"You ... who are you?" Shirley asked stammeringly.The tall, well-built man smiled broadly, "You forgot me, Sister-in-Law?"Shirley nearly fainted at the sound of that voice, staring in disbelief. So did Cassandra who looked shocked, transfixed and stunned at the words of the man in the elegantly handsome black suit."Bill?" Cassandra said, still in disbelief."Yes, darling. This is your husband," Bill said, smiling at his wife.Shirley tried to snap out of it, "You ... where could that loser be?Bill turned round and looked at the sister-in-law who had insulted him so often, "Uh, do I have to tell you all the insults you threw at me back then?"Shirley exhaled harshly. Oh, it was definitely Bill, her brother-in-law who was a lowly person. Only Bill would throw out such scathing insinuations, she didn't know any other man who would do such a thing.Cassandra said with mixed emotions, "You ... where have you been? Why did you just show up?"Bill turned to his wife, "We'll talk about thi
"I've put it there," Bill said, pointing to the pile of presents by the door on the right.Peter Green said, "Uh, I've been dying to see that.""Yeah, right. Me too. What will my dear brother-in-law give me?" George said with a wink.However, the wink seemed to be such an obvious mockery that his youngest sister Shirley snickered.But, as usual, Bill was calm and unfazed by the little interruption. The bride spoke up, "Shall we open the gifts from the guests now, darling?"Shirley Wood looked up at her husband and gave him a sensual, alluring smile. Peter replied with a brief peck on the lips, "If you want to, let's do it, darling.""Alright, let's get the host to announce it," Shirley said.Before the newlyweds left Bill and Cassandra, Shirley took a moment to say, "Don't think I expect much from your gift, Bill. I'm just curious."Bill didn't reply. George Wood played with his finger by lowering his thumb, swooping down. Anyone would have easily understood that George was belittlin
With trembling hands he touched a gold piece that had a name engraved on it. He didn't know if it was pure gold so he didn't know how to comment. Peter took the large gold disc and began to read in a trembling voice, "General Mackenzie. This is his portrait. Yes, this is unmistakable. This is the image of the war general of the Ans De Lou Kingdom."Peter examined the disc carefully and then smiled. "Gosh, I can't believe I'm touching it."Shirley, who did not understand, asked, "What is it, dear?""Oh, Dear. Don't you know about this? This disc belonged to this kingdom's war hero. The most powerful God of War ever, General Mackenzie," Peter said as he gazed at the disc with awe.Some people gawked and some began to comment."Gosh, that can't be real, can it? How can it be real?" "Shouldn't the disc be in the Silver Building? General Mackenzie's residence.""Yeah, I heard that no outsiders can get into it. So, how did he get it?""Oh, no. Did he steal it?" another said."It must be a
"Yes, only three.""He didn't miscount, did he?" George was still hopeful that what Bryan said was wrong.Bryan replied, "If he had miscounted, he would have been hanged by King Keannu."Uh, that's right. A royal bodyguard could not have been chosen so easily. A series of tests must have been passed, it was unlikely that the bodyguard would make a mistake in arithmetic.George was forced to ask again, "So, where is the other one?""My colleague in charge of guarding the place said that Andrew Reece received orders from General Mackenzie to give it to a man named ... wait a minute, I'll ask again. I forgot his name," Bryan replied.Christopher's aura had darkened like a crow clawing at its prey.George, on the other hand, was so agitated that he gripped his mobile phone tighter. He was very anxious, not wanting what was happening to go against his wishes.In the part of the hall where the guests were standing, Cassandra was holding her breath not yet relieved, but Emma was already smili
"Do I need to tell you about this, Gardner?" Keannu asked.Obviously, this was very bad. Keannu Wellington was known to have a high level of decorum and would never offend anyone with his mouth. Jody Gardner realized that the king didn't like him enough to call him by his last name without his title.Not wanting to make things even more unpleasant, Jody hurriedly said, "No, Your Majesty. You don't need to ... tell me. This is your business with General Mackenzie."The corners of Keannu's lips lifted slightly, seemingly pleased with his quick-to-respond general."Good, if you understand," Keannu said."So, is there anything else you would like to ask?" Keannu continued."Nothing, Your Majesty," Jody replied and he quickly retreated from the king's private palace.He was holding back his anger and did not speak a word as he walked.The general hurriedly went outside with Steven faithfully walking right behind him. When they reached the middle of the road, Jody Garder suddenly stopped w
"Uh, that ... never mind, I'm just in a daze," Steven replied hastily. He had just realized that he was talking too much. After all, he was General Gardner's direct subordinate, he shouldn't be discussing the matter with others. He could be accused of spreading the general's secrets. Gosh, what had he just done? He had been a subordinate of the war general for two years and had never made a single mistake.So, why did he make a mistake now? Really, Steven wanted to sew his own mouth shut so that he wouldn't spill the beans about his general anymore. Even if it was just a little bit. "Uh, but you said General Gardner just did something. What was it? Did he make-" "No, no. I misspoke. Alright, I'll go first. I have some work to do," Steven excused himself quickly. Wallace looked suspicious, but he chose not to think about it and went back to patrolling. As for Steven, after taking care of the general's sudden leave, he rushed to the dining hall. There, many soldiers were al
