Chapter 691: The Last Straw

Henwell surveys the surrounding battlefield. "Arius, you shouldn't have come out! There's no way to salvage this now."

"You don't have enough soldiers in the city."

"Jonathan has lost a considerable number of troops, but he still outnumbers us several times over."

"And look at me. I can't frighten anyone in this state."

"Both our armies are exhausted. They can barely hold their ground. If we want to turn this around, we need the people watching from the sidelines to make their move."

"I forced the assassins to retreat, but I was also badly wounded. That is why they are still hesitating."

"Every moment they hesitate only helps Jonathan!"

Arius looks into the distance. "I am not sure about Duke Obiken, but your father-in-law, Duke Marcus, can no longer sit still."

"All we need to do is give him one final push. Once he makes his choice, everyone else who is waiting will change sides with him."

Henwell replies irritably, "And how are we supposed to push him? He is determined to wait for you to die and then have me conquer the entire Vorry Kingdom."

Arius tries to reassure him. "He has never sat on the throne, so he cannot think like a king."

"He has never wanted to be king, so naturally, he has never considered this from a king's perspective."

"I will lead the cavalry in another charge. The kingdom's cavalry is already wavering."

"They won't attack me. Once I ride around their flank, I can either split the battlefield or charge straight at Jonathan."

"That will be the final spark your father-in-law needs. Hold on. We are about to win!"

Henwell suddenly snaps his gaze toward the far edge of the battlefield.

A force has appeared there beneath a blood-red battle banner bearing Henwell's personal crest.

Everyone's heart lurches.

We're finished!

How has Peace Haven's army arrived so quickly?

Hadn't it only just set out?

Then they relax. The cavalry force is not large, with only around a thousand riders.

It must be one of the outer cavalry patrols from Henwell's army.

Their relief vanishes when the force raises a second battle banner. Everyone checks it again and again through their telescopes.

Then every gaze turns toward Duke Marcus's formation, because the second banner belongs to Eastern Mist City.

When Henwell looks at him, Arius frowns. "Don't look at me. This wasn't my idea. I'm not shameless enough for that."

The cavalry commander at the front reins in her horse. The entire force behind her stops in perfect unison, demonstrating just how elite they are.

The knight at their head is Henwell's wife, Duke Marcus's youngest daughter and the lady of Peace Haven, Melissa.

The young cavalryman beside her is Henwell's eldest son, Pabos.

The boy wears a small suit of fitted armor and carries a war spear more than two meters long.

His face is full of excitement as he asks, "Mother, where is Father? What do we do next? Are we joining Grandfather?"

Melissa pats her son's shoulder. "Pabos, on the night you were born, your father fought through that storm to carve out a future for us."

"Now it is our turn to carve out a chance for him to live."

"To be honest, I don't know whether we will succeed."

"If we fail, we will not save your father, and we will die here with him."

"Are you afraid?"

Pabos nods firmly. "No!"

Melissa smiles. "Silly child. How could you not be afraid?"

"I am terrified. I have never fought on a battlefield before, and my hands are shaking even now."

"But some things must be done even when we are afraid."

"All we can do is grit our teeth and move forward. Fear will not shake our resolve!"

A tall knight on her other side says, "My lady, we should find the old duke first. He will send his troops!"

The speaker is Gunter, Melissa's bodyguard knight. He comes from Eastern Mist City and was once one of Duke Marcus's trusted men.

When Melissa married Henwell, Duke Marcus sent a company of knights to protect her, with Gunter as their commander.

After all his past dealings with Henwell, Gunter now answers directly to Melissa.

Melissa shakes her head at Gunter's suggestion. "No. If I go to Father, he will detain me!"

When Gunter tries to say more, Melissa raises her voice. "Change horses! Prepare to charge!"

The knights behind her immediately mount the chargers beside them, take the lances from their saddles, and prepare for battle.

This force is the guard of Blood Hill Manor. Some are Lord Iron Guards, while the rest belong to the company Melissa brought from her family home.

Duke Marcus's expression turns ashen when he sees Melissa's force.

When he realizes that Melissa is preparing to charge with her son, he stamps his feet and roars.

"Fools! Utter fools! A woman's soft heart and a woman's shortsightedness!"

"You are driving me mad! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and now it is being thrown away for nothing."

"No one is to help them! Let them go! Let them all die..."

Before Duke Marcus can finish, he suddenly falls backward.

The people around him descend into panic. After examining him, they finally breathe a sigh of relief. He has only fainted after being overwhelmed by rage.

Once the duke is carried away, another problem immediately presents itself.

What are they supposed to do now?

Duke Marcus is unconscious, and Melissa is about to charge in to save Henwell. None of them has the authority to decide.

At that moment, someone suddenly says, "Now that the old duke has collapsed from exhaustion, someone still has to make the decisions."

"By custom, Young Master Spencer should assume command in his place!"

Another noble says, "But His Grace locked Young Master Spencer away!"

"Tsk! This is an emergency. We cannot worry about that now. Bring Young Master Spencer here at once!"

A short while later, Spencer arrives at the front while putting on his armor. "What is happening?"

"Young Master, your sister has taken the child and already begun her charge!"

Spencer roars, "Then why are you still standing here? Eastern Mist Knights, charge with me!"

"Young Master, who are we attacking?"

"What kind of question is that? We are saving my sister. Attack anyone who gets in our way!"

Perfect!

That is exactly what everyone has been waiting to hear.

Horns and drums soon sound throughout the army of the Eastern Regions. The army is preparing to attack.

Watching Eastern Mist City's forces advance from afar, Duke Obiken sneers. "What a shameless old bastard. Even now, he is still trying to protect his own reputation!"

One of his trusted men asks, "Your Grace, what should we do? Should we release Young Master Fabio as well?"

The thought of his youngest son, who ran all this way and now wants to fight his own father, makes Duke Obiken's head ache.

He looks at the sons of his old companions. Every one of them is exceptional, and every one of them has schemes within schemes.

His own son is competent at marching and fighting, but when it comes to cunning, he cannot compare with these younger men.

Duke Obiken sighs. "Pass down my order. We are sending in the army!"

"Your Grace, who are we attacking?"

Duke Obiken answers, "I am uncle to both Arius and Jonathan, so we are attacking no one! I simply cannot watch them slaughter each other until the royal bloodline dies out."

"I am going to separate them, not attack either side. Do you understand?"

"However, if anyone refuses to heed his uncle's advice, then he will have to take a beating!"