What?The big man fell silent, staring incredulously at the black and thin object in Jack's hand."This time I'll let you off!" said Jack. "But next time, if you dare to behave disrespectfully towards me again, I won't show you any mercy!"Jack uttered those words, pretending to put on a cruel expression on his face.The big man just stood there with his mouth open, unable to speak."T-that..." he muttered, unable to continue his sentence.Jack then put the black letter back into his pocket and hastily left the parking lot."Hahaha! This is really hilarious!" Jack chuckled inwardly. "As I suspected, the security guard has no idea what the special invitation letter looks like!That is why he mistook the old man's letter for the actual special invitation!Hopefully, he won't notice that I tricked him! Hahaha!"When the big man in black prevented Jack from parking his car, he immediately understood that the big man was trying to extort him.Because public facilities are always intended f
One by one, the contestants continued to showcase their skills, but Jack kept shaking his head."The ability of these pianists isn't bad! Unfortunately, none of them played satisfactorily enough!"Unnoticed by Jack, someone had been staring at him while he gave his evaluations."Not bad! You have a very good musical judgment!" exclaimed the person.As soon as he heard the melodious voice, Jack turned his head around.And indeed, he saw a young girl standing in front of the restroom door in this room, apparently just finished tidying up her clothes.The girl continued to gaze at Jack. The expression on her face showed that she seemed impressed by the way Jack evaluated the contestants."Not only can you discern the notes well, but you can also feel them!" she said again. "You seem far more talented than any piano teachers I've ever met!"It made Jack happy to hear such praise, especially from someone he had never met before.Unconsciously, he kept scratching his non-itchy head."Thank
"Hey, let's get out of here, troublemaker!" shouted the bodyguards as they dragged Jack's body.Jack was desperate because he felt like his first mission was going to fail.However, before time ran out, Jack saw a girl standing in the audience stands, not too far from the front row.In a maroon-red dress, revealing a little bit of her chest, the beauty of the girl, supported by a very proportional body, looked very captivating."Lily!" murmured Jack.Seeing who the girl standing there was, Jack seemed to become a different person.With very fast movements, Jack freed both his hands and body from the bodyguards."You scoundrel! Trying to fool us? Just wait, I'll break the bones in your body!" shouted one of the bodyguards, then swung his clenched fist towards Jack's face.The bodyguard had a tall and big body, where even the black suit he wore couldn't hide the muscles on his very prominent body.Not to mention Jack, even other bodyguards might faint if they were attacked like that.Pu
And once again, seemingly unaffected by their siege, Jack's calm face remained unchanged. Moreover, he even showed excitement on his face, as if enjoying this fight. Along with their shouts, Jack pressed the tip of his left foot to the floor, as if bracing himself on it. As if able to anticipate their positions, especially a bodyguard behind him, with lightning-fast movements Jack first sent a back kick, miraculously hitting right on the bodyguard's chest. Bang! Although the bodyguard had a large and strong body, he felt very surprised by the force of Jack's kick. The bodyguard struggled to keep his swaying body from falling to the ground. Jack, who had sent the back kick, did not lower his right foot. Instead, he bent his leg and sent it alternately to the right and left, with movements just as fast. Bang! Bang! His kicks landed firmly on the chests of each bodyguard beside him. This time it made them retreat several steps backwards. Then, as if not giving a chance to a
"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent! It seems like the security team has finally started thinking properly!" Lucas exclaimed with joy. His words made some people sitting around him turn towards him, but he didn't care. "Hit that poor, ignorant boy! If necessary, break every bone in his body so he won't act foolish and reckless again!" Lucas yelled. Because the atmosphere around the stands was quite silent, Lucas' shouts could be heard all the way up on the stage. Lucas' shouts spurred the bodyguards to take down Jack and teach him a lesson. Behind the sunglasses they wore, their eyes stared sharply and fiercely at Jack. The sardonic smiles on their lips also indicated their eagerness to fight him. Lily, still embracing Jack, watched the arrival of the bodyguards with worry, holding onto him tighter. At the same time, with her head resting on Jack's chest, she could hear the young man's heartbeat getting faster. "He must be scared now!" Lily thought. "Maybe I should do something to
Nevertheless, that spotlight of hatred didn't last long because the superstar then immediately shifted his gaze towards Lily and took slow steps towards her. As his steps drew closer to the girl, all the audience held their breath, waiting with great excitement and wondering what the superstar would do. Until now, Ben was known to rarely pay special attention to a girl, especially when on stage. Seeing how the superstar looked at Lily, everyone could tell it was something different from what he usually showed all this time. Especially for the girls in the stands, their feelings became more uncertain as they observed Ben's body language. They bit their lips to refrain from screaming hysterically in case the superstar chose the girl in the maroon red dress as his duet partner. Ben stood right in front of Lily, just about a meter away. And as everyone anticipated, the superstar bent one knee and took Lily's hand. Smooch! A warm kiss landed on the back of the girl's hand, almost
