Chapter 83: Bring Forth the Plan
The Duke imdiately made his way to his study, his steps were angry and quick. The sight of those children irritated him. He knew what their presence ant.
The Duke sat at his grand mahogany desk, fingers drumming anxiously against the surface. He looked at the various papers scattered on the desk.
Most of it was the estate’s expenses while the others were invitations to social gatherings. His hand balled into a fist and slamd against the table.
All the truly significant docunts: the business contracts, the records of the Duchy’s finances, were all locked away, safely guarded by his wife, the Duchess. She trusted him with nothing. She always locks her study whenever she leaves.
And all he gets are these petty expenses. He knew his position in the Duchy. He was a glorified ’trophy husband’ wasn’t he? She never let him touch anything important.
She had left him in the dark about the arrival of the two children. What was she thinking, bringing them here without consulting him?
She was getting more and more bold. He felt no remorse for doing what he did. The gears in his mind turned as he ca up with a plan.
The implications were clear: the Duchess wanted to adopt the boy, Dimitri, and if she did that, it would cent her authority further. He could feel the walls closing in around him.
A sense of dread overca him. What if she chose that boy as the heir to the Duchy? Why else would she personally train him? This was an evaluation, wasn’t it?
He felt reduced to a re pawn in his wife’s ga. He hated feeling this way... Secondary, powerless, sidelined in his own ho.
Fueled by a mix of rage and desperation, he leaned back in his chair, his mind racing through options.
He had been biding his ti, playing the dutiful husband while secretly building a plan of his own. He would bring his son into the house.
But she just had to ruin everything! His heart raced as he thought about the boy, the child he had kept hidden away at the orphanage he financially supported.
For five years, he had carefully orchestrated everything... Ensuring the boy’s existence remained a secret, away from the prying eyes of the duchy’s nobility.
For years, he had kept the boy hidden, raising him quietly in an orphanage he funded in a faraway town. The orphanage provided a perfect cover, allowing him to support the child without attracting attention.
He stood abruptly and started pacing the room.
It was ti to solidify his position. He needed to send word to the orphanage, to assess the situation and prepare for the boy’s arrival.
Imdiately he picked up an empty scroll and started writing. He needed to send word to the orphanage, to assess the situation and prepare for the boy’s arrival.
He wrote to the head of the orphanage, asking for updates on the children he sponsored. But his true intentions will be hidden beneath.
Once he finished the letter, he flipped it over, ready to inscribe a more personal ssage ant only for his son. He carefully wrote the details of his plan, how to act, and what to expect.
The hidden ink he used would only reveal itself when heated. Only his son would know what to do with it.
"Wait for my signal," he wrote, knowing that his son would need to be ready for the life that awaited him. "You will be coming to live with us soon. Follow my instructions carefully."
With each stroke of the quill, he felt a sense of power swell within him. He would not be left in the shadows any longer.
Once the letter was finished, he sealed it with his insignia, confident in the sche he had set in motion.
After handing the letter off to a trusted ssenger, he returned to his desk. He kept telling himself that he wasn’t rushing. He had to do this... He took a deep breath and whispered, ’My son will be the heir.’
Why was he so obsessed with this? Because he wanted power. This Duchy was his wife’s not his. Everything was his wife’s, what did he have to call his?
If his son beca the heir, the power would be in his hands.
He would stop at nothing to secure the future he desired. After all, in the ga of power, the stakes were high, and he intended to win.
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"C’mon, you gotta give
sothing!" Adeline pleaded.
"No." The Goddess replied. She reclined into her chair and relaxed as Adeline kept begging.
"Whyyyy, Pleaseeeee!" Adeline drew out the word, her tone bordering on whiny.
"I already gave you healing powers!" The Goddess sighed. This child was interrupting her while she was sunbathing. Why can’t she get so ti to herself? No wonder people don’t want kids.
"OK, BUT THAT’S USELESS!"
If Adeline could see the Goddess she would she was giving her the stink eye. How dare this child call healing powers useless?!
Hearing nothing from the Goddess, Adeline coughed nervously. "See, I didn’t an to say that it was useless useless. I just ant that I can’t protect myself with it."
"Sure you can! Whenever soone injures you, just heal yourself." Said the Goddess with enthusiasm. It was just that easy, soone stabs you? Heal yourself. It was such a great power.
"Do you want
to curse at you?" Adeline put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. Just what was this Goddess talking about?!
"No... But what do you even want from ?!"
Adeline cleared her throat, "I just want sothing that can help
protect myself! And the people around ! Healing powers are good but they can’t help
when I’m cornered by soone who wants to hurt ! Especially here, who knows what the Duke might do?"
The Goddess sighed deeply. What she said was kind of true. She had to agree if bad people cornered this child, she wouldn’t be able to fight against them. She was in a pretty vulnerable position.
"Look, I can’t give you more powers, I am not powerful enough to just do anything I want." She removed her sunglasses and shrugged.
"But... YOU’RE A GODDESS."
"AGAIN, a Goddess can have her limitations okay?!" This child didn’t keep having to remind her that she barely qualified to be a Goddess. She shed so invisible tears.
Adeline rolled her eyes.
"Don’t you roll your eyes at ! You have healing magic so you can’t use offensive magic but, you have an infinity of it! Use it as you wish! Make a shield out of pure holy power! The possibilities are endless!"
Adeline was still annoyed but she stopped bugging the Goddess. She tried to do what the Goddess told her.
She concentrated her power into a single dot, it slowly grew larger and larger until it beca a big circle. She opened her eyes and looked at it.
"It kinda looks solid enough... It’s light..." Adeline smiled to herself, get it? Because it doesn’t weigh a lot and it shines like light... Haha...
The possibilities were indeed endless. Adeline got to work, her imagination was her only limitation. Ti to try out stuff!
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