[8 hours prior]Ever since Richard had healed Lily, she'd stayed in the house with no opportunity to step out due to James being overly protective of her.Who could blame him though?... He was only looking out for his daughter who had nearly died.Which father wouldn't have done the same when put in his position?This was why Lily hadn't despised him despite having to remain indoors always.She knew she owed her father considering it was her carelessness that had ended up nearly taking her life.It was still annoying though considering she wished to celebrate her recovery from what should have been the end of her life.She'd tried to get a hold of Richard to visit her so she would be able to thank him for saving her but as a wealthy figure, Richard was too busy to spare time for her which was quite regretful as Lily wouldn't deny that she had a bit of a crush on him.In any case, no one else knew about her recovery with her father keeping things under wraps.However, with his departur
Lily had an idea as to what Jayden was playing at, after all, she'd dated him long enough to figure out his temperament.Jayden most likely wished to get her drunk so he could have his way with her which was what he'd always wanted to do when they were dating.Whenever he tried to get in and she refused, he always got mad and after numerous attempts, he ended up cheating on her with the cheerleader Vera.In any case, Lily didn't plan on losing her chastity before marriage so she wasn't about to fall for Jayden's schemes.Jayden gritted his teeth, seeing as his plan had failed before it even began.'Why are you such an upright bitch!' He couldn't help but curse in his mind though he kept his expression cool.Knowing he couldn't go too far for fear of achieving an opposite result of what he intended tonight, he could only figure out a different way to get Lily to warm up to him."Alright then, fine, how about we get something to eat?" Jayden offered.Seeing as there was nothing wrong wi
Those who had watched the commotion were quite shocked by Jayden's actions since no one saw it coming.Few were supportive of it while others could only shake their heads at the sight.Meanwhile, Jayden was gloating to his friends before glancing at Lily who remained silent."Don't worry, Lily." He said with a puffed-up chest. "I won't let those sorts of rascals even get within 10 meters of your vicinity. I'll always protect you so you can count on me."Though he said this to impress her, his words only served to cause Lily more discomfort as she despised violence more than anything.Why would she wish to be with a man that was so aggressive?... Imagine if they had a petty argument, would that mean he would hit her as well?Just the thought alone once again reminded Lily why she must never allow Jayden back into her life.He was an impulsive cheater with anger issues and no way would she be involved with such a man.Jayden seemed to notice her discomfort but try as he may, Lily refuse
Jayden didn't stop running even as he knew that he'd pushed Lily into harm's way.Tonight was supposed to be his glory night yet it all went to shit and now?... Now he was running like a dog.Why did things go so wrong? He didn't dare to stop for a moment as he kept running until he got to his car and immediately drove off."She's the Commissioner's daughter so they won't do anything to her, right?"***Meanwhile, Lily was terrified as she watched the young man approach her with nefarious intent."Boss, are you going to do it here?" One of the thugs asked."Of course, where else would…"Before he could finish his statement, Lily suddenly got up and tried to flee but he grabbed her and tossed her to the ground before shooting her in her thigh again, eliciting a scream from her lips."You bitch, how dare you try to run!... Fine then, I was planning on taking it easy on you but now, I'll…""That's enough." A voice suddenly said, cutting the young man off.The young man and the thugs gla
"You fool, how could you just leave her there?... Didn't I tell you to get on her good side?... The minister expects us to get close to the former Commissioner's daughter so it would be easier to get into the good books of the new one since they are close friends but you had to do something so cowardly." Brian berated in annoyance.Jayden could only apologize as he knew that if his father learned that he had not only caused the problem but also shoved Lily toward the thugs to make his escape, he would surely get a tight slap.Considering his options, Brian quickly made a decision. "Come, we'll head to the Commissioner's house tonight to inform them of the situation. In case of anything, we have to prove that we are willing to go the extra mile with them. Also, call the police, Lily might need to be rescued." "Understood, Father," Jayden remarked, albeit reluctantly.He knew that if Lily ever saw him again, she'd surely spill the beans about everything which would put him in a lot of
Richard didn't tell anyone what happened at the club when he got home as he headed straight to bed and woke up the next morning, feeling quite refreshed.After going about his normal daily routine, he received a call from an unknown number."Hello, who is this?"[Mr. Smith, it's nice to hear your voice] Though Richard recognized the voice to be a man's own he had no idea who it belonged to.[Don't overthink it. You don't know me from anywhere]"Then…"[I am Patrick, a proxy of the enigmatic organization, Golden Circle. We shall be hosting a banquet in a few days and would like to know if you would be interested in attending]"This… Why the sudden invite?... I doubt just anybody is invited."[You are correct, Mr. Smith. Not just anyone is invited to a Golden Gathering, only those that are deemed worthy, and you, my friend are deemed worthy by a few notable members. You have caught their eyes and they would like to meet with you. So if you are willing, I hope you can attend]"Before I