“With every whispered word, and every gentle touch, you mend the broken pieces, with love that means so much.” Lily sang the second line of the verse. Her melodious voice turned out to be quite capable of matching Ben's legendary voice. When they reached the chorus, the strongest and most melodious part of the song, they sang it together. “Oh, my love, you are the melody to my soul, and in your embrace, I find myself whole.” The audience listening to their duet felt themselves sinking deeper into the powerful emotions of love. Some of them began to shed tears from the corners of their eyes, while others reminisced about the romantic moments they had experienced in the past. In short, the song "Engraved Love" brought back the most beautiful memories of their lives. Four minutes later, all the audience stood up from their seats and applauded enthusiastically after the two of them finished singing the song. "Ben is truly amazing! At such a young age, he has shown remarkable sing
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome him, the talented musician dedicated to his craft," Ben said with a smile on his face and an immense amount of confidence. "Mr. ...," Ben said, directing both of his hands towards Jack who was sitting behind him. "Sorry, what's your name?" Ben asked. "Are you referring to me?" Jack asked, pretending to be unsure if the superstar was pointing at him. Jack's reaction amused the audience, making them chuckle softly. Hahaha! However, Ben's reaction was quite the opposite. "Yes! Who else? Of course, it's you!" he replied with a hint of annoyance, although he managed to conceal it very well. While Jack and Ben had different expressions, Lily's expression was different altogether. Since Ben pointed at Jack, her heart became increasingly uneasy. "No! No! This can't be happening! Jack can't play music and can't sing at all! He'll just embarrass himself if he gets the chance!" "So, Mr. ..., what's your name?" Ben asked again. "If not, I'll just ca
Maartje stayed in a different room from the one she usually used before.This time, she was assigned one of the rooms on the third floor whose decoration and furniture had been completely changed. Not only wider than the room she used to occupy on the first floor, this room also looked more luxurious.The girl was sitting on the edge of the bed typing a message on a highly secure phone."I haven't seen my parents yet. Can you do something?"Shortly after, a reply landed on her phone."We're working on it, Lady! We'll check all satellite images and CCTV cameras."Maartje was almost certain that her parents had been moved from the palace. "I've checked every corner of this palace, but they're nowhere to be found!" she muttered.Earlier, before the female soldiers escorted Maartje to her room, the girl asked them to accompany her to explore the palace, which they said was being renovated.Those who had no suspicions about Maartje finally complied with the girl's wishes.However, there wa
In Cornelia's mind, by marrying Maartje, Leon would not only gain a very beautiful girl."Haven't you remained unmarried all this time because you were searching for the most beautiful girl in Crystalbrook?" said the secretary. "That girl is now before you! So what else are you waiting for?""Furthermore, consider one more thing!" Cornelia continued. "Maartje is a symbol of resistance and at the same time a symbol of hope for the people of Crystalbrook. By marrying her, you will not only be able to force those who have opposed you all this time to support you! On the contrary, the possibility of people rebelling will diminish even more!"Upon hearing such considerations, Leon's eyes widened. So did his mouth. How could he miss such a great opportunity?Back to the present."I will not only make you my deputy governor, but you will also be my wife!" Leon said again, walking slowly towards Maartje proudly while holding a glass in one of his hands."Both of us will produce successors who
Feeling disgusted by Leon's gaze towards her, Maartje quickly opened her mouth. "You shouldn't waste my time! I came here to sign the reconciliation letter!"Leon smiled widely. "My dear, why rush? We haven't met in a long time. Wouldn't it be appropriate for us to exchange a word or two first?"The man then ordered the female soldiers to leave."Alright, Duke!" they said and immediately left the room, closing the door behind them.As the female soldiers left, Maartje felt very uncomfortable being alone with Leon. However, she tried to control her feelings."Come, sit here!" Leon gestured for Maartje to sit on the sofa where he had been drinking earlier.Maartje quickly moved to the spot Leon indicated because she didn't want the man to try to touch her again."Here, take this!" Leon handed Maartje a glass of wine."I am good!" Maartje simply said without touching the glass offered to her."Do you know what I dislike most about someone?" Leon asked as he sipped the wine in his hand.M
Thirty minutes later, the long sedan carrying Maartje arrived near the palace. Behind the sedan, a large jeep followed."This is truly terrifying!" One of the female soldiers inside the jeep couldn't contain her feelings upon seeing the sea of people surrounding the palace. "This is far more than what we faced before!" she murmured again.The female soldier used to be one of the Warriors who fought alongside Duke Dujardin to overthrow Leon.Back when they attacked this palace, Leon's forces weren't as numerous. But now, the situation was completely reversed."I really don't understand how Duke Sardou could gather such a massive army!" muttered the other female soldier, still focusing on her driving.The horror they both felt was also felt by Maartje inside the long sedan. "So many soldiers," she murmured. "There's no way I could fight them!"Anyone who saw the large group of blue-uniformed soldiers would shiver immediately.The sedan continued along the straight asphalt road that woul
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
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
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
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
"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