Chapter 172 - 129: The Scent of Heather

Chapter 172: Chapter 129: The Scent of Heather

Yusofa.

Black Rose Castle.

This was a magnificent castle built especially for Mary Frank. It was modeled 1:1 after Rose Castle in the Rose Territory, though it was significantly smaller. The grounds were planted with red roses, which had been watered with the blood of the Yusofa People.

It was in this very castle that Mary received the news of Lorne Jackson’s bizarre new hobby: an obsession with plants.

She hurled the silver wine glass in her hand, smashing it against an attendant’s head.

She never imagined that Lorne would not only survive but also develop a new hobby—one that was simply beyond words.

The attendant dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his head, yet he dared not make a sound.

"What else?"

Mary asked coolly.

The attendant kept his head down, his forehead nearly touching the floor.

"The rumor throughout Blue Moon Territory is that Lorne Jackson was treated so unjustly in Rose Territory that his temperament changed completely. They say he’s lost all interest in women and now only cares for plants. They’re also saying the child in Grace’s womb is most likely not his."

The attendant had chosen his words as carefully as possible, trying not to provoke Mary.

But how could Mary not read between the lines? The underlying message was that she had tortured Lorne Jackson to the point of madness, causing him to lose all interest in the opposite sex. If this news were to spread throughout the Holy Empire, her chances of using marriage as a tool to easily acquire territory would plummet from seventy percent to thirty. With such a dreadful reputation, it was unlikely any man would dare become her husband.

Mary didn’t care whether she could still marry; she cared that her proven strategy was now being constrained.

Furthermore, the claim that the child in Grace’s womb was not Lorne Jackson’s blocked another of her paths.

Her original plan had been to wait for Lorne Jackson to die, then, under the banner of avenging her husband, overthrow Catherine’s rule, annex Blue Moon Territory, and install Lorne’s heir—Grace’s child—as a puppet Lord.

This way, Blue Moon Territory would, in name, still belong to the Jackson Family.

She would be the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes. This would allow her to avoid conflict with King Augustus as much as possible and silence the gossip of the Empire’s old, established noble families.

But if the child in Grace’s womb was not Lorne Jackson’s, then once Lorne and Catherine were both dead, the Jackson Family would be considered extinct. Blue Moon Territory would need a new master. In that scenario, she would have to submit official documents to the King, requesting that the territory be transferred to her name. During that process, the noble ministers who already despised Mary would certainly object, causing her entire plan for Blue Moon Territory to fall apart.

The King might just compensate Mary with some gold and then absorb Blue Moon Territory into the crown’s lands. Or he might award it to the most prominent vassal of the former Jackson Family, propping up a new noble house to continue managing the territory.

After all her hard work, she would have done nothing but pave the way for someone else.

Even though the child in Grace’s womb was indeed Lorne Jackson’s, with the entire Jackson Family dead, there was no way to prove it. The slightest hint of doubt would be enough for the King to disbelieve Mary, and those old diehards from the Creed Clan wouldn’t believe her either.

Catherine’s countermove was brilliant. Even Mary had to admit she was forced to take her rival seriously now.

It not only ruined her reputation but also rendered Grace a useless pawn.

And the root of all these problems was that Lorne Jackson was still alive!

’But he was afflicted with a deadly poison, one that not even a Priest could cure. How on earth did he survive?’

Mary rubbed her temples, her mind racing.

’Is there some other mysterious, powerful figure hiding in Blue Moon Territory?’

’That’s impossible. If someone like that truly existed in Blue Moon Territory, the Witch wouldn’t have been driven out of control by my Heartless, leading to that disaster.’

Catherine didn’t have many capable people at her disposal. The most secretive of them was probably Lian Moria.

The latest intelligence report on Lian Moria indicated that he had once been taught by a divine physician named Pinocchio, which was how he had cured the Red-Itch Plague in the Green Shade Territory.

As a result, Green Shade Territory had become famous among the border territories, earning the title of the healthiest territory in the South.

’Lian Moria... could he be the one who saved Lorne Jackson?’

’If so, everything would make sense.’

Mary suddenly shot to her feet. The attendant prostrate on the floor trembled violently, terrified that his head was about to be separated from his neck.

"Bring Nancy Scalia to me."

"Yes."

As if a great weight had been lifted, the attendant scrambled out of the hall. He stumbled to his feet at the doorway and, without pausing to brush the dust from his clothes, broke into a run. His hurried footsteps echoed down the long, narrow corridor.

When the attendant found Nancy Stuart, she and Lian were reveling in Blueberry Manor, an estate that had once belonged to Yusofa’s former Governor, Khrish.

Joining Lian and Nancy were numerous scantily clad Maids.

These Maids were all young Yusofa women whom Lian had rescued from the ’snack shop.’

To express their gratitude, they voluntarily accompanied Lian every day to "put on a show."

Of course, there were more than a few who hoped to turn the act into reality and truly become Lian’s mistresses.

Unfortunately, Lian was always accompanied by two beautiful Maids, leaving the others to only look on with envy.

Even so, Lian had given them an unprecedented sense of security. Here, they no longer had to serve those brutal Guards, nor did they have to worry about being tortured to death at any moment. Their bodies would not be dragged unceremoniously from the ’snack shop’ and thrown into a back alley to feed wild dogs.