CHAPTER 344: ASKING FOR CUSTODY OF ELIZA

Knock!

"Father, it’s me, your most devoted son. May I come in? There’s something important I want to discuss with you!"

Outside Ragan’s study, Nolan called out loudly, then stepped back to wait for his father’s response.

In his arms, Eliza looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Brother, I’m confused about something," she said. "Why do you always call Father ’Old Man’? Is there a reason behind it?"

For as long as she could remember, she had never understood this. Whether it was Aldric, Cedric, Adalen, Zarak, Cassian, or her sisters, they all called their father "Father."

Their tone was always polite and respectful. But Brother Nolan was different.

He was casual, reckless, and even disrespectful toward their father—calling him "old man" without hesitation.

Wasn’t that completely rude?

Nolan blinked in mild surprise at her question but quickly regained his composure.

He gently pinched her chubby cheek and replied with a grin, "Our father is an old man, so it’s only natural that I call him that, right? Well, I know my attitude is rude, so don’t follow my example, okay?"

Although still puzzled, Eliza didn’t ask any more questions and simply gave a small nod.

"Good!" Nolan smiled smugly as he rubbed her head. "However..."

He glanced left and right, as if to make sure no one was around, then lowered his voice. "If you want, you can also call him old man. That would be—"

"You damn kid! Don’t teach your sister to be like you!"

A loud voice erupted from behind the door, and it swung open with a slam.

Both Nolan and Eliza jumped in shock and took a few steps back.

When they saw Ragan standing there, they let out a sigh of relief.

"Ahem! Father, what do you mean? How could I ever teach Eliza bad things?" Nolan put on his most innocent face. "Isn’t that right, Eliza?"

He gave her a quick wink, and the little girl immediately caught on.

"Yes, Father. My brother didn’t teach me bad things," she said, nodding like a little chick.

But of course, Ragan wasn’t so easily fooled.

He pulled Eliza from Nolan’s arms and carried her up.

With a stern expression, he said, "Never accept anything from your foolish brother. Otherwise, you’ll turn into a disobedient child like him. I don’t want that. Understand?"

Eliza felt sad seeing her beloved brother being scolded, but Ragan’s gaze was so sharp that she didn’t dare to argue.

"I... understand," she murmured softly.

Nolan: "..."

He had thought of himself as a dutiful son, but apparently, in his father’s eyes, he was nothing more than a disobedient one.

Wasn’t that harsh?

But... well, his behavior toward his father had been a little excessive, so he couldn’t argue.

"So, what’s the reason for bringing Eliza here?" Ragan asked coldly.

Every time this kid appeared, trouble seemed to follow.

Unaware that his father saw him as a bringer of bad luck, Nolan wore a casual expression and said, "There’s something important I want to discuss—something about Eliza’s future. But first, could we go inside? I’m not comfortable with anyone else overhearing."

Ragan studied his face but saw nothing unusual.

With a small nod, he turned and walked inside, holding Eliza in his arms.

Nolan followed, closed the door, locked it, and walked toward the chair in front of the desk.

Once they were seated, Ragan placed Eliza on his lap and regarded Nolan coolly.

"Go ahead. What do you want to talk about?"

Although his tone was indifferent, a flicker of curiosity lit his eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen his foolish son take anything so seriously.

It was all because Nolan had always been frivolous and never serious in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Nolan looked his father squarely in the eyes and said, "Can you give my mother custody of Eliza?"

Ragan was taken aback.

"Custody, you say? What are you planning?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Since the death of his first wife, custody of Eliza had been given to his second wife, Cassandra—a decision made after careful consideration.

Cassandra was intelligent and capable. Ragan had hoped that under her care, Eliza would grow up well and become like Cedric.

Unfortunately, those hopes were too high. Cassandra never openly expressed hatred for Eliza, but her actions made it clear she didn’t like her.

Ragan could do little about it. He was constantly busy and barely had time for his own child.

Now, Nolan suddenly brought up something so unexpected that Ragan began to suspect the boy was hiding something.

"Father, you’re being too suspicious. Do you think I would harm my own sister?" Nolan sighed deeply. "As you know, Eliza is not suited to being raised by Mother Cassandra. The prime minister’s family values men too highly and looks down on women. I’m sure you understand that better than anyone."

His words left Ragan momentarily silent, lost in thought. But before he could ponder further, Nolan continued.

"So, there’s no point in keeping Eliza with Mother Cassandra, right? Coincidentally, my mother is free and bored. Let her take care of Eliza. At least she’s far better at raising children than Mother Cassandra. And..."

Nolan pointed to himself proudly. "You can see the result of her upbringing—me. Aren’t I a devoted child? Why make Eliza clever and cunning like that bespectacled man? It’s better to have a dutiful child like me, isn’t it? Isn’t that right, Eliza?"

Though confused, Eliza felt her brother must be thinking about her future, so she nodded without hesitation.

"Um! What Brother Nolan said is absolutely right!" she exclaimed, clenching her tiny fists.

Ragan: "..."

The reasoning initially sounded convincing, but the moment the boy called himself a dutiful child, Ragan’s admiration evaporated.

One Nolan was already enough to make him dizzy—what would it be like if there were two?

Of course, he knew Nolan’s behavior wasn’t due to Isabella’s poor upbringing; the boy had been an anomaly from the start.

The proof was clear in Elina, who had grown into an exceptional girl.

Shaking off his thoughts, Ragan fell silent for a moment before speaking in a serious tone.

"You bring this matter to me out of the blue, which makes me suspect you have plans for Eliza. Tell me—what exactly do you intend to do? If it’s something good, I’ll consider it."

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A/N: Free code 10 fPs for the first ten people: ABDHYEZSABCFLH48A