Hur …hur….hur…” Samuel chuckled before calling out “Is you partner in crime still deluding himself of his masquerading abilities?”“Seriously…” Jane shook her head “You guys are too bored. Why did you even have to dress up?”“Couldn’t you have taken a seat openly?” Jane wrinkled her brows “You are family, why would anyone question your presence?”Matthew scratched the tip of his nose in embarrassment and let out a sheepish laugh before trying to cover his embarrassment by counter questioning teasingly “Why are you here? You looked like you had a fire at the end of your tail…Hur…hur..hur...”“Fire at the end of my tail would have been better…” Jane muttered before turning to Jack and Mira with a serious expression “That lot does not have a single honest bone. Don’t get pulled into their scams.”“The o
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-18
Bab terbaru
Second chance at happiness To keep you on a leash till it is time for us to return.
Cornelius turned to Uzi and asked raising the scroll “Can I keep this?”“That is a letter from my brother to me…” Uzi snatched the scroll and kept it back in the secret compartment without giving Cornelius a chance to react. He slyly took another scroll from the secret compartment and extended it towards Cornelius “But I have transcribed a copy for you.”“Dishonest ghost” Cornelius cursed in good humour as he took the scroll.“Lord Zumerong, let us all have lunch here and disperse.” Uzi looked at Linus as he made the invitation. It was not uncommon for the two families to have impromptu gatherings followed by lunches and suppers.Baldwin pulled Elias back as Uzi tactfully steered Linus and the elders’ attention towards the banquet hall with topics of mutual interest.“For your eyes.” Baldwin extended the scroll towards Elias once the elders were out of ear shot. “Don’t burden Uncle and Aunt with the details for now.”Elias nodded as he took the scroll with knitted brows and read throug
Second chance at happiness I will not make things difficult for you.
Uzi didn’t struggle nor feign ignorance when he was questioned by Baldwin as he knew this day would come and he had Alex’s permission to disclose when they came looking for him.It was quite a sight to see the large group following Uzi, back to his residence, the curiosity on their faces couldn’t be hidden. Although Uzi had only invited Cornelius and Baldwin, the others followed without giving social etiquette a second thought.Inside, Uzi’s study, he walked over to a secret compartment and took out a scroll and handed it over to Baldwin feigning an unhappy expression, spouting nonsense, “I will lend you the letter my best friend wrote to me, just so that you won’t be jealous and accuse his sincerity towards you.”Baldwin pulled his lips lopsidedly and ignoring the childish banter, anxiously opened the scroll with trembling hands. Cornelius leaned over his shoulders impatiently.Inside, the scroll was an amulet with the Zumerong seal in the form of pendant. Uzi stretched his hand and p
Second chance at happiness How can there be an accusation when there never ever a crime to be convicted?
The next morning, Cornelius and the rest were ready to leave when the Bellevue palace had another visitor, the duke of Warringal.“Brother in arms.” Cornelius greeted Uzi with their customary elbow handshake.“It has been a lifetime.” Uzi nodded in acknowledgement.The two men looked at each other, the past and their loss reflected in the depths of their eyes. And yet, they were helpless to do anything but smile remorsefully.Uzi shook hands with Baldwin as always, but his gaze suddenly stopped at a face that seemed to have come back from the past. He rushed forward but came to an abrupt halt before Jack, frightening Mira who had involuntarily pulled Jack back a few steps with her.“That was very impolite…. My sincere apologies…” Uzi bowed deeply towards the youngsters before straightening but he still couldn't stop staring at Jack without blinking.“This is my husband.” Mira puffed her cheeks and even though she was trembling in fear, took a step forward to stand in front of Jack, loo
Second chance at happiness At least let me enjoy the glory while there is no one to challenge my claim.
