Chapter 540 Conspiracy

Chapter 540 Conspiracy

?"Why would you say that?" Howard asked, perplexed.

Anna gently pushed back, distancing herself enough to look into Howard's eyes.

"Because I love you, Howard. You must know of my feelings. I was just too slow back then, and Catherine got to you first. I had been preparing to confess my feelings to you. I've always wanted to marry you."

Howard's face flushed slightly, but firmly grasping Anna's arms, he declared, "Anna, you know that's impossible."

Anna shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes.

"My lord Duke..." Her knight squire, too, began to cry, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Anna fell to her knees, crawling forward until she reached Howard's feet, where she clung to his legs, refusing to let go.

Howard was not heartless.

His chest heaved with a tumult of emotions, a feeling unique and unsettling.

Ultimately, Howard rejected Anna's affections, granting her a week to reflect.

A week later, Resarite and Anna arrived in Pist to formally transfer their titles and lands.

Resarite passed his title to his son, Cotler, while Anna chose her sister, Ness, as her successor.

Ness was a woman with bright, large eyes, her hair soft and flowing, fingers adorned with delicate Lancomé, her figure slender.

Her response to Howard's friendly smile was one of awkwardness.

Ness already possessed her own lands, modest yet picturesque, nestled by mountains and water.

Resarite advised his son to serve Howard well.

Anna, dressed in a charming attire of pink pleats, exuded an allure Howard had never seen in her before.

The Anna he knew was always distant, even cold.

Yet today, she presented herself in a pink dress and skirt, black stockings, black high heels, and a pink Renonia-style hat, a sight Howard had never witnessed, offering him a perception of Anna he had never experienced.

Ness was a kind-hearted person, or rather, someone who did not prioritize her own interests.

Facing her sister's significant life decision, she exhibited a spirit of concession, support, and even encouragement.

Standing aside, Ness remarked, "Oh, my sister looks so beautiful today. Any nobleman who marries her will be truly fortunate."

This was Ness's way of helping her sister win over Howard's heart.

Anna glanced at her sister with gratitude and then deliberately presented herself gracefully before Howard.

Howard, noticing this, took a deep breath and pretended not to see.

Anna edged closer to Howard and whispered, "If you think I've been too brash in the past, not as gentle as Catherine, I can change my personality and my style of dressing. I just hope you, the man I love, would give me a chance."

Howard looked at Anna and replied, "I have always respected you. Our relationship can be that of superior and subordinate, friends, or even comrades-in-arms."

Anna wanted to say more, but Howard was no longer inclined to listen.

With a sigh, acknowledging the reality of the situation, Howard waved his hand and turned his back on Anna and Ness.

Emerging from the mist-enshrouded ravine, Howard approached an area with sparse, tall, and dense patches of grass.

There, he overheard a conversation in the language of Osland Kingdom.

Stealthily, he concealed himself in the grass to eavesdrop.

Howard, renowned for his intelligence and quick learning, had mastered the intricacies of high noble etiquette with ease.

In just a year, he had become proficient in both Oungria Kindom and Osland Kingdom languages, understanding and engaging in basic dialogues.

His success was not solely reliant on his vassals.

Crouching down, Howard listened intently.

The voices belonged to two men, mature and deep, carrying a hint of menace.

One said to the other, "They're taking so long. Why haven't they come yet?"

The other replied, "Don't know. Maybe the guy's cautious, probably needs more convincing."

The first man chuckled, "Heh, as long as he listens, he'll eventually fall for it.

It's not about how much he hears, but whether he listens at all."

The second man agreed, "Haha, then let's just wait here."

The first continued, "Once he listens to them and drinks that so-called 'power-giving' soup, he'll lose all his strength. Haha, what 'magical power soup' – it's nothing but a common broth of beef and mutton, laced with a potion that weakens the body and mind."

Howard's heart pounded fiercely as he listened.

The conversation eerily mirrored the encounter he had just experienced with the three witches.

The second man sneered, "Heh, let's hope he doesn't catch on. But honestly, I believe no one in a position of power can resist the temptation of gaining extraordinary strength! We could've just used poison directly, no need for such elaborate schemes."

Howard realized they were in cahoots with the witches.

Sure enough, after a while, the three witches met up with the two men.

They reported that Howard was too resolute, had not fallen for their trap, and had refused to drink.

In a fit of rage, the two men from Osland Kingdom slew the witches, cursing them as useless.

At that moment, Howard stood up and confronted them, "What are you doing? Killing people of Oungria Kindom within its borders, do you have no regard for me, the King of Oungria Kindom?"

The men, upon closer inspection of Howard's attire, seemed to believe his identity to some extent.

One pretended to surrender, offering to defend himself in court, while the other waited for Howard to approach before suddenly drawing a curved blade in an attempt to kill him.

Howard was not surprised at all.

To him, such a level of conspiracy was elementary.

Howard, with a feigned move, used his scabbard to block the curved sword.

In a swift motion, he flipped his left hand upward, making the scabbard whirl elegantly in the air.

Then, swiftly drawing the royal ring sword with his right hand, he lunged forward, driving the blade into the body of an Osland Kingdom soldier.

Another enemy, picking up a blade to strike Howard, met the same fate.

The disparity in their combat abilities was stark and undeniable.

The encounter hardly posed any challenge to Howard.