All Hail the Warden

004

An hour later, a heavy, unmarked black SUV rolled to a smooth and silent halt in front of a pair of towering, weathered iron gates. This quiet, sprawling compound was none other than the legendary estate of the Crane family, a place that had once stood as the absolute pinnacle of wealth and unrivaled authority in the city of Diverton.

Nick Crane and his younger sister, Lydia, had spent the entirety of their golden childhood within these protective walls. Returning to this deeply familiar place after five long, agonizing years of separation and unimaginable suffering brought a profound wave of melancholy crashing over them. The world had moved on, and the people they loved were gone, leaving only ghosts and memories behind.

"Lydia, let us go inside and take a look around," Nick said softly, his voice thick with unspoken emotion as he pushed open the heavy iron gate. "It is finally time for our family to return home."

The young woman nodded silently, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she followed his steady footsteps.

However, the moment Nick stepped past the grand entryway and into the main courtyard, a look of profound astonishment washed over his face. He had fully braced himself to find a desolate, overgrown ruin reclaimed by nature. Instead, despite the unavoidable weathering on the ancient wooden pillars and stone walls, the entire estate was immaculately clean. The stone-paved walkways were swept pristine, the ornamental bushes were neatly trimmed, and there was not a single stray weed to be found growing between the cracks.

"Lydia, you have truly worked too hard," Nick murmured, turning to his sister with a gentle, appreciative gaze. "I cannot believe you managed to keep our home this perfect while enduring so much pain over all these years."

Lydia blinked in absolute confusion, her jaw dropping slightly. "Brother, since the day that vicious woman captured me, I have not had a single opportunity to return here. This was absolutely not my doing."

"It was not you?" His brow furrowed into a deep, confused frown as he scanned the quiet courtyard. "Could it be that another member of our family actually survived the massacre?"

Just as the mystery began to deepen, a faint, heartbreaking sound of weeping drifted through the crisp afternoon air.

"Nick, I miss you so terribly much. If only you could come back and look at me just one more time, even for a single second. That would be more than enough." The sorrowful voice cracked with absolute devastation. "But deep down, I know that Celia will never be able to see her beloved Nick ever again. It is all my fault for being so incredibly useless. I am so sorry I could not save you."

Nick and Lydia immediately exchanged a stunned, wide-eyed glance. Without another word, they hurriedly followed the sound of the desperate sobbing, their footsteps echoing softly as they navigated the familiar corridors toward the secluded backyard.

The sight that greeted them stopped Nick dead in his tracks.

A neat row of newly carved stone memorials stood silently beneath the swaying branches of an ancient willow tree. Kneeling on the cold ground before the graves was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in a simple, elegant white mourning dress. Her slender shoulders shook violently as she wept. She looked completely isolated from the world, projecting an aura of tragic, breathtaking sorrow.

"My dearest Nick, Uncle, Auntie, sweet Lydia, and all the honored elders of this household," she whispered, bowing her head so low it nearly touched the earth. "I, Celia Prescott, simply did not have the blessed fortune to officially become the daughter-in-law of this wonderful family. After today, I am afraid I will never be able to visit this place again. Please rest in absolute peace."

Wiping her tear-stained face, the woman in the white dress slowly pushed herself up from the ground. She turned around, fully intending to leave the empty estate forever.

In that exact fleeting second, she collided directly into a solid, towering chest.

Their eyes locked instantly. The air in the quiet graveyard froze, plunging into a deafening, heavy silence.

"Celia!"

Moving with lightning speed, Nick took a massive step forward and wrapped his strong arms around her fragile waist, pulling her tightly into a fierce, desperate embrace.

"Nick? Is it really you?" Celia Prescott gasped, her beautiful eyes widening to the point of tearing. Absolute shock paralyzed her entire body. "No, this has to be a hallucination. I must be missing him so intensely that my mind is finally breaking."

"Celia, this is not a trick of your mind," he declared passionately, his deep voice trembling with overwhelming joy. "It is really me. I am right here."

"You actually came back... Dear God, you are really back!" Upon feeling the solid warmth of his body and hearing the steady thumping of his heartbeat, she completely broke down, crying tears of sheer, unadulterated happiness. "Everyone told me you had lost your mind completely and died in that horrible place. I truly believed you were gone forever. I even carved a headstone for you."

"I am not dead, Celia. I survived, and I have returned to you completely whole," he breathed out a long sigh, burying his face into her soft hair.

The profoundly familiar, sweet fragrance of her perfume instantly unlocked a floodgate of cherished memories. They had been inseparable childhood sweethearts. He was the brilliant young heir to the most powerful family in the city, and she was an incredibly talented, peerless beauty. They were universally recognized as the golden couple, a match made in heaven that drew the absolute envy of the entire elite society. They had secretly pledged their lives to one another under the starry sky when they were only ten years old.

I really wish I could grow up faster, little Celia had once giggled, swinging her legs on the porch.

Why is that? a young Nick had asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Because then I can finally marry you and become your wife!

You silly little girl, are you really that impatient to marry me? What a pity, this young master doesn't want to get married just yet!

What did you just say? Say that to my face one more time!

I am just joking with you! The very second I turn eighteen, I promise I will marry you, and we will grow old together.

