In the end, Edmund failed to convince Oleander. He and Clara stood at the front entrance of the Aschwin Mansion, watching several servants help carry Oleander’s belongings into the horse carriages.

There were three carriages prepared in total. Two were used to transport the luggage, while the remaining one was for Oleander herself.

"Brother... please stop Mother from leaving," Clara said, her voice hoarse as she sobbed.

Edmund fell silent. Before they moved the belongings, he had already tried over and over to convince Oleander. But the older woman was stubborn.

She still intended to move to Gunther, where her family lived and would surely care more about her than Edmund did.

That left Edmund standing there in silence without responding, even as Clara cried loudly, unwilling to part with her mother.

Clara ran from the front entrance toward Oleander, hugging her tightly while burying her tear-filled face against her. Her nose was red and her eyes swollen.

"Mother... I don’t want to be separated from you."

"Please don’t go," Clara whispered.

Oleander was touched. Her heart trembled as tears welled in her eyes. She gracefully crouched before Clara so their eyes met at the same level, both of them able to see the sadness in each other.

"I’m sorry. Mother needs time to calm herself, my dear Clara."

"If you miss me, you can visit your uncle’s house in Gunther," Oleander answered.

"I still don’t want you to leave. You have to stay here, Mother!" Clara shouted.

Oleander’s gentle fingers wiped Clara’s tears away before softly patting her long hair. It was truly heartbreaking that a girl her age had to experience such a painful separation.

"Mother loves Clara. I will always love you," Oleander whispered.

Hearing those words only made Clara’s sadness harder to contain. They hugged each other again, crying together while holding onto the last moments they had together.

The farewell stirred sympathy among many of the servants. Quite a few of them glanced sharply toward Edmund, who showed no expression of sadness or loss.

It was as though Edmund had turned into a cold and indifferent man, completely different from the Edmund they used to know.

Yet the man remained firm in his decision. They did not know what would happen in the future. They did not realize they were part of the plot.

If Edmund chose to abandon Leonor, it would be the same as placing the necks of everyone in the Archie Territory against a blade.

Destruction and death would become unavoidable.

Clara loosened her embrace from Oleander and glared sharply at her older brother. "If Mother moves away, then I’ll move too!"

"Clara!" Edmund called firmly.

"You need to stay here and continue your training," Edmund explained.

"There’s no point in training if Mother isn’t here."

"All this time, Mother was the one who paid attention to me and cared about my training. Brother Edmund never did," Clara explained.

"Now Brother Edmund only cares about her!" Clara shouted.

Edmund stepped firmly toward Clara. She could see the anger on Edmund’s face. The girl immediately ran and hid behind her mother.

"You’ve destroyed the Aschwin Family just because of that woman, Edmund," Oleander said as she stood once more and stared at Edmund.

"You should be ashamed. She isn’t part of our family. She’s just a commoner girl!"

"Oh, I know. Because she’s a mage, has she already brainwashed you?!" Oleander snapped.

The man standing before Oleander clenched his fist tightly until blood dripped from within his palm.

Anger and frustration surged through his heart and mind. Yet he tried as hard as possible to hold it back, even if it meant injuring his own hand.

"My decision is final. I will not drive Leonor away. She is important to the Archie Territory," Edmund explained.

"See? You’re even exaggerating her importance to this territory. You’ve truly been manipulated by her," Oleander shot back.

"Come on, Clara."

"Wait, Clara!" Edmund called out, but Clara only turned back once as a final farewell to him.

Oleander and Clara climbed into the carriage and quickly departed from the estate. Edmund remained standing in the front yard, watching their carriage leave the city.

The front yard became silent. A dry wind brushed against Edmund’s face while the servants walked away, leaving him alone.

Some of the servants began gossiping. They did not know what had truly happened, but to them, Oleander’s words might have been true after all.

Edmund had been manipulated by Leonor, especially with Sera acting as the girl’s teacher.

Edmund slowly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before exhaling. He did not know what had been happening lately.

One major incident after another kept striking the Aschwin Family.

He tilted his head up toward the sky. "Was... this gamble to save a life really worth it?"

From the front yard, the gentle voice of a girl called out to Edmund. The man’s attention shifted toward it as Leonor and Sera arrived after training in the nearby forest.

"Sir Edmund," Leonor greeted with a smile, waving her hand.

She could not find out about the conflict within the Aschwin Family. It would only make her feel guilty.

Edmund returned to acting normal and walked toward them with a smile.

Leonor’s attention immediately shifted to the blood dripping from Edmund’s right hand, causing the girl to panic.

"Sir Edmund? What happened to your hand?" Leonor asked.

Sera noticed it as well. When Edmund opened his hand, the wound looked strange. It did not resemble a slash wound, but rather puncture wounds made by fingers.

Sera lifted her gaze and looked at Edmund’s face before scanning the surroundings. Several servants were caught peeking through the windows.

The woman felt that something about the situation was strange and unsettling.

"It’s nothing... just a small wound," Edmund answered gently.

"Let me help treat your wound," Leonor said.

Edmund nodded. The two of them walked inside and arrived at Edmund’s office. Leonor began wrapping Edmund’s hand with bandages. It was messy, but enough to cover the wound.

"You must be hungry, right? Go see Nisya."

"Alright, Sir Edmund," Leonor replied. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

With cheerful steps, Leonor left the room, leaving only the blonde-haired woman alone with Edmund.

"That’s a strange wound."

"I heard gossip outside. The Siegfried Family has severed ties with the Aschwin Family," Sera whispered.

"I don’t want to talk about it," Edmund answered while adjusting the bandage on his hand.

"Madam Oleander comes from the Siegfried Family. She definitely didn’t stay silent, did she?"

Sera continued bombarding Edmund with countless questions about the matter. Edmund occasionally closed his eyes, unwilling to answer any of them.

It would only burden his thoughts even more.

"Tell me... what actually happened?" Sera asked.

Edmund stopped fixing the bandage around his hand, then lifted his head and looked forward.

He stayed silent for a long time, unsure where to begin his story.

"Oleander and Clara... left to live in Gunther."

"What?!" Sera exclaimed in shock as she stood up.

"What happened? How could something like this happen?"

In a quiet voice, Edmund told her to sit down. He grabbed a bottle of wine and poured it into two glasses.

"Let me tell you everything. After that, you’re free to give your opinion," Edmund whispered.

"I’m listening."