Chapter 26 The Future of the Virlet Family
The Titan Old Lady's hand trembled in shock. "What! How can it be so fast!"
She didn't even have time to worry about Anne anymore. Grabbing her skirt, she called out to Holden, "Quick, go and receive the king!"
Although the king wasn't coming in person, a royal decree from the king was equivalent to the king's presence. All subjects had to bow when they saw it.
But before she could get there, the royal city messenger's convoy had already arrived, and the person at the front was actually Lord Conor, His Majesty the King's close attendant!
Holden was shocked. Usually, when the King had orders, Conor would just pass them to messenger knights. Only for great achievements or rewards would Conor, a personal attendant, come himself.
The Titan Old Lady naturally understood this too. She had been worried that His Majesty might have listened to Anne and wanted to stop Holden's marriage, or perhaps scold the Titan family, but Conor's appearance made her feel it shouldn't be about such a small matter.
Then she turned to look at her son, who was still in a daze, and the Titan Old Lady's eyes suddenly lit up.
Right! Holden had used his military achievements to ask the King for permission to marry Candy. The King agreed and let them go straight home to prepare for the wedding instead of returning to the royal city with the other knights.
Even so, Holden's achievements were clear to everyone, and they won the final battle thanks to Candy, helping the Soth Empire advance further.
The marriage of these two people could be considered one of the empire's greatest celebrations, so it made sense that His Majesty would send Conor, who was already an earl, to formally congratulate them.
And also...
She looked at the scroll in Conor's hand. That was probably His Majesty's royal decree.
With such great merit, would he be granted a title? The Old Lady thought excitedly.
She couldn't help her eagerness. Although their family seemed to have a promising future and was nobility with land, in fact, they only had this small piece of land because an ancestor had been a viscount. But Holden was different. His achievements had far surpassed that viscount recorded in the family genealogy. If he could receive a title as a reward, or even be promoted to earl, the entire family would rise with the tide and become the object of competition among the surrounding nobility.
Thinking of this, the Titan Old Lady smugly glanced at Anne, who had just walked up beside her, and curtsied to Conor.
"We welcome His Majesty the King's decree."
Hearing his mother's excited voice, Holden also thought of the possibility of being granted a title. He immediately knelt on one knee. "Holden Titan welcomes His Majesty the King's decree."
Conor smiled. "Knight Commander Holden, please rise first... Oh? Miss Anne is here too."
Holden hadn't reacted much yet, but the old lady frowned.
Why was this lord using Anne's unmarried title? It was completely improper. She immediately said, "My lord, you've made a mistake. There's no Miss Anne here, only our family's criminal woman Anne."
Seeing no one contradict her, and Conor only raising his eyebrows to signal her to continue, the old lady's confidence grew considerably. She declared loudly, "I think you should also know that Anne previously went to see His Majesty. That you've been sent here this time must be to check on our handling of her on His Majesty's behalf. Please report back that Anne is a sinister, vicious woman, consumed by jealousy. We have now decided to send her back to her family's estate, and she will never be allowed to set foot here again."
Conor's face still wore a smile, but his voice turned cold. "You mean Knight Commander Holden and Anne are divorced?"
Holden shook his head. "Not officially, but I don't want to see her anymore either, so she's still my wife in name, but she doesn't need to stay at Titan Manor."
He wasn't too worried now that the royal decree was aimed at him, since Conor was being very polite to him. On the other hand, with Anne, he even had the mind to listen to how she was being dealt with. It seemed His Majesty was also displeased with Anne's request...
Thinking this, Holden spoke again, "I know Anne's father is Duke Skoda. I respect him and don't want his posthumous reputation to be dragged down by such a daughter, so I've held back. Otherwise, I would definitely send her to a sanatorium!"
The smile on Conor's face instantly disappeared, and his tone became icy. "Is that so? It sounds like you're making plans for the Virlet family."
"However, His Majesty has his own judgment, and the knight commander doesn't need to trouble himself."
"After all, this royal decree is not for you, but for Miss Anne."
Conor still used that title, and when he looked at Anne, there was even a hint of helplessness. "Anne, receive the decree."
Anne breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. She lowered her head and performed an extremely proper curtsy. "Anne Virlet receives the decree."
Conor opened the scroll and read aloud, "I, Rolf Soth, in my capacity as King of the Soth Empire, hereby declare and announce that Skoda Virlet passed away four years ago, and the duke's title has remained vacant. According to law, descendants should inherit the title."
At these words, everyone present was stunned. If descendants were to inherit, there was only one person!
Anne's eyes widened with disbelief.
The family members' faces were all complex.
Conor continued reading, "The Virlet family has only Anne remaining. Therefore, Anne must immediately return to the family estate to assume the position of duke. If married, her husband may inherit this position with Anne's approval. If the husband already holds a title, she may choose a son to adopt as heir, with Anne selecting the candidate herself."
"What!?" The Titan Old Lady, hearing this, clutched her chest and nearly fainted on the spot!
Anne's husband could inherit the duke's title!?