Ch. 2111..2120

Chapter 2111 A Rare Opportunity

Francesca pleaded William's case fiercely and passionately. The prince stared at his friend, his eyes reddening inadvertently with grateful tears.

He had struggled silently for twenty years, and Francesca had just pointed out every bit of injustice he had suffered to the king that day. He never imagined someone in this world could understand him as wholly as Francesca did at that moment.

William was even more surprised that someone would fearlessly stand up for him despite his obviously disadvantaged situation. He stared at Francesca as though she were the only shining beacon of hope in his bleak life.

She had given him hope and the determination to stand on his feet again. He felt reinvigorated to challenge the mounting obstacles in his life.

Normally, Silas would have told Francesca off for her outburst, and Federico would have ordered some soldiers to drag her out of the room for her impudence.

To everyone's surprise, none of that happened. Instead, Silas froze in shock, tearing up as he shot William a pitiful look.

Even Federico lowered his head and fell into silence. Sometime later, he asked, “Can his legs truly be cured?”

“I swear on my life,” vowed Francesca. She wanted to try her best for William and defend her medical skills. “Good, good.” Federico nodded and addressed Silas, “Please send her back first.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Silas stepped forward and said, “This way, Dr. Felch.”

Francesca shot William a worried look. He reassured her with a tender gaze, “Go. I'll be back soon. Don't worry.” “Call me if there's any danger.”

Then, Francesca shot the king a meaningful stare before leaving. Federico was stunned by her behavior. “T-This! Is she threatening me?”

William chuckled before he could help himself. “I've never seen you like this before.”

“This lady is impudent! Utterly so!” Federico bristled with fury as he added, “I was too kind to her. I should've sent her off to prison and taught her a lesson.”

Smiling, William defended his friend. “She has always been like this; even L is frightened of her. But she’s fiercely loyal to her friends and an extremely skilled doctor to boot!"

“Is she really Francesco?” The king was still doubtful of her identity.

“In the flesh! I would never lie to you about this, Your Majesty!” William answered somberly.

The king's hesitation was evident as he commented, “She looks very young to possess such superb medical skills. Robin says she saved L in the past, which is why they affirmed their feelings for each other at a young age.”

William nodded and explained, “It's true. They lost contact after that, and L looked for her for seven years.”

"If he has such strong feelings for her, how could they split up so suddenly? And how could L turn around and become engaged to someone else?” Federico stared at his grandson and questioned, “Could it be because of you?”

William lowered his head in silence.

Federico suddenly approached him and advised, “I said something to your father once, and it's about time I shared that message with you. An empire will always be more important than a woman.”

William shuddered and stared at the king in disbelief.

Is he implying that he’s giving me the opportunity to control an empire?

“How long will it take to cure your legs?” Federico pointed at William's legs.

"About three months. There will be several months of physical therapy after that...”

Federico cut him off and asked, “Does that mean you will stand in about half a year?”

“Yes.” William nodded determinedly, though he felt slightly guilty about keeping his grandfather's hopes up. Still, Francesca had won him a precious opportunity to fight for the throne, and he would do everything in his might to make it happen.

Chapter 2112 Threatening Danrique

“Very well.” Federico nodded. “The girl is right. In terms of character, you're thousands of times better than your cousins. You've managed to live until now in an environment like this, and you've managed to make the company you've started up to one of the top hundred companies. Furthermore, you were capable of working with someone impressive like Danrique. That alone is proof of your capability. If you buck up, you'll naturally be the best heir for the throne.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.” “Don’t be in such a haste to thank me,” Federico cut him off. “I have a task for you. I'll only consider you for the role if you can complete it.”

"Of course. Please feel free to ask anything from me.”

Silas personally sent Francesca back. When they turned around the corner of the corridor, they encountered a few handsome young men walking toward them.

Silas lowered his head as a gesture of respect toward them, and the few young men did the same in return.

In contrast, Francesca remained stony-faced. She glanced at them with cold eyes, knowing that these were the few cousins who often bullied William.

