All Chapters of The Discarded Heir's Return : Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
87 chapters
Episode 31
Right now the interview was over and the air in the half-built hall was thick with dust. Sunlight also streamed through the skeletal wooden ribs of the ceiling, illuminating motes of sawdust.Across the big space, Arthur was watching Lady Philippa, having no idea what she was saying the to the last application.Honestly, Arthur wasn't going to choose the young lady. She had seemed far too timid during the interview.Lady Philippa stood with the young lady, as she placed a steadying hand on the girl’s shoulder, her voice a low, carrying murmur. “Remember, confidence isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about knowing your own worth. They can smell fear, so don’t give them the scent.” She gave the girl’s arm a slight, reassuring squeeze, a gesture so natural and kind that can make one's chest feel oddly tight.The young lady only bowed and scurried away.Philippa turned making her way towards Arthur. Her heels making soft, sure sounds on the packed-earth floor.As she moved through the
Episode 32
The steward closed the door of the Silver Hand Guild’s meeting chamber with a soft thud, leaving Lord Aethelred and Maren alone in the big meeting chamber. The room has a dark, polished wood, a thick Myreian rug that swallowed sound, and tapestries showing mercantile triumphs. The chamber was cold and the only refreshment offered to them was the dust motes dancing in the single shaft of afternoon light cutting across the long table.Maren shifted on the hard, high-backed chair. Her gown, a deep emerald with sleeves that tapered to a tight fit at her wrists, was a masterpiece. The neckline was high, the bodice stiffened with bone, showing a silhouette that was both modest, and it hid everything.To distract herself from the uncomfortable dress she murmured to her father, “Father, We’ve waited for two hours. When he finally comes, I’ll press him directly about the Citadel. No flattery, no preamble. Men respect clarity.”Lord Aethelred brow furrowed. “Clarity can be mistaken for arr
Episode 33
“Arthur, my good man,” she said, her tone sweet and utterly imperious. She waved a dismissive hand. “Can you’ll share what the New Guild truly values. Is it coin? Is it loyalty? Or… something rarer? Give me a hint, Arthur, and I’ll ensure the Peckhams deliver it to him.”Hearing Maren’s words, Arthur could only shook his head.“The Peckhams,” he said softly, “never fail to amuse me.”Then, he turned, open the door and slammed it right in their face as he walk out.“Arthur! You dare walk out on us?!” Lord Aethelred seeing him slammed the door roar and it was like a dull, furious thunder. “This is not acceptable!”Maren’s voice, sharper and laced with embarrassment, sliced through. “Wait and see, you useless scoundrel! I’ll be whispering in the New Head’s ear before the week is out! And my first suggestion will be to have you dismissed without a pay! And we will see how proud you are then."Aethlred’s final, impotent curse was a low growl as he walked back to his seat. “Damned son of a
Episode 34
The door slammed shut behind Elara, the sound echoing through the courtyard like a gunshot. Tears of pure, hot frustration blurred her vision. Before she could ran out of the House completely, she had heard her grandmother’s voice. “Alistair,” she said, her voice cold and clear. “Perhaps you should train your daughter better. She lacks… a proper behavior.” The word echoed in her skull, each one a tiny, precise stab. She wouldn’t be trained. She wouldn’t be bartered like a prize heifer at the market, unlike her simpering cousin Maren. 'F£ck you Arthur, it's all your fault. If I had married a man with high social ranking then Maren wouldn't be talking to me like that...' Elara hissed as her feet carried her across the damp cobblestones to the stables, the familiar scent of hay and horse offering a small comfort. Without a word to the stable boy, she saddled her reddish-brown horse, Lyra, and her movements was quick and angry as if taking it out on the horse. She swung herself
Episode 35
As Arthur left the Peckham at the meeting chamber, he headed straight to his office.. "Shameless Peckham.." He slammed the door close, the thud echoing in the hallway. The whole damned Peckham family are impudent. They should wait and see what hit them.. 80 percent of the profits goes to the Silver Hand, 20 to the Peckham. If they don't agree, they should go to hell. He headed to his table as he snatched the disputed trade route deed of the Agent and wine trading Co from his desk, his fingers leaving faint smudges on the vellum. The ink was barely dry on the terms he’d just re-negotiated with the dealer. Before he could even re-read the first clause, the door flew open. His new steward, a young man named Edgar with a perpetually worried crease in his brow, hurried in without greeting. “Sir,” he panted, slightly out of breath. “Apologies for the interruption. There are… merchants. From the western routes. They’re demanding an audience. Said it’s very urgent.” Arthur set the qu
