For the past few weeks, Carol has visited several places in search of the remains of the Duclan family mbers. Many mbers of the family were not executed by the imperial family at the ti because they successfully escaped. Among them are elders and high-ranking commanders who remain loyal to the Duclan family and can only lant their fate that night.
Since then, these individuals have gone into hiding, not only from the Larson and imperial families but also from public attention. The Duclan na, once a source of pride, has been sared by accusations, forcing them to conceal their identity as mbers of the family. Branded as traitors since that day, they are no longer seen as a respectable noble household.
They are the ones who believe that their family was betrayed by the Larson family. They all know there is no way Duke Duclan would have betrayed the empire by aiding the devils. For the Larsons to stab them in the back after they moved closer to Duclan family only proves that this betrayal was planned all along.
That’s why, when the young miss they thought had died that night suddenly returned with the hope of revenge, they imdiately joined her. She is the last descendant and the final bloodline of the Duclan family. If she seeks revenge, they will gladly assist her. They are grateful for her return, as they have longed for vengeance but lacked the power and connections to act on it.
She returned with a plan and enough resources to strike down the Larson family. She inford them that she had an ally whose goals aligned with theirs.
"Alright, we successfully completed our mission today. We will continue our operation tomorrow. Although I’ve warned you many tis, I will say it again—rember to be cautious when moving around. Don’t let the Larsons catch you. If you suspect that those bastards are onto your trail, head straight to the ambush point. Is that clear?"
"Yes, milady!" the people in the room responded in unison.
After that, everyone left the room except for Carol. She closed her eyes as if intending to take a nap. However, the door opened again, and she imdiately opened her eyes. Standing before her was a man in a black robe—Ghulani, a forr mber of the Larson family’s intelligence organization.
Aldrian had sent Ghulani to assist Carol with intelligence matters. His presence made operations within the Larson Grand Duchy far easier than anyone had initially anticipated. However, many were skeptical of the man’s integrity and true intentions when they learned his identity. Soone who had once been part of the Larson intelligence organization was, understandably, a red flag. They were reluctant to place their trust in him too quickly.
Carol shared the sa concerns as her family’s mber, but she knew that Aldrian wouldn’t have allowed this man to join them without good reason, especially considering his ties to the Larson family. Aldrian must have recognized Ghulani’s value and ensured there was so form of guarantee preventing him from betraying them.
After observing the man’s performance over the past week, Carol had to admit that all of his information was accurate, significantly simplifying their operations. It could be said that the success of their missions to expose the devils’ positions within the Larson Grand Duchy was largely due to Ghulani’s intelligence.
Because of this, Ghulani gradually earned the trust of the Duclan family. Carol, too, made an effort to trust him, though she remained cautious, keeping her guard up in case he had a change of heart.
"I’ve already placed ’that’ thing in the secret passage. It will activate instantly once you break this talisman," Ghulani said as he took a talisman from his storage ring and handed it to Carol. She accepted it with a nod.
"I also have information that Young Master Clark will be visiting the entertainnt district tonight. From the looks of it, he’s planning to visit the Flower’s Fragrant Brothel. If he goes there, I can assu he’ll try to et his favorite woman, Elis. She’s one of the people closest to Young Master Clark."
Upon hearing Ghulani’s words, a cold gleam flickered in Carol’s eyes. Clark Larson—the man she once believed she could trust—had proven to be a snake who destroyed her family. He was one of her primary targets for revenge.
"If we want to capture him, you’ll need to bring elders with cultivation at the Duke stage. Young Master Clark will be accompanied by his personal guardian, who has a High Duke stage cultivation," Ghulani advised.
Carol nodded and rose from her seat. She patted Ghulani’s shoulder briefly.
"Thank you," she said before walking past him. "Let’s go. Now that he’s finally out in the open, we’ll take this chance to capture him."
With that, they left the room, leaving the dark space behind in silence.
-----------------------------------
Ti passed quickly, and night finally fell. Larson City, like many other cities, was vibrant with activity. Despite the Larson family being plagued by rumors and their reputation hitting an all-ti low, the lives of the common people in the city remained largely unaffected. They went about their routines without much concern.
At a food stall along one of the main roads, custors gathered to buy grilled at—a local favorite. Among them was a young man with long black hair and a handso face, seated at one of the tables. He appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the food before him.
Although there was nothing particularly conspicuous about him aside from his handso face, his way of eating was refined, like that of a noble with graceful movents.
With each bite, his serene, handso face nodded in satisfaction as he closed his eyes.
"Truly good at," he thought. "It’s so tender, and the seasoning is perfectly absorbed. No wonder this food stall is famous."
"This piece of at is even more delicious than so dishes from the imperial palace. Maybe I should ask the owner for the recipe. Loraine would surely like this."
Unbeknownst to those around him, the man was, in fact, one of the most famous individuals in the empire—the one and only son of Emperor Herman Avandi. He was none other than Prince Claude Avandi.
On his father’s orders, he was sent here to investigate the problems surrounding the Larson family. The rumors of their involvent with the devils and their activities within the empire were a serious matter, and the imperial family had deed it a top priority to address.
In disguise, he set out to uncover the truth about what had happened to the Larson family.
As the prince of the empire, he had many connections, and in this place, several informants were aiding him. He had received tons of information, and from his perspective, it seed the Larsons indeed had so connection to the devils. However, he needed more solid evidence to support his theory before making any judgnts.
A few minutes later, he spotted soone on the street—a young man followed by a Duke-stage cultivator acting as his guardian. As soon as he saw the young man, he pretended not to notice him, but his senses remained locked onto him. This was the target for tonight’s observation: the young master of the Larson family.
Although the young man was handso and carried an undeniable charisma, the way the people looked at him was far from respectful. They were more afraid than anything else, silently stepping aside and not daring to et his gaze. Since the rumors linking the Larson family to the devils began to spread, the young master’s personality had undergone a sharp change.
Many had once thought that young master Clark was a man of elegance and serenity. However, all of that changed a few days ago when he killed several people in broad daylight simply because they were gossiping about the Larson family. Since then, many have been afraid of him. After all, the Larson family is still a prominent noble house and the true sovereign of this territory.
Clark paid no attention to his surroundings as he walked with a smile towards the entertainnt district. Once Clark had moved quite a distance away, Claude decided to follow him.
However, before he could rise from his seat, he sensed a few presences whose movents seed suspicious to him. From their actions and direction, it appeared they were following the young master of the Larson family.
Their gestures and movents indicated they were not from the Larson family, and the most noticeable thing was...
"There’s killing intent." Although these individuals tried to hide their killing intent, Claude could still sense the faint traces of it emanating from so of them, even while seated.
"Six on the rooftops, six blending with the crowd, three at the duke stage, and the rest are marquess and earl stages." It was a formidable composition for a group that seed to harbor ill intent toward the young master of the Larson family.
Intrigued by this sudden developnt, Claude let them pass first before finally standing up and starting to follow them. He wondered what the identities of these people were, who dared to harbor intent to harm the young master of the Larson family.
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