Chapter 567 - 565: The Sky Has Fallen, Why Would He Become the Princely Heir

Chapter 567: Chapter 565: The Sky Has Fallen, Why Would He Become the Princely Heir

By now, the whole of Atheria knew: the young master from the General’s Mansion loved crawling through doggy doors and getting into pigsties. Now, from the city’s main streets to its back alleys, from its taverns to its teahouses, everyone was discussing the matter.

After their meals and tea, people couldn’t resist gathering in twos and threes to talk about it.

"Brother Wallace, have you heard? That young master the General’s Mansion just found, his tastes are... quite unique."

"Heh heh... I know, I’ve heard! It’s really something else. I was floored when I heard about it. Who would believe that a perfectly healthy kid would just decide to crawl through a doggy door late at night for fun? And from what I hear on the grapevine, he didn’t just do it at Lord Miller’s place. Last night, there was a ruckus with the dogs over at Lord Shaw’s and Lord Hale’s mansions, too. When they asked around, the servants there said they saw a shadowy figure crawl through the doggy door and run off through the backyard. And that figure was a kid, too."

"Whoa... there’s more? This story just gets juicier and juicier. Hahaha, if you ask me, the General’s Mansion has been thoroughly humiliated this time."

The two of them weren’t exactly whispering. Someone nearby overheard and couldn’t resist pulling up a chair to join the discussion. "My friends, your news is old. Heh heh, that’s nothing. You’ll never guess what I saw first thing this morning."

Hearing this, the first two men looked at him, their faces alight with curiosity. "Quick, tell us!"

Seeing their eager faces, the newcomer chuckled. He snapped open his folding fan, leaned in, and lowered his voice. "I was up early, out for a stroll with my songbird. Right across from the bun shop in the western district, I saw the steward from the General’s Mansion with some men, escorting a boy with a tilted head back to the mansion. The kid was so filthy you could barely make out his features."

The young gentleman paused for effect.

The others urged him on.

"Get on with it! What then?"

The young gentleman continued, "Even from a good distance, I could smell the stench. Don’t even get me started—I still haven’t been able to eat. It smelled like he’d been rolling in a sewer, mixed with pig manure and something sour and rotten. I hate to even bring it up. And do you know who that boy was? I didn’t at first, but after asking around, I found out. The boy they were hauling back was none other than Arthur Jacobs, the young master the General’s Mansion just recently found. And do you have any idea what this young master was up to so early in the morning?"

The listeners urged him on.

"Come on, lay it on us! The suspense is killing me!"

The young gentleman chuckled and shared what he’d heard. "A servant from the General’s Mansion told me that first thing in the morning, Arthur Jacobs ran all the way to Butcher Wallace’s place at the western edge of the city, crawled through a doggy door into the pigsty, and tried to steal a pig."

Hearing this, the other two men’s jaws dropped, and they gasped aloud.

"Steal a pig... Heavens, what sane person does something like that? Why on earth would he go and steal a pig? How much could one pig even be worth? Don’t tell me the General’s Mansion is mistreating their long-lost son? No, that can’t be it. Other than two daughters from concubines, Arthur Jacobs is their only son."

"Crawling into a pigsty to steal a pig? It’s unthinkable."

Just then, a passerby couldn’t help but interject, "Steal a pig? No way. If you ask me, that kid has been living on the streets for so long that he can’t adjust to life in the General’s Mansion. He crawled through the doggy door and into the pigsty so he could sleep with the pigs."

This is how rumors get started. By afternoon, the story had evolved: Arthur Jacobs could only get a peaceful night’s sleep if he was with pigs.

Now, even old men on the street would stop in their tracks to add their two cents, sighing with emotion. "What a tragedy. How could a perfectly fine boy come down with such an affliction? To mistake two pigs for his birth parents and run off to sleep with them at night."

「Elsewhere.」

When Aaron Sinclair heard the news, he froze for a second before slamming his hand on the table and bursting into laughter. His gloating expression made it clear he was absolutely thrilled. "Hahaha! My god, is this for real? Am I still dreaming, or has the world just gone completely mad?"

’Crawling through doggy doors was one thing, but Arthur Jacobs actually went to sleep with two pigs in a sty? Is he right in the head? Holy shit, who put a curse on him?’

’I clearly remember him being an arrogant bastard, but he wasn’t stupid, was he? Did he really do this? It’s unthinkable, just unthinkable. Maybe he got his head slammed in a door while I was gone.’

’Putting everything else aside, just for this incident of running off to sleep with pigs in a sty, he can forget about a smooth-sailing career. Whether in civil service or the military, his path is blocked. After all, even the Emperor wouldn’t want an official with a reputation like that and a questionable mind.’

’So, even if I don’t lift a finger, his life is over.’

’But... doing nothing isn’t an option. I’m the kind of person who likes my enemies to know exactly why they’re ruined.’

Aaron Sinclair’s smile faded.

He raised his hand in a gesture.

"Men."

The moment the word left his lips, two figures appeared silently nearby.

"Young Master, what are your orders?" ℯℯ𝑙.

"I want you to investigate the General’s Mansion. From top to bottom, leave no stone unturned. And specifically, focus on the current Great General, Caleb Jacobs. I suspect he falsely claimed military merits and assumed another’s identity."

Aaron Sinclair’s Hidden Guards were handpicked from The Shadow Guard Camp. They included both men and women, all masters of martial arts, each capable of moving without a sound or trace.

Upon hearing the phrases "assumed another’s identity" and "falsely claimed military merits," the Hidden Guards’ pupils constricted. If true, these were capital offenses, punishable by beheading. ’How could they dare?’ But since their Young Master had said it, it was almost certainly true.

The Hidden Guards bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Young Master. This subordinate will investigate at once."

He gave a slight wave of his hand, and the two figures vanished on the spot.

Aaron Sinclair found that commanding others came unnervingly naturally to him. ’It’s not just Hidden Guards. I probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at commanding an army of thousands. It’s strange, even to me. But it doesn’t matter. It’s probably just because I’m the son of the Warden of the North.’

Aaron Sinclair stood up, his gaze turning toward the General’s Mansion. His accusations weren’t just a whim; he was quite sure of them.

’He could still vividly recall everything he had been through, even with his eyes closed. That’s why, even if he hadn’t found his birth parents, even without the power that came with his station, he would have found a way to return and take his revenge.’

On the very night the "true" young master was brought home, he had gone to the main courtyard. He had intended to tell his nominal father that he would move out, just to put their minds at ease.