bChapter /bb339 /b

“When are youing back?”

Charlotte swiped her keycard and entered her hotel room, replying to his message: “Probably in a couple of days. Why?i” /i

Judd: “One of your patients is looking for you.”

Her patient…

Charlotte was about to ask who it was when another message popped up: “A man named Donovan.” ·

She froze for a moment. After everything had blown up, she thought Stevenson would never want to see her again. She hadn’t expected this… A few minutester, Judd sent another message: “Aren’t iyou /icurious what he said to me?”

Charlotte: “What did he say?”

Judd: “Something about the real and the fake King Arthur.”

Charlotte was stunned for a second, then, as the meaning dawned on her, she couldn’t help butugh:

“Thank you for that touching metaphor. Even the knights would shed a

tear.”

In his kitchen, Judd nced at her reply, one eyebrow arching in amusement as his fingers flew across the screen: “You’re wee. So, have you figured iout /iwho’s the true heir to the Round Table?”

Charlotte: “At the very least, I’m the son of Arthur, not just a squire.”

Judd: “Indeed. The quest ifor /ithe Holy Grail is full of twists and turns–finding family is no different.”

Lounging on the sofa, Charlotte stared at the messages, a gentle warmth unfurling in her chest.

13:00

Chapter

Judd never once mentioned her identity directly; every quip was his way of reassuring her.

Still… Stevenson telling Judd about this was a real surprise.

Howard Manor.

At the dining table, the old matriarch hadn’t touched her fork, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Seeing her sit motionless, Miranda, Ilse, and the rest of the family could only sit and wait–though their stomachs had long begun to protest.

“Grandma, the food’s getting cold. Why don’t we just start dinner?” Genevieve finally blurted out, unable to bear her hunger.

“Dinner?” Rosemary’s eyes opened slowly as she let out a coldugh. “I had this meal prepared especially for Lottie. But you, dragging that child away with you, left her behind–and now you have the nerve to eat this meal?”

Genevieve’s face paled, but her resentment red. “I just don’t get it! What’s so great about her? She wants a divorce from my brother, so why is the Howard family acting like we can’t possibly do without her?”

“Genevieve!” Ilse tugged at her daughter, rushing to exin, “Mother, Genevieve just misspoke. She didn’t mean it.”

“Misspoke? I don’t think so. Sounds exactly like something you taught her,” Rosemary shot back.

“Mother, you misunderstand me! I would never-

“And that scheme with the Rayburn family’s eldest son–don’t think I don’t know you masterminded it,” Rosemary’s gaze sharpened. “The Sylvan family is hardly anyone special. When you married into the Howards, did I say a word? And now you’re teaching your daughter to look down on others over family status? Who’s really not good enough for whom?”

“If we’re talking pedigree, the Sylvans are nothingpared to your

b13:00 /b

sister–inw, the Suthends. If I weren’t such an open–minded mother–inw, you wouldn’t have gotten a foot through the Howard family’s door!”

Miranda sipped her tea, not bothering to join in.

Ilse’s face was ashen, her lips pressed tight. Years of suppressed frustration finally broke through. “You’re right. The Sylvans are nobodiespared to the Suthends or the Howards. That’s exactly why I care so much about status and security–I’ve lived through too much unfairness and hardship. Everything I’ve done has been to give my daughter a better life, hoping she could marry well and never have to worry about her future. Is that so wrong?”

Genevieve looked at her mother in shock–this was the first time Ilse had ever dared to talk back to her grandmother.

Rosemary nced at Ilse, her expression unmoved, a wry smile ying

on her lips. “If you truly cared about your daughter, you wouldn’t have taught her to be as ruthless as you. All you’ve done is ruin her

reputation.”