Baldwin knitted his brows as he too had thought of the incident, but he didn’t look at Mira, instead he looked at Linus and asked somewhat awkwardly “Uncle, what do you think of dreams?” He didn’t have his father around anymore to ask, the only person he was close enough to ask and still breathing was Linus.“Dreams???” Linus arched his eyebrows, however Elias and the rest started making a ruckus teasing him if he wanted to share the details.“Our forefathers thought of them as forewarnings passed by our ancestors from the beyond...” Linus answered seriously once the ruckus quieted down “passed on to the purest of heart….”“Divination?” Humphrey’s son, Derek who had been a silent listener all along slowly asked hooking his eyebrows.“Not quite…” Linus shook his head “Divination is the ability to see into the future at will and it is a skill that some are born with while others can cultivate.”“Dreams are different.” Linus paused before saying “While most of them can just be wishful thi
Second chance at happiness We will avenge all the grievance our brother has suffered
“Hymph!” Mira humped unhappily “Looks like this trip left us with more questions and no answers.”“Not entirely true.” Edith spoke in a gentle tone, an affectionate gaze stopping on Jack’s face “We got to reunite with our Leander, and you got to know the culprits behind your grandfather and grandmother’s accident.”“We had guessed.” Mira pouted “You still don’t have proof for that….it is still a guess at best.”“Would us releasing the news that all of you are returning to regain your rightful positions make them act hastily?” Jack slowly opened his mouth “Would that give them room for error and give us the opportunity that we need?”“We cannot just release news….” Cornelius shook his head as he narrowed his eyes “It has to be believable to those receiving the news…”“How about saying that you have reconciled your decade long differences and that they have agreed to come back since you have promised them a huge compensation for their grievance?” Mira asked smiling like a sly fox before
Second chance at happiness Big brother never leaves room for error.
“Uncle, if old Drew is still alive, where do you think he is most likely to stay?”“Uncle, do you know who plotted against the grand duke and duchess?”Both Cornelius and Baldwin asked in unison.Linus sighed, frustration and unreconciled anger evident in his every breath. He turned to Baldwin, as though to answer his question but the guilt in his heart made it impossible for him to hold gaze with the righteous indignation in the eyes of the man in front of him; he lowered his gaze as he spoke in a low voice “I don’t, although I do not have evidence, I have a hunch.”His guilt stemming from the fact that while he had given up, lost hope, it was an outsider who had never given up, never stopped looking.“We are all ears.” This time, it wasn’t Baldwin or Cornelius who spoke but rather Elias. He had been asking this same question for the last decade and yet he couldn’t get a single word out of his father.“Our cousin…. It is a no brainer.” Linus shrugged before he gritted his teeth “But w
Second chance at happiness The only variable in his plan.....
“Sit down you two…” Linus sighed helplessly “No one is going to crucify you. We just want to know what happened?”“Why Leander never came home even though you knew we were here?” Elias added through gritted teeth although he quickly lowered his head after being glared at by his father.“Is this also part of big brother’s plan?” Wilkin asked curiously; he was Alex’s most obedient little follower, from diapers to pants, that never changed.“Perhaps, this was the only variable in his plan that he had not anticipated.” Corenlius sighed as he sat down with a dejected expression and recounted the past, of how they finally met Jack.“How is John and Beth?” Elias asked once everyone had digested what they just heard.“Uncle and Aunt are well.” Jack responded politely; there was no fluctuation in his tone, no sign of closeness nor alienation.“I still cannot believe that John was able to hold off…” Humphrey shook his head; of all the Zumerong siblings, other than Alex, he was the one who was mo
Second chance at happiness We were meant to be the last line of defence that big brother left behind ….
“That bitch… I always thought that she had organized the whole event with her brother, just for the sake of making her son the rightful heir. But there was no proof.” Edith cursed at first but then her eyes became blurry “He was the only one worthy of his ancestor’s legacy, but he withered like a pitiful bud without ever having the chance to bloom to his full potential.”After reminiscing, Edith raised her head curiously as she couldn't remember hearing about anyone talking about this event nor did she hear about the poor boy being avenged, “But how come no one heard about it?”“Alex’s favourite one liner…” Baldwin shrugged “As long as justice is served who cares about the ballads?”“You three…..” Edgar shook his head “I can never understand your madness.” Although his words seemed disapproving there was only affection in them.“My lord, the food is ready to be served.” The butler announced, his grace directed at Linus awaiting his orders.“Good…. good….good…” Linus repeated in quick s
Second chance at happiness Who said he wasn’t avenged?
“We were happy to see that your bond only grew stronger with time and have always been proud that it didn’t get tainted with the murk of the world around you.” Edith sighed “This is also why we never questioned his decision when he decided not to retaliate and hold the fort together till you got back.”“Do you think your father could have sat steadily in that throne if not for Alex single-mindedly protecting him?” Linus’s eyes were sharp, there was the undeniable Zumerong arrogance, that was filled with righteousness indignation “With just a snap of his finger, everything around you, including your father, the Asters and Basvecs would have perished without a burial ground.”Cornelius had his head lowered, he knew, even from the beyond, his good brother was looking out for him and yet his foolish father…. He couldn’t think further.“And you didn’t disappoint.” Linus smiled although his eyes misted at his loss; None of the brothers raised their heads, their eyes were filled with resentme