All of them seemed ordinary, but there was something exceptionally cruel in their blood.

If not for the fact that she did not want to involve William in this, she would have doled out severe punishment for them.

“Is this the miraculous doctor that William hired?"

The princes were all looking at Francesca with evil eyes. In fact, one of them was even looking at her in contempt.

Francesca tightened her fists. Just as she was about to lose control of herself and punch them, Silas hastily urged the few princes to leave.

The young men even turned around to gesture provocatively at Francesca.

Without hesitation, Francesca took off her shoe and flung it at them.

Thump! The shoe hit two of the young men’s heads.

The princes were dumbfounded, for no one had dared to treat them in this way before.

Right as the two princes who were hit were about to kick up a fuss, the rest stopped the two. “This is His Majesty's place. Have you lost your mind?”

Hearing that, they had no choice but to fume in their spots. On the other hand, Francesca sneered and left.

The look of shock never left Silas’ face as he quickly sent Francesca out of the palace.

After entering the car, Silas observed Francesca, who was in the backseat, through the rearview mirror. He was baffled. She looks normal, so where did she get that aggressive and fearless demeanor from?

In the meantime, Francesca was huffing in anger as she looked at her phone. Danrique had yet to reply to her, and she could not help but think, Is the b*stard for real this time? He's not going to marry Hazel, is he?

Right in the middle of her contemplation, Sean called, and Francesca picked up the call right away. “Hey, Sean.”

“Ms. Felch, you're... fine, right?” Sean tentatively asked.

Danrique knew that Francesca had followed William to the palace; he was worried something bad would happen if Francesca ticked the king off with her temper.

Furthermore, they would have a delay in receiving new information about the situation in the palace, so Danrique had gotten Sean to call her.

“My heart's still beating,” Francesca growled out. “Did Danrique make you call me?”

"I..." Sean cast a helpless look at Danrique.

Danrique shook his head, so Sean had no choice but to say, “I was the one who wanted to call you. Didn't you call me earlier? I was just wondering if you had something urgent to tell me—"

“You can shut up now,” Francesca snapped. “I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen.”

"Yes, ma'am.” Sean dared not say anything else.

“Tell that b*stard Danrique that I'll be clarifying everything in person at Xendale once I'm done settling these matters at William's side. If he still wants to break up, I won't insist the relationship continue. However, before we meet up, he'd better stay faithful, or else I'll castrate him!"

With that, Francesca ended the call.

Silas’ eyes were wide with shock as his jaw dropped.

He had figured out that the one who called Francesca was Danrique’s subordinate, Sean. After snapping at Sean, Francesca changed her target to Danrique and threatened him.

Silas could not believe his ears; he could not believe that the infamous devil, Danrique Lindberg, was getting threatened by Francesca.

q

Chapter 2113 Plan

"Go to hell, b*stard!” Francesca gritted out. Nevertheless, rage continued to boil in her, and she began composing a message to Danrique. As she typed, she cursed, “Douchebag, you'd better remember to refrain from all sex even if it kills you; you have to wait until I'm back and done talking to you. If you dare to cheat on me, I'm going to slaughter you!"

Silas could not help but shudder as he listened to her swearing. She's terrifying! But she seems young, so she’s probably just a feral girl. What are the chances she’s someone who can deal with Mr. Lindberg?

Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, a truck abruptly appeared on its way toward them. The driver could not turn in time, and right as their car was about to collide with it, Francesca pounced at the driver's seat. She reached out her hands and swiftly turned the steering wheel as she bellowed, “Don't step on the brake; step on the accelerator!”

The driver did as he was told. In the next second, the car swayed to the side and went on two wheels as it narrowly sped through the gap between the truck and the guardrail.

The car continued to drive slanted on one side for a few more minutes before it landed back on four wheels.

The driver was scared senseless.

However, Francesca calmly patted his shoulders and said, “Calm down and drive slowly.”

Then, she casually leaned back in her seat and continued typing out her message to curse at Danrique.

