Her Majestic Battle Cry

As Randall walked out of the hall, his head was held high, his gaze unwavering, and his step filled with renewed purpose. No longer was he the slumped, defeated figure he had been carlier.

It was all because of one last thing Rafael had said to him.

Matthew mentioned to me that you’ve handled your warden duties well. After a year or so of experience, I’ll see about promoting you.

At that moment, Randall’s eyes had burned with unshed tears.

Aside from Avis, no one had ever acknowledged his abilities. No one had ever truly praised him. Avis would praise him, of course, but those praises had always been laced with consolation. He had never been good at studies or martial arts. She would assure him that, in time, he would amount to something

But that was just comfort, not real recognition.

Now, for the first time, Randall had been truly recognized. He didn’t even care whether that recognition was sincere or watered down. At that moment, the feeling was too overwhelming. too wonderful, for him to question it. He didn’t want to dwell on whether it was genuine or

not.

If he could continue on this path, he would give everything he had to make it happen.

From a young age, he had never been Yuvan’s favorite. Born to a concubine, he was raised by Avis, but his father still looked down on him for his lowly, illegitimate bloodline.

He had overheard the servants gossiping about it. Yuvan had once ordered Randall’s biological mom to drink medicine to avoid getting pregnant, but she had still conceived. When she found out, the plan had been to have a physician induce a miscarriage.

But Avis had fought fiercely to protect him and sent the concubine away to a remote estate. She hid the concubine until after Randall’s birth, when Avis made a grand public display of bringing him back

Avis had known how much her husband cared about appearances. By making such a spectacle of bringing Randall back to the estate, she forced Yuvan to acknowledge him. Once that happened, his pride wouldn’t allow him to let the boy die.

That was when Avis began to fall out of favor with Yuvan.

The servants said she was foolish. Perhaps they were right–she had fought so hard for a

worthless so

As Randall recalled these memories, his steps grow lighter. He shouldn’t feel burdened by betraying such a dad, and he certainly shouldn’t feel guilty. The guilt, he realized, should have been for failing to care for his mom when she was sent to Verdant Monastery.

He should hate the man who was called his dad not just for how he treated him, but for what he did to Avis–sending her a divorce edict just before her death, complaining she hadn’t died quickly enough.

Randall’s heart remained heavy, but it was still lighter than before.

The lamps in the meeting hall of Hell Monarch Estate were not extinguished that night. They burned through until dawn.

From Randall, they had learned more than just the situation in Lunvale. However, the information he shared had been limited. Aside from Grantham County, Larkspur County, and Fenrose County, there were still other places they didn’t know about yet.

The confusion that lingered in everyone’s mind was the same as Rafael’s confusion today.

Yuvan truly didn’t have the ability to expand across so many areas. Now that Rafael had a clearer sense of him, he didn’t seem like a man with particularly deep schemes. If not for Wayne, it was doubtful that Yuvan would have achieved even this much. noveldrama

But was Wayne really his.ally?

It seemed more like a case of Yuvan thinking he was the hunter, but there was another person waiting to catch him off guard and take advantage of the situation.

Jacob took a quill and traced the locations Randall had mentioned, linking them together. Rafael stood off to the side, observing. These places were mostly impoverished regions, struggling with taxes that were never paid, and places that needed regular government relief

to survive.

An idea sparked in Rafael’s mind–fragments of a puzzle began to shift, but the pieces didn’t quite fit together yet.

It seemed Lunvale would have to be investigated further. Once they understood more about it, the other things might become clearer as well.

After wrapping up matters at work and the estate, and ensuring everything was in order, Rafael prepared to leave.

This was the first time since his marriage to Carissa that he wouldn’t be spending New Year’s Eve with her. He hated the thought of leaving her

In their room, they talked for quite a while, before sharing more words in the main hall. And even when they reached the door, he still couldn’t bring himself to let go of her hand.

“I’ll be back soon. But even then, I won’t make it in time for New Year’s. Be sure to eat your meals on time, don’t let your stomach suffer. It’s cold outside, so bundle up when you go out don’t catch a chill.”

He repeated the same words again and again, and by the time they reached the door, Helen,

+25 BONUS

who had come to see her son off, was rolling her eyes.

“How many times are you going to repeat yourself? You just said that inside, didn’t you? Do you think she’s deaf, or are you just forgetting what you’ve already said?”

With a mom who had a temperament that marred the atmosphere. Rafael couldn’t help but wonder if this was the consequence of his past neglect toward her.