Chapter 49: Suspicion
Akar’s injuries were not particularly severe.
After all, he hadn’t thrown the Fireball at himself, so the main damage was caused by being too close to the center of the shockwave. Aside from that, there were only some minor burns.
“I understand now how much it hurt when my brother got injured.”
Hearing Akar’s words, Anna’s little tears started falling again, one by one.
Seeing Anna in that state, Akar immediately became flustered again, not knowing how to comfort her at all.
His true intention had been to make Anna feel less guilty and sad, but he didn’t realize that his words only reminded Anna of the current condition of the Soderbell brothers; both situations had stemmed from her.
Yam’s injury had resulted from the duel provoked by Andre’s misconduct towards her, while Akar’s injury had occurred while trying to save her. This led Anna to spiral into even deeper overthinking.
“I’m fine,” Akar sighed lightly.
Then he looked at Anna and, after a moment of hesitation, slowly said, “At first, I was going to save Joshua, but then I unexpectedly discovered a hidden enemy. When I realized something might happen to you, I rushed over immediately.”
Supporting Akar, Anna quietly listened to his words.
“All I knew was that the moment I thought you might be in danger, I became incredibly anxious. So when I arrived and saw someone trying to harm you, I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. The only thought in my mind was to kill them all.”
Anna looked at Akar but said nothing.
Although her disheveled appearance and the smudges on her face slightly masked her stunning beauty, her sapphire-like eyes remained just as dazzling. In fact, with her beauty partially concealed, her eyes only appeared more vivid and captivating.
“But you still got hurt.”
Looking at Akar, who was covered in burn marks and could barely stand, Anna spoke softly.
“But I have no regrets,” Akar smiled faintly.
Even though the act of smiling pulled at his injuries and caused considerable pain, so much so that he could barely control the muscles in his face, he still forced a not-so-pretty smile.
…
At the Marquis’s Estate, watching Yam unable to concentrate on reading and instead pacing back and forth in the front courtyard, Monica, who was also waiting for news, wanted to offer some words of comfort.
Yet she didn’t know what to say, so she awkwardly remarked, “Akar is skilled in ranged archery. With so many Bloodline Users present, it’s not easy for enemies to break through the defenses and reach him.”
“I’m just worried he might lose his judgment,” Yam hesitated before replying.
Monica, however, was a sharp and perceptive person.
She immediately understood what Yam meant and couldn’t help but furrow her brows. “You all know Baron Hess wants Sister Anna to marry my brother Joshua, right?”
“Miss Monica, please rest assured, Akar would never harbor any improper thoughts,” Yam quickly guaranteed.
He had known from the first time he saw Anna half a month ago that a woman like her was never someone Akar could afford to covet.
If Anna weren’t so beautiful, given Akar’s current potential and aptitude, and if they were willing to put aside certain conflicts and prejudices, then with Baron Ster’s support, it might still be possible for Akar to marry her. After all, it wasn’t a secret that her aptitude was lacking, most of the Bloodline Users in Red Eagle Territory already knew, and it was doubtful she’d even reach Second-Tier in the future.
But as the brightest gem of both Gem Territory and Red Eagle Territory, Anna was never someone an average Bloodline User could hope to marry, even with her lacking Bloodline Aptitude.
Because even if only for the sake of "enhancing the bloodline’s appearance," her value was astonishing.
In all of Red Eagle Territory, only the Kasein Family and the Senels Family could be considered worthy.
Yet as the vanguard of the Kasein Family, Baron Hess Billy would never allow his daughter, Anna Billy, to marry into the Senels Family.
Thus, from the beginning, Anna had been destined to marry into the Kasein Family. To be blunt, the Kasein Family’s willingness to have Burton marry Anna from the start was already a clear indication of how much they valued her.
So even after Burton died, there was still Joshua. And even if Joshua were to die, there were still two more of Monica’s brothers who were of marrying age.
And if one didn’t even consider the issue of "appropriate age," the range of choices would be even broader.
Monica merely nodded slightly at Yam’s guarantee, unsure if she truly accepted it.
However, she soon changed the subject, “I heard you’re already engaged?”
“Yes.”
Yam didn’t know what this young lady Monica was planning, but his engagement to Lily wasn’t a secret.
It would spread sooner or later anyway, as Lily bore the surname Bole, she was the daughter of Baron Ster Bole of White Mountain Territory, and the second heir to the White Mountain Territory. So Yam had no reason to hide it.
“She is the daughter of Baron Ster, Lily.”