It had been a harrowing and thrilling moment, but to Francesca, it was as if the moment was just a trivial experience.

Silas was stiff against his seat with a colorless face as he grabbed his chest and held his breath.

A long while later, he came back to his senses and tentatively asked, “Dr. Felch, you were unbelievable. Do you know how to drive?”

“Spot on, Captain Obvious,” Francesca replied.

Silas did not dare to ask her any more questions, but in his mind, he secretly labeled the young woman as someone complicated.

Simultaneously, at the palace, William was telling Federico, “You can consider Francesca as someone simple who has nothing against the world. But you can also consider her as someone complicated. She has extraordinary medical knowledge and various marvelous skills, so she’s not someone to be easily crossed. Moreover, she saved the lives of many prominent figures. If something happens to her, I'm afraid there will be many people taking revenge for her.”

“Aren“t you bold with your words?” Federico sneered in disdain. “How capable can a twenty-year- old girl be? And you say that many prominent figures will take revenge for her? I'd like to know who those people are!”

"Your Majesty—"

“That's enough,” Federico icily cut him off. “I'm not asking you to do anything to her right now; I'm only asking you to keep her in the castle and stop her from leaving. Why are you overthinking the matter?”

“Francesca’s relationship with Danrique has recently deteriorated. She'll soon be on her way to Xendale, and I won't be able to stop her,” William explained. “However, I'm certain that she'll return to treat me once she’s done settling her matter with Danrique.”

“You mustn't let her go,” the old king uttered without beating around the bush. “Don’t you understand that you can't let her meet Danrique?”

William froze. He had sensed something amiss earlier, but it was only at that moment he realized what Federico was trying to tell him.

He blurted out, “Why?”

Nevertheless, he realized something in the next second. “Grandpa, did someone come to look for you?”

Federico sipped his tea in silence.

His silence made William's heart lurch. All of a sudden, he realized how naive he had been. Federico had been the king for decades, and there was no doubt he was an observant, smart man. The old man knew about his matters all along, but he never once intervened. Hence, how could he have abruptly sobered up after Francesca’s words?

The truth was that, Federico had known about Francesca and Danrique’s matter before they came to meet him.

Federico was not the one who looked into these matters; someone told him about them. At the same time, they had struck a deal with Federico to get Federico’s assistance in certain matters. One of those matters would be for William to think of a way to keep Francesca in the castle for half a year.

Chapter 2114 Friends Are Meant To Be Betrayed

Many things could happen if he did not allow her to leave the castle. William could use his illness to make Francesca stay by his side but not for long.

Besides, Francesca and Danrique had reached an agreement back then, so that was why she was not in a hurry to leave. However, judging by the current situation, William could only lock her in the castle if he wanted her to stay.

Danrique used their engagement as an excuse to get Francesca to go back because he wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

Deep in William's heart, he understood the consequence his action might cause. Danrique would definitely be offended if I were to pull a trick on her to stop her from leaving.

“Don’t worry about that,” Federico said icily. “Your cousins are still waiting outside. Make up your mind.” "Your Majesty...”

Federico interrupted as he had run out of patience. “Even if you disagree with the plan, I still have other plans in mind to stop her from leaving. I can always hand the task to your cousins, and I'm sure they'll be more than willing to accept it.”

William's expression turned grim instantly. He knew Federico was capable of doing many things. Likewise, he knew his cousins were all despicable, vicious, and cunning men who would resort to all sorts of dirty tricks. Should that happen, Francesca would be in trouble.

“William...” Federico patted his shoulder gently and advised him patiently, “You're an all-rounder, but you're just too indecisive like your father because you care too much for people you have feelings for. This attribute of yours will hinder you from becoming a formidable king.”

After a short pause, Federico continued, “I'm not just testing you, but I'm also trying to guide you to attain your goal and to become a decisive person! William, I hope you understand my intention.” "Yes, I do...” William nodded. “But Your Majesty, I'm afraid we'll offend Danrique if we do that...” "Of course, we would not do anything that will step on his toes,” Federico said with a smirk. “We're just helping him get rid of a stumbling block. What do young people know about love anyway? Soon, he'll forget about this Dr. Felch and fall in love with another woman.”

