Chapter 2101
Chapter 2101 Engaged
Francesca recalled the moments she shared with Danrique. She was certain he was not someone who would easily suggest a breakup.
Thus, she reckoned he was just trying to goad her into going to Xendale because he missed her too much.
Francesca felt a little guilty at that thought. She decided to meet up with Danrique as soon as possible after she dealt with the matters on William's end
Her mood brightened up after she made that decision. Subsequently, she switched off the lights and drifted into a slumber.
“Ms. Felch just turned off the lights,” a maid reported to William at the clinic downstairs.
William uttered hoarsely, “She's only going to sleep at four in the morning. It seems like she’s in distress.”
The maid added in an undertone, “Ms. Felch seemed to be talking on the phone just now, and she sounded agitated. She was conversing in Ustranasion earlier.”
William nodded. “Okay. All right. You should go and rest now.”
"Yes, Your Highness.” The maid bowed and left the room.
William leaned against the couch while pensively gazing out of the window.
After a while, his phone finally vibrated. He hastily answered the call. "How was it?"
“Ms. Felch asked me about matters related to a breakup,” Monica reported.
“Breakup?”
“That's right. She inquired about the possible reason for a man’s sudden request to break up with a woman.”
Monica recounted her conversation with Francesca in detail to William.
William furrowed his brows after listening to Monica's account. “Francesca said L broke up with her?”
“Ms. Felch did not specify anyone's name. Instead, she told me she was describing a scene from a television show, but it was obvious that she was talking about her relationship with Mr. Lindberg.” "Okay. I got it. Thank you.”
“Your Highness, I have you to thank for my current achievements. Please feel free to let me know should you require my assistance.”
“I will seek your help one day.”
“I'm willing to do anything for you, Your Highness.”
After hanging up the call, William looked at Robin, who was lying in bed, and muttered, “Why did L suddenly express his wish to break up with Francesca? What is he trying to do?”
Then, William widened his eyes in astonishment as a thought popped into his mind. “Don’t tell me..."
Early the next morning, Francesca checked her phone right after she woke up.
She was crestfallen when she noticed Danrique didn't call or send her any message.
It seems like he's determined to force me to go to Xendale. He may not take the initiative to contact me if I do not go. Still, the situation here on William's end is grave. I cannot just abandon my obligations here.
Just as her head began to hurt, her phone suddenly rang. She promptly picked up the device and was utterly dispirited to see Anthony's name on the caller ID instead of Danrique’s.
Francesca answered the call in annoyance, “Hello.”
"Did you see the news, Francesca?” Anthony anxiously asked.
"What news?” She rubbed her eyes.
“Danrique is getting engaged. You need to hurry up and check out the news,” he said at once. "What?" Francesca was momentarily dazed before she added with delight, “Did he say all those things yesterday to force me into marrying him?”
Having just woken up, she thought Danrique was getting engaged with her.
Anthony grew impatient. “What are you talking about? Do you know Danrique is getting engaged with Hazel?"
“What?” All traces of Francesca's sleepiness vanished instantaneously as she shot upright on her bed. “With Hazel?"
Anthony said, “Take a look at the news yourself. Francesca, did you quarrel with Danrique? Why is he suddenly getting engaged to another woman? How long do you plan to stay in Danontand? The two of you should meet up as soon as possible and have a proper discussion.”
"_w
Someone knocked on the door just as she was about to speak. The next second, William's voice sounded, “Are you awake, Francesca?”
“Just a moment,” Francesca replied. Then, she said to Anthony, “Anthony, I'll talk to you later. William is looking for me.”
With that, she hung up the phone.
q
Chapter 2102 The Plan Has Been Disrupted
After waking up and putting on her clothes, Francesca walked over and opened the door. “Good morning, William!" “Francesca, did I wake you?" William looked at her with a conflicted expression. “No, I was already awake.” Francesca noticed the paleness on William's face and the fact that his eyes were bloodshot. “Did you not sleep the entire night?”
“I was worried about Robin, so I had been staying by his side,” William replied with a smile. “He woke up at six and looks a lot better. He's having his breakfast now.”
“I'm glad to hear that. I'll go over later.” Francesca yawned. “I'm going to shower first.”
“Francesca,” William called out to her. "Hmm?" She turned her head around to look at him. “Are... you all right?” William's eyes were filled with concern.
