Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(33) The Count in the Storm

The relationship between the Glister Estate’s people and Alexis was far from cordial, and so despite being his own blood, the Count could not help but harbor concerns.
Alexis accepted their perfunctory congratulations and took his seat. The air in the Reception Room hung heavy, yet he could read at a glance how hypocritical their smiles truly were.
“I appreciate your congratulations.”
Alexis spoke with unwavering firmness.
“How gracious of you to summon me for congratulations so long after I received my title. Now, tell me the purpose of this gathering.”
At his words, every face in the room contorted. The Count remained expressionless, while the Countess wrinkled her nose in disgust, her lips trembling. Francis, whose lips had been quivering, finally spoke.
“Alexis.”
He lowered his voice.
“No matter what you have become, you are still of the Glister Family. That bloodline cannot be changed by any means. You must think of the Glister Family above all else.”
Alexis turned to regard Francis with an expressionless face.
“Now, as a Holy Knight, you must elevate the Glister Family’s name even further.”
Francis continued with a grave tone.
“Your marriage to the eldest daughter of the Hartwood Family… it seems the time has come to formally dissolve it. You are no longer the man you were then. When one’s position changes, so too must the person who stands beside you.”
At those words, Audrey nodded from beside him. In truth, this gathering had not come about without Audrey’s persuasion of the Countess. Francis had not dismissed her opinions lightly either. Thus, all the people of the Glister Estate had gathered to convince Alexis.
‘I told him so from the beginning.’
Audrey clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘It would have looked far better if she had left of her own accord.’
Audrey covered her mouth with a lace handkerchief to conceal her smirking expression.
“You are aware of the talk circulating through High Society.”
Francis continued his attempt to persuade Alexis.
“Proposals from increasingly prominent families are arriving in succession. This means they would not mind even if you were a divorced man.”
“Quite right.”
The Countess struck the Table with her palm.
“At that time, we had no choice but to proceed with this marriage for the sake of maintaining relations with Marquis Hartwood, but now that circumstances have changed, they will have nothing to say even if we cast out their daughter. In fact, the more we cling to this union, the more we shall become the laughingstock of High Society.”
With the Countess taking the initiative, Francis found his courage bolstered and continued.
“Do not concern yourself with marriage prospects. I shall arrange for you to wed a far more beautiful and refined young lady from a distinguished family. You need only proceed with the divorce. Your wife will likely not refuse.”
At those words, the air in the Reception Room froze instantly. Alexis’s violet eyes turned to ice. He rose slowly to his feet.
“Divorce?”
In that moment, the air in the Reception Room trembled. His violet eyes blazed like lightning, and a chill of holy power seeped from his entire being. What began as a subtle ripple soon became a crushing force that enveloped the entire room.
“Who dares attempt to tear my wife from me.”
A candlestick upon the Table rattled. The gilded frame of a portrait hanging on the wall creaked and tilted askew. The holy power saturating the air felt like the presence of a living, prowling beast.
The Countess gasped sharply, her face draining of all color, her fingertips trembling violently. Even Francis broke into a cold sweat, gripping his chair as his head shook slightly. Audrey, barely managing to remain seated, clenched her handkerchief.
“Young Master… no matter how you feel, a Holy Knight’s station is hardly suited to a wife from a mere Annex, surely not now… ugh!”
The moment Audrey forced those words through gritted teeth, the holy power erupted outward in a violent wave. A silver teacup shattered against the floor with a deafening crash, and even the velvet curtains billowed as though caught in a gale.
“C-calm yourself… Alexis!”
Francis’s voice trembled and faltered, and Alexis’s gaze pierced through him instantly.
“Never mention my wife again.”
In that moment, the Reception Room fell silent as if even breathing had ceased. His presence bore down upon the space like the lingering echo of holy power felt within the Holy Temple, suffocating the air itself. Alexis’s frozen violet eyes turned toward Audrey. She flinched, her body trembling with terror.
“If you approach or insult my wife even once more—just once more—”
Alexis’s voice dropped to a chilling whisper.
“I will not remain idle.”
As he took a step toward Audrey, all color drained from her face. Her eyes widened as if frozen in ice, and her hands shook as she clutched her handkerchief, trembling uncontrollably.
“Alexis…”
Francis tried to rise urgently, but Alexis’s violet gaze pinned him down. Francis collapsed back into his chair.
The eyes of Count Glister, seated at the head of the Reception Room, flickered narrowly. With his white hair combed back neatly, he had observed the entire situation without uttering a single word from the beginning. Yet now, thick veins bulged across the back of his hand.
‘How dare he… display such dominance in my own home.’
Fury churned within him, but he had to suppress it by biting his lip. A Holy Knight proclaimed by the High Priest himself, a son upon whom the King had bestowed his sword. If he openly rebuked him now, the Glister Earl Family itself could crumble.
Alexis’s holy power commanded the room, resonating like a declaration that ‘even this family cannot control me.’
“Remember this. My wife is one and only. Whatever the family says, whatever the King says, whatever God says—I do not care.”
The air in the Reception Room settled heavily. Even the ornate chandelier seemed to sway in that moment. With no one daring to speak, Alexis’s chilling voice echoed long through the space.
And Count Glister remained silent, his eyes still closed. Yet his fingertips scraped relentlessly against the armrest of his chair. The Countess and Francis trembled like frightened small animals, while only fear now remained in Audrey’s eyes—the hatred had vanished entirely.
***
Sunlight streaming through the window diffused softly through the white curtains. As silver-dusted morning light settled upon Rowan’s cheek, her breathing trembled faintly. Between her gently fluttering eyelashes, light seemed ready to seep in at any moment.
The Room was profoundly quiet. Birds chirped lightly in the distance, and the faint scent of earth drifted in from the Vegetable Garden. The air carried the warmth of spring and a crisp breeze. Rowan slept soundly.
Alexis sat beside her bed.
He appeared to have spent a long night awake, his eyes slightly weary around the edges, yet his expression was extraordinarily gentle. He gazed down at her face bathed in sunlight.
Rowan’s eyelashes quivered, and slowly her eyelids lifted.
‘I slept well for once.’
Still lying down, Rowan stretched luxuriously. Then she blinked her eyes, not yet fully awake from drowsiness. In her vision, still hazy with morning light, the first thing that appeared was Alexis’s gaze. She drew in a small, startled breath.
“Alexis?”
Rowan’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing here… wait, didn’t you sleep last night?”
Noticing his slightly pallid complexion, Rowan asked with concern. In that instant, Alexis’s lips curved up ever so subtly. And his low voice flowed out as gently as sunlight.
“Did you sleep well?”
Rowan stared at him blankly.
“Well, yes… but what were you doing if you didn’t sleep?”
Surely he hadn’t been here all night? Rowan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I was busy with various things.”
Alexis said.
“Get up. You’ll be busy today too.”
He rose to his feet. Rowan looked up at him with a bewildered expression.
“Me? Why me?”
Rowan pointed to herself and asked.
“I don’t have any special plans today?”
Well, I do manage the Vegetable Garden every day, but… Rowan swallowed her words. Then came Alexis’s shocking statement that followed.
“We’re moving today.”
It was truly astonishing news. Rowan rushed out barely having washed herself, only to find the Annex in complete chaos.
Though the morning sun had only just begun to illuminate the Annex, it already resembled a small battlefield. The courtyard, which ordinarily echoed only with birdsong and the sound of digging, now bustled with servants and attendants hurrying in every direction.
“Handle that carefully! We’ll need it at the Castle!”
The Butler’s commanding voice rang out across the courtyard, and there was an unmistakable note of excitement in his tone.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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