Randall remained silent for quite some time. His hands were underneath the table, gripping tightly. The cold was biting, yet his palms were damp with sweat.
He knew he had to make a choice.
When he first became a warden at the Supreme Court, he had spent countless hours pondering over decisions, uncertain of what the right course of action was. In the end, it was Matthew who noticed his restless thoughts and told him not to worry.
“Focus only on what’s in front of you,” Matthew had said.
Since Randall didn’t think about it, he didn’t have any answers.
Now, faced with Rafael’s piercing question, Randall stared blankly at him for a long moment. The weight of the prince’s gaze left his mind in a fog.
Almost instinctively, he said, “There are soldiers in Lunvale, though I don’t know how many.”
“How do you know this?” Rafael asked.
After mentioning the soldiers in Lunvale, Randall’s heart skipped a beat. Yet, strangely, it steadied soon after. Making a choice didn’t feel as difficult as he had imagined.
With newfound calm, he continued, “I overheard talk of it in the study when we were in Valken. The room had two levels. I always stayed upstairs, reading for hours on end. Occasionally, I’d hear them talking downstairs. Though it was just one floor between us, the study was large, and much of what was said was unclear.
“But Lunvale came up several times. They also mentioned Stonebridge County, Grantham County, Fenrose County, and Larkspur County, along with other places I can’t recall. Once, I overheard them speaking of sending supplies to Lunvale.”
Rafael frowned. novelbin
Something didn’t add up.
How could Yuvan support troops in multiple places? How vast was his power?
Raising an army wasn’t as simple as opening a shop in a town. Once troops were stationed, the entire system had to be in place. Connections in the local government had to be made, and a steady supply of food, weapons, and other resources had to be ensured.
From what Rafael knew, Yuvan didn’t have the strength or finances to pull that off.
Putting aside Stonebridge County and Grantham County, Fenrose County and Larkspur County were closer to Nanyara, which was at least a thousand miles away from Ebonflow. If a rebellion happened, how much support could those soldiers give Yuvan? And how many obstacles would there be along the way when sending help?
©
“Did they mention sending supplies anywhere else besides Lunvale?” Rafael asked.
“I couldn’t really hear them,” Randall replied. “But it’s unlikely they’d bring up other places if they weren’t important.”
That made sense.
“What else did they mention?” Rafael asked.
Randall paused for a moment, thinking carefully before shaking his head. “I can’t remember. There might have been more, or there might not.
“Think hard. Is there anything else? For example, anyone they were particularly close with?”
“Most of their dealings were through letters or arranged meetings outside. Horizon Estate only served as a place for discussions. My dad is cautious–he fears there are spies from the capital hidden within the estate.”
Randall stopped for a moment, then added, “Actually, in Valken, my dad’s reputation is good. Though my mom died miserably at Verdant Monastery, everyone in Valken knows he sent her to many renowned physicians and spent vast sumps on her treatment. When he married Lady Molly, he claimed it was my mom’s wish whenever anybody asked.”
Rafael was already aware of this.
Yuvan had spent 20 years carefully crafting his reputation,
no doubt investing considerable amounts of money and effort into it. He was obsessed with his public image and highly sensitive to criticism, unable to bear anyone speaking ill of him. No doubt he was shameless and deeply vain.
These details weren’t surprising. But there were some things that puzzled Rafael.
In the capital, all of Yuvan’s connections were made through Eleanor, and the daughters of Henry’s concubines all entered prestigious familles. Their involvement seemed to be aimed at creating chaos within noble households, leaving the robles too preoccupied to deal with matters elsewhere.
The methods Yuvan used weren’t exactly the cleanest, so how had he managed to expand his forces so far and wide?
Who, among all this, was helping him behind the scenes? That person might just be the one pulling the strings.
Rafael pulled out a list and handed it to Randall. “Have you seen any of these people at Horizon Estate? Or observed any dealings between your dad and them?”
Randall took the list and examined it carefully. After a moment, he pointed to one name.
“Before we returned to the capital, General Tiberius came once to borrow money from my dad.
Rafael raised an eyebrow. “What about the other names on the list? Have you ever seen them?”
“I’ve met some of them during festivals and such. But they were just casual exchanges, nothing of note. My dad would sometimes complain that someone had sent too little as a and would overcompensate with a larger return gift.
a gift
“Honestly, I never understood my dad’s schemes. It wasn’t until the past year or two, and especially after Aunt… I mean, Eleanor’s rebellion came to light, that I began to piece things together,” Randall replied.
Rafael regarded him silently. Years under the same roof, and it was something concerning his dad, yet still, Randall hadn’t known. And from his expression, it didn’t look like he was pretending either.
It was hard to decide whether to call him naive or just plain dense.
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