Chapter 217 Expelled From Dawn Knight Order
"Later I heard Holden say he was going to lock Candy up so she couldn't go outside and talk nonsense. Then he dragged Candy away. I don't know what happened after that - I didn't dare follow them. Holden was too scary!"
Trion's mouth dropped open in shock. She instinctively looked around to make sure no servants were nearby, then sat down next to Nina and covered her mouth. "Don't talk about this anymore."
Nina looked at Trion through her tears, completely confused.
Trion was annoyed by Nina's stupidity, but still patiently explained, "You should know that a couple's first child after marriage can't be aborted, right? But last night Holden, I mean, he helped Candy get rid of a bastard child that should never have existed in the first place. After all, even if that child had been born, no one would have loved it, so Holden chose not to let it be born."
"But this act breaks the law of the Soth Empire." Trion pressed her lips together. "If Candy runs out and spreads this around, everyone will know that Holden knowingly broke the law and still chose to get rid of the first child after marrying Candy, even though that child wasn't even his."
"If this gets out, Candy doesn't have much to lose since she's already facing punishment anyway. But Holden is different. Even though he didn't earn much merit on the eastern battlefield, he's still the leader of the Dawn Knight Order and one of His Majesty's most loyal subjects. If he's exposed for breaking the law, whether he can even keep his position as knight order leader is anyone's guess."
Trion glanced at Nina, whose face was covered in tears, and said flatly, "If you don't mind Holden's position dropping lower and lower, then keep talking. Even though the Titan Manor doesn't have many servants left, from what I know, quite a few people are still watching and waiting, considering whether to leave and find other work. When that happens, you won't just have nothing - you won't even have servants to wait on you, and other people will look down on you too. If you're willing to accept that, then keep talking. Once the servants spread this news, you'll drag the entire Titan family down with you."
With that, Trion let go of her hand, looking like she was leaving Nina to do whatever she wanted. Although Nina wasn't one to think things through, after hearing Trion's words, she understood how serious this was and quickly pulled out her handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Surprisingly, just a few days later, Holden received a royal decree from the capital.
The royal messenger who came to the Titan family looked at Holden's haggard face and read out the decree word for word.
"What!?" Holden's eyes went wide. "His Majesty is transferring me to another knight order, and as a knight captain? That's impossible!"
The royal messenger looked at Holden with a fake smile. "I'm just delivering His Majesty's decree as instructed. Whether you believe it or not isn't for me to decide. Captain Holden Titan... oh wait, I mean Knight Captain, please return all items related to the Dawn Knight Order to the capital within half a month, including armor, weapons, and horses, and report to the Blaze Knights. If you don't complete this on time, I can't guarantee where His Majesty's next decree will assign you, but it definitely won't be the Dawn Knight Order."
Holden opened his mouth. He couldn't believe this was happening. Even though he hadn't earned much merit on the eastern battlefield, at least he still had his position as leader of the Dawn Knight Order. As long as he held onto this position in the empire's third-ranked knight order, he wouldn't have to worry about future opportunities to serve the country and earn merit.
But what was the Blaze Knights? It didn't even seem to be in the top ten.
And His Majesty wasn't sending him to be the leader of the Blaze Knights, but just a knight captain.
This was such an obvious demotion and suppression. Holden couldn't understand why. His mind was in chaos, and he even started to wonder if Victoria and the others had done something wrong at Princess Kirenya's banquet, which was why he was being punished.
Seeing Holden's blank expression, the royal messenger didn't want to stay at the Titan Manor any longer and turned to leave.
However—
"Wait!"
A hoarse voice called out from the second floor. "Don't go! Wait!"
The royal messenger stopped and looked back, puzzled.
On the second-floor balcony, a figure was gasping for breath, struggling to climb over the railing.
Holden's heart sank. He had come in such a hurry after receiving the news that he hadn't closed the door properly. But despite being so badly injured, Candy could still crawl out. Holden realized he had underestimated Candy, forgetting that she had been on the battlefield before. Even with serious injuries, she could grit her teeth, get up, and strike at the enemy. So why would this time be any different?
"Wait, don't jump!" Holden was afraid Candy would come down and say something crazy to the royal messenger. He ran quickly toward Candy, but he was still a step too late.
Candy forced herself up. The lower part of her dress was still stained with large patches of blood, but she seemed to feel no pain. Instead, she gritted her teeth, pushed hard, and jumped toward a nearby tree branch. She clamped her legs around the trunk and slid down.
Holden tried to stop Candy, but she nimbly dodged him. She ran quickly to the royal messenger, her eyes red, gasping for breath as she asked, "Didn't the decree mention me? I'm Candy Lance. Take a look - did His Majesty mention any arrangements for me in the knight order?"
Hearing Candy introduce herself, the royal messenger didn't ask about the blood on her body. He just nodded. "Yes."
Candy immediately smiled, waiting for His Majesty to arrange a suitable position for her. Even if it wasn't the Dawn Knight Order, that was fine. After all, she had merit from the southern battlefield. No matter what, she could get a knight captain position. That way, she and Holden would be equals, and neither could look down on the other.
However, after reading it, the royal messenger just said coldly, "Candy Lance, right? His Majesty says you are to be expelled from the Dawn Knight Order, and you cannot join any knight order in the future."
"What!?"
Candy reached out in disbelief, trying to grab the royal messenger, but the guard knight beside him pushed her down. The group turned and left without mercy.
Holden looked coldly at Candy on the ground. "You forgot - you lost the duel with Anne before. The price was leaving the Dawn Knight Order. Now you've not only lost your knight captain position, but you can never join any knight order again, and you can never earn merit again. Candy, you've completely failed."
Candy, who had been lost in despair, suddenly looked up at Holden, her eyes filled with a hatred that wanted to destroy everything.
Oh no!
"Please, wait! I still have something to say!"