"Dad, how can you allow that fool to keep on doing all this?... He is trying to act like he is some big shot but he is nothing compared to you. You are the Almighty dragon general, bestowed the title by the Emperor of Zion himself. How dare this Richard Smith try to act like your equal?" Doreen inquired in annoyance, dissatisfied with how her father was handling the matter."Yeah, Dad. This isn't right, you have to put him in his place else he'd dare think he was your equal. How much has he made to dare think he can act so wantonly?" Murphy concurred with his sister, the siblings agreeable in their dislike for Richard Smith.General Watson chuckled. "What do you wish for me to do?... Beat him up?""Yes!" Both siblings replied."Is that so?... Alright, what about this?... If you can prove that he is lesser than he carries himself to be, then I would surely do as you've said.""How do we do that?" Doreen inquired in vague excitement.The General shrugged. "You decide. All I'll do is wat
"Hmmph, how dare that Richard Smith be so presumptuous?... Doesn't he know that you are the new Commissioner?... How could he act so wantonly and even go ahead to disgrace your daughter?... General Watson, I suggest we teach this fool a lesson lest he gets ideas in the future." Xavier remarked in a bid to get General Watson to dislike Richard.Unfortunately, his attempt backfired as General Watson snorted. "Who do you think I am?""General, you are a great man indeed and I'm sure you are a wonderful father too, more reason to not allow Richard Smith to go scot-free.""You are right that I am a loving father but that doesn't mean I would interfere in the lives of my children. They should take this as a learning experience to not disdain anyone they meet just because they are from the capital. If anything, it's good this happened."With that said, General Watson no longer paid Xavier any heed with the latter fuming inwardly at his failed attempt to get Richard in trouble.Meanwhile, the
Snorting derisively, Richard glanced at Queen Mother who was staring hatefully at him. “Due to your antiquated beliefs, you have allowed nonsense to remain, ensuring that progress is not made. Do you think that if this man rules, he would do a better job than his father?... I mean, at least the Emperor is sufficiently strong, but this fool?... Ah, well, what can I say?”Seeing as how everyone was silent, Richard continued. “My mother should have sat on that throne, she was the natural choice, but you all decided that because of her gender, she would not rule. Foolish. Too foolish. Now she lays dead, having tried her whole life to ensure that her family was safe and secure, a feeling she would have extended to everyone here had she remained.”The silence indeed deafening as no one knew what to say.The fact that Tabitha was dead was also quite shocking.“Regardless… I am here now and I plan to make changes. The first change I shall make as Crown Prince…”“You are not Crown Prince and w
Richard sat in his bedroom, already prepared for the bout that would bring everything to a natural conclusion.His expression is impassive, he sat before a mirror and wondered what he would do after he had won.It was a question he needed to answer before he could take the right to the Crown in good faith.He was no leader, so was he willing to become one all because he wished to avenge his mother?Letting out a sigh, he thought to call his beloveds only for someone to knock at his door.“Come in.” He calmly responded.Moments later, Gina entered alongside her father, Elder Wu, both of whom had their heads down as they found themselves unable to meet Richard's gaze.Seconds passed before Richard inquired. “Why are you here?”“... I… no, we are sorry, your highness. We were scared and…”“And so you decided as long as you survived, an innocent man paying the price would not be too bad.”“That…”“Sums it up nicely. If only you had stood your ground, I would have made sure you both got th
“Ahem, Princess Liliana.” An elder who could hardly control his curiosity any longer called out, drawing the attention of the first Princess. “Yes, elder?”“... Can you see me?” He inquired as it was common knowledge that the first princess had gone blind at some point as a result of her condition.Silence followed for a moment before the princess replied. “Of course, I can see you, older.”A flurry of gasps escaped the lips of everyone present as one exclaimed.“It's a miracle!”Soon enough, many more began to comment causing the hall to turn rowdy.“The princess is cured of her condition?... How is this possible?”“It makes no sense, the Princess couldn't have been healed just like that.”Just then, the Emperor erupted. “Silence!”Immediately, the hall went pin-drop quiet as everyone shifted their attention to the Emperor who had his eyes on Lily.“Are you truly cured, Liliana?” He inquired softly.Lily pursed her lips. “Yes… I am.”“But how?... Even your aunt Tabitha who was a pow
