Chapter 201
Another half an hour passed during the wait.
Nolan came back quickly and said in a low voice, “The King and the Queen’s team are on the way. They’ll be here soon!”
The King was almost here. Everyone else heard the news too. All of a sudden, everyone perkedi
Tup.
But Garbisch was sweating anxiously. “Jessica, the King is almost here. Who are we still waiting for?”
He had a vague feeling that Jessica was indeed waiting for someone. But if the King arrived and that person still hadn’t shown up, it would be a grave sign of disrespect. Whether or not they would even be allowed to enter the hunting grounds would become uncertain.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried hooves echoed from outside.
Jessica’s eyes lit up, and she sprang to her feet. “Garbisch, they’re here!”
“They?” Garbisch didn’t know who Jessica was waiting for.
At the forest entrance, two women approached on horseback.
One of them appeared to be in her thirties, dressed like a married woman, sturdy in build. The other seemed just over twenty, dressed as a maiden. But both rode their horses with skill and agility..
Amidst all the men, their presence was a little jarring, but their aura wasn’t weak in the slightest.
People were wondering if they were representing the Yates family.
The horses galloped swiftly toward Garbisch and Jessica. Everyone thought they were going to collide. Even Garbisch stepped forward instinctively to shield Jessica. Then, both horses neighed sharply and came to an immediate stop.
The speed was lightning fast. Their riding skills were not to be underestimated.
“Aunt Karlie?” Garbisch immediately recognized the woman in front. It was Karlie Yates, the wife of his second uncle, Emre Yates.
After Emre died in battle six years ago, Karlie had lived alone, rarely leaving their residence, much like Alivia. Both had chosen lives of quiet solitude.
Back in the day, Karlie had also followed Emre into battle, but she never gained much fame. She had always just been the woman behind Emre.
Garbisch had never expected Jessica would even invite Karlie.
“And this is… you?” He looked at the young woman behind Karlie. She was in her early twenties, no makeup on her face, and her gaze was calm, with a
hint of unease.
“It’s Leanna.” Jessica walked over and took Leanna’s hand.
“You still remember me.” Leanna’s voice was soft and hesitant, a bit awkward.
“It really is you.” Garbisch had seen Leanna before, though only a few times.
Leanna had been someone their third uncle, Dayton, met outside the family. There had been no matchmaker, no parental approval. They had privately pledged themselves to each other.
Originally, Dayton wanted to tell Algernon his plan to marry Leanna once he returned from that battle. But tragically, that battle took his life.
The first time Garbisch and Jessica met Leanna was on the day of their parents‘ and uncles‘ funeral.
Leanna wore mourning clothes and came to help carry the spirit tablet. She said she was Dayton’s fiancée, but Algernon wouldn’t allow it.
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Chapter 201
Later, she came twice more, saying, “I am a Yates now. Please, let me stay in the mansion,”
Garbisch still remembered it clearly. Leanna cried her heart out that day, saying, “Just let me live in Dayton’s courtyard. As long as I can look after the place he once lived, I will be content.”
But Algernon still had her driven away.
After being turned away twice, Garbisch never saw her again.
Hé had thought Leanna had moved on, married, started a family, and begun her own life. But to his surprise, even now, Leanna still dressed as an unmarried maiden.
She had already passed the usual age for marriage.