“I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?” Francesca chuckled. “All right now, I'm going to wash up.”
With that, she closed the door. Left alone in the room, she wiped the smile off her face, then anxiously took out her phone to check the news.
Just as expected, the announcement of Danrique’s engagement to Hazel filled the headlines. Almost every media outlet was publicizing the matter.
Tagged to the headline was a loving picture. In it, Danrique was sharply dressed in a black suit. As he stood in the shadows, the play of light accentuated the mystery of his chiseled features.
As for Hazel, she was wearing a white gown with a mermaid tail that highlighted her sensuous figure, and the white veil draped over her low-hung ponytail brought out the elegant aura within her.
Despite the simplicity of the picture, it very much resembled a wedding photo.
In addition, Hazel was flashing a blissful smile in the picture. Although Danrique’s expression was hidden in the shadows, the contrast between one’s warmth and the other's frostiness made them look like the perfect couple.
At the sight of the picture and the writeups that described how loving those two were, Francesca could feel rage being ignited within her.
As the pictures from the previous incident were taken without permission, she still believed that it was nothing but gossip. However, she somehow felt that this time was different.
They seem to be posing deliberately in the photo. Also, compared to the previous incident where only certain media outlets reported the news, every major outlet is doing so this time. Even the official spokesperson of Erihal shared the news. From the looks of it, Danrique is serious this time. Francesca then remembered Monica's words from before. If a man proposes to break up suddenly, it must be because there's someone else. It looks like Monica is right. Danrique must have broken up with me because he got together with Hazel. And yet, I foolishly believed that he was forcing me to go see him. How deluded can I be? It now turns out that his heart has been stolen by someone else. He clearly dumped me to marry Hazel.
The more Francesca thought about it, the more emotional she became. She even felt the urge to fly to Xendale and confront Danrique about it.
No, what's the point of asking? I should just shoot him in the head!
Meanwhile, at the clinic downstairs, William—with an increasingly grim expression—was still reading the news.
"What's wrong?”
Robin, who had just taken his medication, dismissed everyone else when he noticed the change in William's expression.
After the medical staff and subordinates left, only the two of them remained in the room. “Danrique has announced his engagement to Hazel,” William revealed in a deep voice. “It's all over the news now.”
“What?” Robin's eyes widened in shock. “Does that mean Ms. Felch is no longer Mr. Lindberg's fiancée? In that case, wouldn't our plan be—"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the look in William's eye. Peering out the window warily, he lowered his voice and asked, “Does Ms. Felch know about this?”
Chapter 2103 How Ruthless
"She probably does,” William answered in a grim tone. “It was just last night that Danrique broke up with her, and this morning, he has already announced his engagement to Hazel. Everything is happening too fast!”
“Really?” Robin was filled with doubt. “I thought Mr. Lindberg has deep feelings for Ms. Felch. He did so much for her previously, so why would he break up with her all of a sudden? Besides, if he really likes Hazel, they would have already gotten together from the very beginning. Why did he only agree to it now? Considering his character, is his hand being forced by the circumstances? What's really going on?"
“I'm afraid he’s trying to corner me.” William's brows furrowed. “It's obvious to him that I'm using his name to achieve my goals. That's why he has struck back at me this way. To be honest, I can't deny how ruthless his methods are!”
“I don't think he would go that far.” Robin still found it unbelievable. “If Danrique noticed something, he could've used some other way to stop us. There's no need to sacrifice his relationship with Ms. Felch, and to even marry Hazel? He doesn't strike me as someone whose decisions are driven by his emotions.”
“I still don't know what he has hidden up his sleeve, but it's certainly directed at me.” William's brows were still tightly knitted. “I have underestimated his decisiveness by assuming that I could strike before he realized it. I was hoping to just apologize once the matter was resolved. It never crossed my mind that he was one step ahead of me—he was already investigating me when Francesca was in Danontand and had formulated his countermeasures. And now, his plan has taken me by surprise.”
“Danrique is such a ruthless man,” Robin commented with a frown. “All we did was just borrow his influence, nothing more, but he counterattacks as if he's going to kill us!”
"He wouldn't be Danrique if he wasn't ruthless.” William let out a sigh. “Besides, I was the one who offended him first, so I can't complain about him striking back at me.”
