[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 35

"Did you find out anything about the Duke’s condition?" Genoa asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, except it seems he’s struggling to contain his madness, especially since he even wielded his sword in front of his fiancée," Kasan replied.

"That makes sense," Genoa mused. "If he could have restrained himself, he would have—otherwise, all his efforts to maintain appearances would be wasted."

"And how did the fiancée react?"

"She was terrified, covering her eyes and ears."

"She must have been sold off for money or threatened into compliance," Genoa concluded. "No one in their right mind would stay in that situation otherwise."

"Find out more about the Duke’s condition," Genoa ordered.

"Understood. What about the fiancée?"

"No need to investigate her further," Genoa said. There were no signs pointing to her being a Jueri, which was the primary concern. There were still some uncertainties, but he could deal with those when he met her in person. There was no need to rush.

Kasan bowed and then disappeared.

‘How can I make the Duke bring his fiancée to me?’ Genoa wondered, leaning back in his chair. The Duke rarely came to the capital, avoiding major events. Convincing him to come with his fiancée would be even more challenging.

Genoa rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

*

"By now, the Crown Prince must have realised just how beautiful my bride is," Edwin said with a satisfied smile, leaning back on the sofa in his study.

"If he could report it in that condition, the message should have been clear," Beryl replied, standing at attention in front of him.

The conversation they’d had during the outing while buying cotton candy had been about Raven. They’d spotted the group trailing them and followed orders to leave just one survivor to return with the report.

"Well done," Edwin praised.

"How did you know the Ravens would change their tactics?" Beryl asked, still puzzled.

"I didn’t."

"What? Then how did you...?" Beryl's eyes widened in confusion.

"We needed to let one of them escape, and it had to look like they barely made it out. So I set up multiple layers of ambushes," Edwin explained casually, as if it were nothing more than a stroke of luck.

Beryl’s expression turned bewildered as he processed this.

"And what about the Ravens' movements now?" Edwin asked.

"They’ve reduced the number of spies. Their attempts to infiltrate the Duke’s manor have also significantly decreased," Beryl reported.

"It seems they’ve dropped their suspicions about my bride," Edwin said.

"They must have been curious after you suddenly announced your engagement," Seth added, speaking in a calm, emotionless tone as he quietly observed the conversation.

"That’s why I decided to show her off," Edwin replied.

He had anticipated that the royal family would take an interest once the engagement was announced. As expected, Raven had made a move, and Edwin had planned the outing accordingly. The sooner he could dispel their suspicions, the safer Angelina would be.

"It wouldn’t do for my bride to live in fear because of the Ravens," Edwin said.

As the ruler of the West, Edwin believed that his bride should be the top predator, no matter where she was. No one should be allowed to threaten or frighten her—not even the royal family. Everyone else should bow and lower their gaze, not his bride.

'My bride should be free to do whatever she wants,' Edwin thought. He had the power to make that a reality, and that was a matter of pride for Edwin Crawford. He couldn’t tolerate his bride living in fear or having her movements restricted because of the royal family.

"You’re absolutely right. Hiding and avoiding conflict isn’t the Crawford way," Seth agreed, nodding vigorously, his expression mirroring his master's.

Beryl nodded in agreement as well.

As Seth had said, hiding and running away wasn’t in the Crawford blood. Even if they got hurt, they would confront their enemies head-on and break them. That was why, even knowing that Angelina was scared, Edwin had pushed her to face her fears.

He wanted to show her that as long as he was with her, there was no need to fear. Without confronting her fears now, she might never overcome them. Fortunately, despite trembling, Angelina had straightened her back and faced Raven head-on. Edwin had found her bravery endearing—so much so that, had it not been for dealing with Raven, he would have immediately hugged her and patted her head.

"It should be quiet for a while. They likely won’t suspect Madam of being a Jueri," Beryl commented.

"Perhaps. But the Crown Prince is a suspicious man. I doubt he’s fully dismissed his doubts," Edwin replied.

"I’ll keep a close watch on Raven’s activities," Beryl responded quickly. Edwin nodded in agreement.

"Seth, find out what the Crown Prince has been up to lately. He’s probably thinking that something’s wrong with me, and he won’t sit idly by," Edwin said, smirking at the thought. "With that dull mind of his, that’s the most logical conclusion he could draw. I’ve been acting like an even crazier maniac to lead him to that assumption."

"I’ll inform Huey," Seth replied.

"Have you discovered anything about Angelina’s past?" Edwin asked.

"Nothing yet. No trace of a child appearing around the Muhas Desert 15 years ago," Seth reported.

"Hmm," Edwin mused, crossing his legs and leaning back into his chair. *Where was my bride all this time?* If Shark couldn’t find anything, Raven wouldn’t either. That was somewhat reassuring, but it was still best to be certain.