Chapter 160 Marley
Pablo stood with his hands behind his back, his expression heavy. “Why do you ask, Princess?”
“I can sense it–something happened to Oliver, hasn’t it?” Princess Aveline inquired.
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She knew exactly what kind of duties Oliver had been assigned, where he had gone. Doug had rushed off to Zloimond a few days ago, and since then, there had been no news from Oliver. Even at the North Camp, there had been increased military activity–intensive drills. The only logical explanation was that the court was planning some sort of operation against Zloimond,
With external threats just starting to ease, the King was certainly reluctant to risk civil war. If it weren’t urgent, no one would dare speak of war so lightly. Something had to have happened–otherwise, Doug wouldn’t have been sent to Zloimond.
And there was another point: Pablo truly admired Isolde, and he genuinely regarded Oliver as his own son. When someone had suggested that Oliver marry Isolde, Pablo had hesitated.
Princess Aveline, always sharper than most, had noticed his pause. Even the Queen Mother had once praised her keen intelligence, which was why she had been granted the title of Princess despite her commoner background and had risen through the ranks of the court.
Pablo sighed deeply, his brow furrowed in concern. “It seems nothing escapes the Princess’s attention. You are right. Something has happened to Oliver.”
“What happened?” Princess Aveline held her breath, her heart racing.
Pablo, standing beneath a flowering Judas tree, felt the yellow leaves flutter down onto his shoulder. He gently brushed them away before speaking again, his voice heavy. “Do you remember many years ago, when the Argentum River embankment collapsed and a great flood followed? You used sulfur and saltpeter to make gunpowder, and the Prince Regent took your explosives to destroy the lower dam to divert the floodwaters. That event shocked the kingdom, and you were honored by the Queen Mother with the title of Princess Aveline. Do you remember?”
Princess Aveline nodded, her eyes clear with the memory. “I remember well. The details of that day are vivid in my mind.”
Pablo nodded gravely. “It was after that, you see. The knowledge of gunpowder didn’t end with fireworks. Some people learned to replicate your methods and stockpiled it, planning to incite rebellion. The King received confidential reports and sent Oliver to Zloimond to investigate the weapons cache. He found it, but he was betrayed by an insider. Oliver had no choice but to act swiftly and destroy the weapon storage. The cache was destroyed, but Oliver didn’t come out.”
Princess Aveline’s body went cold. “Pablo, are you saying… Oliver sacrificed himself?”
Pablo let out another long sigh. “Doug didn’t find Oliver’s body. Only Darien came back with his life, but he was severely wounded and later died.”
“So the details of that explosion… no one knows what happened?” Princess Aveline felt a deep ache in her chest. How could this be? How could Oliver be lost without anyone knowing?
Pablo shook his head. “No one knows. The King had given Oliver the task of locating the source of the gunpowder and destroying it, using the method the Queen Mother had advised. But unfortunately, the news leaked, and Oliver and his team were surrounded and attacked. They had no choice but to destroy the weapons cache. The explosion was so powerful, the mountain itself was obliterated. I’ve heard reports that the entire mountain was leveled.”
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Chapter 160 Marley
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Princess Aveline’s heart sank. She knew exactly the power of gunpowder–even rudimentary gunpowder, if crafted with the precision she had once used, could unleash devastation. No one inside the blast radion could have possibly survived.
“Oliver’s death has not been made public yet,” Pablo added, his voice tight with emotion. I beg you, Princess, keep this secret.”
Princess Aveline’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded. “I understand.”
A civil conflict must not leak out. The external threats had only just subsided. The army was exhausted, foo supplies were running low. If word got out that there was internal unrest, another foreign attack could crush the Eryndral Empire before they even had time to recover. What appeared to be an age of peace was, in reality, a powder keg ready to explode.
“No wonder you didn’t agree to the idea of Isolde marrying Oliver,” Princess Aveline murmured. “It’s a shame. These two children would have been such a perfect match.”
Meanwhile, Isolde had gone to Ryker’s house today. The small courtyard with three main buildings was considered a wealthy household by Argentum’s standards. Marley sat quietly in the yard, wearing a grey gown, her hair streaked with grey. She was sewing shoes, using long, thick needles and fine silk thread. Her hands were nimble, moving with the grace of a butterfly as she swiftly worked.
When she saw someone approach, she lifted her head. Her eyes were calm, and her face wore a serene expression. Upon seeing Isolde, she smiled and said, “Mrs. Langley, the shoes will be ready soon. How are you today?”
Marley’s voice was clear, neither hoarse nor mad, but she called Isolde “Mrs. Langley,” which indicated some confusion in her memory.
Isolde stared at Ryker in shock. “You said she can’t speak?”
Ryker, equally stunned, replied, “Yes. Doctors have seen her several times, and they say she was poisoned— poisoned to the point of losing her voice. She hasn’t spoken a word since I brought her back. If you don’t believe me, I can call the doctor to confirm.”
Isolde waved her hand, then slowly approached Marley. Her gaze softened. Despite the weathered lines on Marley’s face, her features were gentle, and there was no sign of disarray in her hair or skin. She looked well cared for.
“Marley,” Isolde called, her voice full of emotion and complexity. The woman before her had served Prunella for many years and knew everything about her.
Marley smiled at her. “Mrs. Langley, has Geoffrey still not come back? I haven’t seen him return in these days.”
“He hasn’t returned. But as long as you’re here, I’m content.” Isolde sat down, gazing at Marley. She could see that Marley had been well taken care of—her hair smooth and neat, her complexion rosy and healthy.
Marley set her needle and thread aside and looked at Isolde with a fond smile. “You’ve become even more beautiful, you know. You’re aging so well.”
Isolde chuckled softly, “You’re not old yourself, Marley.”
“Don’t worry. Geoffrey will return victorious. When he comes back, the baby will be born, and you will be very happy,” Marley said, her voice warm with reassurance.
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Chapter 160 Marley
“A boy, perhaps?” Isolde said with a smile.
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“Always a girl, you say. But whatever it is, it will be your child, and Geoffrey will love it to the bone, Marley said kindly.
Tears welled in Isolde’s eyes. “Have I always said it would be a girl?”
“Of course you did! You’ve been saying it was a girl ever since you first carried the baby, I could tell from looking at your belly…”
Marley’s gaze fell to Isolde’s abdomen, and her expression froze. She seemed startled. “Your belly…?” she asked, her voice faltering. Her eyes widened in panic, and she reached out, as if trying to touch folde’s
stomach.
Isolde quickly grasped her hand, gently pulling it away. “Marley, the baby has already been born. Just as I said–it was a girl.”
“Really? She’s born?” Marley looked utterly confused. “How did I not know?”
Esme, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward to help explain. “Marley, don’t you remember? You were ill for a while. During your illness, Mrs. Langley gave birth to the child.”
“Ill? I was sick?” Marley’s expression became blank as her confusion deepened. “What illness did I have? Mrs. Langley gave birth? It was a girl? Geoffrey is back yet? Is he still not back? What illness did I have?”
Her words became more disjointed, her eyes starting to lose focus as she descended into madness.
Esme gently tried to comfort her, but Isolde pulled Ryker aside, asking in a low voice, “What did the doctor say?”
Ryker sighed. “The doctor said Marley experienced a great deal of emotional trauma, which caused her to lose some of her memories. She still hasn’t fully recovered from the poison. The reason she couldn’t speak was because of the poison, but now, somehow, she has started speaking again.”
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