"No, it's not. It's already yours," Bill said.Peter smiled happily, "Then I'll just stay in my room.""Peter!" Shirley glared in annoyance, but her husband didn't even glance at her. Instead, he went upstairs and into his room.Shirley's anger mounting, she pushed Bill's body with full force. But Bill was a strong man with a sturdy body so the push didn't move him an inch. The failing Shirley became even more furious."This is all because of you! I hate you!" the beautiful woman said before running upstairs to catch up with her husband.Christopher sighed wearily, "If their marriage is ruined by your little gift, don't expect me to let you breathe easy, Bill.""Actually, it's not a small gift, Gramps."Of course it was. That gold disc was a symbol of his victory. He didn't just give it to anyone. At first, Andrew Reece looked so shocked when Bill intended to give it to him.However, he ignored him. This was also done by Bill after he found out that Peter Green was a big fan through h
Bill didn't answer and just sat quietly."Are you mute? Can't answer?" Bill just leered and still didn't want to answer.The subordinate groaned in exasperation. "How arrogant! Take this!" He then intended to hit Bill on the head. However, Bill swiftly dodged and hit him with both of his bound hands. The man jumped in surprise at Bill's attack and was about to retaliate but again he was kicked by Bill.The man was only with a driver so it was easy for Bill to deal with them. However, Bill thought it wouldn't be fun if he just ran away. He wanted to know the extent of Jody Gardner's actions and the reasons behind the inappropriate behaviour of the man who replaced him."Do you want to die?" the driver asked without turning his head.Bill, whose mouth was still shut, used his bound hands to choke the driver from behind. "Damn. How dare you!"The friend couldn't help the driver as his chest had just received a good kick from Bill. "Let go of me!" the driver ordered.Not wanting to get
James suddenly gave Gardner a lopsided smile. He knew it was not easy being Xylan Wellington's shield. But, he really did not expect that the crown prince who he thought was so smart was also so innocent.His intelligence seemed to be inversely proportional to his knowledge in terms of understanding the world around him.However, he had already decided to replace Riley in order to make up for the few years of time he had wasted so he should try to be patient.Thus, he calmly replied, "You should start thinking about the matter of all of their opinions, Your Highness.""Why should I?" Xylan retorted, who did not seem to accept James' words.James bit his lower lip, feeling the need to suppress his irritation even more. Come on, James. Don't give up so easily! James thought to himself."Because you are the future king and will soon inherit the throne of this country. So, you should start thinking about what they think of you," James replied.Xylan was about to reply, but James was fas
The indecision on Xylan Wellington's face was evident. James Gardner, who felt that he had succeeded in making the crown prince realize the big mistake Xylan was about to make, called out, "Your Highness."Xylan flinched slightly when he heard his name being called by James.The young man turned to James, but still did not open his mouth.At that moment, James Gardner was certain that Xylan would change the decision they had just discussed.However, he suddenly saw Xylan smiling at him. That of course made James blink his eyes in confusion.But, within seconds, his confusion was answered. He heard Xylan say, "General Gardner, what you said is true. Everything is right. I ... might get some opposition for choosing Gary Davis as the king's advisor."He nodded. James immediately got a bad feeling that he didn't want to imagine."But, General Gardner. I have found no other good candidate than Gary Davis for that position. And ...."He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about somethi
"Yes, that's right. My personal assistant who ... is currently outside the door of my father's residence," Xylan replied, not seeming to find anything strange about his answer.James was still so shocked that he was left speechless, at a loss for what to say in response to Xylan's explanation."Why, General Gardner?" Xylan asked as he looked at James who was not speaking.James moistened his lower lip, still thinking of the right words.However, Xylan couldn't wait for him so he spoke again, "General Gardner, I know what you're thinking."James blinked his eyes, looking stunned.Xylan let out a long breath, "This must be the status of Gary Davis who is my personal assistant, right?"James' eyes widened slightly until he then looked at the crown prince with an astonished look.That's what I mean, why would you even think of making a personal assistant an advisor to the king? Have you ... lost your mind, Your Royal Highness? James thought to himself.Uh, James Gardner actually never jud
