"Liam! Bring your ass out here!" Alaric shouted atop the battle platform while searching for Liam in the crowd.

    Everyone stared in Baron Nathan''s direction, but Liam wasn''t there.

    Sensing everyone''s gazes, the baron turned around and frowned. "Where is Liam?"

    Vivian lowered her head as if trying to avoid his gaze.

    Seeing this, the baron grabbed her arm with an agitation look. "What did you do?! Where is Liam?!"

    Vivian nervously shook her head. "I-I don''t know. Wasn''t he here with us earlier?" She stammered in response.

    "Stop lying to me and spit it out while I''m still asking nicely!" The baron finally snapped and slapped her face.

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    Pa!

    "You!"

    Vivian couldn''t believe that her timid husband would actually slap her.

    "Do you think I''m afraid of you? I''ve only put up with you because of your family''s influence! But do you really think that I don''t know what you''ve been doing behind my back?!" Baron Nathan''s accumulated anger was released in that instant.

    "Now tell me where that animal is hiding if you don''t want the household to fall into ruin!"

    Vivian''s body trembled with a mixture of fear and anger.

    "You''re going to pay for this!" She muttered coldly before she walked away.

    "Stop!" The baron shouted, but she ignored his words and left without turning back.

    Dammit! That crazy bitch must have sent Liam away after the duel started!

    Suddenly, he heard a series of footsteps behind him.

    He turned around and saw Alaric and his subordinates approaching him with cold gazes.

    "Lord Nathan, it seems like there is a small issue on your side," Alaric muttered in a flat tone.

    "This... It wasn''t me! I have no intentions of disobeying the sacred covenant!" Baron Nathan shook his head, his face full of sweat.

    Alaric shook his head. "I''m disappointed, Lord Nathan. I expected more from you."

    "Lord Alaric! You are speaking to the baron!" Theo stepped forward and stood in between them.

    "You made a terrible decision this time, Nathan. You sent an innocent man to fight for your heartless son and now, it seems like your alliance with the Silverswords is at stake." The bishop sighed.

    Nathan Paxley''s chest tightened upon hearing his words.

    I shouldn''t have listened to Liam''s words! Now it''s too late...

    He regretted the decision he made and it filled him with remorse.

    "My job here is done. I don''t wish to involve myself in your affairs so please excuse me." Bishop Anton didn''t wait for his response and left with the people from the church.

    "What have I done?" The baron muttered as he grabbed his hair with a blank look.

    Theo couldn''t bear to see his father like this so he tried to comfort him. "My lord, I''ll try to speak with Lord Alaric. There should be a way for us to prevent our alliance with them from falling apart. Please get some rest for now."

    He then glanced at his sister and instructed her. "Hershey, please bring the baron to his chamber. I will deal with the situation here."

    Hershey wiped away her tears and nodded. "Okay."

    ...

    At this moment, Alaric was heading to Liam''s room together with his subordinates and the warriors of House Paxley.

    "That is Lord Liam''s room." Someone pointed at the room at the end of the hallway.

    Hearing this, Alaric nodded and said. "Smash it open."

    Before the warriors from House Paxley could say anything, Alaric''s subordinates rushed out and broke the door to Liam''s room.

    Bang!

    As soon as Alaric stepped inside the room, a decaying smell assaulted his nose which made him frown.

    "My lord, there is a corpse here!" Aldrin reported with a grim expression.

    Alaric walked towards the bedchamber where Aldrin saw the corpse.

    From the clothes on its body and its small stature, he realized that it was a woman, a young one at that.

    Liam, that fucking trash! How despicable!

    "Take her corpse away and find her relatives," Alaric instructed.

    "Yes, my lord!"

    The warriors of House Paxley couldn''t believe that Liam was actually capable of doing such atrocious deeds.