Episode 36
He swept a hand across his desk, sending quills, inkpot, and the parchments clattering to the floor. ”A half-built ship, no matter how grand its design, is terribly vulnerable to a sudden windstorm...” He muttered the first man words, the words hissing through clenched teeth. He walk back and forth, his fists opening and closing at his sides, nails digging into his palms.The door opened without a knock. Arthur looked up, his eyes shifting to see who was at the door. Only to see Lady Philippa stood there. She had a calm look. She had changed from her earlier dress she wore to the site into a gown of deep emerald green that made her look very fierce and drop-dead gorgeous. She closed the door with a soft click. Her gaze swept over the messy desk, the scattered parchments and ink, and then back at Arthur. If it was yesterday, she will be too scared to say anything to Arthur since he was the New Head but after following him to the new site, her opinion changed. She cleared her
Episode 37
It was already half past six when Arthur, rode on his brown horse, he rode from the gates of the Silver Hand Guild and into the street. He rode several few minutes before he drew his reins tight at the grand ornament iron gates of a manor. Tall tress were lining the driveway. This was one of the wealthy manors of the House of Valerius. Dismounting from the horse, he reached for the chain and pulled the bell set into the stone wall, the sharp clang sounding in the driveway. Soon, the big gates were pushed open, revealing a guard. The man’s armour were gleaming, polished as a mirror. Upon seeing it was Arthur, the guard stepped forward and took the horse. "Stable the horse, Matthew," the guard said a nearby fellow. The building has large stone walls with decorative brickwork. There was a gatehouse with porter's Lodge for security at the far right side of the compound. "Sir Theron awaits your presence inside, My Lord," the guard announced, bowing his head slightly. Arthur g
Episode 38
Maren was lost in her fantasy. She inhaled deeply, the last lingering spray of her most precious perfume settling around her like a final, important piece of armour. It was a rare blend perfume from the Southern Isles, all exotic spice and dark amber. She could only use it during a very special occasions. And today seemed to be one of those special occasion. Her fingers, usually nimble and steady when counting coins or mending fine cloth, trembled slightly as she smoothed the dark emerald wool of her dress. It was her best dress. The only dress she owned that spoke of a high-born rather than shouting of a baker's daughter. The deep green of the dress brought out the flecks of gold in her hazel eyes, or so her mother had always said. Today, she needed every advantage she could muster.A final look in the long silver mirror made her nod. To her, she looked very perfect. A baker's daughter, yes, but one of great value. Not a woman on the verge of losing a handsome gentleman. Wit
Episode 39
Maren headed to her parents house with the words ringing in her ear. Damsel! Pretty little thing. The words were a like a music, or perhaps a love spell that warmed her from the inside and out.She pushed open the familiar, slightly wooden door to her father's manor, the scent of drying herbs and simmering stew wrapping around her. The main room was cramped but clean, a very opposite to the Peckham family hall, but tonight it felt like a palace to Maren.Her mother looked up from darning a sock by the hearth. “Maren! Back so soon? How did it go..?”“It went perfectly fine, mother!” Maren announced, her voice ringing with a excitement that made her father paused on the parchment broadsheet he was reading. “Perfectly?” he asked, his tone very cautious. “The project is finalised, then?”“Not yet,” Maren said, walking further into the room and unpinning her dress. She then let her parents hang on their words, keeping them on their toes“The New Head was in a very important meeting,
Episode 40
Arriving at free city, Rolf inhaled deeply as he stood at his Cousin’s door. Scoundrel Arthur! Wait and see what I will do to your b@stard @ss. Rolf pushed the heavy, splintered door open, the smell of stale ale and unwashed bodies hitting him like a physical blow. The city was a far cry from the simple, muddy lanes of Stonequay City.. This was the Free City, and everything here felt harder, louder, and sharper. He sighted Lysander Hawthorne immediately he stepped inside the big tavern. His cousin wasn’t hard to find.. He was the overall head here, in this chaotic House of the tavern’s back room. Lysander was a mountain of muscle and he is quiet a menace. Rolf’s initial burst of relief turned into something else, apprehension, maybe even fear as he saw the scene before him. He’d come for help, but the man before him looked more like the source of a bigger problem. Lysander and three of his men had a fourth man cornered near the cold hearth. The man was babbling, his words a f