Volume 2, Chapter 49 – The Duke Family’s Misfortune

Five years ago, in the garden of the Marquis Mansion.

“Grandma!”

“Grandma~”

Looking at the two little cuties wearing flower wreaths before her, Afnora felt her heart melt. The Marchioness unconsciously softened the sternness in her eyes, revealing an expression of unparalleled affection as she slowly crouched down to gently rub the two girls’ little heads.

“Xia’er, Yuan’er, you aren’t allowed to skip class next time~”

“I know, Grandma!”

“I… I understand…”

The two exquisite little girls replied in completely different tones. Their voices were undoubtedly adorable, causing Afnora’s heart to bloom with even more joy as she could not resist pulling her two lovely granddaughters into her arms.

Not far away, Afnora’s husband, Marquis Xiumu, along with their son and daughter-in-law, sat silently on the grass watching this harmonious and beautiful scene. This was Afnora’s happiest time.

However, beautiful times were always so fleeting.

Four years ago.

Staring at the two corpses before her that had been tortured beyond recognition, Afnora stood frozen in place. Tears flowed incessantly down her cheeks as a sorrow beyond compare surfaced in her violet eyes. At this moment, Afnora could not accept it. How could the two people who were so full of life just yesterday become like this today?

“What… what happened?”

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Covering her mouth, Afnora sobbed the question. To this, the man beside her who was drenched in blood and radiating a terrifying killing intent slowly lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, I was too late. They encountered a bishop from the Divine Punishment Holy Church, that fellow who enjoys torturing people to death…”

“How… how… how could this happen…”

Unable to accept the truth, Afnora eventually fainted weakly into Xiumu’s arms. On this day, the young master of the Duke Family and his wife died tragically at the hands of the Divine Punishment Holy Church. Afnora lost her precious son and daughter-in-law.

However, misfortune did not leave the Duke Family there.

Three years ago.

“What… what did you say? Xia’er is missing?! She hasn’t been found yet?!”

Having just returned from a campaign against Abyssal Demons, Afnora’s legs gave way and she knelt on the ground upon hearing the butler’s report.

“Madam!!”

Seeing this, the butler Odit hurried forward to support Afnora and spoke with a tone filled with immense guilt. “I am very sorry, Madam. We failed to keep a close eye on the young lady and allowed her to run off to the festival alone, which led to…”

“Useless!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Afnora lost her usual elegance and shoved Odit away. After the death of her son and daughter-in-law, Afnora had come to view her two granddaughters as her everything. How could Afnora accept her granddaughter going missing? Once she regained her composure, Afnora led more than half of the Blizzard Knight Order and a third of the territory’s army to search for any sign of Xia’er.

However, Xia’er was like a stone dropped into the vast ocean; there was never any news. On this day, Afnora lost a granddaughter.

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Having lost her son, daughter-in-law, and Xia’er, Afnora poured all her remaining love onto Yuan’er. She cared for her with extreme devotion. The once strict teacher, Afnora, no longer existed, replaced by a grandmother who doted on her granddaughter excessively.

Although her love had turned Yuan’er into a troublesome and willful princess, Afnora did not regret it. Her only hope now was for Yuan’er to live a happy, fulfilling, and unrestrained life.

However, in recent years, the heavens seemed to be exceptionally harsh toward the Duke Family. For some reason, the Crown Prince of the Snownight Empire had selected Yuan’er as a candidate for Crown Princess. After Yuan’er learned of this news, the habitually headstrong child ran away from home in a fit of rage.

Afnora thought she would return after throwing a tantrum for a few days as she had before. Unexpectedly, the girl did not return for nearly three days, nor did she send a single message home, and Yuan’er’s guards sent no word either. By the time Afnora realized the gravity of the situation and rushed to Yuan’er’s secret hut, it was already too late.

Yuan’er had vanished. The inside of the hut was a mess, and her four personal guards had died miserable deaths inside. In an instant, Afnora realized her granddaughter had been kidnapped.

Unparalleled regret instantly filled Afnora’s heart. If not for her negligence, Yuan’er would not have been kidnapped right within the Duke Family’s territory. Subsequently, just as they had years ago, the Duke Family immediately began a large-scale search.

Unlike the past, they actually found clues regarding Yuan’er, but they were never able to catch the group of kidnappers. Multiple capture plans ended in failure, as if the criminals could guess their every thought. Until the moment Fort Garros was attacked by Abyssal Demons, Afnora had failed to obtain any other information related to Yuan’er.

