Chapter 311: The truth
"Hurry and bring him to the bed!" the man shouted as the butler hurried forward, carrying the bloodied young man before carefully laying him down as fast as he could.
The young man was covered in injuries. Blood streamed down from a severe wound on his head, one of his eyes was badly bruised, and several deep gashes stretched across his chest and stomach.
His face had turned deathly pale, and every breath left him in a strained drag.
Low groans escaped his lips as he writhed in constant agony, wishing for death more than anything else in that moment.
The pain was unbearable.
Even strangers would have pitied the sight before them.
Then what about the woman who gave birth to him?
His mother.
The moment she entered the room, her eyes were already glistening with tears. But the instant her gaze landed on the bloodied figure lying on the bed, her breathing froze.
Her face lost all color.
Her body turned rigid.
"My lady!" a maid cried out before rushing forward to catch the woman before she collapsed onto the floor.
Everyone in the room turned toward them.
And one man in particular, who had already been drowning in worry, felt his heart shrink painfully at the sight.
For a moment, Carter’s mind went completely blank.
"My Lord," someone from the side carefully spoke, "...young master will survive. Please take care of the lady first."
Carter slowly lifted his eyes, clarity gradually returning to them as he looked back at his son.
The healer had already treated the wounds, but his younger son had lost too much blood. It would take time before he regained consciousness.
Slowly rising from beside the bed, Carter approached his wife.
She had fainted.
Tears still streaked her face, and even unconscious, her expression remained filled with fear and grief.
Carter carefully pulled her into his arms before walking past the maid and leaving the room.
His mind felt hollow.
Perhaps for the first time in many years, Carter could no longer properly comprehend what was happening to his life.
For the past few days, their family had been placed under intense surveillance.
Carter was being summoned to the royal court repeatedly, pressured again and again to reveal William’s location while being subtly threatened about what could happen if he continued to stay silent.
If it had remained limited to that, Carter would have simply scoffed and continued with his days as usual.
If endless travel and hearing lectures from arrogant nobles were the price he had to pay to keep his eldest son safe and happy, then Carter was fully prepared to live like that for the rest of his life.
But now, his family was getting dragged into this.
Normally, they already had to live under constant surveillance whenever they stepped outside the house, and they could be summoned for questioning at any hour of the day.
But today... things had crossed a line Carter could no longer tolerate.
His younger son had gone out with a friend, and after growing frustrated with the guards tailing him everywhere, he confronted them.
Things escalated.
And he ended up like this.
*Clench*
Carter’s fist tightened.
Looking at his unconscious wife lying helplessly on the bed, he gritted his teeth.
That was it.
He had endured enough.
{And what exactly are you going to do? Destroy the nation?}
A voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, instantly crushing his anger beneath a wave of shock.
"W-Will—"
{Don’t say my name. Act normal. You can talk to me through your thoughts.}
The warning came immediately.
Carter’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Someone was watching him even now?
Frowning, he slowly moved away from the bed and stopped near the window.
’Why are you contacting me? This could jeopardize your safety,’ Carter scolded him inwardly, though the moment he heard his son’s voice, the first thing he truly felt was relief.
William sounded safe.
{Don’t worry. No one will know about this... well, for now.}
Carter immediately questioned him. ’What do you mean by that?’
{Father... remember when you remarried? I was furious with you back then, and you were willing to do anything just to earn my forgiveness. I am giving you that chance now.}
Carter was left baffled by those words.
It was true. Back then, he had been desperate to mend their relationship.
But what did that possibly have to do with their current situation?
’William... I don’t understand—’
{I want you to reveal my location to the authorities.}
"!!!"
Carter’s eyes widened in complete shock.
’What are you even saying?!’
The very idea sounded absurd.
William had somehow managed to conceal his existence and escape far away from this entire mess.
And now, he was asking Carter himself to ruin that safety?
{Listen to me carefully. As things stand right now, the King still has faith in you. It is the ministers surrounding him who have been manipulating everything behind the scenes and tormenting our family like this. However, if you do this... if you provide them with valid and concrete proof that you stand with them, then they will stop targeting all of you.}
Carter fell silent for several moments.
Logically, what William said made sense. If he revealed his location, the ruler of the nation would undoubtedly stand on his side once again.
But...
’I can’t... Will... I can’t.’ Carter slowly sank into the nearby chair, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion. ’How can I betray you like this? You finally attained the life you always dreamed of, and now you’re asking me to become the one who destroys your happiness.’
{But you wouldn’t be destroying it, would you? There are hundreds of places far better than the one we’re currently living in. You only need to lead them toward us, and we’ll escape before anything happens. This way, they’ll know you never lied to them, and we will still remain safe.}
’But they’ll come with their full force. It’s too dangerous.’
{Father... just this once, I want you to trust me.}
William’s voice remained calm.
{Right now, I do not have even the slightest doubt that nothing in this world can touch me. This isn’t arrogance. It’s certainty. The certainty I gained after awakening my dormant potential.}
Carter knew that if his son was absolutely certain about something, then the chances of things going wrong were incredibly slim.
But even so... his heart refused to accept this.
’Will... is there truly no other way?’
{No, Father. Unless you earn their trust, they will never allow you to live in peace.}
After a brief pause, William added something that made Carter visibly flinch.
{...Or I can come there myself and surrender.}
’Don’t even think about it!’ Carter snapped immediately, his eyes sharpening. ’I would never forgive myself if you got captured because of me.’
{Alright, I won’t. So stop hesitating and tell them the location I am about to project into your mind.}
Carter was momentarily stunned that William could even accomplish something like that.
But instead of dwelling on it, he quietly asked,
’Will... are we ever going to meet again?’
{Of course we will. You have to stand beside me when I take my vows. We are not getting married unless our fathers are there with us.}
Carter’s lips faintly curved as he muttered, "Can’t wait for that day."
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A/N:- So here is the situation. Thanks for reading.
