The pressing issue at hand was how Thomas intended to dy the engagement.


    The Marquis of Grovehill''s family would undoubtedly push hard for a resolution, and it would depend on how Thomas handled the situation by dragging things out.


    ording to their spection, Jaina would be a pawn for Eleanor if Thomas refused. There were two options-either Jaina would be married off as a concubine to Henry, or wed to an elderly man as a secondary wife or a concubine in his household. As for asking Thomas to agree to the engagement first, that wouldn''t work either. Thomas clearly had no interest. Alice might have liked the idea at first, but once she realized it was a setup, she certainly wouldn''t agree.


    Even if the two families ultimately saw eye to eye and genuinely wanted to arrange a marriage, Jaina''s representative for her family should be Jacob, not someone from the Marquis of Grovehill''s family.


    Jacob would never allow his sister to be mistreated again.


    After the emotional rollercoaster, Jacob contemted this issue and spoke first.


    "I don''t care what happens to me. Even if you ask me to, I''d dly give my life for her sake. But she can''t be treated that way. She''s an innocent girl, and shouldn''t be casuallypromised due to a scheme that would tarnish her reputation." Having regained what he thought he had lost, he couldn''t allow his sister to suffer even a little injustice.


    Carissa replied, "We never thought of doing that, Jacob. For now, we can only wait and see how Thomas dys things. We should send someone to Stonebridge County immediately to investigate this so-called rescue that Eleanor had carried out. If it turns out there was no such saving grace, Jaina can leave Harmony Pce without a second thought. We at Hell Monarch Estate will protect her."


    Soon, it would be time for the Emberfest Festival. After that, Eleanor would lose her standing in the capital.


    But if the matter wasn''t cleared up, Jaina would always regard Eleanor as her savior. It was crucial that the inquiry be swift. If Eleanor fell from grace and asked Jaina to undertake some risky endeavor in gratitude for her supposed rescue, Jaina would certainlyply.


    Even though Violet had suggested


    that this so-called saving grace


    might be a deception, there was still no concrete evidence for Jaina


    Re


    see. And given Jaina''s strong sense of loyalty and affection, she would


    feelpelled to repay the C


    supposed favor, even if she still had doubts about it.


    "I need to think about who to contact," Carissa said.


    Having woken from a nap, Kyle strolledzily to the door of the study and leaned against the frame. "Call Winona. She''s the quickest and most thorough for this kind of investigation."


    Violet immediately chimed in, "I''ll contact ire, and have her send a letter to Skywing Spire. Using Winona''swork there would be the fastest way to get information."Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    By the time Rafael returned in the evening, everything had been arranged. After discovering that Jacob had found his sister, Rafael brought a bottle of wine to celebrate with Jacob.


    Jacob had been unable to hold back his tears even in Carissa''s presence, and he didn''t bother doing so before Rafael. After a few sses, he grasped Rafael''s hand and said through his sobs, "It''s been so hard these years, Your Highness! I''ve thought every night about what I would do to those traffickers if I ever


    caught them. I''d skin them alive and


    tear their flesh from their bones! Then, I would chop them into


    pieces!"


    "I know, Jacob. I know," Rafael said as he patted the other man''s shoulder. "Those hard days are over now. From here out, things will get better."


    Jacob cried, tears and snot mingling


    on his face. "It''s been 18 years! I


    didn''t know if she was dead or alive, what kind


    or how people might have mistreated her! It''s all left to my imagination, and the more I think about it, the more horrific it


    f suffering she not


    I


    bes! Every time she crosses my mind, it feels like a thousand needles are stabbing my heart."


    Rafael understood that kind of pain. As harsh as it sounded, when someone died, the grief onlysted for a year or two. Sometimes, it hurt when they crossed one''s mind, but it was never an agony that was this relentless.


    "Come, have another ss. After this, we''ll sleep," Rafael said, pouring Jacob another ss. "I''ll drink with you."


    Jacob waved his hand as he cried. Even though he felt a pleasant buzz from the wine and his thoughts were swirling with a mixture of joy and sorrow, he knew he had responsibilities to attend to.


    "I can''t drink anymore. I can''t! The shopkeepers from all over will being tomorrow, and I have to arrange everything that needs to be done. Autumn is upon us, and there''s so much to do. Lady Carissa needs to n things, and I can''t dy any important matters," he said.