The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 284: stand -off

On the third visit, Duke Thompson specially arranged for people to watch him wait outside the gate. Since he wanted to spread the news and no one listened, perhaps if people witnessed the scene, it might move them to pity him.

"My name is Duke Thompson. I am here to see my daughter, Lady Anastasia, the general’s wife," he said with a warm smile.

"Your Grace, our lady has no father. We heard he disowned her a while back," the guard responded politely.

In truth, they had already noticed the small crowd of passersby.

"What do you mean? Although I was angry back then, blood is still thicker than water. I am here especially today to clear doubts," Duke Thompson said. Seeing that they had changed their approach, he had no choice but to adjust too.

"Unfortunately, Your Grace, our lady stepped out this morning. She went to the church to pray. After hearing of the rebellion in the second region, she thought to join other noble women to pray for peace," the guard said.

Hearing this response, the duke felt like hitting someone. His plan to use public opinion to pressure Anastasia to come out had fallen through again.

"Then I will wait for her to return," Duke Thompson said. He felt that because of the small whispers going around, Anastasia was forced to reduce her stance.

"Your Grace, forgive us, but we are unable to allow you inside. Our lady is not home, and without her permission or the permission of the general, we cannot let anyone in. After all, the general serves very close to His Majesty, and with a banner of rebellion raised, we have to be careful—unless Your Grace is willing to sign an agreement that no intelligence will be leaked because of your visit to the mansion today." The guards’ words were polite and respectful, but the more Duke Thompson thought about it, the angrier he became.

He did not dare take responsibility for military intelligence.

What if Anastasia wanted to set him up? He feared that this daughter might hate him enough to fight him. Anastasia had even dared to go against the king; he was not confident.

"Then can you tell me when she will be back so I can return?" he asked.

"Your Grace, it is not that we want to hide it from you, but we are guards. We do not dare monitor our lady’s movements," the guard replied.

"Then I will wait for her return," Duke Thompson said after carefully considering his options. He was scared that with the rumors growing more ridiculous, if the king summoned him again, it might not be as easy as the last time.

So he was forced to wait in his carriage. Hours passed, but there was no sign of Anastasia. Just when he was frustrated and wanted to leave, he heard the hooves of horses. The evening sun had already set, but he recognized the person riding the leading horse as Ernest.

As Ernest rode closer, he noticed the carriage parked at the side.

Ernest’s gaze sharpened. "Who waits there?"

The guards bowed. "Duke Thompson, General. He has come seeking Lady Anastasia. This is his third visit."

A flicker of something cold passed through Ernest’s eyes.

"Let him through," he said.

When Duke Thompson heard that Ernest had invited him, he gracefully got off the carriage. He felt that, having waited all day, it was of great benefit to have met Ernest.

"Your Grace," Ernest’s tone was respectful, but his act of not bowing showed that he did not truly respect the duke, merely showing courtesy.

"General," Duke Thompson suddenly felt that he did not know how to speak to the young man before him.

"My wife went to pray with other noble ladies. Why wait outside endlessly?" Ernest asked. Although he had not been back to the house for three days, he was well aware of the situation within his household.

"I have been here twice already, but my daughter will not see me," Duke Thompson said. His voice showed his displeasure. Even if his title was as good as empty, he had never dreamed of being disrespected so much one day.

"Your daughter lives in the palace. Why are you here?" Ernest asked, a genuinely puzzled look on his face.

Duke Thompson felt like cursing someone. "What do you mean my daughter is in the palace? Your wife is also my daughter." He was unable to control his fury, especially with Ernest’s act of not inviting him inside but standing outside the door.

"But Your Grace made it known to all the royal city and kingdom that you had disowned a disgrace like my wife. Calling her your daughter now is really not right. Moreover, we agreed on this during your last visit." Ernest’s voice remained calm; it was obvious he did not take the duke seriously.

Duke Thompson did not know how to respond to this statement, so he chose to change the topic. "I am here on the king’s command. I am sure you know about the rumors and even the rebellion. The king intends to kill it from the root..." He paused and observed Ernest’s reaction. Seeing that he had no intention of stopping him, he continued speaking.

"His Majesty wants your wife to step forward and clear the rumors," Duke Thompson said. He dared to phrase his words this way because he was confident that Ernest would not go and question the king.

"I have received no such instructions from His Majesty. I just left the palace a few hours ago," Ernest said.

Duke Thompson was speechless. He did not expect such a response from Ernest.

"If there is nothing else, Your Grace, I would like to go inside," Ernest said.

Duke Thompson wanted to stop him, but he was unsure of what to say. Eventually, he could only return home, annoyed.

"My lord, what seems to be the matter?" Duchess Anita could not help but ask when she saw his deep frown as he entered.

Duke Thompson looked at his wife, and for the first time, he felt like strangling her. All this while, he had avoided her and forced himself to remain calm. He knew there was no benefit in losing his temper, but he could not stop himself from sending her a cold glance.

He regretted letting her run wild all these years just because he wanted his family to enjoy her family’s support.

"You still dare to ask? Are you ignorant of the words all over the streets, or do you not know that Lord Aureline has raised a banner of rebellion because of your actions?" he questioned.

"Your Grace has wronged me. These are baseless accusations," Duchess Anita said, shocked by the news. She had never acted against Anastasia. At that time, she had thought of her as nothing but a woman of the streets, but there was no evidence to prove her innocence.

The last time, seeing that Anastasia had agreed not to press the issue, she had let it go.

"Wronged you? Do you think I have been ignorant of your actions all these years? Are you truly someone who lets things go? After I married you that year, I kept my promise and never visited my first wife’s courtyard, even though I would have done nothing wrong if I did. I let you take charge of the house. You found ways to ensure they had just enough to eat, cutting down their allocations time and again, but I turned a blind eye. Do you want me to remind you how she died? She was sick, but you would not call a skilled physician for her. I never called you out. If she had been properly taken care of, she would have lived."

The more Duke Thompson spoke, the more furious he became. Back then, he thought that if Lady Maureen suffered enough, she would realize she had no choice but to submit to him. But not only did she not do that—she would rather die than submit.

Duchess Anita felt her heart turn cold. All these years, she had always thought she measured her actions appropriately, which was why the duke never found fault. Hearing him speak, she realized how wrong she had been.

"Should I continue to list your crimes? Do you think I believe the poisoning was all Leah’s act? No matter what, she would not dare without your permission. The only reason you are still my duchess is because of Elizabeth in the palace."

Saying this, he turned to leave but stopped and looked at Murman. "Send word to the gate. The duchess is not allowed to leave the residence without my permission," he declared.

He was afraid she would go out and create trouble for him.

Duchess Anita’s head spun when she heard that. She never imagined that one day the duke would dare put her under house arrest.

"My lady, I have a solution to this problem," Nanny Lala said in a low voice from the side.