“Is she pretty?” Monica suddenly asked.
“In my eyes, she is even more beautiful than Miss Anna.” Yam’s face naturally revealed a gentle smile.
Monica hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, “If Sister Anna were to hear that, it’d probably cause quite a bit of trouble.”
Yam was briefly stunned, then shook his head with a soft laugh and said, “Then I’ll have to ask Miss Monica to keep it a secret for me.”
Monica sighed softly in her heart.
She finally understood why she admired Yam so much.
Because he truly was a very clever person.
Ever since she clearly pointed out Anna’s special status, not only did Yam make his stance clear, he also took the opportunity to express that he did not have feelings for Anna, he even deliberately handed her this leverage.
If she wanted to make use of it, then with just what Yam had said earlier, it would be enough to damage the Soderbell Family’s image in Anna’s eyes, or even push them into direct opposition.
Such a clear and decisive stance, as if cutting off one’s own arm, was exactly the kind of action Monica appreciated the most.
Because that was her way of doing things.
And the more she admired Yam, the more Monica realized that Yam was not only intelligent, but his Bloodline Aptitude was also exceptional.
Most outstanding of all was his personal capability,.if the other aspects were merely excellent, then in terms of the comprehensive individual abilities that define talent, he was the best Monica had ever seen. In the entire Red Eagle Territory, aside from herself, only three others could compare to him.
One was Atork Senels, and another was Atork’s older brother, Hales Senels.
As for the third, it was her deceased fourth brother, Burton Kasein.
Regarding Burton’s unexpected death, the Kasein Family was still immersed in grief to this day.
His death meant that the Kasein Marquis Family, which once had a clear future, suddenly became uncertain.
This caused her grandfather, known for being shrewd and cold, to become even more ruthless.
But Monica could understand it.
After all, if the Kasein Family fell, their fate might not be much better than that of the Bourbon Family.
“Looks like Miss Lily must be truly perfect.”
“She has helped me a lot,” Yam gently shook his head. “I’ve sworn a knight’s oath to her.”
“If one day…” Monica had just begun to speak but then shook her head slightly. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”
“Young lady!” A steward suddenly ran over to them. “Miss Anna has returned!”
“Sister Anna is back?!”
Monica let out a joyful gasp and hurriedly ran toward the main gate with the steward.
Yam naturally followed quickly.
But when they arrived and saw clearly who had returned, both Monica’s and Yam’s expressions changed slightly.
…
A middle-aged man with a stern face slowly pulled a long spear out of a corpse that had been pinned to the ground.
He looked at the enemy’s lifeless eyes, then suddenly stomped down, crushing the enemy’s skull.
He turned around and surveyed the battlefield.
Those still standing on the battlefield were all injured to varying degrees, some severely, some lightly.
Although they had managed to kill all five enemy combatants, their side had also suffered greatly.
Out of six people, only four had survived.
The middle-aged man glanced at the young master from the Senels Family. Confirming that his injuries were not severe, he finally relaxed a little. If that young master had died here, then even if they had killed all the enemies, they would likely still face execution.
“This must have been an ambush,” said another middle-aged man of similar age, his right hand limp as he walked over.
“That’s obvious. They lured us here to wipe us all out,” the stern-faced man nodded slightly and said in a low voice.
“But their plan must’ve had some flaws, so the reinforcements that were supposed to show up never did.”
“I’m more worried about the other side,” the man with the limp hand sighed.
“The enemy’s preparations were so meticulous and targeted toward our abilities. They must have been lurking in Red River City for a long time.”
“We can’t worry about that now,” the stern-faced man also sighed. “Is Young Master Joshua alright?”
“He’s only unconscious.”
“That’s a relief,” the man let out a soft sigh. “As long as Young Master Joshua and that eldest son of the Senels Family are unharmed, we are blameless on our side. As for Miss Anna, if something really did happen to her, we’ve already done our best, haven’t we?”
“Hmph, if it weren’t for her bewitching Young Master Joshua, and if he hadn’t insisted on taking her out, would any of this have happened?”
“Say that to me in private if you must, but don’t let anyone else hear it,” the man said sternly in a low voice. “How’s your hand?”
“It’s alright,” the man with the limp hand shook his head slightly. “No major bone damage. I’ll have the physician set the bone after we return. But I’ll need to rest for a while. If something happens again…”
“The Marquis will assign replacements,” the stern-faced man said gravely. “Let’s head back quickly. Be careful in case the enemy has more tricks up their sleeves.”