Raymond might have been a good lord—though he levied heavy taxes, let the nobles swallow up the coal mines, stood by while slave traders preyed on his people, and ignored their suffering, he had brought his family's rule to its most secure height.
But he was no good father.
His moods changed without warning, and his sons suffered for it just as his subordinates and subjects did.
He ruled by decree, kept power firmly in his own hands, refused to let anyone interfere, and trusted no one—not even his sons.
He cared little for family ties. Neither Kilian nor Elvis had received much fatherly love or kindness from him.
And when raising an heir, he had applied far more pressure than guidance.
At least to Annan, choosing an heir while letting a rival linger in front of him every day was a terrible idea for both of them.
So Kilian looked no different from any other noble on the surface, but inside he was as fragile as cracked porcelain.
Elvis Raymond was the same.
Kilian had to die...
Remembering the conversation he had overheard between his father and Annan last night, Elvis Raymond's eyes darkened.
Once he learned that Annan had visited Kilian in the dungeon, his sense of urgency reached its peak.
My father is a dictatorial bastard. To keep his hold on power secure, he'd abandon anyone, including me.
Dead men can't threaten me.
Kilian had been imprisoned in the dungeon for attacking Annan, but his punishment could be light or severe.
Anyone else who tried to assassinate a noble—especially an honored guest of the Grand Lord—would certainly be hanged. But Kilian was a member of the Raymond Family, and the Grand Lord's unacknowledged bastard son... Who would dare kill him without the Grand Lord's say-so?
Most importantly,