In one of the residential areas in the Moonhaven district.A girl wearing a headscarf walked with her head bowed towards a single-story house. The house looked simple and no different from other houses in the residential area.As the girl opened the wooden gate, two men sitting on the porch suddenly stood up."Greetings, Lady Maartje!" They both bowed towards the girl almost simultaneously.They might only be wearing casual clothes like t-shirts and long denim pants. However, who knew that they were actually level six Warriors."Has everyone gathered inside?" Maartje asked as she removed her head covering."Everyone, Lady! Without exception!"Maartje wasted no time. She immediately headed towards the door.One of the men closer to the door then opened it for the girl.As she passed through the door, three women in red army uniforms immediately saluted Maartje. "Greetings to Lady Maartje!"After that, two women walked behind the girl while the other one stood beside her."Lady, would y
While Maartje was still frozen, looking at the photo in her hand, Cornelia whispered again in her ear."The final decision is now in your hands, dear! I believe you can make the best decision for all of us! As I have always said, reconciliation is preferable! You can tell me your decision anytime! But, remember, the clock is ticking!"After saying that, Cornelia immediately left the place with a wide smile on her face.Maartje remained silent, thinking about what might happen to her father and her mother."This many troops?" she murmured. "How can I face them?"At this moment, the Paragons who were in the meeting could see what was happening to Maartje.They immediately stood up and left the room, standing around the lady. Even in such a dire situation, they chose not to ask or express their opinions until the lady spoke or asked for their opinions.Edmond, who was now wearing his military uniform, looked at Maartje with mixed feelings.Before Maartje came into the room, Cornelia had
"What?" Certainly, what Quantara said left Jack extremely surprised. It wasn't just about the woman, but also about her relationship with the Ninja. "Quantara, are you suggesting that this woman named Cornelia is the one responsible for the appearance of the Ninja all this time? She's the boss, is that what you mean?" Jack, who had always considered the Ninja his toughest opponent, certainly didn't want to miss any information about him, especially if he could use it against him. "Because Cornelia is the boss, the Ninja will surely protect this woman fiercely, right?" Jack continued. "Unfortunately, in my observation, that's not the most likely conclusion, Jack!" "What do you mean? Are you saying this woman is the Ninja's wife or girlfriend then?" Jack looked even more curious. "No! In fact, Cornelia is the Ninja herself!" What? Jack opened his mouth wide. He continued to stare at the photo of Cornelia that Quantara sent to Edmond's phone. "This woman," Jack murmured. The
"What?" Jack exclaimed. "It seems Leon has been thinking about this for a long time! He realizes that Duke Dujardin has become some sort of symbol of rebellion for the people to oppose him! Therefore, he is convinced that as long as Duke Dujardin is still alive or residing in Crystalbrook, people will still have hope to rebel against him!" "In other words," Jack continued. "If Leon succeeds in marrying Maartje, then it's like destroying the last hope of the people of Crystalbrook to oppose him?" "Exactly! But, of course, that won't solve the problem in Crystalbrook! Mass oppression and exploitation will occur! In the end, it's the people who will suffer!" "You're right!" That's all Jack could say. Now he understood that letting Leon marry Maartje would only make the people even more miserable in the end. He also understood that the most important thing now was to save Maartje and her family first. "Quantara, do you have any ideas?" "Of course! I've been thinking of the most pos
A month after Duke Dujardin lived in his luxurious manor in Emberfield, he was approached by a group of people who worked on his estate. "Duke Dujardin, forgive us!" The group of no more than ten people then immediately fell to their knees before the duke. "The police threatened to take our wages! We beg you, do not give them that money! It's all we have to feed our children and wives! We are even willing to work longer hours every day if you want us to, as long as you don't give that money to them!" They continued to prostrate themselves at Duke Dujardin's feet while pleading with him not to give their wages to the Crystalbrook police officers. Duke Dujardin didn't quite understand what they were saying. Of course, he wouldn't give their money to anyone. "Get up! There's no need to grovel like this!" he said, holding the shoulders of each worker one by one. "Please tell me, what's really going on?" They glanced at each other for a moment before the man at the forefront explaine
How dark Duke Dujardin felt hearing their explanations. Especially when they said that hospitals and social houses no longer provided social services. If you're sick or hungry, but you have no money, then the government can't do anything for you. In other words, you have to endure your suffering on your own, and there's no one you can ask for help. "The government argues that it's the people's obligation to pay taxes to them. While they have no obligations to the people!" the supervisor said again. When the tax rules were first implemented, along with the elimination of social security rules, chaos erupted almost throughout the province of Crystalbrook. It could even be said that this province experienced turmoil like never before in its history. "However, the protests we've made never succeeded because anyone who opposes will immediately be shot! If not, they will be arrested and tortured or sent to the mines for forced labor!" Duke Dujardin clenched his mouth tightly while clen
It's been a common knowledge that although Leon and Duke Dujardin came from the same ancestors, their lines of luck differed. Duke Dujardin inherited thousands of hectares of land from his great-grandfather, a family wealth passed down through generations. It was all productive land cultivated with various vegetables, fruits, and even rare medicinal plants capable of generating billions of RG annually. That was just one aspect of the Dujardin family's wealth. Besides that, they also controlled several mining locations and significant real estate businesses. It could be said that the Dujardin family's hotels were almost scattered throughout the Eldoria kingdom. This was in stark contrast to Leon, or "The Unlucky Duke" as people called him. His grandfather was nearly bankrupt due to debts he couldn't bear. Meanwhile, his father became a fugitive after being found guilty of embezzling state funds. Leon, who was raised in a military education since childhood, lacked sufficient knowl
Since that day, Duke Dujardin secretly helped those who were struggling financially to pay their taxes. "My father secretly doubled the employees' salaries! The aim was for this bonus not to be counted for deduction from their wages! He also provided financial assistance to those in great need, also secretly!" thought Maartje, recalling her father's struggle at that time. As time passed, the number of people receiving assistance from Duke Dujardin grew steadily. And it didn't take long for the duke to gain recognition from the wider community. "Hundreds of Paragons fought on my father's side! They sacrificed their lives so that Leon could be acquitted!" she thought again. The result was ten years ago when the very fierce civil war was finally won by Duke Dujardin. As Maartje reminisced about her father's struggle at that time, a voice inside her seemed to echo in her ears. A voice urging her to keep fighting, no matter how strong the enemy and how impossible victory may seem. T