"Another woman?” William seemed to have read between the lines. “Did you meet with someone from Erihal? Is it the president?”

It was clear that the president of Erihal wanted Danrique to marry his daughter. That was why he came to M Nation to get Federico’s help to stop Francesca from returning to Erihal.

William knew what his grandfather had in mind. He knew Federico would not have agreed to take the risk if the Atkinson family was the one who approached him.

Since the president of Erihal was the one who sought his help, Federico knew he would benefit greatly had he managed to do the president a favor. Moreover, Federico was also a traditionalist who believed a man should marry a woman with similar family background.

That was why Federico did not believe Danrique was in love with Francesca. It probably is just puppy love. Perhaps, Danrique is merely trying to relive his teenage dream. Once he loses interest in that woman, he'll forget about her.

That was also why he was not afraid of offending Danrique. In fact, he felt getting rid of an ordinary girl was just nothing to write home about.

Yet, William begged to differ. He knew Danrique was serious about Francesca and would not give her up easily.

He had not done anything that had crossed the line because he knew he was still no match for Danrique.

“You're getting on my nerves, William.” Federico had lost all his patience. “Stop questioning my motive. Just do as I say.”

“But Grandpa, Francesca is my friend...”

“Friend?” Federico responded with a cold snort. “Friends are meant to be betrayed!”

William froze for a minute as he could not believe his ears.

Chapter 2115 Get Rid Of Her

“Besides, I could tell you have feelings for Dr. Felch, right? I'm sure you'll be glad if you get to keep her in the country.” “But...”

“Stop acting like a naggy wench.” Federico did not want to waste his energy on William anymore. “If you want me to investigate the contamination of the water source, then do as I say. Otherwise, I'll turn a blind eye to that incident. And I'll still get your cousins to do the job on your behalf. If this happens, trust me, you'll not get anything out of it.”

Federico’s warning sounded like a threat. William knew he had no choice but to resign to his fate. “All right, Grandpa. I'll heed your advice.”

“That's more like it,” Federico responded with a smile of satisfaction. “Everything I'm doing now is for your own good. After all, you're my successor and will take over my position in the future. Besides, your leg will only recover in another half a year. Isn't it great to have her take care of you?" “Yes.” William decided to play along and not refute Federico.

“You can leave now.” Federico gestured for him to go. “Go back and take a rest.”

William froze for a moment. “But they're already here, aren't they?”

He thought Federico would reprimand his cousins in front of him and investigate the poisoning of the water source. But he asked me to leave, so...

“It takes time to sort things out,” Federico explained. “I'll keep my promise and look into it, so don't worry. Have faith in your grandpa, okay?”

William could only keep mum after getting Federico’s reassurance. He nodded and said, “All right. Got it.”

Federico then gestured for a subordinate to come in and wheel William out.

Before leaving, William heard his cousins greeting Federico. “Grandpa, we miss you!"

Federico responded with a laugh. “Come, come. We have top-grade red wine to go with tonight's dinner.”

Listening to his affectionate laughter and observing how they exchanged pleasantries made William question if Federico would fulfill his promise and investigate them for the water contamination issue. What a happy family.

William felt a prickling pain in his heart. As a breeze brushed through his face when he looked to the sky, he seemed to have come to his senses.

Federico was an old, sly fox who used the throne as bait to get him to betray his friend.

The so-called investigation and succession plan were nothing but just empty promises.

In the end, Federico would get a few scapegoats to take the blame to appease William.

Federico could also easily exclude him from the succession plan with the reason that William was not qualified and not suitable to ascend to the throne. How ironic. How naive of me to believe all the promises he made.

William thought Federico would feel a pang of guilt after listening to what Francesca said. He thought Federico would be willing to groom him to become the next king because he finally saw potential in him.

At that moment, William finally realized he was nothing but a pawn.

