2025-12-08 20:57:57Thom's words felt like a hard slap to Madam Lena. Her face turned red with anger, and her voice rose without caring about the guests watching.
"How dare you talk like that!"
"No, you are not part of this family!"
"You are a bastard child! This is not your house. Leave right now!"
Rachel swallowed hard, her body tense.
Madam Yosie covered her mouth, afraid that even a small sound would make things worse.
Edmund lowered his head, trying to distance himself so he would not get dragged into Madam Lena's anger.
But before Madam Lena could continue her outburst, Frank quickly grabbed her arm.
"Mother, stop!" he whispered urgently. "We have to act polite. Do not make a scene."
Madam Lena glared at him. "You are defending him? He even dared to come here without an invitation!"
"We cannot fight right now," Frank whispered even more quietly while glancing at the gate. "General Darlene is here."
Madam Lena froze.
General Darlene?
The third richest person in the entire state?
He had never once agreed to attend any of their family banquets. The Lanster name was not even big enough to attract someone of his level.
But now, in the distance, a strong man in a special military uniform walked toward them. Dozens of elite soldiers surrounded him in a perfectly disciplined formation.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Guests straightened their posture. Phone cameras slowly lifted. Soft murmurs of amazement spread through the crowd.
Madam Lena took a deep breath and quickly put on her best smile. Frank and his relatives stood taller, trying to look elegant and dignified.
When General Darlene reached them, Madam Lena greeted him with a very polite and formal gesture.
"Welcome to our family banquet, General Darlene. Your presence is very unexpected. We are honored."
General Darlene replied with a small but polite nod. "Hm."
For a moment, his eyes moved. He saw Thom standing a few steps behind the Lanster family.
It was only a brief glance, but all the elite soldiers around them held their breath at once.
General Darlene actually wanted to salute him. How could he not? Thom was their King of War. One of the most dangerous and most respected men in the country.
But General Darlene knew very well that Thom did not like to be honored in public.
The King of War was a humble man. He did not like his identity to be exposed. He ordered all his subordinates to act as if he was an ordinary person, as long as they were not in a military operation.
So General Darlene held himself back. He lowered his gaze and looked at Madam Lena again.
"I just came to look around," he said calmly.
Madam Lena smiled proudly, as if General Darlene's arrival was the highest form of respect for her family.
She had no idea that the elite soldiers were still watching Thom...and watching how Thom showed no reaction at all to the presence of a high-ranking general.
As if to Thom, General Darlene was just an ordinary man.
The Lanster family noticed it too, shocked by how disrespectful Thom was for not saluting or showing manners to General Darlene.
They held their breath, certain that Thom would be punished for standing so close to General Darlene without giving even the slightest greeting.
Benny and Frank exchanged a panicked look, then slowly moved closer to Thom.
Frank whispered sharply from the side. "Are you crazy? Give a salute now! That is General Darlene. If he gets offended, your small career will be destroyed. You could even be kicked out of the military!"
Benny added with a mocking tone. "Do not forget your status. You are a low-ranked soldier. One small mistake and you will end up homeless. Stop acting arrogant and salute!"
Behind them, Rachel also tried to help, though her voice was full of frustration.
"Please, Thom," she whispered, her face burning with embarrassment. "At least show some respect. Do not be stubborn like this. You are making us look bad."
Madam Yosie bowed her head in shame. Edmund covered his face with his hand, afraid of attracting the attention of the important guests.
Everyone knew the rumors about General Darlene.
A ruthless general.
A man who hated even the smallest act of disrespect.
A figure who, if offended, would not hesitate to ruin someone's career with a single sentence.
Some guests even held their breath while waiting for his reaction.
But Thom stayed silent. He did not even show the slightest intention to salute. He stood tall, holding Shenina in his arms, looking straight ahead without fear.
General Darlene looked at Thom again.
The air grew even quieter.
Every second felt painfully long.
Rachel bit her lip.
Frank held his breath.
Madam Lena was ready to see Thom humiliated in public.
Many guests whispered, guessing what punishment General Darlene would give.
But what happened shocked everyone.
General Darlene spoke. "It is fine."
Only two words, yet the entire mansion courtyard fell into stunned silence.
He did not punish Thom for not saluting him?