Those sweet, innocent confessions felt as though they had just happened yesterday. A massive wave of emotion swelled in his chest. He finally understood why this massive estate had remained so perfectly maintained despite being abandoned for half a decade. He realized who had spent endless days sweeping the floors, trimming the gardens, and quietly erecting memorials for his slaughtered family. It was her, silently sacrificing her youth and energy in the shadows to honor his memory.

"No! Get away from me!"

Without any warning, the brief moment of tender warmth shattered violently. Celia suddenly began to struggle like a trapped wild animal, violently shoving him away with all the strength she could muster.

"Since you have miraculously returned, you need to keep your head down and live like a normal person," she screamed, her face twisting into a mask of harsh anger. "Do not go around causing trouble anymore. You and I are complete strangers now!"

Nick stumbled backward, utterly bewildered by the sudden shift in her demeanor. He immediately reached out and tightly grabbed her delicate wrist. "Celia, what kind of absolute nonsense are you talking about? Have you forgotten the sacred promise we made to each other? We swore we would never marry anyone else."

"That was nothing more than a foolish, childish joke!" She let out a cold, mocking laugh, her gorgeous face now painted with icy indifference and deep disdain. "Furthermore, your mighty family was wiped off the map years ago. You are just a destitute, mentally unstable loser with nothing to his name. What exactly makes you think you are worthy of someone like me? Since you brought up our old engagement, let me make this incredibly clear. I am officially breaking it off. From this moment on, we have absolutely zero connection to one another. Furthermore, I am getting married very shortly. I am marrying Sebastian Whitaker. We are hosting the wedding of the century at the Skycrest Grand Hotel today. I sincerely hope you have the decency to never harass me again."

Summoning every ounce of her willpower, she finally wrenched her wrist free from his grasp. She spun on her heels and sprinted toward the exit without ever looking back.

The color instantly drained from his face. He stood frozen in the courtyard, making no further attempt to chase after her. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning pure white as an agonizing pain gnawed at his heart. Was human nature truly this fickle and cold? Had the passing of time and the allure of immense wealth corrupted absolutely everyone, including the one woman he believed would never, ever betray him?

What he could not possibly see was that as the beautiful woman ran away with absolute determination, thick, silent tears were streaming relentlessly down her cheeks, completely ruining her flawless makeup.

"Brother, why are you just standing there like a lifeless wooden block? Hurry up and chase after my sister-in-law!" Lydia, who had been watching the entire exchange from the archway, hastily ran over and shoved his shoulder.

"What sister-in-law?" He offered a bitter, self-deprecating smile, shaking his head slowly. "From now on, you should probably practice calling her Mrs. Whitaker. She was absolutely right. I am just a man who just got out of a terrifying asylum. What possible right do I have to stand beside her? Just let her go live her new life."

"Oh my goodness, are you completely blind?" Lydia stomped her foot in utter exasperation, glaring at her oblivious brother. "Her acting was incredibly terrible. Could you genuinely not see right through that pathetic performance? The only reason she aggressively broke off the engagement and yelled at you was because she is terrified. She knows you are in danger, and she is desperately trying to protect you from being targeted by her powerful new enemies. She wants to sever ties so you will not get dragged down with her. If she really hated you and cared only about money, why on earth would she spend the last five years faithfully guarding our ruined home? Why would she painstakingly carve those gravestones for our parents?"

Her sharp words struck him like a massive bolt of lightning.

His eyes widened as the heavy fog of heartbreak instantly vanished. Of course. How could he be so incredibly dense? How could he have failed to grasp such a simple, obvious truth? The woman he loved had not changed in the slightest. She was still the exact same fiercely loyal, selfless girl who had promised him her heart under the stars.

"Serena, Helena!" he roared, his voice echoing with renewed, burning determination. "You two will remain here to guard my sister! The woman who belongs to me will never, ever be married off to another man!"

Before the two lethal female guards could even fully manifest from the shadows, his towering figure blurred into a terrifying gust of wind, vanishing completely from the courtyard in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere at the Skycrest Grand Hotel was nothing short of spectacular. Countless luxury vehicles lined the opulent driveway, and the grand banquet hall was overflowing with distinguished, wealthy guests. Everyone who was anyone in the elite circles of the city knew that the young heir of the Whitaker family, Sebastian Whitaker, was taking a bride today.

Furthermore, rumors had been circulating for weeks that this particular wedding banquet was going to be uniquely extravagant and highly unusual. The immense curiosity had driven the city's high society to arrive hours ahead of schedule.

Deep within the luxurious bridal dressing room, Celia sat completely motionless before a massive vanity mirror. Her stunning features were devoid of any emotion, making her look like a perfectly sculpted, freezing sculpture of ice.

"Sebastian, I have already agreed to marry you and give you what you want," she stated coldly, her eyes fixed furiously on the man standing behind her. "What exactly is the meaning of all this nonsense?"

"My dear Celia, what ulterior motive could I possibly have?" Sebastian chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a sickening, malicious delight. He held up a highly irregular, shockingly revealing, and deeply humiliating custom-made garment. "I simply want my beautiful bride to wear the special dress I personally designed for her on our big day. I put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into this piece, so please, hurry up and change into it. I guarantee that once the distinguished guests see you parading in this, they will be absolutely full of praise for you."