Federico might have taken William back, but this did not change the fact that he still regarded the latter as a useless pawn—a pawn that would always be at his disposal.

After leaving the hall, William narrowed his eyes, looked up at the gloomy sky, and realized it was about to rain. The overcast weather was exactly the reflection of his feelings.

William lowered his eyes and remained silent while waiting for the subordinate to carry him to the car.

A downpour ensued while he was on his way back.

William looked into the rear-view mirror and noticed a few luxury cars behind and the subordinates standing around them. He also saw the smug looks on the subordinates’ faces.

After glancing at the castle amidst the misty rain, he realized how stony-hearted and inhuman that place was and was disgusted by it.

William clenched his fists. One day, I'll stand on my own feet and enter the castle with my head held high while trampling on their blood.

q

Chapter 2116 Lonely

Francesca returned to William's castle and saw Robin sitting in the wheelchair weakly, telling the subordinates what to do. Enraged, Francesca scolded, “Robin, don't you know you're heavily injured? Why are you up? Don't you want to live?”

"Ms. Felch...” Robin was panting heavily. “They went out to get the medicine, but they couldn't find any. I got worried, so I got up to tell them what to do.”

"What? Those medicines are very common. Why couldn't they find any?” Francesca asked in a puzzled tone. “In fact, they can be found in any drugstore. In Zarain, those medicines can even be found online!”

"Ms. Felch, we've spent the past two days trying to buy those medicines. However, everyone said those medicines are all sold out.”

“They aren't sold out. Those sellers just don't want to sell them to us. I saw some of the shops have it, but when we asked the owners about it, they immediately put the medicines away.”

While describing what they had encountered, the subordinates were all getting anxious.

“Someone must've instructed them to not sell to us.”

“Those people just want us to die!”

The subordinates were outraged.

“Shut up!” Robin roared. “Stop being so dejected! We'll find a way.”

"Okay." The subordinates dared not say anything further.

“You guys may leave. I'll discuss it with His Highness when he comes back,” Robin ordered.

"Yes." The subordinates left.

After they left, Robin pressed against his wounds. At that moment, he was breaking out in a cold sweat, and he looked like he was about to die.

Francesca quickly got someone to bring Robin into the ward. After tending to his wounds and putting him on a drip, she uttered, "Rest well, okay? I'll talk to William about the medicines later.” “Thank you, Ms. Felch—" Robin fainted before he could finish his sentence.

Francesca felt terrible when she saw the state Robin was in and how worried the others looked. I don't get it. What atrocity did William commit? Why do these people want him dead so badly? Why do they want the people in his castle to die as well?

Right then, a subordinate announced, “His Highness is back!"

Shortly after, a subordinate was seen pushing William in.

William's clothes and hair were drenched due to the rain, but he was unfazed. He asked about Robin the moment he arrived at the scene.

Francesca told him what happened and uttered softly, “I've already examined him. He should be fine now. Let's talk outside, okay? We should let him rest.”

“Go have a shower and get changed. We'll meet in the study room,” William said thoughtfully. "Okay." Francesca didn't spare the matter further thought and went straight to her room.

When she was showering, Francesca recalled what had happened that day. At the same time, she felt something amiss when she thought about what Federico said.

After mulling over it for a while, she suddenly realized something. Well... Maybe, just maybe, William has an ulterior motive when he came to look for me. Besides, there's a possibility he’s trying to take advantage of my relationship with Danrique to get Federico's attention. Also, Robin might not have been acting on his own when he reported to Federico. That could be William's order. These are rather obvious. It's just that I've never doubted William because I trusted him.

In addition, Francesca had always been simple-minded and never had disputes with others. Hence, she was never willing to think badly about others.

However, she wasn't stupid.

Upon some pondering, she could tell what was going on.

 

Chapter 2117 An Honest Conversation

Francesca wasn't pleased when she figured out the truth. William had taken advantage of our friendship and my sincerity. I trusted him, and I was sincerely trying to help him. Despite what others had said about him, I've never doubted him. However, he had lied to me and used me. Still, why do I not hate him now that I know the truth?

