"Go on in. I'm sure Simon would like to meet this old friend of mine." The tall Sean directly lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. Although he wasn't wearing any armor, his upright posture and the austere aura he exuded as he walked made it clear that he was a general who had been on the battlefield for many years.
The gates of the manor were tightly shut, and Quin was the only one accompanying Sean. At this moment, everyone was most likely under the impression that the first prince was still commanding the battle on the southwestern border thousands of kilometers away. No one knew when he had returned to Rodu.
The door was knocked on, and an old servant opened the door. He was appraising the two people outside with a wary expression. He didn't recognize Sean, but he could tell that he was definitely no ordinary person. "Who are you looking for?"
"This is General Simon's manor, right? Just tell him that Sean is here to visit. "Sean raised a hand to stop Quin from speaking, and stepped forward with a hearty smile.
"Alright, please wait here for a moment. I'll report this to Master right away." The old servant nodded upon hearing this before closing the door. He felt like the name Sean was a little familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it before. However, the fact that Sean had mentioned his master's name indicated that he was most likely a friend of his master's from his time in the army. As such, he couldn't afford to be complacent.
"Master, there's a guest outside who calls himself Sean. What do you think?" The old servant went through several courtyards and arrived at the backyard. He saw a bearded man in the garden who was waving a hoe and digging the ground.
"Sean?" The hoe in Simon's hand suddenly stopped. Sweat flowed down his strong bronze chest, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Isn't he a friend of yours?" the old servant asked upon seeing Simon's expression.
"I don't dare to be friends with him. Clandon, tell everyone to go to the backyard. No one is to come to the front yard without my permission." Simon strode out of the garden, and casually placed the hoe in his hand on a nearby tree branch. He wiped his sweat with a towel hanging from a nearby tree branch, then patted the dirt off his pants and shoes before making his way out.
"Yes, but Master, do you want me to serve tea?" The old servant asked again.
"They don't like the tea leaves that we picked ourselves," Simon said with a smile, but there was a hint of mockery in his words.
The door creaked open, and Sean was appraising the engraved image of a flying griffin on the door with a smile as he said, "Simon, I didn't think that you'd have this kind of craftsmanship. This wood carving is really quite good."
"You flatter me, Your Highness. He's just a useless old soldier who has nothing better to do after returning home," Simon said calmly as he looked at Sean.
"Simon, it seems like you still hate me," Sean said as he looked into Simon's eyes.
"I wouldn't dare. Simon is just an ordinary person. How would I dare to hate the Crown Prince?" Simon looked into Sean's eyes, his expression as calm as ever.
"I wouldn't dare. It's not that I don't hate you. I know that all of you who left the military at the same time hate me. You hate me for not being able to save Alex and avenge him." Sean shook his head with an apologetic look on his face, and sighed as he said, "I can't forgive myself for that, either. If I had received the news earlier, and if I had been more vigilant toward danger, he wouldn't have been trapped and died from exhaustion."
"The Great General always says that people are all going to die." Simon's expression didn't change in the slightest upon hearing Sean's words. He had already heard the same thing on more than one occasion.
"Indeed, people are all going to die, and the same goes for you and me." Sean nodded with a forlorn expression, and turned to Simon with a smile as he asked, "What's the matter, Simon? Aren't you going to let me in?"
"If the Crown Prince wants to have a seat, then I naturally wouldn't dare to refuse." Simon opened the door completely and stepped aside.
Sean looked at the flowers and plants in the courtyard with a smile, and said, "I can't bear to see all of you leave like this, but I have to say that all of you made a good choice. Only after leaving the border can you live such a leisurely life. Even I'm a little envious of you."
"Perhaps." Simon looked at the flowers and plants in the courtyard, and clenched his fists.
Sean looked around before turning to Simon, and said, "Looks like we're the only ones here. My objective for coming here is very simple; I want to ask you something."
"Please feel free to ask, Your Highness. I'll tell you everything I know." Simon didn't avert his gaze in the slightest.
Sean looked into Simon's eyes with a serious expression, and asked, "Where were you on the night of that incident?"
Kane was already standing behind Simon, and a cold light flashed through the hand hidden within his sleeve. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared intently at Simon's back.
"I went home to visit my mother's grave. That day was the anniversary of her death," Simon replied in a calm manner, but there was a hint of fury in his eyes.
Sean stared into Simon's eyes with his dark brown eyes, as if he were trying to see something different.
"If I had been beside the Great General at the time, I would've been able to take at least one or two arrows for him. Those shameless bastards deserved to die!" Simon roared as he clenched his fists tightly, and a pained look appeared on his face. His hands were trembling slightly, and he seemed to be doing his best to control his own emotions.
"Indeed, those people deserved to die, and they're all dead now." Sean nodded before withdrawing his gaze from Simon's body. He strode over to a nearby room and gently pushed open the door. There were some completed and semi-completed wooden carvings all over the room, and there was also a pile of untouched wood beside it.
Most of the carvings depicted people, such as knights, magic casters, orcs, demons, elves … There were all types of races, and they were all battling and attacking one another. The carvings were extremely lifelike.
Sean swept his gaze through the wooden carvings one after another, and made his way all the way to the innermost part of the room. He gently touched the largest griffin carving on the shelf, and smiled as he said, "Simon, if His Highness were to know of your abilities, he'd definitely be very fond of you.
"His Highness is the one who's obsessed with wooden carvings; I'm just playing around," Simon replied with a shake of his head.
"Interesting, interesting." Sean laughed heartily before turning to leave. As he did so, he said, "Simon, I've always thought that you were an interesting person, but it looks like you're even more interesting than I imagined. However, there's something that you have to listen to: hiding people is different from hiding things. If you don't hide well, you'll die if you're discovered."
"I don't understand what you're saying, Your Highness." A hint of surprise flashed through Simon's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Looks like I won't even be able to have a sip of tea today. Farewell." Sean didn't offer any explanation. He exited the room and walked straight toward the gate. When he reached the gate, his footsteps faltered, and he looked at the griffin carving on the gate with a smile as he said, "There seems to be someone missing here."
"Farewell, Your Highness." Simon didn't say anything. He bowed in a respectful manner, and looked on as the black horse-drawn carriage departed into the distance. He then turned and entered the gate. The gate slowly closed, and he clenched his fists as he murmured to himself, "Everyone will die, but the general also said that we can't die for no reason …"
"Your Highness, are we going to go back just like that?" Kane turned around with a perplexed look on his face.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
