Chapter 41 Embarrassed Holden
Holden, who had been struggling, suddenly froze when he heard this question. "You mean the time when Candy won the position of Knight Commander?"
"Yes."
Holden was silent for a moment, then started struggling again. "Let this ill-mannered guy get off me first. Do you want me to talk to you while being stepped on by this dirty person?"
Kyle sneered. "Dirty, huh? Why don't you look at yourself - more pathetic than a dog. Oh wait, no - even the Virlet family's dogs look more noble and clean than you. Look at this, the great Commander Holden of the Dawn Knight Order. Why can't you just push me off and get up by your own strength? Or is it that on the battlefield, you just wave your sword around and those underlings rush over to protect your stupid little head from getting chopped off?"
"You!"
Anne looked at Kyle helplessly. "Uncle Kyle, let him up first. I have important questions to ask."
Only then did Kyle snort and remove his leg. Holden immediately felt the weight lift off him. He scrambled up awkwardly, and this time he didn't dare speak rudely again.
After all, if it had been an ordinary person just now, Holden was confident he could have blocked the punch and struck back hard.
Though Kyle wasn't high-born and held an ordinary position, his fighting skills were surprisingly good.
Holden glanced at Kyle warily, various thoughts flashing through his mind, before finally looking at Anne, who remained radiant as ever.
"That time was mainly Candy's achievement. She led a spear squad out for a surprise attack, and ended up capturing some people. She used those captives as leverage to threaten Zotfort into retreating."
Kyle scoffed, "You think I've never been on a battlefield? How could just randomly capturing a few people threaten the enemy into retreating?"
Holden reluctantly turned his head away. "I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can send people to ask. Everyone in the Dawn Knight Order knows about this."
"So who exactly was captured, and were they released afterward?" Anne asked. "As her comrade and lover, don't you know anything about it?"
When Holden heard Anne mention the word "lover," he couldn't help glancing at her. Seeing no anger or embarrassment on her face, he felt conflicted.
He shook his head. "I wasn't the Commander of the Dawn Knight Order yet. Though we communicated, it was mostly about the later siege operations. I did ask Candy how she managed to make Zotfort's army retreat, but she said it was a secret and couldn't tell me yet."
"After we won the battle, the original commander died. I became the new Knight Order Commander because of my achievements, and Candy took my old position as Knight Commander. I was so excited that I forgot to ask her about it again."
Anne frowned. It seemed everything was connected to Candy. What was this secret of hers that she couldn't even tell Holden?
However, seeing Anne's expression, Holden's eyes sharpened. "Are you planning to do something to Candy?"
They were already divorced - if Anne still wouldn't leave Candy alone, he would never stand by and do nothing!
Anne looked at Holden with a "you're overthinking this" expression. "I just want to know what really happened with the Virlet family a year ago."
Holden was stunned. Looking at the black dress and veil Anne wore, thinking of the massacre he'd heard about when he returned, he said, "You suspect it's connected to Candy?"
"Impossible. Candy couldn't possibly command Zotfort's people, and why would she target your family? She's not that kind of person!"
Anne didn't want to argue with him about this. She'd gotten answers to the questions she wanted to ask, and there was no point in further entanglement with Holden.
She turned to leave, but Holden couldn't let her go so easily.
He'd been waiting here for her all day. Now she'd called someone to humiliate him, asked a few random questions, and with Holden's proud nature, how could he stand it?
Moreover, remembering the old lady's orders and thinking of his mother and lover still waiting for him, Holden couldn't help raising his voice. "Wait, Anne, I have questions for you!"
Anne turned her head slightly. "What is it?"
If it was more nonsense about whether she loved him or not, she really had no interest in hearing it.
"The nobles excluding and humiliating the Titan family - was that your doing behind the scenes?"
Anne frowned. "No."
Holden didn't believe her at all. He laughed coldly. "Who else could do it but you? Mother sent people to various noble houses with invitations to my and Candy's wedding, but they all refused to come, saying it was because I divorced you that they didn't want to come!"
"That only shows they think you did something wrong and don't want to associate with you."
"Impossible!"
Holden's eyes widened. "We both have military achievements from the southern battlefield, and we'll continue fighting for the Empire on the eastern battlefield. How could they refuse over such a small matter?"
"Besides, nobles stuffing people into military knight orders for training has long been normal. I'm the Commander of the Dawn Knight Order - instead of taking the chance to curry favor with me, they reject my goodwill. Isn't it because there's a bigger power behind the scenes demanding they not befriend the Titan family?"
Anne looked at Holden with some impatience. "So you think I deliberately ordered those nobles not to associate with you, not even to attend your wedding? Holden, are you too full of yourself, or do you think I have too much free time?"
"Our divorce means we have nothing to do with each other. I don't want any more involvement with you and the Titan family, and I wouldn't stoop to using such methods to suppress you. After all, with your own squandering, you'll drain yourselves dry - why would I bother?"
Holden's face darkened. "So you calculated from the start that after the divorce, losing the Duke's daughter would put us in a desperate situation? You're truly vicious!"
"This is called getting what you deserve."
"I'll say this one last time - I didn't do this. I haven't had any nobles suppress or humiliate you or the Titan family, I haven't even hinted at such a thing. Whether you believe it or not makes no difference to me."
Anne turned away from the stunned Holden, her voice flat and indifferent, as if the conversation meant nothing to her. "If you're so worried, why not go to the capital? After all, it was His Majesty who approved your marriage. Begging His Majesty would be better than going crazy here."
Holden watched Anne's retreating figure, gritted his teeth, and finally questioned her one last time. "Do you really not love me anymore? Are you willing to let me marry Candy? If you still have feelings for me, I could try being your bed partner, you..."
Whether it was Holden's imagination or not, Anne's departing steps seemed to quicken considerably. His heart leaped, thinking it was because she was embarrassed. He wanted to say more, but saw Kyle cracking his knuckles and walking toward him with a cold smile.
"I already told you, don't use your brain that only thinks about women and sex to speculate about our young lady. What kind of trash are you to dare be the young lady's bed partner?"
This time Holden was prepared, but after several exchanges, he was still kicked to the ground. However, this time he wasn't as furious as before. Instead, he said in a low voice, "With such good fighting skills, you're still staying at the manor as a guard instead of going to the battlefield to kill enemies - what a waste. Why don't you come with me? I guarantee the glory and rewards you'll get will be a thousand, ten thousand times better than here!"
His answer was a hard kick to his butt. "I came down from the battlefield - do I need a waste like you worrying about me? Next time you dare step foot in Virlet Manor, I'll beat you every time I see you, and let everyone see how the famous Knight Commander Holden crawls on the ground like a dog. Now, take your little pony and go back to your mama's arms to nurse!"