Carissa knew all too well the gravity of the situation.


    Salvador had already berated her for not informing him of this matter in advance. If Gerald were to die here at the headquarters, herrades in the Capital Guard would surely face the consequences. But how could she have warned Gerald in advance? Was she supposed to have sent someone to the Quinton family''s residence and have them tell him that the Capital Guard was about to raid the gentlemen''s retreats?


    It would be a miracle if the Quinton family didn''t tear her apart for it. Who would believe that the old man would ever venture near a gentlemen''s retreat? And if Gerald denied it, she would be the one caught in a trap, painted as troublemaker.


    Carissa furrowed her brow. "If he chose to go to the gentlemen''s retreat, he should''ve known this day woulde. If he couldn''t face it, he shouldn''t have gone in the first ce."


    She went to speak with Malcolm, but even after thetter spent an hour trying to persuade his father, there was no progress. The old man remained silent, his eyes closed, offering no response.


    Malcolm tried to feed him medicine and water, but Gerald''s lips remained tightly shut. The liquid trickled down his chin, and not a single drop made it down his throat. It was worse than when he was unconscious.


    Carissa watched from the side, sensing that Gerald might want to die, but there was also anger in him. Why did he insist on dying here, at the Capital Guard headquarters? Why involve so many people? Even when Malcolm told him that Salvador hadn''t med him, Gerald still showed no reaction.


    Carissa couldn''t tolerate this any longer. She asked Malcolm and everyone else to leave, then grabbed thest remaining chair from the side room and sat down in front of Gerald.


    "Lord Gerald, you me me for this situation, don''t you?" Carissa asked.


    Gerald didn''t open his eyes. In fact, there wasn''t a flicker of emotion on his face.


    Carissa continued, "You''re either ming me or ming the world for not epting someone like you.


    But the truth is, you can''t me anyone. Thews of this kingdom didn''t force you to marry and have children when you were young. No one could have forced you.


    "You gave in to society''s expectations-you conformed. And now you want to turn around and me others and the world? Doesn''t that seem foolish to you?


    "Just like women, they canin that the world is unfair to them. No matter what they try to do, there are always people like you who stand up to criticize them. But they don''t back down. They push forward, enduring the criticism along the way.


    "And you? You never even stood firm in your own beliefs. You never put in any effort for the life you wanted. You were too afraid of losing your glory and your position, but you also wanted to be extraordinary. Now, when you''ve been caught, you can''t even summon the courage to face it.


    "I can only say, thank goodness not all men are as cowardly as you. Otherwise, who would defend our borders?


    "You''re lucky that Sebastian is willing to help you. Whether you want to go or not, I''ll release everyone tomorrow. If you don''t leave, I''ll have someone drag you out on a cart."


    Carissa finished speaking in one breath.


    Though Gerald still kept his eyes closed, a vein pulsed on his forehead. Her words had angered him, but he remained tucked inside his shell, unwilling to respond. He was indeed a coward.


    But Carissa''s words had some effect, particrly thest sentence. If he were dragged away on a cart, he would lose all his dignity and reputation.


    Soon, Malcolm and Cody helped Gerald into Sebastian''s clothes. Meanwhile, Michael took the opportunity to drive away the crowd, as he had been doing several times throughout the day.


    After Gerald was sent away, the Capital Guard headquarters remained busy-meals still had to be prepared twice a day for the people being detained.


    Once Sebastian''s n to switch identities with Gerald was carried out and the people were released the next day, the Capital Guard headquarters finally quieted down. But the rumors about the gentlemen''s retreats were far from over, spreading like wildfire across the city.


    For a time, the Quinton family had remained untouched by the scandal. However, just as Malcolm was overwhelmed with worry, a group of schrs began publicly condemning the Marquis of ndale. They used him not only of bringing corrupt practices to the nation, but also of running businesses tied to the traitor, Eleanor.


    Though the Marquis of ndale had been imprisoned, Salvador hadn''t yet taken action against his family. But when the schrs raised their voices, someone went so far as to use him of treason.


    The people making the usation? None other than Malcolm''s former pupils.


    This enraged the members of the marquis'' household. Treason meant the execution of nine generations, after all. Desperate to save themselves, they stepped forward to im that several of the


    gentlemen''s retreats were operated under Gerald''s orders, and that he


    was a frequent visitor himself.