Nolan’s heart dropped the moment he sensed trouble.
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He had never fought Alivia before, but he’d heard plenty about her how she had once been the top rider and archer in the army, a wantor with unmatched martial skill. Nolan knew instinctively: he didn’t stand a chance against her.
And besides, Alivia wasn’t just strong. She was a true heroine, someone Nolan deeply respected. How could he possibly raise his hand against her?
After General Rashad’s death in battle, Alivia had largely withdrawn from public life.
Word had it she spent her days chanting sutras, living quietly and detached from worldly affairs.
But she was still part of Grover House. If Grover Yates summoned her, she couldn’t exactly refuse.
As Alivia approached, Nolan stepped forward, giving her a respectful military salute. “It’s been a long time.”
They had met once before, when Nolan was still a boy. Now he stood before her as a grown man, while she, though hidden away for years, still carried herself with the aura of a battlefield general.
Alivia’s heart stirred slightly at the sight–someone still greeting her with the old ways of the army.
“Grover Yates wishes to see General Algernon,” she said, her tone even. “They’re brothers. Please, let him through.”
Coming here today was the last thing she had wanted–and drawing weapons even more so.
Her late husband had once served under Caesar; by extension, she too had been one of his people. To raise arms now against Caesar’s son and daughter was a betrayal she hated.
Nolan could see the reluctance in her eyes. He said quickly, “Alivia, we aren’t the ones in charge here. Maybe if you just wait a little-”
“A brat like that wants me to wait?” Grover Yates slammed his palm against his wheelchair’s armrest, his voice thundering. “Alivia, what are you waiting for? Break that mutt’s spirit! Make him kneel and beg!”
Alivia glanced at Nolan, her face a blank mask. “Forgive me,” she said quietly.
Beside her, Joanna Franco stepped forward, presenting a long spear with both hands.
Alivia accepted it, giving her wrist a slight twist–clang–and immediately, the spear quivered faintly in her grasp, resonating with raw internal force.
The pressure alone made Nolan stagger back half a step.
He shifted his stance, grounding himself, and met her gaze urgently. “Alivia-”
But Alivia cut him off, her voice calm but unyielding. “Grover Yates was Rashad’s father. That makes him my elder. His orders… I cannot refuse.”
With a powerful snap of her arm, Alivia thrust her spear straight at Nolan’s chest.
Nolan hastily raised his sword to block–clang–but the blade barely held against the force of the strike.
He was blasted back several steps, struggling to stay on his feet as the shock traveled through his arms.
Before he could even steady his breath, the spear came hurtling down again, aimed straight for his head.
Nolan lifted his sword desperately to parry.
Another deafening clash–the blade and spear met, sparks flying, the sound splitting the air.
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Chapter 138
Alivia remained unflinching. Nolan, however, was driven back again and again, his breathing growing ragged and uneven
Nolant Be carefull” Monica cried out, her forehead damp with sweat.
They had completely underestimated Grover House. Without Alivia, these fools wouldn’t have been able to touch a hair on Flolan’s head.
But Alivia… Alivia was another story.
She wasn’t just a soldier–she was a true general, one forged on bloody battlefields.
Nolan was barely holding on. At this rate, he would be taken down any second. But if they summoned the Yates farnily’s guards to intervene, the commotion might reach General Algemon’s ears–and that would spell even bigger trouble.
Monica’s heart pounded in her chest, panic rising fast.
Meanwhile, the Grover House faction erupted into cheers, shouting and stamping with wild excitement.
Carole, seeing Nolan battered and retreating, was practically jumping up and down with glee. “Good! Break that mutt! No–no need to kill him. Just break his legs!”
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Chapter 139
