Lai En: "When you disappeared that year, my father used all his connections to desperately look for you for half a year. Why..."
Lai En looked at Frank, who was laughing hysterically, and realized something: "Could your disappearance back then have something to do with my father?"
The one in front of Lai En who he called uncle and looked exactly like Lafeier named Frank, and Lai En's father, the head of the Howard Family Lafeier, were twin brothers.
When the two were born, the entire Howard Family rejoiced and held a grand banquet, the whole country knew about it.
Their mother was regarded as a great contributor to the family.
The twin brothers grew up showered with praise.
From a young age well into their teens and twenties, the two were inseparable. They excelled in their studies, helped manage the family business together after graduation, supported each other, looked after one another, and grew up together, living up to the family's expectations.
In everyone's eyes, the feelings, tacit understanding and bond between the twins were stronger and deeper than those between ordinary siblings, but only they themselves knew whether this was true.
Ten years ago, Frank, who was out on business, had an accident and disappeared without a trace. Lafeier used all his connections to look for him but failed.
The search lasted half a year.
He vanished without a trace, dead or alive unknown.
It was reasonable to assume Frank had met with foul play.
Unwilling to accept this cruel reality, the Howard Family continued the desperate search for half a year. Half a year later, Lafeier reluctantly announced Frank's death and held a funeral for him.
From then on, there was only one brother left without the other.
But the truth was that Frank, who was presumed dead, had been living under his brother Lafeier's identity, openly and legally, in front of everyone without people realizing he was the younger brother.
He had even killed his own elder brother.
Now it seemed that the one who announced Frank's death half a year later was not the elder brother Lafeier at all...
"Disappeared? Looked for me?" Hearing these words, Frank laughed even louder and more hysterically, almost laughing himself to tears.
"He did use all his connections and sent everyone he could to look for me... to kill me. Disappearing was not enough, he had to see my corpse to believe I was dead." Frank's expression oscillated between laughter and frenzy.
Frank: "Everyone must have praised what a good elder brother he was, willing to neglect family business just to look for his younger brother."
Frank: "There must have been many people comforting and encouraging him during that half year."
Frank's expression hardened with distortion: "But no one knew the elder brother was looking for the younger brother not to bring him home, but to kill him!"
"That half a year, he was indeed very troubled, troubled that he couldn't find me, that I wasn't dead enough, that I would suddenly come back to the family! Troubled that I would expose his evil deeds to the public."
Lai En could not believe that under the moving guise of kinship love, there was actually the elder brother's attempt at killing off the younger brother.
His own father had doted on his younger brother so much.
The Little Prince: "So it was Lafeier who wanted to kill you. You survived, came back and killed him, taking over his place?"
Frank: "That's right. I didn't die. I not only lived but killed him. I put his body in my coffin."
It was announced that the younger brother had died, but the announcement was made not by the elder brother, but by the younger brother himself. The younger brother had escaped his elder brother's assassination attempt for half a year, finally turning the table and killing his elder brother instead. He returned to the family under the identity of his elder brother, announced his own death, and held a funeral for himself.
Everyone thought an empty coffin was buried that day, but there was a body inside, that of Lafeier.
And the one who helped him return to the family was the Jack of Diamonds.
The Little Prince felt chills all over his body.
Lai En: "Why did my father want to do this?"
Why did he try every means to kill his own younger brother?
Frank stopped talking and just stared at Lai En.
Sensing Frank's reaction, Lin Cheng tried correcting the Little Prince's speculation: "It was probably you who wanted to kill Lafeier first. Lafeier found out and tried to kill you preemptively in self-defense. In that case, you don't seem to be the wronged party here."
Frank immediately looked towards Lin Cheng, reacting as if his toes were stepped on: "What do you know!?"
He walked aggressively towards Lin Cheng two steps: "What do you mean I'm not wronged? He snatched everything that should've belonged to me. He deserved to die. I was the one who was wronged!"
"Ever since we were young he followed me around like a shadow. I couldn't shake him off. Why did we have to be twins? Why was he the elder brother and me the younger? Why was he the heir the moment he was born? Why would his children inherit his position as Family Head in the future while my children could only inherit the little power he would give me? He was just born two minutes earlier than me wasn't he? Why did he have to look exactly like me? Why did people keep mixing me up with him? Even the woman I loved couldn't tell the difference between me and him! Why did he pretend to be me and stole her from me when he clearly knew she loved me!? He used my face to snatch the woman I loved, married her and made me call her sister-in-law, watching them be all lovey dovey!" Frank suddenly looked towards Lai En and excitedly told him: "Lai En, you should've been my child. You are my child!"