"What should we do now?" Robin looked at him anxiously. “After putting in so much effort and with victory within our grasp, we can't just give up now, can we?”
“I'm working on it,” William responded with a grave expression. “Do you remember what I told you in the morning?”
“I do.” Robin nodded repeatedly. “Don’t worry. I know what to say. As for Ms. Felch—"
Before Robin could finish, a frantic knock was heard at the door. “Your Highness, Your Highness, Mr. Faulkner is here.”
Stunned by the news, Robin gave William a nervous look. “Why is Silas here now?”
"His Majesty has probably sent him after reading the news.” William's expression changed. “Danrique’s move is a truly decisive one. Just when we were cruising toward victory, his sudden maneuver derailed our plan.”
“Exactly...” Robin was filled with anxiety. “According to the original plan, His Majesty is due to visit our castle to investigate the water source and arrest the ones responsible. Unfortunately, our plan— previously on track—has now been thrown into disarray in a single day. Say, do you think His Majesty will change his mind about pursuing the matter?”
“He will not only let the poisoning incident slide but also start to doubt our intentions.” William's eyes narrowed. “In fact, he'll begin to suspect that I framed those people and faked Francesca's relationship with Danrique just to leverage Danrique’s name for my own objectives.”
"Are you sure?” Robin's eyes widened in disbelief. “If that's true, wouldn't our plan be—"
“There wouldn't be much of a plan left,” William interrupted him. “I should be counting my blessings if he didn’t charge me with lying and scheming.”
"What should we do now?” Robin was stricken by panic.
“The only thing we can do now is to hope.” William furrowed his brows. “We have to hope that Danrique and Francesca's bond isn't strong enough to withstand this.”
Chapter 2104 The Charade
Even though Robin didn't comprehend the meaning behind William's words, he knew that they had no choice but to take the risk.
Knock! Knock! Right then, there came a knock on the door. A subordinate came in and reported, “Your Highness, Mr. Faulkner has arrived.”
“Come in.” William and Robin exchanged glances. The subordinate opened the door, and Silas strode into the room.
After bowing to William, he said straightforwardly, “Your Highness, His Majesty has instructed me to take you and Dr. Felch to the palace.”
The words triggered a drastic change in Robin's expression, but William—who managed to remain calm—replied with a faint smile, “I'm ready to go at any time upon His Majesty's summons. As for Francesca, let me talk to—"
Halfway through his reply, Francesca swung the door opened and entered. She was dressed in a white coat and holding a medical kit in her hand.
Surprised by the sight of Silas, she turned toward William.
“Francesca, let me introduce you.” After briefly introducing one to the other, William added, “Francesca, His Majesty has sent Silas to take us to the palace.”
“Isnt he coming over tomorrow?” Francesca asked directly. “Why are we going over now?”
“About that—"
"Dr. Felch.” William was about to explain when Silas stepped forward. “His Majesty has learned of your impressive medical skills and is filled with admiration. He would like to invite you to the palace and he hopes that you'll grant him the honor.”
As one of the king's close aides, Silas had shown Francesca great respect by the graciousness he had displayed.
Unfortunately, it failed to work on her. “I don't like to be a guest. If His Majesty has any questions, he can come here himself and ask them.”
“Francesca...”
"Dr. Felch.” This time, the solemness in Silas’ voice deepened. “You're probably unaware because of your youth. His Majesty's invitation and the fact that he has sent me is an unprecedented display of sincerity. Please don't put me and His Highness in a difficult position.”
“Me putting you in a difficult position?” Francesca asked curiously. “I'm here to provide medical treatment and I have not committed any crimes, so why does the king insist on seeing me? And how does me not seeing him put you in a difficult position?”
“Dr. Felch—"
“Mr. Faulkner,” William interjected before Silas could say anything further. “Francesca is a good friend of mine and also my savior. All this while, she hates to be restricted and doesn’t enjoy socializing in political circles. Since she doesn't feel like going to the palace, let's not pressure her into it. As for Grandpa, I'll explain it to him myself.”
“Your Highness—"
Silas was about to say something when William bowed to him. “Please.”
Given William's response, Silas couldn't bring himself to press the matter any further. He let out a deep sigh and said, “All right. I'll wait for you outside, then.”
With that, he strode out of the room.