"Tell me, so I can do what I should, Your Royal Highness," James added.Xylan returned the war general's gaze with a look that looked very serious. The young man who had originally made one of the major decisions finally opened his mouth, "It has to do with ... the determination of the new palace officials after I take office as king."James was silent for a moment, looking a little surprised. It was only natural that Xylan Wellington had been thinking about his future reign. However, he didn't think it was the right time.His father hadn't even been buried yet. Why was he already thinking of something else? Isn't he still grieving? James thought.Xylan cleared his throat, causing James to give him a strange look. Not wanting James to think strangely about him or even misunderstand him, Xylan hurriedly explained, "General Gardner, it's not what you're thinking."James did not respond immediately and instead waited for Xylan's further explanation.Xylan himself was smart enough to q
However, before James Gardner could think further about it, Monica Wilhelm, the queen who had just lost her husband said, "Never mind, there's no need to prolong it anymore."Afterward, Monica turned her body around and faced the palace officials who were still in the palace. She sighed softly before saying, "As I wanted earlier, are you willing to let us mourn the passing of your king before we organize a funeral ceremony for him?"Without hesitation, all the palace officials unanimously replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."One by one, the palace officials left the king's residence area, leaving only the special soldiers protecting the king, queen, princess and crown prince.Meanwhile, some of James Gardner's men also remained in the area as per James' orders."General Gardner, please help," Monica said.James nodded and immediately did his duty as the kingdom's war general to prepare all the necessities used for security.
"Uh, if you're not ready to give up that important position, shouldn't you be careful when you speak, Prime Minister? Remember, what you're talking about is not appropriate," James said in a sharp tone.Anyone who heard James' threatening voice would surely be afraid. James waited but he was sure that his threat would be effective making that prime minister afraid of him.And unexpectedly, James Gardner's threat succeeded in silencing old Philip. Philip no longer dared to speak and remained silent. However, his resentful gaze could still be seen by James.Of course, you must be very upset with me, Prime Minister. However, you certainly don't want to lose your position just because of that ridiculous accusation, James thought.This made Monica Wilhelm and her two children feel a little calmer."Y-Your Majesty, I... I ...." Philip tried to speak again, but his nervousness was so obvious that James knew the old man would not dare to say anything nonsense again. James immediately respon
Philip Crawford coughed as he heard James Gardner's words.James raised his right eyebrow, seemingly waiting for Philip's explanation.Philip cleared his throat and replied without daring to look at James, "I am not the one accusing you, General Gardner. It's just that ... the entire population of the Ans De Lou Kingdom is talking about this. Let's just say I'm just relaying what they're thinking."James laughed softly, making Philip instantly turn to him. Likewise, Monica and her two children looked surprised at the war general's reaction."W-what's so funny about what I said that you're laughing, General Gardner?" Philip said in an offended tone.James stopped his laughter and sighed softly before saying, "There's nothing funny. It's just that I find you very cowardly, Prime Minister.""Cowardly? What do you mean, General?" Philip widened his eyes, clearly taking offense."That's right. Of course you're just a coward. You're acting on behalf of the people's opinions, when it was you
"So, you can give us time to mourn our family members, right? You have not forgotten that Keannu Wellington was not only the king of this country, but he was the head of our family. He is my husband, the father of my two children and a grandfather to my grandson," Monica said in a flat but firm tone.The queen's words apparently succeeded in making the palace officials look at each other and finally fell silent.Some of them seemed to take a few steps back as if they really didn't want to disturb members of the royal family anymore. James Gardner himself smiled to see the palace officials, some of whom were important ministers, not moving in front of the queen. James could not help but be impressed by the queen's ability to make people obey her orders. It was because according to James it was very rare.Before he gave up his post as a deputy general of war, he had met so many queens from various kingdoms around the world. However, not many queens had authority. Monica Wellington wa
Since James had not moved from where he was standing and was instead as still as a statue, Rowena immediately glanced at Xylan.Xylan of course understood her sister's meaning so she quickly said, "General Gardner, are ... are you alright?"James snapped out of his reverie and nodded at Xylan. With confusion ruling his mind, he still stepped into the king's room.Once he entered the area for the first time, James could see the body of the king of Ans De Lou Kingdom lying stiffly on the luxurious bed. He could only exhale softly at the sight of the person who had been responsible for the complicated relationship between his father and Riley's father. As a result of the dead king's mistake, his relationship with Riley was strained.However, the king had apologized to him and he had forgiven all his mistakes so there was no anger or resentment in James' heart.Instead, he was saddened by the loss of Keannu Wellington. "Your Majesty, I never thought that our meeting before I left for th