Chapter 706
Chapter 706
Fletcher suddenly interjected. “By the way, I suppose she must have met the Holy Lady since she went to the Marquis’s estate, right?”
Megyn paused, then nodded. “Yes, my lord. Lady Raisa even reminisced with the Holy Lady for a while, but the two became visibly agitated after & tur words. I was standing some distance away and could only faintly hear that it was related to the lake incident from years ago.”
Fletcher raised an eyebrow, his expression softening slightly.
He certainly knew “the lake incident from years ago” and understood how it had turned Isabelle and Eliza–now Raisa and Eliza–from best friends into strangers, or even enemies.
Fletcher had once suspected that the relationship between Raisa and Eliza might not be as strained as it appeared.
After all, Raisa had once pleaded with him, her father, on Eliza’s behalf.
At that time, Raisa had claimed it was merely because she didn’t want to owe Eliza anything.
‘But was that truly the only reason?‘ thought Fletcher, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Could my dear daughter secretly have joined forces with Eliza long ago? And as for the reason, well, isn’t it obvious? To break free from my control.”
Fletcher vaguely sensed something was off. Unfortunately, his suspicions led him astray.
There was never any possibility of an alliance between Raisa and Eliza.
Raisa knew it perfectly well.
Eliza didn’t trust Raisa.
And Raisa had her hidden agenda, which she couldn’t let Eliza discover.
Therefore, Raisa had never considered teaming up with Eliza from the beginning, nor relying on her to break free from the Henderson family or Fletcher’s
control.
It was something Raisa could accomplish on her own, without the help of others.
For now, her continued association with the Henderson family was purely a matter of convenience.
“My lord,” Megyn continued, “Lady Raisa says that with His Highness the Prince Regent’s recent crackdown on foreign infiltrators, several members of the Henderson family have been implicated. For the sake of the Henderson family and Lady Raisa, she begs you to refrain from any further actions during this period, especially regarding the drug trade.”
Upon seeing that Fletcher was deep in thought, Megyn hesitated before relaying Raisa’s final warning.
However, bringing it up made Fletcher fly into a rage.
Nolan eliminated seven or eight of his key subordinates during that crackdown.
Fortunately, those men were quick–witted. Once they realized they were fully exposed and their lives were forfeited, they took poison to commit suicide, preventing the crackdown from reaching the Henderson family.
Otherwise, the secrets hidden within the Henderson estate would have been at risk of coming to light.
However, Fletcher wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Even if the secrets were exposed, he could erase allevidence before Nolan arrived with his men.
At worst, Fletcher would only be under suspicion. However, he was not enough for execution or imprisonment.
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And with his daughter being the Imperial Consort as his ace card, even Nolan would have to think twice before taking action against turn
Still, Fletcher knew well that it only held if Nolan played by the rules.
However, Prince Regent of Bortenland wasn’t one to follow convention.
“Which means I’ll need to make further preparations,” Fletcher thought grimly.
Recalling the letter from the Duke’s estate earlier, Fletcher’s mind immediately began churning with schemes.
“Enough. I know where to draw the line. She needn’t remind me,” Fletcher snapped.
Then, he waved dismissively and said, “Return to the palace. Keep an eye on Lady Raisa and the situation in the palace. Report any unusual activity to me immediately.”
“Yes, my lord,” Gabriel replied bluntly
Megyn bowed deeply, then quietly withdrew from the study and slipped out of the Henderson family.
Once she had left, Fletcher pondered momentarily, then picked up his pen and wrote a visiting card.
He was preparing to pay a visit to the Duke’s estate.
Meanwhile, chaos had broken out at the Duke’s estate before Fletcher arrived.
Gabriel shot to his feet, his voice cracking with shock as he exclaimed, “What did you say? Dale resigned?”
Dale had promised Eliza and Sophie that he would resign from office and return to his hometown. He kept his promise.
However, Dale did not mention it in the imperial court.
Instead, after assisting Nolan in a crackdown on the foreign infiltrators in Hasen City, he requested an audience with the king. In the royal study, he presented the resignation memorial he had long prepared.
The king was utterly astonished.
It was far too abrupt for him.
Dale, at his prime age of forty and with meritorious service to his name, had no reason to resign and retire to the countryside under normal circumstances.
In particular, it was his initiative.
When the king pressed Dale for an explanation, Dale only elaborated on the parasite incident, making it clear that both his son and he had been fundamentally weakened and were no longer fit for court duties.
Furthermore, he admitted his negligence had allowed the foreign infiltrators to infiltrate Hasen City, which resulted in the deaths of the household staff and nearly endangered His Majesty.
Dale felt unworthy of his position, so he resolved to resign and return home to atone for his sins.
The king had initially intended to persuade Dale to stay. After all, it was clear to everyone that the Marquis’s estate was the greatest victim of the affair.
Moreover, they had paid a heavy price:
Thus, the king still wished to retain Dale’s service.
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Chapter 706
However, Dale was determined to resign, refusing to stay no matter how the king tried to persuadé him.
Having exhausted all arguments, the king grew furious.
“Fine! Then gol” the king snapped
‘Once Dale is gone, dealing with the Duke’s estate would be even easier, the king thought.
Thus, the king granted Dale’s resignation.
Dale didn’t waste any time. He settled all matters on that day and left Hasen City with his wife and his sofi.
By the time word reached the Duke’s estate, the carriage of the Marquis’s estate, no, the Nevill familge, was already a few miles beyond the city
walls.
Gabriel was furious.
“Damn it, Dale Nevill! Does he think he can get away with what he did all those years ago?” he roared.
‘And as for Sophie, I still have no idea where she is. Dale hadn’t properly explained what happened at the Marquis’s estate, and now Dale thought he could just leave? Dream on!‘ thought Gabriel.