Francesca—who was already in a foul mood—was further annoyed by the drama. However, the miserable look on William's face triggered mixed emotions within her that led her to apologize. "William, I'm sorry. I don't want to make things difficult for you, but I really don't feel like going to the palace.”
“It's fine if you don't want to go. It has nothing to do with you anyway.” William was always gentle with Francesca. “I already feel bad for getting you involved. Whatever it is, I'll deal with it myself. I don't want to place any burden on you.”
“But how are you going to explain yourself at the palace?” Francesca was concerned about him. “It's no big deal. I'll take care of it.” William patted her on the shoulder. “All right, I'll be off now. I don't want to keep Silas waiting. Anyway, don’t push yourself today. Once you have examined Robin, you should get some rest.”
"Okay." Francesca nodded before watching William leave.
Robin let out a sorrowful sigh. “I thought we could turn things around smoothly, but it seems we are finished.”
“What do you mean by finished?” Francesca asked curiously.
“It's my fault. It's all my fault,” Robin continued to blame himself. “I shouldn't have appealed to His Majesty and revealed your identity. More importantly, I shouldn’thave exposed Mr. Lindberg and your relationship.
q
Chapter 2105 The Scheme
"What are you babbling about?” Francesca could not wrap her head around his words. “I understand if you revealed my true identity, as the king wouldn't believe you if I were an ordinary doctor. But why did you bring up my relationship with Danrique?”
“ didn't plan on mentioning it at first. But when His Majesty learned that you were Francesco, the miracle doctor, he insisted on seeing you. He wanted you to personally describe how you tested the poison and to show evidence of it. At the same time, he planned to send experts from the palace to validate your work...
“I remembered that before your arrival, His Highness had instructed me not to get you involved in politics no matter what. He said that you didn't like socializing or showing yourself in public, let alone mingling with the royal and political circles of the nation.
“So, in a moment of desperation, I mentioned you were Danrique’s fiancée, hoping that His Majesty would change his mind. That way, he would show you more respect, or at the very least, not put you in a difficult spot by validating your work.”
After relating what happened in a single breath, the weakened Robin took a deep breath and continued, "Just as expected, His Majesty's attitude toward you changed the moment he heard that you were Mr. Lindberg's fiancée. Although he still wants to see you, it's from the perspective of a guest instead of trying to interrogate you. Back then, I thought I had done the right thing, but I didn't expect that...”
Robin sighed.
At that moment, Francesca finally understood. “That Danrique would announce his engagement to Hazel, causing the king to think that William and you were lying. That's why that old man invited William and me to the palace.”
“That's right.” Robin let out another deep sigh. “I didn’t expect it too. And now, I'm afraid His Majesty will not only not investigate the matter about the poisoning but also hold His Highness and me accountable for lying.”
Pausing briefly, Robin asked cautiously, “Ms. Felch, what in the world is going on? What happened between you and Mr. Lindberg?”
Instead of replying, Francesca dropped her medical kit and turned around to pursue William.
“Ms. Felch, Ms. Felch!”
Despite his shouts, Robin failed to stop her. As he watched Francesca’s running silhouette disappear, the look in his eyes quickly changed.
He knew that they were currently put at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, they still had a chance of turning things around if Francesca were to side with them.
Francesca wanted to reach the car before it left so that she could travel to the palace together with William.
Amidst William's shock, Silas invited her into the car.
Once they were on the road, William asked, “Francesca, what's going on? Didn't we agree that I'll deal with it alone? Why did you change your mind and come along?”
“I can't allow you to face this alone.” Francesca was resolute. “Since I'm the one who detected the poison, I'm ready to answer the king if that's what he wants. It's better to clarify the matter in person than to have the old man asking for me continuously.”
Silas cleared his throat at the sound of Francesca’s words. “Ms. Felch, please don't speak this way to His Majesty at the palace.”
"How, then, should I speak?” Francesca retorted. “I'm not a criminal. Why should I lower myself in front of him?”
"Um..."
“All right, all right.” William quickly defused the situation. “Mr. Faulkner, even though Francesca is headstrong, she’s still someone well-mannered and respects the elderly. His Majesty is my grandfather. She knows what's appropriate.”
Having heard William's response, Silas didn’t say anything further.
After all, it was a smart comment that not only defended Francesca but also eased the tension in the air.