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Chapter 426
Ravenswood Academy stood majestically atop a hill, surrounded by dense pine forests and a thin layer of mist that almost never completely disappeared, even during the day. This elite boarding school was renowned as an educational institution for the children of nobles and royal families from various countries—strict discipline, a demanding curriculum, and a prestigious reputation that had endured for more than a century.Yet less than a month after her arrival, Shenina Haye's name had already become the talk of the entire academy, not because of her academic achievements, but because of her antics.During Kingdom History class that morning, Professor Whitlock stood at the front of the classroom, his face already showing extraordinary exhaustion even though the lesson had only been underway for ten minutes."Miss She," he said, trying to maintain a calm tone, "could you explain why your textbook is filled with... these drawings?"He held the book high, revealing pages covered with cart
Chapter 425
Jasmine stood silently in the doorway connecting the palace to the riding arena, having already heard the entire conversation from the moment Yitzhak asked about Shenina. Her face was calm, but her eyes held something far more complicated than calmness alone. She stepped forward, her simple dress swaying gently in the morning breeze, her long brown hair flowing freely—a far cry from the formal image of a queen, looking more like a mother who had just woken from a peaceful night's sleep to check on her children."Yitzhak," her voice broke the silence that had begun to feel heavy, gentle yet firm, "you're sweating a lot after horseback riding. Come inside and take a shower first."Yitzhak turned, slightly surprised to see that his mother had already been standing there. But there was no objection on his face, only a quick nod, as though the question he had just asked had been completely forgotten because of his mother's simple concern."Okay, Mom.""And Sadie," Jasmine continued, this t
Chapter 424
Elena Reyes couldn't sleep that night.After Thom left, she stood for a long time in front of her floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the city lights flickering in the distance, but her mind was nowhere near them. Her hands were still trembling when she finally reached for her private phone—not the one she normally used for company business, but an encrypted phone reserved for one purpose only.She dialed a number she had long since memorized by heart. The call connected after the third ring."We have a problem," Elena said, her voice more fragile than she wanted to let on."The King of Valemoor knows. Thom Haye... He knows everything—Whitfield, Kessler, even Aldric and Ines. He met with the government here before he came to see me. They've already prepared an international case file."A long silence followed on the other end of the line.Then the voice that answered—cold, flat, devoid of emotion—made the hairs on the back of Elena's neck stand up even more than when Thom had been sta
Chapter 423
Dawn had not fully broken when the main training ground of the Royal Military Academy was filled with rows of the Nameless Army—the elite force without names that answered only to the direct command of the king. Aldric and Ines were dragged out of the palace's underground cells, their hands bound behind their backs, every trace of the arrogance that had once defined their positions now gone from their faces.Thom stood atop a wooden platform that had been erected overnight, dressed in his ceremonial black royal robe, his expression as cold as stone. Below him, every senior government official, member of the Council, and representative from each palace division had been summoned to witness the event—not as entertainment, but as a warning they would never forget."Aldric Venmoor and Ines Calloway," Thom declared, his voice echoing across the entire training ground, "have been found guilty of betraying the Crown, selling the kingdom's secrets to foreign powers, and knowingly endangering
Chapter 422
That morning, Aldric arrived at the palace with confident strides, dressed in the ceremonial robes of a Founding Council member—robes he rarely wore except on the most important occasions.The message he had received from the royal secretary the night before had kept him awake with anticipation.'King wishes to discuss your greater role in the kingdom's line of succession.'Aldric had waited years for this moment. Years spent serving quietly in the shadows of the other founding members.Meanwhile, in another corridor, Ines was making her way toward the palace with the same excitement in her eyes. Her message had been different.'King wishes to discuss expanding the budget and authority of the Royal Communications Office.'It sounded like the promotion she had worked toward for years, earned through countless crises she had successfully managed.Neither of them knew the other had been summoned that same morning.Inside his office, Thom sat calmly behind his desk as though it were any o
Chapter 421
Rachel fell silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on Thom, who still stood tall before her.Without realizing it, her hands had begun to tremble."You..." Rachel struggled to steady her voice, but the slight crack in it didn't escape Thom's notice. "You really haven't changed. Your presence is still just as... merciless.""Yeah," Thom replied flatly. "My presence is merciless, Rachel."His gaze never wavered. "Especially toward traitors like you."The words struck Rachel far deeper than she wanted to admit.She drew a slow breath and tried again, this time softening her tone, attempting to rebuild the bridge that had just collapsed between them."Fine," she said, folding her hands neatly in her lap, pretending to be composed even though her fingers still trembled. "Then let me ask you one last time, Thom. Not as your ex-wife, but as someone who possesses valuable intelligence for this kingdom."She held his gaze. "Do you want my help against Whitfield and his network?"She paused delibe
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