Instead, I feel bad for him. He's a prince and a victim. Not only did he have to endure being oppressed and schemed against for twenty years, but the lives of over eighty people in the castle are also at risk. He had been bullied, and he couldn't even defend himself. He even had to use Danrique to get a chance to have the matter investigated. The person who's supposed to uphold justice is his own family member.

Francesca felt very sorry for William. I think everyone will feel sorry for him. After all, he’s not doing this for himself. He's responsible for the lives of over eighty people. If I were in his shoes, I would definitely tell my friends the truth and get them to help me instead of lying to them. That's where we're different.

However, I didn't have to go through what he had gone through. I can't judge him, but I feel for him. That aside, could it be that Federico had thought things through? Will he look into the matter, or was he just acting? Furthermore, William looked troubled when he came back just now. Will he tell me the truth when we meet in the study room later?

With a concerned mind, Francesca got dressed and went to the study room.

When she arrived there, William had already changed into a clean set of casual wear, and he was sitting quietly on the sofa. However, he seemed like he had caught a cold because his legs were covered up with a rug, and he was holding a cup of coffee in his hands.

With his head lowered, he seemed troubled. In fact, he appeared rather lonely. “William?” Francesca called his name softly.

William didn’t hear her, and he was still in a daze. The maid next to him uttered softly, “Your Highness, Ms. Felch is here.” William returned to his senses and raised his gaze toward Francesca. "Hey, Francesca!”

"Hi." Francesca sat on the sofa opposite him. Seeing how troubled he looked, she couldn't help but ask, “Is Federico not going to investigate the matter?”

“It's not that.” William flashed a half-smile. “What is it, then?" Francesca asked in a puzzled tone. William fell into deep thought for some time before saying, “Have you eaten? Let's eat.”

With that, he gestured for the maids to serve dinner. “Leave us,” William uttered. “Yes.” All the maids left the room. William then gestured to the subordinates standing by the door. Seeing that, they left as well.

"What happened?” Francesca was growing anxious. William didn’t know how to express himself, so he merely lowered his head and started eating.

Francesca then asked anxiously, “Is Federico going to investigate the matter or not? Is he angry because you and Robin had lied to him? Or is he—"

William interrupted her speech and answered, “He said he'll look into it. However, he needs time.” “How much time does he need?”

“He didn't say.” William shook his head. “It seems like he's just dragging the time.” Francesca was enraged. “In the end, he’s just going to forget about the matter.”

William kept silent and drank his soup. “Why aren't you saying anything? What happened?” Francesca asked.

William put his utensils aside and wiped his mouth with a napkin. After staring at Francesca for a while, he said, “I need to ask you a few questions first, Francesca.”

"What?" Francesca was stumped. Aren't we talking about him? Why does he want to ask me questions?

“I need your answers before deciding what to do.” William took a deep breath and asked sternly, “Do you like Danrique?”

That was the first time he had addressed Danrique by his name. Before that, he would only address him as L.

When he addressed Danrique that way, it sounded distant.

Chapter 2118 Hopeless

"Of course, I do,” Francesca answered unhesitatingly. “Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?” “I want to know how deeply are you in love with Danrique. Do you still like him now that you know he's about to get engaged to someone else?”

"He's just angry at me. He's pissed off because instead of going to him, I've come to Danontand. Hence, he's doing that just to piss me off and get me to find him in Xendale.” Francesca then uttered frankly, “Although I fight and argue with him, I've never thought about breaking up with him.”

“Alright.” William flashed a faint smile and said, “L is rich, handsome, and a good fighter. He's a perfect man. I bet he is every woman's dream.”

"All those qualities of his don't matter to me.” Francesca shook her head. “Even if he becomes poor, ugly, and defenseless, I'll still like him.”

That was the first time she had said those words because no one had ever asked her those questions. Now, I know what I truly want for myself. I'm deeply in love with Danrique. If I were to marry someone, it has to be him. Otherwise, I would rather remain single.

“Is that so?” William shot a conflicted look at Francesca. “I envy L so much...”