Francesca, too, kept mum. Looking out the window with Danrique in her thoughts, she felt the knot in her heart. All she wanted to do was to resolve the matter at hand so that she could fly to Xendale and confront Danrique about the truth
Chapter 2106 The Expectations Of Love
Meanwhile, Danrique had just learned that Francesca was heading to the palace with William. Consumed by rage, he smashed his phone. “That foolish woman!"
I have already threatened her with a breakup. And yet, instead of compromising, she ends up protecting William. Is she just stupid, or does she love William instead of me?
The more Danrique thought about it, the angrier he became.
“Mr. Lindberg, calm down,” Sean consoled him. “I think Ms. Felch is either too kind or naive. That's why she is being manipulated by Prince William. Soon, the truth will find its way to her.”
“That's not being naive. It's pure stupidity!” Danrique exploded in anger. “This time, I must teach her a lesson so that she learns once and for all how insidious men can be!”
“But...” Sean decided to swallow his words instead.
"What do you want to say?” Danrique saw through him. “You think I'm being too cruel to William?" “Prince William's comeback will only benefit us. He's one of our partners after all. Once he succeeds as king, the future of our collaboration will be bright. On the other hand, if one of his cousins ascends the throne, we will lose one of our key interest groups. Since we have just expanded to the Epean market, it would be in our interest to broaden our network and gain a foothold instead.”
At that moment, Sean—worried about angering Danrique—paused to observe his reaction. “Continue.” Danrique gestured.
“I know you're angry, mostly because Prince William has used Ms. Felch and taken advantage of your identity to achieve his objectives. So all you want to do now is to put him in his place. That, I can understand. But I feel that there's no benefit in us destroying him. Not only would we lose a partner, but we might also end up antagonizing Ms. Felch.”
Danrique, brimming with emotions, exclaimed, “Are you saying that Francesca will have a fallout with me because of William? After all that I've done, can't that foolish woman see what's going on?” "With Ms. Felch’s intelligence and wisdom, I'm sure she'll figure out sooner or later. But...” Sean pondered for a fleeting moment. “Mr. Lindberg, you have neglected an important point—Ms. Felch is still a doctor!”
“So what if she is?” Danrique was truly clueless.
“As a doctor, she's born with an inherent sense of justice,” Sean analyzed. “Besides, aren't Prince William's enemies real? I'm sure someone has really poisoned him and the inhabitants of the castle. Now that she’s trapped in Danontand, she will want to hold the perpetrator accountable no matter what. Even if she knows that Prince William is using her, I'm afraid she'll understand his motivations. After all, he’s carrying the burden of a blood feud and has the blood of eighty men on his hands. “Compared to the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders, his manipulation of her is nothing at all. Long story short, Ms. Felch has nothing to lose. She might get disappointed in Prince William, but she would never have a fallout with him over it. As for you, insisting on teaching Prince William a lesson is the same as squashing any hope of justice for the eighty lives lost in his castle. Therefore, how do you think it looks through the lens of morality?”
Sean's words cause Danrique to fall into deep thought. Despite seeing the logic in it, he still felt indignant. “Am I really not that important to her compared to William?”
“No, Ms. Felch is fiercely loyal. She's someone who wears her heart on her sleeve. Hence, her feelings for you are true. As for Prince William, she sees him as a friend at most and sympathizes with him. Nonetheless, she has high expectations of you because of her love for you. That's in contrast to an ordinary friend from whom she doesn’t expect anything at all.”
After finishing his soliloquy in a single breath, Sean advised, “Didn't you say that Prince William would call you tonight and beg you for mercy? I think it's a good opportunity for you to consider whether to give him another chance.”
Chapter 2107 Within Expectations
After a momentary silence, Danrique replied flatly, “That will depend on his performance.”
“As of now, you're his last hope. In order to exact revenge and make a comeback, he'll definitely agree to any of your conditions,” Sean said.
“Yes. That includes Francesca too,” Danrique sneered. “Perhaps she might plead on his behalf in order to help him out.”
“Uh...” Sean didn't dare to comment any further, as he could sense that everything seemed to be falling into place for Danrique, including leveraging this opportunity to take out the Atkinson family. As long as Francesca didn’t make any further mistakes, they would be the ultimate winner in the end. Unfortunately, all that his employer cared about was Francesca.
