Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 68

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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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(68) The Paternity Scandal

I exhaled deeply and buried my face in my hands against the table. The rumors had spread like wildfire, and the real problem ran far deeper.
The Glister Earl Family had inserted themselves into the matter. In truth, Francis and Audrey had been unable to conceive for quite some time.
The Glister Earl Family insisted they needed to verify the child in question, arguing that if the boy was indeed Alexis’s biological son, then he carried their family’s blood and should rightfully be claimed as one of their own. They condemned Alexis as cold-hearted for ignoring his own flesh and blood.
Many people did think Alexis somewhat callous for severing ties with both his own family and mine.
“I was hoping to resolve this quietly….”
But the Glister Earl Family had inserted themselves into the matter. It was adding insult to injury. They would never allow this problem to be resolved peacefully.
My suspicions proved correct. The Glister Family sent a letter to the Royal Court.
After confirming the child’s identity, they declared that since Alexis was indeed the biological father and the boy carried the blood of a Holy Knight, he should be recognized as the eldest son of the Valerian Family, even if the Glister Family took him in. Alexis responded with vehement denial, and the two sides remained locked in fierce opposition.
***
In the inner chambers of the Glister Earl Family’s mansion, the room was shrouded in darkness despite the afternoon hour, heavy curtains drawn tight across the windows. The air hung stagnant and suffocating. Three women sat facing one another in the gloom.
They were Countess Glister, Audrey, and Maribel. Maribel had come to Count Glister’s Mansion with Lionel, and with the family’s approval, she and her son now resided there with legitimate standing.
“Are you comfortable here?”
Countess Glister and Audrey treated Maribel with unprecedented kindness. Maribel smiled shyly in response.
“Everyone has been so welcoming. I’m quite content.”
“Of course. We’re all family now, so we should get along well.”
Countess Glister’s eyes as she regarded Maribel were remarkably soft.
“But with Alexis taking such a firm stance, I’m not sure what will happen next.”
Maribel spoke with evident worry, and Audrey took her hand.
“You need to steel yourself.”
Then she turned her head toward Countess Glister.
“The rumors are spreading faster than expected.”
Audrey lifted her teacup as she spoke. Her lips curved upward pleasantly, but her eyes remained cold and unsmiling.
“That’s as it should be.”
Countess Glister replied. She sat with her spine perfectly straight, every movement controlled and deliberate.
“Now that we’ve begun, we cannot afford to let this falter.”
“Do you really think it will be all right?”
Maribel ventured carefully.
“That woman is more….”
“Formidable than you expected?”
As Maribel trailed off, Audrey finished her thought.
“She’s no ordinary opponent. Never underestimate her.”
Maribel fell silent at Audrey’s venomous words.
“Precisely.”
The Countess spoke with calm certainty.
“Which is why we must crush her all the more thoroughly.”
“Trampling on…”
Maribel’s voice wavered. In that instant, the Countess’s gaze descended slowly toward her.
“Are you thinking of backing out now?”
“No, ma’am.”
Maribel shook her head hastily. Audrey continued smoothly.
“Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to see it through to the end.”
Her fingers traced slowly along the rim of the teacup.
“We’re already in the same boat. If even one of us sinks here, we all drown.”
“But that child…”
At Maribel’s murmur, Audrey let out a low chuckle.
“On the surface, everything is perfect.”
“…”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
She whispered softly.
“To anyone’s eyes, that child is clearly that man’s son.”
Maribel’s gaze fell slowly downward.
***
News was spreading that Maribel was moving about within the Glister Earl Family. Yet strangely, Alexis merely insisted the child was not his blood relative and took no further action.
Because of this, the rumors spread all the more, and he had now transformed into a man who coldly neglected his own flesh and blood. But the rumors did not stop there.
“Ugh, I’m absolutely furious!”
Eloze vented her anger with visible indignation. She had just returned from an outing.
“What happened outside?”
When Lea asked, Eloze spoke with an angry expression.
“Everyone’s spreading ridiculous gossip!”
This was what Eloze said. She had been invited to a tea party held by the Countess, with whom she had maintained a long friendship. Eloze and Lea occasionally took turns caring for Leonius, and someone like Eloze, who had long maintained connections at the Royal Court, was not without social obligations.
Since Rowan’s existence was so mysterious in High Society, she had briefly ceased her social activities, but this invitation came from the Countess to whom she owed a debt, making it difficult to refuse. And their invitation had a clear purpose.
“The rumor going around is that Rowan doesn’t want the master’s son in the castle, so she’s confined them both to a remote place and plans to keep them hidden away for life.”
“That’s absurd. When would Rowan ever do such a thing?”
“The rumors have already spread among people. They’re saying Rowan looks down on Alexis’s biological son.”
No matter how indifferent to rumors Rowan might be, this concerned Alexis’s blood relative. Moreover, rumors about Rowan herself had begun to spread. The Countess of Valerion claimed she showed no emotion upon seeing the child. That even as the child clung to her weeping, she never once held him in her arms.
There were even stories added that she immediately ordered him to leave and hide away. So naturally, so effortlessly, the Countess of Valerion had become a cold-hearted woman.
Even the reason they lived quietly in the castle and did not appear in High Society was reinterpreted anew. Not that they had distanced themselves from society, but that they had something to hide.
As the situation developed this way, the High Priest finally confronted Alexis.
“He is not my son.”
“Is that true?”
The High Priest’s eyes sharpened upon him. If the child were truly his, they would need to verify whether the child possessed holy power. And the descendants of Holy Knights were exceedingly valuable assets. Therefore, if he were Alexis’s son, the Grand Cathedral would need to keep a close watch.
“Absolutely not.”
Yet Alexis’s attitude remained unyielding. The High Priest had built considerable rapport with Rowan through his visits to the Marquis Estate. And he harbored special affection for Leonius.
“Make certain of it.”
The High Priest said.
“Rumors are spreading quite unfavorably, I’m afraid. People dare not speak ill of you, but the Countess of Valerion is another matter entirely. More and more are beginning to slander her name.”
At those words, Alexis’s face hardened like stone. His fists clenched, he sat in thought for a moment before rising to his feet.
His destination was none other than Count Glister’s Mansion—a place he had sworn never to return to in this lifetime. Yet he came for one reason alone: Rowan.
He could endure any rumor or condemnation directed at himself, but he would not allow Rowan’s name to be tarnished. She was his rightful wife, the mother of his son.
Born into a noble house yet possessing nothing in his hands, Alexis had lived with an ache in his heart—until she became the one thing given to him.
Since meeting her, the sorrow that once knotted his chest whenever he thought of the East Annex and Aunt Ureia had finally subsided. Through her, his sacred power had awakened, allowing him to save her life. Rowan was nothing less than a miracle to Alexis.
The household of Glister was somewhat taken aback by Alexis’s sudden arrival, yet they composed themselves to receive him. It was not as though they had failed to anticipate such a possibility.
Alexis surveyed them slowly. Count and Countess Glister had aged considerably in the interim, while Francis, confined to the house and drowning himself in drink, bore a haggard and pallid countenance.

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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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