Indeed, William was utterly jealous of Danrique. Not only does he have Francesca as his girlfriend, but he's also a strong fighter. Besides, his aunt is always protecting him and helping him. On the other hand, I have nothing. What if I had a body like his and someone helping me in life? Will my life be different? Will I have met Francesca? Will Francesca love me as much as she loves Danrique? “You'll find someone.” Francesca smiled and comforted him, “You're also an impressive man. You'll surely find someone you truly like.”

“There's no other woman in the world who's better than you.” William stared at Francesca with an emotional gaze.

"How could that be? There are so many women prettier and kinder than me—"

“Francesca.” William interrupted her speech and asked, “What if I tell you I like you? Will you give me a chance?”

"What?" Francesca was stupefied because that had never crossed her mind. No matter how many people had told her about it, she never thought William would be into her. Is he for real?

“I'm serious.” William then confessed his feelings to her. “In fact, I've already fallen for you when you came to my castle to treat me for the first time. Otherwise, why would I risk my life to look for you? After that—"

Francesca quickly cut him off and said, "William, we're friends.”

With that sentence, she had revealed her stance.

She had only ever considered him a friend and nothing more.

"You guys have broken up, right?” William was still holding on to a sliver of hope inside. “Will I ever stand a chance?”

“I don't think we've broken up. He's just throwing a tantrum, and everything will be all right when we meet each other,” Francesca uttered confidently. “Besides, even if I have broken up with him, I would rather stay single for the rest of my life.”

With that, she had killed all his hopes and dreams.

William wanted to say something in response, but he merely sighed and said, “Okay.”

"You've already wasted so much time talking about something else. Can we go back to the topic at hand?” Francesca asked anxiously. “What on earth happened?”

 

Chapter 2119 Truth

William thought about it for a while before saying, “I've thought about it for a long time, but I still can't figure out how to tell you.” Francesca kept mum and waited.

William then lowered his head and took a deep breath. “Francesca, I'm sorry. I've lied to you. From the beginning, I knew I have been poisoned, and I knew the problem came from the water supply.

I tricked you into coming here. There are two reasons why I've done so. Firstly, you're the only person who can save us from the poison and cure my leg. Secondly, you can see how His Majesty doesn't even care about whether I live or die.

Even if everyone in the castle were to die because of the poison, he'll just brush me off when I tell him about it. Nothing good will come out of it. Although I don't care if I live or die, I can't let others die with me. Hence, I got you to investigate the water supply so that Federico would pay attention to it. After that, I wanted to use your name to prove the matter.”

William paused and lowered his head shamefully before adding, “I know I'm shameless and despicable. However, I had no choice.”

"Did you get Robin to report to Federico? Did you tell him to reveal my relationship with Danrique?” Francesca queried. “Yes.” William nodded. “I've planned it all out. I've used you and lied to you.” With that, he hung his head low and dared not look Francesca in the eyes.

To his surprise, Francesca wasn't angry at all. In fact, she didn’t seem displeased. In a calm tone, she said, “I have guessed that much. I'm angry, but I understand why you've done that. You have the lives of so many people on your shoulders.”

"Are you not blaming me?” William was taken aback.

“Not really.” Francesca seemed rather calm. “As a friend, I'm quite pissed off. You could've just told me you needed help. Why did you have to lie to me?

As a doctor, however, I understand that you were just trying to save their lives. If I were in your shoes, I would also do the same thing to save my orphanage. Therefore, I understand how you feel. However, unlike you, I would tell my friends the truth instead of lying.”

“I'm sorry. I was wrong,” William apologized with his head hung low. “I didn’t know things would get so complicated. I thought I would burden you if I had told you the truth from the beginning. Besides, if L knows the truth, he wouldn't let you come to Danontand. With your status, I thought I could get everything sorted out. I've planned to apologize to you and L once everything is settled. However, who would've known something else would happen?” William sighed.