Meanwhile, Francesca could feel her ears burning. Feeling as if someone was talking about her, she checked her phone but didn't see any notifications on it.
Nevertheless, she had no time to be distracted, for they had arrived at the palace.
Dressed in her white robe and wearing custom-made medical spectacles, Francesca looked inexplicably attractive with her messy hair, which she didn’t have time to comb in the morning.
Her carefree appearance made her stick out like a sore thumb within the opulent decorations of the palace. “Dr. Felch, this way please,” Silas invited.
Following William from behind, Francesca strode into the inner halls confidently.
As he hadn't been there in a long time, William scanned the surroundings with his narrowed eyes and lamented, “It's been ten years since I last came here.”
“That's right. You were still a teenager back then,” Silas recalled. “It was His Majesty's birthday then, and you came to attend the banquet.”
“Yeah.” William flashed a self-deprecating smile. “That was the time I embarrassed myself by rolling down the staircase. While everyone was laughing at me, only Grandpa reached out to help me up.” “It wasn't your fault. Someone sabotaged you.” Silas couldn't help but feel his heart ache at the mention of the topic. “In His Majesty's absence, they used the opportunity to goad you into standing up. Despite knowing that your legs were crippled, they insisted on forcing you to get on your feet. When you failed to do so, they grabbed you up from your wheelchair and let go, causing you to fall down the staircase.” Recalling the past enraged Silas. “They truly are b*stards for taking advantage of their parents’ position to bully you. After that, the few nobles even dismissed the matter as just children fooling around.”
“They really were children. All of them were younger than me.” The calm William broke into a faint smile as if he was unaffected by the past. “Those who were older simply stood aside and abetted them without laying a finger on me.”
"Ever since that incident, His Majesty has never asked you to come back to the palace. Not because he's ostracizing you, but because he doesn't want to see you being bullied,” Silas said with a sigh. “Your Highness, His Majesty cares about you. It's just that... there are plenty of considerations holding him back.”
“I know.” William gave a bitter smile before raising his head to look out at the green lawn. “Francesca, look, I used to go horse riding there... and that's also where I fell.”
His words elicited a sympathetic squeeze in Francesca's heart. “The same blood flows through all of your veins. Why do they have to treat you this way?”
“My father is the eldest, so he will most likely succeed the throne...” William said meaningfully before changing the topic. “It seems that there are other guests today.”
When he saw the luxury sedans parked nearby, his eyes dimmed.
“His Majesty has invited a few other families—your cousins,” Silas said softly. “Don't worry. His Majesty won't put you in a difficult position.”
William simply responded with silence.
“Actually, I'm looking forward to meet them.”
Francesca's knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists.
After hearing William relate the stories from his childhood, she was filled with rage. She felt the urge to seek justice on his behalf.
Chapter 2108 Relationships
Inside the inner hall, it was surprisingly warm, just like a luxurious home that didn't lose its sense of familiarity.
Hanging off the wall was a huge family portrait with many members of the family inside. Sitting in the middle was Federico, who was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
From the picture, Francesca spotted the young William, who looked exactly the same as he was now. However, he wasn't paralyzed then and still had a sparkle in his eyes.
His clear and crystal-blue eyes glistened vibrantly, just like the stars in the night sky.
He was leaning against Federico’s knees with a face that was filled with innocence. Anyone who saw him couldn't deny the happiness he was exuding then.
After all, his healthy parents were standing by the side in the picture.
“When I was young, I couldn't wait to grow up.” William sighed. “How foolish of me!"
"One has to grow up sooner or later.”
All of a sudden, a sonorous voice rang out from behind them. When Francesca turned around and was greeted by the sight of Federico, she realized that he looked just as warm and kind as he was on the television.
"Your Majesty.” William bowed respectfully.
As for Francesca, she nodded at him out of courtesy.
"Welcome, Dr. Felch.” Federico looked at Francesca intently before shifting his attention to William. "William, you can dispense with the pleasantries. Just call me Grandpa as you have always done so in the past.”
"Yes, Grandpa.” William nodded.
“Please, have a seat.” Federico ushered them.
Without any hesitation, Francesca settled down on the sofa.
Subsequently, the palace attendants served some snacks and Epean tea before moving to the side. As for Silas, he stood quietly behind Federico with his head lowered.
