Keannu instantly threw an astonished look with both thick eyebrows drawn together. Jody Gardner immediately realised the small mistake he had made and hurriedly corrected, "Uh, I mean. It feels impossible. I don't believe in the kingdom. They must have done something." The look on the king's face returned to normal. "We don't know for sure yet, General." "But, Your Majesty. The Mondega Kingdom clearly seems to be pulling this trick to try and lure us out," Jody said, still trying to keep his king's mind off the matter. "They wouldn't dare face ... our War Advisor." Keannu almost said the word "General" again. However, he quickly controlled his usually sharp tongue. "You seem so confident in Bill Stewart's abilities. But, I believe the Mondega Kingdom is using Bill Stewart. Prisoner of war. That's for sure," Jody said. Keannu shook his head in disbelief, "He won't be easy to defeat, General Gardner." "What if the kingdom attacks us suddenly?" Jody said. "As you said, although
Eland Cleve replied casually, "I just spoke to him and he said that you are one of the people who know his true face." Andrew Reece was stunned, his eyes widened to perfection. The glass he was carrying almost slipped out of his hand if he wasn't careful. He immediately glanced to his right and left, scrutinising warily, fearing that someone might be listening in on their conversation. He took a deep gulp of saliva, calmed himself down and tried to return to normal behaviour. Eland Cleve was watching closely and could easily tell that Andrew Reece was both surprised and nervous. "He told you, General?" Andrew asked at last. He even had trouble closing his mouth again and began to think more broadly. He now understood the reason why Eland Cleve seemed to get along so well with the major general. That man apparently already knew the general. But how could that be? Had William Mackenzie revealed his own identity in front of this man who was their enemy before finally choosing to m
Oh, now Eland understood it immediately. Jody Gardner clearly disliked his saviour god. That much was very clear when he saw the look of dislike in Jody Gardner's eyes when they discussed about Bill Jody Gardner looked like he did not try to hide it at all, he just show it without any doubts. "He's great. And, that greatness sometimes doesn't depend on whether or not one has been in the field for a long time. I'm sure you would agree with that, General Gardner," Eland said, adding a friendly smile to the end of his sentence. Jody Gardner no longer bothered about it afterwards and chose to keep his emotions in check. He went home with a mind filled with extreme annoyance because again he had lost face. This time, unmitigatedly, his name was not mentioned in the Ans De Lou Kingdom when they returned. Only Bill was honoured by everyone, including the king, so he didn't participate in the big celebration at the palace. However, when the celebration had only been going on for two hou
"Cassie, listen. You ... can tell me anything!" Bill said, trying to get his wife to reveal what she was going through. At first, Cassandra looked very reluctant and seemed uncomfortable. However, after Bill patiently waited for her and tried to calm her down, Cassandra finally began to slowly open up to her husband. "I ... got fired, Bill. Imagine that! You know how much I love that job," Cassandra sobbed again. "What was the reason?" Bill's brow furrowed, he knew Cassandra was such a disciplined worker, it was impossible for his wife to make a mistake. "I don't want to discuss. It's useless," Cassandra said, looking so lazy. Bill let out a long sigh. He knew very well how Cassandra Wood loved her work and was always proud of it endlessly. Losing something she loved so much must have been very hard for Cassandra. "I'm unemployed now, Bill." "That's no problem," Bill replied calmly. "How can you be so calm, Bill? How can we afford this much rent? You-" "Wait a minute, why are
"Just say what you have to say!" Cassandra said, already impatient. Bill took his wife's hand and said, "Before I met you, I was a soldier, Cassie. I worked in the palace, but ...." "But what?" Cassandra asked with bated breath. "I resigned over 3 years ago and on my way home I was attacked until I almost died," Bill said. Cassandra stared in shock, "Attacked how, Bill? Who attacked you?" The beautiful woman's lips seemed to tremble as she said it and it made Bill become more careful. "I don't know, Cassie. That's when I was rescued by Grandma Minerva and ended up marrying you," Bill explained. Cassandra was still a little confused, "How did she save you?" Bill couldn't possibly say he was dumped in the suburbs because that would complicate things even more. So, he chose to say, "Grandma found me dying on the road. She healed me." Cassandra was silent for a moment, "So, you're really marrying me because of that? As a favour to Grandma?" Bill nodded without hesitation. Cassa
Cassandra became even more suspicious of her husband but she refrained from asking. The beautiful woman even handed her husband a glass of water. "Thank you, Cassie!" Bill said quickly. He hurriedly downed the water and when he put the glass on the table, he still saw his wife staring at him unblinkingly. "What are you thinking about?" Bill asked after wiping his mouth with a tissue. Cassandra made a gesture as if she wasn't thinking anything nor did she force her husband to speak. Bill was even more confused and thought that maybe his wife had found out that he had more than just one company. However, when he saw her questioning gaze, he quickly dismissed the thought from his mind. "I ... haven't thought about building a company but if you want to, I can build one for you," Bill said and he chose the safest way. Cassandra was wide-eyed when she heard her husband's words, "You ... are you that rich to easily build a company?" Bill quickly shook his head, "No, Cassie. It's jus
Bill was still trying to be patient, "Oh, the urn. If you didn't do it on purpose, of course it doesn't matter, but if you did it on purpose, of course I'll sue for compensation." Hearing Bill's answer which was said so calmly also made Shirley annoyed, "You want to sue your own sister-in-law?" "Shirley!" Cassandra said and she was completely ignored by her biological sister. Bill shrugged, "I don't care if it's my sister-in-law or not but if someone tries to interfere with mine then I won't stay silent." Shirley only exhaled harshly and then she saw her brother as well as her grandfather and also her husband who looked so enthusiastic about entering the house headed there. Cassandra quickly greeted her family, "Grandpa, George, Peter. Welcome to our house." Christopher Wood frowned at that sentence, "Your home? Isn't it a bit much when you call a rental property your own?" Cassandra immediately glanced at her husband who still looked so relaxed even though she heard her own gra
"Something like that," Bill said. The three members of Cassandra's family froze in their places, while Peter calmly said, "Oh, it's fitting that you were able to get the gold disc. Well done, Brother-in-Law!" Peter did not hide his admiration for Bill and now he was feeling his past bad behaviour towards Bill. However, Peter was not someone who apologized easily so he didn't say a word. Bill turned to his wife who was silent and this made him very uneasy. "Grand, George, Shirley and Peter, please come to the dining room as your servants have prepared food for you," Bill said. Peter replied, "Oh, I wonder what the servants of such a luxurious house are serving." Peter then forced his wife to walk with him to the dining room, leaving George and Christopher behind wordlessly. However, it wasn't long before the two men caught up with Peter and Shirley. "Wow! This is absolutely marvellous! I've never seen such a luxurious dining table," Peter said admiringly while occasionally touc
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