Lai En took a step back, the taboo entanglements between his parents and uncle making him physically uncomfortable.
Qin Hanyue: How melodramatic, little shadow probably doesn't like listening to this.
Seeing the disgust in Lai En's eyes provoked Frank. His gaze towards Lai En instantly turned complicated, with love, hatred and disgust all mixed together.
With a gloomy expression, he said: "Disgusted isn't it? Good, disgusted is right."
"Although I lost in the power struggle with the Karolin Clan, between him and me, I won. I'm using his identity, occupying his wife. His precious son calls me father. And in the future even his grandchildren will call me grandpa. If not for that damned trash dragging me down today, I would be the king father of a kingdom under no one but above all! I did it, I succeeded. Under my leadership the Howard Family will usher an unprecedented glorious era, something even he might not achieve."
"Today I, Frank Howard, may have lost. But in the public eye the one who rebelled and plotted treason was him, Lafeier Howard! His name will be forever condemned. He lost completely, completely hahaha!"
In Frank's perspective, he did not lose at all.
Lai En quietly watched Frank descend into madness, lightly frowning.
After a while, he turned and told Lin Cheng: "Weren't you taking me to face military court? Go ahead."
Silver handcuffs locked Lai En's wrists.
The maddened Frank quieted down, staring at the handcuffs on Lai En's wrists.
Lai En: "I have a request."
Lin Cheng looked at him.
Lai En: "The ones who rebelled and plotted treason were Frank Howard and I, Lai En Howard. I hope Duke Lin... no, Your Majesty, would clear my father's name."
Lin Cheng glanced at Frank and said: "I can consider it."
Lai En thanked him, then walked towards outside the great hall.
Frank completely lost his mind: "Lai En, you can't do that. You can't do that! Your mother truly loved me. She should've been my wife. You should've been my child. I should've been your father. It was that damned Lafeier who snatched everything from me, snatched your mother and you! Lai En! Come back!"
Frank frantically screamed at Lai En's retreating back.
Lai En walked out of the great hall step by step. He looked over the imperial guards lined up below the stairs. Then raised his head towards the pitch dark night sky.
A few sparse stars glittered. Half unwillingness half relief showed in his tired eyes.
Lai En: "When you disappeared that year, my father used all his connections to desperately look for you for half a year. Why..."
Lai En looked at Frank, who was laughing hysterically, and realized something: "Could your disappearance back then have something to do with my father?"
The one in front of Lai En who he called uncle and looked exactly like Lafeier named Frank, and Lai En's father, the head of the Howard Family Lafeier, were twin brothers.
When the two were born, the entire Howard Family rejoiced and held a grand banquet, the whole country knew about it.
Their mother was regarded as a great contributor to the family.
The twin brothers grew up showered with praise.
From a young age well into their teens and twenties, the two were inseparable. They excelled in their studies, helped manage the family business together after graduation, supported each other, looked after one another, and grew up together, living up to the family's expectations.
In everyone's eyes, the feelings, tacit understanding and bond between the twins were stronger and deeper than those between ordinary siblings, but only they themselves knew whether this was true.
Ten years ago, Frank, who was out on business, had an accident and disappeared without a trace. Lafeier used all his connections to look for him but failed.
The search lasted half a year.
He vanished without a trace, dead or alive unknown.
It was reasonable to assume Frank had met with foul play.
Unwilling to accept this cruel reality, the Howard Family continued the desperate search for half a year. Half a year later, Lafeier reluctantly announced Frank's death and held a funeral for him.
From then on, there was only one brother left without the other.
But the truth was that Frank, who was presumed dead, had been living under his brother Lafeier's identity, openly and legally, in front of everyone without people realizing he was the younger brother.
He had even killed his own elder brother.
Now it seemed that the one who announced Frank's death half a year later was not the elder brother Lafeier at all...
"Disappeared? Looked for me?" Hearing these words, Frank laughed even louder and more hysterically, almost laughing himself to tears.
"He did use all his connections and sent everyone he could to look for me... to kill me. Disappearing was not enough, he had to see my corpse to believe I was dead." Frank's expression oscillated between laughter and frenzy.
Frank: "Everyone must have praised what a good elder brother he was, willing to neglect family business just to look for his younger brother."
Frank: "There must have been many people comforting and encouraging him during that half year."
Frank's expression hardened with distortion: "But no one knew the elder brother was looking for the younger brother not to bring him home, but to kill him!"