"Yesterday morning, Robin came to the palace with a report. Thus, I would like to verify it with you now.”
At Federico’s cue, a middle-aged woman who looked like a secretary came forward with a recording pen. After bowing at Federico and William, she began to play it.
The recording contained Robin's report to Federico. He first informed Federico of how William's illness acted up again before going on about how the latter had invited an exceptionally skilled doctor to the castle to treat him.
After diagnosing that he had been poisoned, the doctor followed the trails and discovered that the water source at the castle had been spiked, together with William's essential oils.
Robin had even brought samples of the poisoned water and essential oils to be validated. Throughout the entire process, Robin explained everything clearly. Never in his report did he mention who the suspect was or how much William had been humiliated over the years.
During the exchange, Federico had a few questions for him but didn't reveal his thoughts. In the end, he instructed Robin to bring the doctor to the palace so that he could question her.
However, it was then that Robin began to panic and became evasive.
Unfortunately, his reaction ended up raising Federico’s suspicions instead. It was under those circumstances that he mentioned Francesca's identity.
Up till then, everything was consistent with what Robin had told them, and there were no problems. However, toward the end, Federico began to focus on Danrique and Francesca's relationship. Despite all that Robin had said earlier, Federico barely made a comment. It wasn't until Robin had mentioned that Francesca was Danrique’s fiancée that he probed further to know if the information was true and if Danrique had openly admitted the fact.
Robin responded in the affirmative and even told him some stories about Danrique and Francesca. After delving into the matter in detail and verifying that Danrique was serious about Francesca to the extent of getting married, Federico finally eased up. Subsequently, he told Robin that he would personally contact William to inform him of his decision with regard to the matter.
Having heard the entire exchange, the clueless Francesca realized the complex relationships that were involved. Compared to the political machinations against William, Federico seemed to care more about her relationship with Danrique.
Chapter 2109 The Secret Objective
In other words, Federico was more concerned about commercial opportunities and building networks than William and the eighty lives in his castle.
When the sad truth finally dawned upon her, Francesca's pity for William intensified.
Suddenly, she could understand why William had been suffering in silence all this while. It wasn't because he was an incompetent coward, but because he knew that even if he fought for what he wanted, it was simply pointless.
Even now, he couldn't even initiate an investigation despite having lost the lives of eighty men in the castle.
What made things worse was that his only hope lay in her relationship with Danrique.
How absurd was this?
More importantly, the fact that Federico could brazenly playback the conversation in front of William and Francesca meant that he didn't see any problem with it at all.
At that instant, Francesca finally understood why her mentor had repeatedly emphasized that she shouldn't get involved with politicians and members of royal families.
At the end of the recording, Federico got straight to the point. “William, was it your intention to send Robin to see me?”
“No,” William answered softly. “But I'll take responsibility for everything he said.”
“Good, that should be the way.” Federico smiled faintly. “In that case, did you also order him to lie?” “Robin didn't lie,” William quickly said. “It's true that the water source at the castle was poisoned together with my essential oils...”
“And is Dr. Felch's identity also true?” Federico questioned directly.
Stunned, William gave Francesca a conflicted look, not knowing what to say.
“Your Majesty, and which of my identities are you asking about?” Francesca threw the question back at him. “Is it the one where I'm Francesco or the one where I'm Danrique’s fiancée?”
Francesca didn't sound as if she was speaking to a king at all. Instead, it was as if she was fearlessly arguing with a common man with no intention of backing down.
The gravitas in her voice intimidated Federico to the extent he needed a few seconds to recover from the shock. “Barely anything was publicly known about Francesco before this morning. Also, details of Mr. Lindberg’s fiancée were scarce until now..."
There was a certain weightiness to his words.
After all, Francesco's identity had been such a tightly kept secret that even a king wasn't able to verify it. Previously, Federico didn't have any doubts because he didn't find it important at all. What he was truly concerned with was Francesca's relationship with Danrique.
However, the proud Francesca was incensed by his words. “What does whether I'm Danrique’s fiancée have anything to do with this matter?”
“Francesca...” William quickly held her hand. “Calm down. Let's discuss this civilly.”
"Am I wrong?” Francesca's temper flared. “Your Majesty, please answer my question!”