"You didn't expect me to break up with Danrique at this crucial moment, right? At the same time, the media had even announced his engagement with Hazel.” As soon as Francesca finished talking, she suddenly realized something. Could it be that Danrique was aware of William's plan, so he had purposely tried to trouble William?

Although she had that in mind, she didn't voice it out. Instead, she asked William again, “Why are you only telling me the truth now? Did Federico say something to you?”

Francesca was smart enough to know that William wouldn't talk about romance when there were so many things happening. He had been beating around the bush. There must be something else he's not saying.

After giving it a lot of thought, William finally revealed, “Federico promised me he will look into the matter. However, he has a request.”

“What is it?" Francesca asked.

"H-He wants me to keep you in the castle for at least six months.” William raised his gaze toward Francesca and decided to tell the truth.

q

Chapter 2120 Weak

Francesca was stunned for a while before she returned to her senses. "Why?"

Federico’s actions utterly befuddled her. I thought we were supposed to deal with William's castle, where he and his eighty-three subordinates were poisoned. So why am I suddenly brought into focus? Not only that, I'm forced to stay in the castle for half a year?

“I was very confused too.” William frowned with a serious expression. “I kept telling him that you're a free woman and you have the ability not to be restrained. After that, I even stopped beating around the bush. I said that your medical skills are impressive and you have plenty of incredible talents.

Many important and influential figures’ lives were saved because of you, so if anything happens to you, those people won't just sit by and watch. However, that wasn't enough to convince Federico. He insisted on executing his decision. Not only did he use the investigation of the poisoning incident to threaten me, but he also said something even nastier..."

"What did he say?” Francesca asked. “He said...” His eyebrows furrowed even more tightly with a darkened expression. “If I refuse to agree to his request, he'll ask my cousins to do it instead.”

“He's asking them to lock me up? Huh, do they even have the capability to do that?” Her fury flared as she gritted her teeth. “That old bat! I thought he understood when I saw the guilt on his face after I said those things. I thought he regretted his actions and would be willing to investigate the matter properly to ensure you get the justice you deserve. To my surprise, he had other plans!”

“I thought so..." A bitter smile was visible on William's face. “Well, I was too naive.” “This doesn't seem right...” Francesca was still confused. “Why does Federico want me to stay in Danontand? What is his goal?”

“Initially, I was confused too. However, after I did some digging myself, I got the answer.” He frowned. “I think someone approached him to cooperate with him and asked him to force you to stay here, preventing you from meeting L."

"Who?" Francesca was anxious. “Is it Hazel?"

“Probably not. The Atkinson family isn't that powerful,” he theorized. “Based on what I know about Federico, whoever's working with him is probably someone of a similar status to him. Either that or someone's offering him an extremely beneficial offer. Those two reasons are the only ones I can see him working with that other person.”

“I don't understand...” Matters like those greatly irritated Francesca, who was unwilling to spend more time thinking about them. “But why is that person doing this? Why does that person refuse to let me leave Danontand and meet Danrique? What are they getting out of this arrangement?”

“I don't know the details.” William sighed. “I really shouldn't have gotten you involved. At first, it was just the poisoning incident at my castle, but now you're getting locked up... If things continue in this trajectory, it'll only get more complicated. I thought about it for a long time before I eventually decided to tell you the truth. You should leave before they start taking action and notice anything.” When he finished his sentence, he turned to the outside and shouted, “Someone—"

“Wait.” Francesca promptly stopped him. “What are you going to do if I leave? What's going to happen to the people in the castle? I can't just stand by and do nothing.”

"You aren't responsible for our lives.” William's voice was calm. “I'll find a way to save them. Worst- case scenario, I'll sway public opinion to apply pressure on Federico to force him to hire a doctor. As long as he agrees to save them, I'm willing to stop investigating the poisoning incident for the moment.”

"Why are you always so weak, William?” That enraged her. “Do you think they'll let you go just because you don't look into the matter? They're trying to kill you!

What do you mean by getting a doctor to save your people? Right now, you can't even buy medicine outside! If I leave, all of you will die here really quickly. Don't you know that?”