"That half a year, he was indeed very troubled, troubled that he couldn't find me, that I wasn't dead enough, that I would suddenly come back to the family! Troubled that I would expose his evil deeds to the public."
Lai En could not believe that under the moving guise of kinship love, there was actually the elder brother's attempt at killing off the younger brother.
His own father had doted on his younger brother so much.
The Little Prince: "So it was Lafeier who wanted to kill you. You survived, came back and killed him, taking over his place?"
Frank: "That's right. I didn't die. I not only lived but killed him. I put his body in my coffin."
It was announced that the younger brother had died, but the announcement was made not by the elder brother, but by the younger brother himself. The younger brother had escaped his elder brother's assassination attempt for half a year, finally turning the table and killing his elder brother instead. He returned to the family under the identity of his elder brother, announced his own death, and held a funeral for himself.
Everyone thought an empty coffin was buried that day, but there was a body inside, that of Lafeier.
And the one who helped him return to the family was the Jack of Diamonds.
The Little Prince felt chills all over his body.
Lai En: "Why did my father want to do this?"
Why did he try every means to kill his own younger brother?
Frank stopped talking and just stared at Lai En.
Sensing Frank's reaction, Lin Cheng tried correcting the Little Prince's speculation: "It was probably you who wanted to kill Lafeier first. Lafeier found out and tried to kill you preemptively in self-defense. In that case, you don't seem to be the wronged party here."
Frank immediately looked towards Lin Cheng, reacting as if his toes were stepped on: "What do you know!?"
He walked aggressively towards Lin Cheng two steps: "What do you mean I'm not wronged? He snatched everything that should've belonged to me. He deserved to die. I was the one who was wronged!"
"Ever since we were young he followed me around like a shadow. I couldn't shake him off. Why did we have to be twins? Why was he the elder brother and me the younger? Why was he the heir the moment he was born? Why would his children inherit his position as Family Head in the future while my children could only inherit the little power he would give me? He was just born two minutes earlier than me wasn't he? Why did he have to look exactly like me? Why did people keep mixing me up with him? Even the woman I loved couldn't tell the difference between me and him! Why did he pretend to be me and stole her from me when he clearly knew she loved me!? He used my face to snatch the woman I loved, married her and made me call her sister-in-law, watching them be all lovey dovey!" Frank suddenly looked towards Lai En and excitedly told him: "Lai En, you should've been my child. You are my child!"
Lai En took a step back, the taboo entanglements between his parents and uncle making him physically uncomfortable.
Qin Hanyue: How melodramatic, little shadow probably doesn't like listening to this.
Seeing the disgust in Lai En's eyes provoked Frank. His gaze towards Lai En instantly turned complicated, with love, hatred and disgust all mixed together.
With a gloomy expression, he said: "Disgusted isn't it? Good, disgusted is right."
"Although I lost in the power struggle with the Karolin Clan, between him and me, I won. I'm using his identity, occupying his wife. His precious son calls me father. And in the future even his grandchildren will call me grandpa. If not for that damned trash dragging me down today, I would be the king father of a kingdom under no one but above all! I did it, I succeeded. Under my leadership the Howard Family will usher an unprecedented glorious era, something even he might not achieve."
"Today I, Frank Howard, may have lost. But in the public eye the one who rebelled and plotted treason was him, Lafeier Howard! His name will be forever condemned. He lost completely, completely hahaha!"
In Frank's perspective, he did not lose at all.
Lai En quietly watched Frank descend into madness, lightly frowning.
After a while, he turned and told Lin Cheng: "Weren't you taking me to face military court? Go ahead."
Silver handcuffs locked Lai En's wrists.
The maddened Frank quieted down, staring at the handcuffs on Lai En's wrists.
Lai En: "I have a request."
Lin Cheng looked at him.
Lai En: "The ones who rebelled and plotted treason were Frank Howard and I, Lai En Howard. I hope Duke Lin... no, Your Majesty, would clear my father's name."
Lin Cheng glanced at Frank and said: "I can consider it."
Lai En thanked him, then walked towards outside the great hall.
Frank completely lost his mind: "Lai En, you can't do that. You can't do that! Your mother truly loved me. She should've been my wife. You should've been my child. I should've been your father. It was that damned Lafeier who snatched everything from me, snatched your mother and you! Lai En! Come back!"
Frank frantically screamed at Lai En's retreating back.
Lai En walked out of the great hall step by step. He looked over the imperial guards lined up below the stairs. Then raised his head towards the pitch dark night sky.
A few sparse stars glittered. Half unwillingness half relief showed in his tired eyes.