“Insolence!” Silas bellowed. “Don’t be rude to His Majesty.”
“It's fine.” Unexpectedly, Federico didn't mind Francesca’s attitude. Instead, he commented with a smile, “From the way you speak and behave, you're really similar to Danrique.”
"Why would I want to be similar to that b*stard?” Francesca blurted.
“Francesca...” William panicked.
Noticing the nervous look on William's face, Francesca dialed down her ferocity and rephrased, “Your Majesty, the water source at William's castle was poisoned, resulting in the deaths of eighty men. From an official perspective, you should seek justice for them. And on a personal level, you, as William's grandfather, should all the more protect and stand up for him. At such a crucial moment, you must order the matter to be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrator to be severely punished instead of dwelling on unrelated matters.”
"With regards to the matter, you can rest assured that I'll thoroughly investigate it.” Federico broke into a slight smile. “If someone has really tried to poison William and the men in his castle, they'll definitely feel my wrath. However, I still can't allow an outsider to manipulate William to achieve his secret objective.”
q
Chapter 2110 Speaking Up
Federico’s words carried heavy and shocking implications. The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Even the carefree Francesca froze in shock. She instinctively looked at William as an outrageous thought crossed her mind. Could it be true?
Meanwhile, William raised his head and met the king's gaze. He declared firmly, “Your Majesty, I have nothing to hide nor the courage to manipulate others, especially L!"
William could not have answered Federico’s question more openly than that. The king narrowed his eyes and stared at William. “Then tell me. Did Robin lie?”
Complex emotions filled the king's gaze. William replied honestly, “Based on the recording I heard, Robin had said nothing but the truth.”
“Is it?" Federico began to doubt himself.
"Why don’t I answer you instead? We're basically talking about my status as someone's fiancée.” Francesca continued impatiently, “I was still Danrique’s fiancée before four this morning, but that is no longer the case as we have split up. Then, the media reported on Danrique and Hazel's engagement. Simple as that.”
"Erm..." Stunned, Silas muttered, “That sounds so childish.” “Why did you break up so suddenly? Was it because of me?” asked William softly.
“It has nothing to do with you. Danrique just went crazy.” Furious, Francesca added, “Robin wasn't lying, and nor was William. Though I didn’t want to be involved in this or drag Danrique into this mess, things have spiraled to the point where I feel I must explain everything clearly.”
Francesca launched into a lengthy explanation. “Firstly, I'm not lying about the multiple poisoning attempts on William just because we're close friends. There's definitely poison in the castle's water source and the essential oil he was given. He and the eighty-three residents in the castle have all been poisoned; no one can deny that. I may not understand your complicated relationships with one another or anyone's reasons for pulling such schemes, but I do know that the perpetrator deserves punishment. That's the enduring law in any country of any era. So why have the facts become something to be covered up when it reaches your ears, Your Majesty?”
She continued, “Are you suspecting William of poisoning himself for the sake of sabotaging someone else? Has the harm and humiliation he suffered all these years been nothing but an act? Did he injure both his legs to land himself in a wheelchair?”
Her argument had been delivered with a demanding aura, which instantly steamrolled over the king. Federico suddenly looked away as though fearful of meeting William's gaze.
Indeed, no one could dispute the facts. I can't fault William for borrowing Danrique’s reputation to make an accusation. Someone had sabotaged him first, and he deserves to fight back.
William knew he had little authority in the royal family. No one would bat an eyelid if all the occupants in his castle perished. Sadly, not even the king would have seen fit to punish his other grandchildren for harming him.
That was why William needed to find other ways to convince the king. Alas, Federico seemed to think otherwise.
He clearly believed William had no support and nowhere to turn. Moreover, William wasn't qualified to inherit the throne. That was why he chose to sacrifice William.
“Francesca...”
“Let me finish.” Francesca cut off William and said, “He's your flesh and blood. I don't understand why you must mistreat him so. Is it because both his parents are dead? Is it because his legs are crippled? Is that why you find him worthless?”
"You!" Federico sputtered with rage. “This is outrageous!”
Undeterred, Francesca said, “You know better than anyone else that talent-wise and character-wise, William is the best candidate for the throne. You're merely giving up on him because of his impaired legs. Well, let me tell you now that it's possible to cure his legs! One day, he will stand before you and prove that no one can defeat him!"