Chapter 21 Greedy Murderous Intent
Anne sneered coldly, "Do you think a royal decree is something you can summon and dismiss at will? That blocking someone could make His Majesty take back his order?"
Holden glared at her furiously, "It was you who deliberately made a scene in front of His Majesty, so naturally you should be responsible for handling it. I already told you before that even if Candy and I get married, your status won't change at all. You'll still be my wife, you can manage the family affairs, and I'll let you have your own children. I..."
Anne cut him off, "I think I've already said this - I don't need any of that."
As she spoke, she looked Holden up and down, finally turning her eyes away as if seeing something dirty. "When I went to beg His Majesty, it was only because there was something worth begging for. But you - clearly you're not in that category. So why would I want to keep you? Do I fancy your fickleness, or do I fancy the cold selfishness in your bones?"
"I'm not blind. I wouldn't make such a decision."
"...You!"
Holden was speechless with anger. He couldn't understand why Anne could still make excuses so confidently, even claiming to look down on him. He said coldly, "I used my military achievements from the southern campaign to get His Majesty's approval, and the petition I submitted had signatures from everyone in the Dawn Knight Order. His Majesty probably won't really disappoint his brave warriors for you alone. But what if you demanded that Candy couldn't marry me as a wife?"
He gritted his teeth, "Like you said before - as a mistress!"
Anne suddenly understood, "You actually have a point. I can't believe I forgot about this option."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Of course I wouldn't dare. After all, I'm timid - I couldn't do something like hiring an assassin to kill someone!"
Trion, sitting beside Anne, immediately widened her eyes. She recalled the sounds she'd heard last night and thought about her husband's strange behavior, couldn't help but gasp.
However, Holden completely missed her point and continued sharply, "If you're going to frame someone, at least make it believable. Assassination? Titan Manor has money problems - who could afford to hire an assassin? We have no reason to kill anyone. Don't tell me you're claiming someone tried to assassinate you on my family's property?"
Anne observed Holden's expression. Although she had zero trust in his character, just looking at him she could tell this matter probably had nothing to do with him. That left only...
She recalled the greedy look in the Titan Old Lady's eyes, and remembered the murderous gaze she'd felt when returning from the royal capital to Titan Manor. She immediately reached a conclusion.
"Yes, someone tried to assassinate me. They just didn't succeed."
Holden was somewhat shocked. He didn't really believe what Anne was saying now, so he only asked hesitantly, "Do you have proof?"
Anne nodded, "That assassin is locked in the basement. Elisa, go have someone bring him up."
Elisa behind her nodded and ran out.
Seeing them like this, Holden felt uneasy. Logically speaking, although the Titan family wasn't as glorious as before, there were still servants patrolling at night and guards on duty at the gate. How could an assassin infiltrate the manor and just happen to try to assassinate Anne?
Given Holden's nature, he would never imagine his own mother could have murderous intentions and actually act on them. He stood to the side with his arms crossed, waiting coldly for Elisa to bring the person. He continued rudely, "This isn't another one of your schemes, is it? Pretending to be assassinated, then framing Candy, saying she was unhappy with your existence and wanted to get rid of you. Otherwise, how could a woman like you escape an assassination?"
Anne spoke with some amusement, "A woman? You mean when Candy went to the battlefield, she was protected because she's a woman? Otherwise how could she survive a battlefield full of dangers?"
Hearing his beloved woman being questioned, Holden glared at Anne and said word by word, "Don't compare you two. So what if Candy is a woman - she's also the Empire's first female knight commander in history!"
Anne nodded, "Yes, both women, yet she can do these things. Why do you assume I definitely can't? Holden, with such obvious favoritism, how did you even get the position of knight commander?"
"You!"
The door was pushed open at that moment. Elisa quickly walked back behind Anne. The guards behind her pushed a man in black clothes to the ground with stern faces, drawing their swords and holding them to his neck, "Don't move."
Holden looked at the man on the ground, then at his clothing - indeed suitable for nighttime operations, though now disheveled. His shoulder seemed to have been cleanly pierced by a sword. Since the bleeding had only been stopped without proper bandaging, though no longer bleeding, the wound still looked shocking.
He asked with some uncertainty, "Who sent you?"
The assassin on the ground turned his face away and refused to speak, until Anne laughed lightly and he trembled with fear.
"Last night on my way back to my room, no one had lit any candles in that corridor. The assassin came at such a perfect time - who do you think arranged this?"
Anne said coldly, "Or are you going to continue doubting, saying this is also a show I staged myself?"