The news, regardless of its shock value, had only one result-itpletely enraged Gerald''s admirers. Like Trevor, Gerald had been one of Starhaven''s most respected schrs and was renowned for his wisdom. Trevor had stepped back from court politics, leaving his influence to dwindle. That was why when trouble befell the Young family, few people spoke up for them.


    However, Gerald was different. His son still held a powerful position in the Civil Department, and many officials, unaware of the truth, saw this as a way to win favor with the Quinton family. They mored in court, demanding the Marquis of ndale be held ountable for spreading rumors about Gerald. Under normal circumstances, this would have been little more than a passing storm. But that day, several officials and prominent young men had been arrested. Though Salvador tried to preserve their reputations, themon folk were relentless in their gossip. Wherever one went, there were whispers, fingers pointing in every direction.


    The officials were desperate to shift the public''s attention elsewhere, so they acted quickly.


    Within days, servants from the gentlemen''s retreats began to speak out. They confirmed they had seen Gerald there on numerous asions, sometimes braving the fiercest storms just to make the trip. When that happened, the scandal escted beyond anyone''s control.


    At first, Salvador had been furious. However, Jeremiah advised that, since the truth had alreadye to light, it would be unwise to keep covering it up. The matter had be so public that acknowledging it and taking steps to clear up the misunderstanding was the only sensible option.


    Moreover, Sigmund had other tutors, and honoring his true mentor would preserve thete king''s dignity. Thus, the once-respected schr, Cloud Draken, was posthumously honored with the title of Royal Tutor. His memorial que was moved to the royal chapel.


    Cloud had no descendants. He was a schr who had ced third in the national examinations during the seventh year of Augustus'' reign. Brilliant and highly talented, he served as an official for two years before resigning to travel the world.


    Upon his return to the capital, Augustus appointed him as tutor to Sigmund, who was crown prince at the time. However, after two years of teaching, Cloud couldn''t resist his restless spirit and requested to resign again.


    Cloud had a free-spirited personality and often wrote articles criticizing social issues, sometimes in an extremely sharp manner, which made him less liked by people. Later, he turned to poetry and published many collections. After his passing, over a thousand of his poems had been passed down through the world, and he was celebrated as a great poet.


    After his death, Sigmund himself wrote a tribute in his honor. Now that he had been posthumously named a royal tutor, it seemed reasonable for his memorial que to be moved to the royal chapel.


    Salvador had his reasons for this move, one of them being Victoria''s words that the Quinton family wasrge and well-established, with deep, far-reaching connections. It was time to trim a few of their overgrown branches.


    What he didn''t expect was that before the branches could be trimmed, half of the roots had already been dug up.


    There was no way around it. After all, it was something he himself had set in motion. Being a king sometimes required going with the flow, something Salvador knew all too well.


    Appointing another royal tutor and moving his memorial que to the royal chapel was a heavy blow to the Quinton family. It was as if it was being publicly acknowledged that Gerald had indeed been to the gentlemen''s retreat.


    Although his title of Royal Tutor wasn''t officially revoked, did it really make a difference anymore?


    The title itself was just abel. What truly ced Gerald at the peak of power was the respect of others. Now, this incident had dragged him down from the mountaintop straight into the muck. From here on out, every mention of his name would beced with disgust and disdain. No one would speak of him with respect again.


    It was as if a heavy burden had crashed down on the Quinton family. No matter how much they tried to conceal things from Gerald, he always found a way to uncover it.


    He had already made up his mind to die, and now there was no trace of a will to live left in him. He refused to eat or drink, no matter how much anyone tried to coax him. Malcolm had even gone to Salvador, pleading for a special favor to allow Kylie to see Gerald, hoping that perhaps she might be able to change his mind.


    Kylie believed her royal status could sway him, and she thought surely her words would reach his heart. She was, after all, the king''s


    and she held power in her own. She was confident her grandfather would listen to her.


    In the end, Kylie sat by Gerald''s bedside and spoke for an hour, but he never once opened his eyes to acknowledge her. Not a single drop of the soup she personally spooned into his mouth went down his throat.


    It seemed like he was on the brink of death. He refused even to say a final word, which drove the Quinton family to desperation.


    Just when Kylie and Malcolm were at their wits'' end, Gerald finally uttered something a single request. "I want to see Carissa."


    Malcolm refused to send for her.


    With tears in his eyes, he said, "Dad, she was only doing her duty. We can''t me her for this. Please just let it go, okay?"


    "Find her!"


    Those two words came out slowly, painfully, as if each syble took all of his remaining strength.


    After a long pause, he added, "Bring her here... and I will take the medicine."