Chapter 283

It wasn’t until Athena felt the warmth of Xander’s hands at her waist that she finally realized she had lost her composure.

Flustered, Athena let go of Xander, her cheeks already tinged pink. She lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, her voice barely reaching his ear. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Xander’s gaze followed Athena as she stepped away. Just moments ago, she had been laughing and dancing in his arms, radiating a joy he had seen before. Her soft warmth in his arms was a bliss he’d never even dared to imagine. However, it ended too soon, gone before he could even fully savor it. He didn’t want to let go, but he was afraid that if he held on any longer, Athena would pull away from him for good.

So he reminded himself, again and again, that there was still time. Plenty of time.

“It’s fine,” Xander said quietly. These two words cost him more than he cared to admit. To spare Athena any further embarrassment, Xander gently changed the subject, saying, “General Perkins is safe and sound now. You can finally put your mind at ease.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she read the letter again, and then again. Her fingers traced every stroke of the handwriting, as if afraid it might disappear like a dream. Only once she was certain did the tears begin to fall; soft, joyful, and unstoppable. Athena looked up at Xander, blinking fast, trying in vain to stop them. The tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto the floor, each drop striking Xander’s heart like a hammer blow.

Xander’s heart ached for her. He longed to shield her from the world’s cruelty, to stand between her and every blow. But he knew Athena too well. She would never accept a life lived in someone else’s shadow. Her fate was hers to shape, not his to safeguard. Xander gazed admiringly at Athena, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in Athena’s mind. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her face and guided Xander to sit down beside her.

“Prince Xander,” she said. “I have something important to show you.” Seeing how tense Athena was, Xander’s expression turned inquisitive.

Then, Athena retrieved the old case file from the drawer and spread it open on the table. Inside was Kurtis’s confession given after his imprisonment, complete with his signature and official seal.

Athena frowned in confusion and asked, “Given my grandfather’s character, he’d never admit to something he didn’t do. And from his arrest to signing the confession, it only took two days. That’s highly suspicious!”

Xander turned to Athena sharply, his face growing stern. “Where did you get that?”

Chapter 291

Then, Athena held nothing back and explained the deal she had made with Rebey. After hearing her explanation, Xander raised an eyebrow in surprise and remarked, “You’ve got nerves of steel!”

Athena was bracing herself for his reprimand, but Xander merely gave her a fleeting glance before lowering his gaze to the case file. His long lashes lowered, veiling the emotions in his eyes. With a flick of his finger against the folder, he murmured. “Something is off here.”

Athena leaned in for a closer look, her gaze following Xander’s finger to a specific line in the confession: “Accepted fifty thousand taels of silver in bribes.”

“What’s off about that?” Athena asked.

“Back then, only forty-three thousand taels of ill-gotten silver were uncovered,” Xander said in a low voice, his piercing gaze fixed on her. “So where did the extra silver go?”

Xander’s usually icy eyes now sparkled brightly in the light.

Athena thought for a moment, then asked him, “Could they have mistaken it for my grandfather’s hidden stash?”

“General Perkins had liquidated everything his family owned just to pay the soldiers before their wages were even due. What money could he have possibly hidden?” Xander’s voice was firm, each word striking Athena like a blow to the chest.

Athena’s heart jolted, a spark of hope flashing in her eyes. “If I can just find the pawn ticket from back then, does that mean I can prove Grandfather's innocence!”

Xander’s clue tore open a crack in the impenetrable darkness of the sky. This first glimmer of dawn sent them into raptures.

“Don’t get your hopes up just yet,” Xander said gently. “This all happened a long time ago, and there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to find that old pawn ticket.”

He hated to dampen Athena’s spirits, but he didn’t want her to get her hopes up only to be disappointed again.

Athena nodded emphatically. “No, I’ll definitely find it.” There were only a few pawnshops in the capital. With enough determination, she was confident she could find it.

At this point, Athena suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing you must be aware of, Prince.”

Xander felt a warm satisfaction as he saw the renewed spark in Athena’s eyes. “Go on,” he encouraged gently.

“Do you know how the new Chief of the Federal Bureau rose to power, Prince Xander?” she asked.

Xander pondered for a moment before saying, “Leonard was merely a Deputy Chief. By protocol, the position of Chief of the Federal Bureau should have gone to Yarden, the current Vice Chief. Yet, strangely, His Majesty unexpectedly promoted Leonard instead.”

“What’s even more perplexing is that Yarden didn’t even raise an objection, and, surprisingly, not even the Oshome family showed any resentment,” he added.

Hearing Xander was still unaware, Athena recounted everything in one breath. “You might not know, but Erwin, the former Chief of the Federal Bureau, was ambushed and killed by bandits on his way home.”

Xander’s brows knit at the news. “That doesn’t sit right,” he said. “Chief Erwin was always close to General Perkins. His sudden resignation feels too…”

“Prince Xander,” Athena pressed, “could you use your connections to investigate this thoroughly? Something about all this feels off.”

Erwin had stepped down not long after Kurtis was imprisoned. Athena vaguely recalled meeting his daughter a few times as a child. Her name was Madeline. She had a round face and a crescent-shaped birthmark on her neck. Other than that, Athena couldn’t recall much about her. But if Madeline was still alive, they would be around the same age now.

Xander saw the anxious look on Athena’s face and quietly patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said, “even if you hadn’t brought it up, I would have investigated this case myself.”

Athena stared at him, wide-eyed in confusion, then Xander said softly, “If General Perkins hadn’t shared everything he knew, I wouldn’t be here now. He was my mentor in all but name. Protecting you is not just my duty, it’s my responsibility.”

Xander added with deep remorse, “If I hadn’t been injured, you wouldn’t have had to endure so much. The very day I returned to the capital, I went to find you, but I was one step too late. Michael had already taken you. When I slipped into a coma, I heard you’d returned to the duke’s estate. I kept hoping we’d meet again. But I was wrong about them. I thought they'd treat you kindly… I never dreamed they’d hurt you again.”

He paused briefly, then continued with a strained voice, “I’ve uncovered a few leads. What happened to your grandfather might be tied to the…”

At this point, Xander placed a reassuring hand on Athena’s shoulder and asked her, “If I were to take action against the duke’s estate, would you be against me?”

Athena froze, her eyes locked onto his, visibly shaken by what she had just heard. All this time, she had thought she was alone in the world, never daring to believe someone might truly care for her and protect her.

Seeing Athena remain silent for so long, her eyes brimming with tears once again, Xander feared his words had frightened her. He said softly, “If you’re not comfortable with this, I can back off.”

Athena gasped softly. “No. I cut ties with them long ago. Whether they live or die is no concern of mine. But if they really dared lay a hand on Grandfather, you won’t need to intervene; I'll make them pay myself.”