Chapter 335
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Master Landon? Why have you come here? Lady Erica did not recognize Tessa, but Lyonel was the director of the Royal Medical Hall. Any consort in the palace who wished to live well inevitably had to pay some attention to his attitude, since they faced birth, aging, illness, and death.
In the deep palace, where it was difficult to leave, maintaining a good relationship with the imperial physician was especially important. However, her health had been good recently. Therefore, she was surprised by Lyonel’s sudden appearance.
Tessa looked at the woman before her, who looked exactly like herself, only older, her eyes slightly reddened, and said, “Recently, I’ve heard some things and wanted to ask Your Highness about them.”
Go ahead. Lady Erica nodded and invited her to sit down.
Tessa took a slow, deep breath, suppressing the emotions in her heart, and said, “Rumor has it that the daughter Your Highness lost years ago was taken away by Isander’s faction, used as a pawn and sent to the Eastvale Empire, suffering a fate worse than death.”
What? Upon hearing this, Lady Erica felt as if she had been stabbed hard, and looked at Tessa in astonishment. “Master Landon, is this true?”
I’m afraid it’s true. Tessa had no other evidence, because she herself was the evidence. “A few days ago, I accepted your daughter as my disciple. Has Your Highness met her?”
She had met Lady Erica before. At that moment, saying those things was merely to probe whether Lady Erica truly cared about her daughter.
Lady Erica staggered, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. “I knew it. She looks exactly as I did when I was young. So she truly is my Tessa?”
She had given birth to a daughter back then. But to secure her position, she planned for her daughter to dress as a boy. Unexpectedly, this child was coveted by others and was sent out of the palace.
Finally reunited, Lady Erica, in her urgency, grabbed Tessa’s hand. “Master Landon, where is Tessa now? I must see her!”
Tessa lowered her head, looking at the hands that gripped her own. Those hands were trembling violently. ‘So this is what a mother’s love is like.’
Tessa’s eyes reddened as she said, “She is a spy in the Eastvale Empire, hunted by all, with no one to shield her. She has already changed her appearance and no longer looks like you. Would you still recognize her?” Suppressing her own emotions, she asked Lady Erica as if she were merely an observer.
Lady Erica burst into tears. “Oh, my poor child. Take me to her quickly. No matter what she has become, she is still my daughter! Lady Erica cried, urging her.
At that moment, Tessa’s emotions collapsed. Unable to hold back, she reached out and hugged Lady Erica, startling the palace maids. “Master Landon, you have crossed the line!” If this were to reach the King’s ears, it would be disastrous.
Tessa raised her hand and tore the mask off her face, revealing a beautiful and spirited, yet somewhat androgynous face. “Your Highness, I am the woman who brushed past you on New Year’s Eve and was transformed by Master Landon Do you still recognize me?”
At last, she could no longer hold back her tears, which rolled down her face. Tessa trembled all over. The grievances she had suffered over the years surged in like a tide, and she suddenly broke down in sobs.
Lady Erica was momentarily stunned, but upon seeing Tessa collapse in tears, she felt her heart shatter. “Tessa… My Tessa!”
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Chapter 335
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The mother and daughter finally embraced, crying as if the world were ending. Tessa nestled in her embrace for the first time, her chest aching profoundly. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. “Mother. I am so sad, so very sad
So many events, so many memories, so much pain, resentment, jealousy, collapse, resilience, twisted thoughts and emotions, all at that moment surged over her like a breached flood, burying her, leaving her speechless.
All the emotions that had sustained her to this day unraveled in this instant. All she had ever sought in life was a place of peace and stability.
She often thought, if not for Raul, her mother would not have died, and she would have grown up like a girl from an ordinary family, under her mother’s care. That way, she would not have endured such an inhuman existence. Nor would she have been consumed by hatred.
Yet all of that was irretrievable. She had already lived through it, bearing scars all over, wishing desperately in this moment to live her life again.
Meanwhile, Lady Erica looked at her, her heart nearly breaking. “I want Isander and that venomous woman of his to die!” She trembled all over, as if the hatred had transferred from her daughter’s heart to her own.
Tessa felt her mother’s concern. In that moment, her heart found peace. “I have evidence that will leave them with no place to be buried.”
Tessa looked up at Lady Erica. “All these years, Isander has treated me as a pawn. I know far too much about him. He and Master Landon orchestrated Angelina’s death. If Nathaniel knows this, he will not let him go.
“Moreover, he once colluded with the Eastvale Empire, trafficking warhorses to Callum for breeding stock. I have letters he wrote to Callum in my possession!
“In addition, he has raised eighty thousand private soldiers at the border. If investigated, so many people will be exposed. and he will have no chance to resist!” Tessa spoke these words, her feelings complex. Over the years, she had endured many hardships but had gained many.
When she struck back, she knew Isander had too many issues. Her counterattack would surely be decisive. However, it was never supposed to be this way. Tessa still wished she could have grown up well by Lady Erica’s side, rather than suffering hardships that were never meant for her.
That is truly wonderful. I will have someone deliver this news to the King! Lady Erica rose and immediately ordered someone to find her brother, now the Lord of Warfare of the Southcroft Empire.
The mother and daughter spoke for a while longer. However, Tessa did not reveal all her experiences. She knew that if such things were to spread, it would only harm herself. Those secrets that could not see the light of day could only rot in her
heart.
Tessa gazed at the palace walls outside, feeling conflicted. In the end, everything had changed.
At that moment, Isander was busy studying the deployment map he had obtained from Callum of the Eastvale Empire. having secretly summoned a group of advisors and hiding in a secret chamber.
He was temporarily unaware of the explosive news that broke out this morning. Isander was still envisioning the future. “This year, the Eastvale Empire is experiencing heavy snow. For at least the next four months, the northern roads of Eastvale will be difficult to traverse. First blocked by snow, then mired in mud that will take a long time to dry out completely.
Once war breaks out in the south, their supplies will surely be insufficient. Moreover, with the deployment map in our hands, we can strike with precision.
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Chapter 335
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A smile appeared on his face. “I believe that as long as everything is arranged properly, if we attack with overwhelming force, the Eastvale Empire’s defensive line will be broken within a month!
“Once the defensive line is breached, there will be no more obstacles for us. When I seize the great southern plains of Eastvale, those who deserve military merit will earn it, and those who deserve rewards will receive them. There will be no fear that they will not follow me. When that time comes, even if my father favors my eldest royal brother, he will have to consider the will of the army and the people.”
“My brother. In the end, you will never be my match!”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
