Count Antonio's Anger

"You have overstepped your bounds, Matias! What are you doing in front of His Majesty the King today? Everyone in the government office is talking about you. Is that what you expected?"

"I didn't expect anything, Father. I just want to help Mr. Carlos find the perpetrators of the estate tax fraud."

"Then what did you mean by going that far, Matias?"

"I really didn't mean to, Father. Twice I caught Mr. Benedict meeting with the tax worker. So I couldn't keep quiet and just guessed."

"And you enlisted the help of your friend Rodrigues to investigate with you?"

"No dad, we just agreed to look into it together. How could I stay silent when I knew someone was committing a crime, which harmed many parties."

"You are such a hero, Matias!"

"Forgive my impudence and Rodrigues, Father..."

"And you... will you still marry duke Eduardo's daughter?"

"Of course, father! We'll still get married."

"The whole country will think that you deliberately brought Prince Edmund down, so that you could snatch the girl of his choice."

"I don't care about any of that, Father! They know that I did not slander Prince Edmund at all. I exposed his crimes with written evidence and a witness."

Count Antonio Lawrence deliberately waited for his son's return in the living room of their residence, eager to ask him directly why he was the talk of the town today.

He immediately intercepted Matias' steps when the man had just arrived and was about to head to his room. And without much ado, he immediately conducted a hearing for Matias. It was as if his son was the defendant. In the presence of countess Victoria and Martha, count Antonio continued to ask the questions that were bothering him.

"Antonio, I didn't mean to defend Matias. But never mind, I think Matias has explained everything honestly to us. Can you calm down?"

Martha just puffed out her cheeks, sitting silently and not daring to speak up. She was just a spectator and a good listener. Her hands were busy fiddling with the fabric of her dress at the knees.

"I'm still thinking about your relationship with that girl, but today... you're throwing another tantrum."

"Why are you bothering to think about my relationship with Nivea? We're adults, Dad. And Nivea... she has absolutely no interest in being part of the royal family."

Count Antonio sighed, looking down with both hands supporting his head.

"Stop right now, Matias... Antonio, stop arguing. It's getting late, time for you to rest. How long do you want to fight?"

"Go to your room Matias! That's enough, you're driving me almost crazy."

Without a word, Matias departed from their presence after hearing the last sentence spoken by his father.

The next day, everyone across the country was abuzz with the massive audit conducted by several financial teams from the kingdom, under the leadership of Mr. Ruddy. The king's trusted assistant worked swiftly to fulfill his king's orders.

However, in the midst of the commotion over the tax audit, His Majesty made an announcement that seemed sudden and one-sided. He stood at the podium of the central government office and began his announcement.

"With a heavy heart, I... Jacob Kenneth. Announcing that ... my son Edmund Kenneth, we will be sent into exile. As a sanction for the despicable deeds he has committed, to the detriment of many. And I also announce that ... the person concerned, Edmund Kenneth is canceling the wedding that he had planned the other day. Because he will serve his sentence in exile for an indefinite period of time."

"I, on behalf of the royal family ... apologize to all those who have felt aggrieved by the tax fraud cases that have occurred in many agencies. And we, the royal family, will continue to investigate similar cases in other agencies that have not been revealed."

***

"Did your father tell you, Martha? About the announcement from His Majesty?"

"Hmm. Of course, Daniel! Anyone would be surprised to hear about it. The exile of Prince Edmund."

"I did not expect Matias and Rodrigues to investigate the case. And even less expected that Prince Edmund would be involved."

"That's right, Daniel! You know, father was very angry with brother. They fought over it."

"Of course, Martha! Your father must have been very surprised that Matias and Rodrigues brought the case to his majesty's attention."

"Hmm. I... didn't dare open my mouth when I witnessed the quarrel."

"Martha, my mother invited you to visit our home."

"Really? Duchess Valerie invited me to come?"

"Of course! She wants to... cook with you."

"Wow... are you kidding me, Daniel?"

Daniel, who was standing next to Martha, immediately shook his head, "No Martha! There's no way I'm joking about this. Come tomorrow afternoon! I'll be home early from the garden."

"Hmm... All right, Daniel!"

This afternoon, the two of them were spending time together after it had drizzled during the day. Now Martha and Daniel were wandering around the Edelweiss garden area, which seemed to have more visitors this time.

After walking around together for more than an hour, Daniel took his girlfriend home in his horse-drawn carriage. The coachman happily agreed to take them.

Arriving home, Martha was surprised by the presence of her brother who was sitting reading in the living room.

"Brother! You're home early?"

"Hmm. I wanted to rest early, Martha.", as he looked away from his book to Martha. "Did you go with Daniel?"

"Of course! We went around the Edelweiss garden."

"Ah, you two... so romantic!"

"Do you feel jealous of us, Brother?", she whispered close to Matias' ear from behind.

"What did you say? Envious? Hmm... No!"

"Alright! Then, I'll go to my room now.", the girl walked away from there.

Matias thought about his girl. He actually missed Nivea already. But, he couldn't see her yet. The situation was still not favorable.

Out there, people were still discussing the exile of Prince Edmund. Although they also knew that the prince's wedding plan had also been canceled, but it was better if Matias also thought about Nivea's current position.

He really didn't care, if people out there were talking bad things about him. However, Matias did not want his sweetheart to be the topic of conversation. Matias didn't want Nivea's feelings to be hurt.

Not only that, the man also still had to protect the feelings of many parties. Especially the royal family, the Del Castano family and his own family. Matias was tired of having to fight with his father again. So he should now be more careful in doing things. He did not want to be selfish for the sake of his own feelings. He will be more patient until he can see Nivea again as before.