Chapter 172 Garrett’s Return

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In the darkness near Wamond Vale’s cliffside, a bloodied hand grasped a small tree along the path, pulling itself upward. Harlan, barely alive, managed to crawl onto solid ground, his body drenched in sweat and

blood.

Though his wounds were grave, and he had lost so much blood, he managed to tear off his outer garments and bandage his abdomen, staunching the flow of blood–just barely. But after tending to himself, Harlan collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness as the night wore on.

As dawn broke, several carriages and a long procession of men came down the road. Ahead of the group. two light cavalrymen rode, holding torches. They were the first to spot the bloody trail and the still body lying in the road.

The cavalrymen raised a hand, signaling the carriages to stop. One rider dismounted and knelt beside Harlan, checking his pulse. “He’s still breathing, he said, turning to his companion. “Go report to Great Marshal Sharp.”

The second man immediately spurred his horse back to a green carriage and dismounted, quickly approaching the carriage to bow and report, “Great Marshal Sharp, a wounded man is up ahead. He has a severe abdominal wound, but he’s still alive–barely.”

The carriage door swung open, and a tall man stepped out–a broad, dark–skinned figure with a full beard. He moved quickly, followed by his aides, who held torches and kept a hand on their weapons.

The man, after taking a quick look at the injured body, raised his eyebrows in recognition. “Harlan?”

“You know him?” one of his aides asked.

You

“Quickly, fetch the Consumption Pills!” the man, now identified as Great Marshal Sharp, barked.

One of his aides rushed back to the carriage, rummaging through it until he retrieved several vials. The Great Marshal knelt beside Harlan, directing his aide to gently raise his head. He crushed the pills between his fingers until they turned to powder, then poured the mixture into Harlan’s mouth, followed by a sip of water from a flask.

The aide quickly produced more supplies–healing balms and herbs–to treat Harlan’s deep wound. As he worked, he muttered, “This wound is deep and severe. It could be fatal,”

“Harlan, Harlan,” Great Marshal Sharp called, slapping Harlan’s face gently..

Harlan’s eyes suddenly snapped open. The light from the torches burned his vision, and for a moment, he couldn’t make out who was before him. But he gripped the Great Marshal’s hand tightly, his voice hoarse and desperate. “Please… save Isolde. She’s at the bottom of the cliff.”

Great Marshal Sharp narrowed his eyes. “Isolde? Snowy?”

hand, began descending the cliffside. The follo carriage stopped, and an elderly woman, dressed in black satin, was helped

neatly styled in a high bun, held in place by an ornate wooden pin. Despite her

in surprise. Her sham eves narrowed

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dew is heavy. Why bring her

tightly gripped his hand, her voice

Harlan?

There’s nothing serious, Garrett

descending the cliff and frowned. “Garrett, don’t try to

in the business world. helping her family amass a

fallen down the cliff. I’ve already sent

him sternly and ordered, “First, get Harlan into the carriage. The ground

hesitation, the men who had stayed on the top of the cliff carefully lifted Harlan

later, the rest of

down–it’s too high, one of his men reported, breathless from

his back, gave a quiet order. “Find a way. Twist the rope into two strands and

up in the river.

long time, he still knew the land well. After a moment’s thought, he gave his command. “Leave two teams here to keep searching down the cliff. There’s a path nearby that may lead down further. We’ll see how far we can

with authority–a brutal, commanding tone that spoke volumes about the

way back to Argentum, and as they entered the city, Garrett gave one final order. “Bring Geoffrey

night, was in his study, holding a portrait of Prunella in his hand, slightly tipsy from the

gone now, he thought bitterly. I’ve finally sent her away.

was no more chaos, no

place for her at the Duke’s estate anymore. You can rest easy.

death. Sixteen years of aching, gnawing pain–one that never went

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intertwined in life, could become complete strangers. He

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