CHAPTER 323: WRONG OFFER

"N-no. But I... How can I be a good son-in-law?" Ferdinand asked out of the blue. He didn’t want to lose out to Icarus on anything, so he was being competitive yet again.

He was grateful that Arabella was assuring him she would be on his side no matter what, but he still wanted to take action before things were too late.

He couldn’t help but compare himself to Icarus since he feared the latter would slowly steal his spot as Arabella’s husband if he let things be.

If he cannot win over Benjamin, he could only hope to get their parents to remain on his side.

Arabella stopped herself from giggling. That wasn’t the answer she was expecting. Her husband truly worries a lot. But she understood since she would probably think about these things too if she had in-laws.

Even if Ferdinand assures her, he would be on her side all the time, if he had parents and they don’t like her, it would still affect their relationship in the long run. Thus, she would also try to make them like her or get them on her side especially if she had a rival ready to pounce on her spouse.

"Sorry, please forget I asked," Ferdinand noticed her reaction and turned red. He buried his face in her hair, but she could still see his reddened ears.

[Why did I ask her? She has no in-laws since I don’t have parents. I should have asked Raymond. How embarrassing!]

"You are already a good son-in-law. You are taking good care of me so my family could be at ease. You are polite and humble to my parents too."

Arabella indeed never experienced having in-laws, but she at least knew Ferdinand was already doing well.

"Did my parents say something weird?" she asked again just for sure.

"No. But I don’t want to displease them again," Ferdinand settled his chin on her shoulder.

Before he ends up overthinking things, Arabella explained to her husband that her parents were simply worried about her. Just like Ferdinand, they wanted to see her and be by her side during such critical times. However, they already understood that what Ferdinand did was out of necessity and was done with what was best for her in mind.

"Then, what about your brother? He doesn’t seem to approve of me."

[He clearly prefers Icarus over me. I heard he was strongly against my marriage with Arabella but had no choice since their parents already agreed.]

Ferdinand once again regretted how he began his relationship with Arabella. After learning more about courtship and relationships, he preferred to have begun differently. But it was all said and done now. He could only mitigate the effects of his former actions.

"Hmm, I think brother already likes you. He was just being wary and pretentious since he’s the first child."

Arabella explained that Benjamin tended to worry a lot since he believes it was his responsibility as the eldest to look after her and their younger siblings.

Benjamin did not know Ferdinand would treat Arabella well so he once thought their marriage should have never happened. He believed it was his responsibility but thought he failed to protect Arabella when he was not able to stop her arranged marriage.

Thus, in case something bad happened to Arabella because of it, Benjamin would blame himself because he failed to stop it.

"It’s not that he hates you. He was simply being careful. You two would get more chances to speak together in the future and get to know each other with time. My brother would gradually soften up as well," Arabella assured her husband.

[I see. I was being hasty. Am I being too rash because human lives are too short? If I take too long, they might die before I even get the chance to get to know them. Still, my wife is right. I shouldn’t force it. Or else, I might end up making mistakes again just like the way I married her.]

"Thank you for telling me these," Ferdinand gave her a peck on the cheeks.

They then headed to where Jacob and Adolfo were imprisoned.

Arabella and Ferdinand questioned the two.

Since there were more than enough pieces of evidence against them, they could not lie anymore.

They had no choice but to admit; they tried to kill Arabella because of the losses Adolfo had. And likewise, to get back at Ferdinand for declaring that he would reclaim every single Prudencian turned into a slave because they were also Valerian citizens.

They didn’t mind causing chaos in Eliora. It was because Adolfo was already planning to move to another continent since Eliora was no longer profitable for him especially once slavery was completely prohibited.

As a businessman, Adolfo valued his life very much. Thus, he didn’t mind swallowing his pride a bit in order to live. His survival comes first so he could earn again and get back at everyone later.

Adolfo tried buttering up to them at first.

He apologized and reasoned he was taken over by greed and anger but would never harm Arabella again.

He even promised to donate half of his profits to Prudencia as a form of compensation for selling them as slaves.

Adolfo thought if he apologized enough and promised things, his punishment would be lightened, and his life would be spared.

But Ferdinand would only accept execution. Or else, he would kill Adolfo himself.

First, Ferdinand cannot forgive the assassination attempt. To him, there was nothing Adolfo could offer that could get close to the value of Arabella’s life.

Second, Valerians were never for sale in the first place. Adolfo should return all profits he got from selling Prudencians instead.

Lastly, if Adolfo was going to offer anything, it should have been to help recover the Prudencians he sold to other continents. His life could have been prolonged for a few more days. He made the wrong offer.

From the master list discovered in Adolfo’s office, there were Prudencians sold to other continents. They would be the hardest to recover since they were quite far. But thanks to Adolfo’s detailed list, they knew exactly where to find them. They didn’t really need Adolfo to be with them anymore.

When Adolfo realized he could not escape death, he tried begging for mercy. He even kneeled on all fours, apologized for what he had done, and begged for his life.

But nothing could move Ferdinand’s decision. He was set on seeing Adolfo die.

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