Though she had punished Yuan’er’s captain of the guard in a rage and dismissed the investigators, these were futile actions that could not change the fact of Yuan’er’s kidnapping. Having lost her son and daughter-in-law, and then Xia’er, even her last granddaughter Yuan’er was now missing with her fate unknown.

Afnora’s heart was undoubtedly filled with utter despair as she spent her days in the Marquis Mansion washing her face with tears. Aside from handling necessary affairs, Afnora almost never left the Marquis Mansion. Today, the only reason she went out was to handle the internal affairs of Windward City on behalf of her husband.

However, what Afnora did not expect was that this trip would lead her to encounter her granddaughter who had been missing for years.

A few minutes ago, inside the carriage.

Looking at the pink-haired girl sitting across from her with a restrained and timid expression, Afnora’s heart grew increasingly excited.

‘That’s right, it’s Xia’er!’

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After observing for a moment, Afnora was almost certain of her guess. That appearance which differed only slightly from Yuan’er, that extremely similar aura, and the pink hair and blue eyes unique to the Duke Family were the strongest evidence. Afnora did not believe there could be two people so identical in the world unless they were twins, especially when they were so similar in age.

Furthermore, although Xia’er was Yuan’er’s elder twin sister, unlike the extroverted and boisterous Yuan’er, Xia’er was quiet, introverted, and timid. She was exactly like the little girl before her. With a similar appearance and an identical personality, Afnora refused to believe she wasn’t Xia’er.

Although the failure to find Yuan’er still left Afnora deeply worried, the recovery of Xia’er brought the lady a long-awaited surge of joy. The only thing that puzzled Afnora was why this girl didn’t recognize her. Could it be amnesia?

Yes, that must be it. If she hadn’t lost her memory, Xia’er should have come to the Marquis Mansion to find them long ago. This child must have had a very hard time lately, wearing such coarse clothing.

Observing the girl’s tattered clothes, Afnora couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. At the same time, Afnora couldn’t help but frown. Speaking of which, was Xia’er almost harassed?

Recalling the scene from earlier, Afnora’s face immediately flushed with anger. She slowly pulled back the gauze curtain and looked at a knight outside.

‘Chop that mercenary who caused trouble into pieces for me.’

Afnora conveyed the command to the white-armored knight using a special visual signal. Upon receiving the Marchioness’s order, several knights steered their warhorses away from the carriage procession and galloped back toward the commercial street.

After delivering the order, Afnora suppressed the murderous aura on her face. After all, she couldn’t be too violent in front of her granddaughter lest she scare her. Thinking of this, Afnora revealed a gentle smile once more and looked at Yumo with kind eyes.

“Xia’er, don’t worry. We’ll be home soon.”

As she spoke, Afnora reached out and rubbed Yumo’s head. Hearing these words and feeling that warm palm, Yumo felt a sense of being caught between laughter and tears.

Wait, how could the little girl she had saved on a whim actually be the Marquis’s granddaughter? And as luck would have it, this girl even had a twin sister? Was this some kind of joke? Moreover, this lady was far too overbearing, dragging her into the carriage just like that.

Glancing at the still-excited Afnora from the corner of her eye, a hint of conflict surfaced in Yumo’s deep blue eyes. Actually, she could have dispatched a Blood Butterfly to bewitch the Marchioness and then leave. However, considering there were many people around, she would not find it easy to leave even if the lady were unconscious. Furthermore, while inside Windward City, she could run but she couldn’t hide forever.

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Besides, if the child she had rescued back then really was Yuan’er, her granddaughter, then considering the delicate relationship between herself and that child in the future, it was better not to make a move against the Marchioness to avoid further complications. Thus, Miss Yumo was awkwardly dragged back to the Marquis Mansion in the city by Afnora.

However, midway through the journey, Yumo’s brow couldn’t help but furrow slightly. Speaking of which, it seemed she had been out for a bit too long.

…

‘Sister, can I go out for a walk?’

‘Sure, but don’t be too late~ You’ll have to accept a punishment when you get back~’

‘Punishment?’

‘Hmm… like a spanking or something like that~’

‘Eh??’

…

Recalling her final conversation with Mengxi before leaving the Guest Reception Hall, Yumo couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine as her small body suddenly shuddered.

‘Uh, punishment…’

That… that tone must have been a joke, right? For some inexplicable reason, Miss Yumo had a very bad feeling.