CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 158: FATHER AND DAUGHTER

The banquet had ended long ago, guests had dispersed, leaving behind plates and goblets that servants had already cleaned up.

From the slightly ajar room came a woman’s coquettish laughter.

"It tickles, Damian."

The girl’s face was flushed, expressing her affection in a voice soft to the extreme to the young man who was touching her all over. The girl proactively wrapped her arms around Damian’s neck, allowing herself to fall onto the bed with him, as he buried his face into her bosom.

As the youngest daughter of Prince Freeman, she understood from a young age that to get what she wanted, she needed to fight for it herself.

When she witnessed a scene at the banquet, she knew her opportunity had come.

She had stayed after the guests left, found the sullen Second Prince, gently comforting him, expressing her admiration and affection for him, both of them drinking a lot, until now.

Just as the two were about to take things further, a woman with an angry face pushed open the door.

"Damian, come out."

Seeing this, the girl’s face froze, she quickly and frantically got up, respectfully greeting the newcomer, "Her Majesty the Queen!"

Under the Queen’s authoritative scrutiny, she tightened the ceremonial gown on her body and left with small steps and a bowed head.

Reeking of alcohol, Damian, groggy and unhappy, lifted his body in a dismissive manner and responded, "What is it, Mother?"

"Why didn’t you consult me beforehand about your engagement to Ave?"

"Don’t you agree with it?"

Damian countered instead of answering, "Didn’t you marry Father the same way?"

"You—!"

The Queen stared at Damian incredulously, the words failing to come out momentarily; disappointed utterly in this son, for every other heir refused to compromise with the Church, yet only Damian, accepting the Pope’s olive branch from the start, and now, going on and deciding on an engagement with Ave.

"Your era is over."

Damian no longer wished to hear nagging, impatiently saying, "I’ll handle everything, you can enjoy your twilight years."

He saluted the Queen and chased after her right before her eyes.

The sound coming from the staircase made her hands and feet cold.

"Eh? Damian, isn’t this bad? The Queen—"

"Mother has agreed, follow me."

"Really? Has The Queen truly agreed?"

The conversation gradually moved away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Meanwhile, Margaret Family Mansion, as Ave returned from her secret gathering place, the tall silhouette, unsurprisingly, stood by the ground floor window, his back facing Ave, looking out the window, yet allowing her to see him first.

The servants tactfully went off to another villa, leaving the mansion to this father-daughter reunion.

"Father."

Ave moved forward, she could see her father was very unhappy today.

However, the relationship between the two had always been strained, she was never a dutiful daughter, when Teacher Gretchen died, she coldly waged a silent battle with her father for a long time, she hoped the Clan would aid her instructor during imprisonment but was met with her father’s firm refusal, ignoring family arrangements post-graduation from the Enlightenment Society, she went alone to the Empire border.

"You should understand the meaning of political marriage."

Father maintained his stern tone, stating facts without looking back, "You may not like him, feel emotional towards him, even have many lovers after that, but you need to fulfill the duties as the Margaret Clan heir."

"Are you referring to marrying into royalty?"

Ave’s temper flared, her attitude could even be described as rebellious, returned home the first day, again inevitably preached to, she initially left home in anger, not liking the atmosphere here.

"No, it’s about learning how to survive in the Imperial Capital, and getting engaged with Damian is the simplest way."

"Under this logic, wouldn’t you have done the same back then?"

"Yes, Ave, that’s because I was much luckier, I had a great sister."

The man said, "If you want to walk the same path as me, prepare to pay a higher price, do you have such resolve?"

He turned around, for the first time privately facing her father directly since Ave returned to the Imperial Capital, the chiseled face showed no extra emotion, in her memory, father always had the same expression, even... while using a knife to cut her best friend, those cold eyes never showed a moment of hesitation.

"According to Margaret Clan tradition, I should have had more than two legitimate offspring, selecting the most suitable heir among them, but your mother, she passed away the night you were born."

"Are you blaming me for leaving you with no choice?"

Ave stared back unyieldingly, two years ago she chose to escape, now she faces her fate as Margaret Clan heir head-on.

"I never regretted it."

The man stepped towards her, raised his wrist, a spike-laden cable extended from below his wrist, Ave didn’t retreat a step, letting the spikes pierce into her back neck, "You need to know what you’ll face next."

Countless flashing fragments surged into Ave’s mind within a moment.

This was also her first time such closely confronting her mother, seemingly reaching out to touch her, prior to this, her father never mentioned past experiences with her mother.