Eve could never have fathomed that Richard had anticipated her sabotage and carried out measures to make up for it.In her long life, she had never met someone who was able to match her cunning which was why even though Richard proved himself smart, she still considered herself superior.She had superior intellect, superior resources, and superior manpower and most importantly, Richard was on her home turf.There was no way he could pull a fast one on her yet here he was, doing exactly that.Her mind turned fast, trying to figure out how exactly she missed these drones but despite her efforts, she found herself pulling up repeated blanks with no end in sight.She'd made sure she destroyed all the drones after Richard had unceremoniously revealed that he had a network of drones currently spying on every portion of the capital.Of course, he hadn't said it outrightly but she had deduced it judging from what she had learned about his life so far.Which was why she had gotten her most tru
“It's not even been a week since he arrived yet he does something like this, so despicable.”“If he couldn't control himself, couldn't he have gotten a courtesan?... So cheap, utterly disgusting.”“I can't believe such a person is the Legacy. If he truly is the Legacy, he needs to have the Black Book stripped from him before he turns into a monster.”A lot of murmurs flew around amongst those Richard saw on his way to his destination, with many giving scathing remarks as they hurried past him.Whatever the first prince and Queen Mother were planning, its initial effect seemed to be quite good.They'd played an incredibly good card.Soon, he arrived at the courthouse where several elders both from the Right Hand and the Left Hands were gathered.Several looked upon Richard with scorn and absolute disgust with some even voicing their discontent.“I knew we should have never allowed him into the city. He looks like the textbook definition of a hooligan.”“To dare do such a thing and to E
Lily hadn't ever thought she'd be able to live a normal life again.From birth, she'd already been tagged as a child with little prospects and so was left to suffer alone for years.Few of her step-siblings ever showed any form of care, instead treating her as an opponent out of the race.That was the unfortunate thing.Every single member of the Royal family saw themselves as opponents to be defeated and not as a family.It was a situation born out of a desire to rule over millions.Very few were like Maverick, who didn't bother with anything and instead just tried to enjoy as much of their lives as they could.But here comes someone who has no connections to her, doing what no one else had ever deemed necessary to do.No, perhaps, she indeed had a connection to him.Hadn't he said it himself?... This was his attempt at finishing what his mother had started.Tears clouded Lily's eyes as she muttered softly. “Thank you.”Richard managed a smile as he reached out and cleaned a tear tha
The lady, having finished her heartfelt melody, took a deep breath before proceeding to empty her lungs, a look of satisfaction etched on her face.However, she soon paused with her expression shifting as she seemed to sense something, then she asked.“Who's there?” Her voice sounded hoarse, almost like it wasn't used as much as it was supposed to.Richard pondered on how best to respond before deciding to be straightforward.“My name is Richard Smith, I was attracted over by your zither playing. I must confess, it was incredible listening to you play, you are a genius.”The lady seemed to relax only for her expression to shift to curiosity as she inquired. “Smith?... You mean the man who claims to be the Legacy?”“I have been called that.”“I see, it would explain why I didn't detect you immediately. You carry a presence that despite being so immense, can be easily ignored… almost like a ghost.”Richard was unsure of how to respond and so, remarked. “Do you play this every night?”“
In a certain way, Richard had come to rely on the camouflaged drones as the best way to ensure he was never blindsided.If evidence couldn't be gotten from other sources, why not make your own?That was his understanding and so he didn't hesitate to apply it with necessary, hence the reason why he had already unleashed a good number of drones into the capital the night before.Ensuring they covered every corner of the city, nothing was happening in the capital Richard wasn't aware of.How he knew that Elder Wu wasn't doing as he had instructed and was instead meeting with his fellow Rights to discuss what he considered to be a potential disruption of the Order of the city.It seems he feared that Richard would cause chaos in his desire to get revenge.It was understandable why he would think that way but Richard was no madman and he had no desire to implicate innocents in his quest for justice for his mother.Regardless, that wasn't the point right now as he watched Prince Harry's exp
When was the last time he'd been so casually insulted that it felt like a compliment?Harry couldn't remember, perhaps because it had never happened.Those that had dared to look down on him had paid the price without question yet the man before him made him feel like that wouldn't be the case no matter what he did.Harry turned livid as he hated the fact that someone else, a nobody for that matter, would lead him to feel so wary.“How about we put that claim to the test then?” Harry inquired, unwilling to back down just like that.Richard raised a brow. “Wasn't this meant to be a party?”“Plans changed, let us compete. I believe it's a better way to decide if your words are true or you just have a big mouth, don't you agree?”“I see.”“Or perhaps, are you scared?” Harry asked in slight provocation.Richard shrugged. “Alright then, if you really wish to humiliate yourself, then sure, let's fight.”Harry snorted. “Good. We shall exchange three blows. Whoever can remain standing without