Reaction!

The news of Reggie's sudden fall and Harry's swift rise spread like wildfire across the territory. Within hours, whispers filled the streets, reaching every corner of the land. The once-proud manor was now firmly in Harry's hands, and with it, a new era began, one where power was no longer just inherited, but seized by the strongest.

And as Alfie rode away, he couldn't help but wonder what role he would play in the coming storm. What would happen to the family that had once been his, and where would he stand in the aftermath of this brutal, silent coup?

At Ethan Manor, the news arrived swiftly, and Mrs. Glenda's reaction was immediate.

"What? Reggie is dead?" Her voice cracked with disbelief, and for a moment, she couldn't grasp the magnitude of the information. She had always seen Reggie as a problem to be dealt with, an obstacle that stood between her son, Alfie, and the future he deserved. Reggie's existence had always been an inconvenience, and in her mind, his death had been inevitable, even desirable.

She had often fantasized about it, imagined the day he would be removed from the equation. In her dreams, she had played out the scenario countless times, Reggie lying cold and lifeless, his ambitions crushed. But now, with the news crashing into her ears, it felt less like a victory and more like the beginning of a new, more dangerous threat.

Her mind raced. 'If Reggie's dead, then...' She couldn't bring herself to say it. Her thoughts stumbled, not wanting to acknowledge the one thing that now loomed larger than Reggie's death: Harry.

"Are you sure? Reggie is really dead?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and growing anxiety.

"Yes, my lady," the servant answered, bowing low. "It's true. Everyone's talking about it."

The attendant hesitated for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to add something else. Finally, he spoke again.

"Master Harry... he's become a knight."

Mrs. Glenda blinked, as if the words hadn't registered. "What? A knight?" Her mind could barely keep up with the shock of the news. 'No, it can't be true. Not him. Not Harry.'

"Yes, my lady. People who were at the banquet that night... they all saw it. Harry's strength, the light of chivalry that erupted from him, it was unmistakable."

The attendant's words were like a heavy hammer striking the truth into Mrs. Glenda's chest. She felt her world tilt. 'Harry, a knight?' The thought seemed impossible, but the reality was undeniable.

'It wasn't supposed to be like this.'

She had thought Reggie's death would free her path, that Alfie would inherit the estate and that her power would increase exponentially. But now, with Harry's ascension to the rank of knight, everything had changed. Her carefully laid plans were already falling apart.

"Impossible," she muttered, half to herself, as she paced back and forth in a frantic whirl of thoughts. "How could this be possible? He was just a child. Just a boy."

The news of Reggie's death and Harry's rise to power sent a surge of panic through her. Mrs. Glenda had once been certain that she could manipulate Harry 'that he was weak, naive, and easily deceived.' She had given him a forged breathing method, thinking it would mislead him, slowly killing him by corrupting his training. Her plan had been simple: undermine Harry's strength with a fake breathing technique, make him trust the wrong path, and watch as he self-destructed. She had even relied on Reggie's tendency to be suspicious and jealous of Harry's potential to speed up the process.

The beauty of it had been in its subtlety. Reggie would be led to distrust his brother, driving a wedge between them. And once they fought, once Reggie drove Harry away or weakened him, she would be there to take the reins. But now... everything had backfired. 'Harry didn't die. Instead, he became stronger.'

Her mind raced as memories of the past flashed before her eyes. She thought back to the days when Harry had lived under her roof, when he was just a boy, confused and full of potential, but still weak, easily ignored. 'How could I have missed it?'

She had thought him ordinary, a mere nuisance, a simple boy without any ambition. But in hindsight, Mrs. Glenda realized that he had been playing her all along. How could she not see it? The signs had been there, his quiet demeanor, his reluctance to take sides, his careful movements, all of it had been part of a far greater plan than she'd imagined.

'He was pretending.'

Harry was no fool. He had been biding his time, hiding his true potential, waiting for the right moment to strike. He had always been more than he let on, and now that he was a knight, he had surpassed her expectations and, more importantly, surpassed her control.

Her regret cut through her like a knife. 'Why didn't I act sooner?' She thought of the times when Harry had been under her roof, when she could have ended his threat before it had a chance to grow. She had underestimated him, thinking she could control him with a simple forgery. But now... Now, she had no control over anything.

She clenched her fists, fighting back the wave of frustration and anger that threatened to consume her. 'I could have killed him. I should have killed him before he became this powerful.'

The realization hit her hard, Harry's rise was faster than anyone had expected, and now it was too late. 'Now he's a knight. Now he's untouchable.'

She had made a mistake. A fatal one.

Mrs. Glenda's thoughts spiraled as she began to see the full picture. 'Harry's got Reggie's territory. He's got the breathing technique. He's got the loyalty of the men. And worst of all, he has the power of a knight.'

Alfie had once been her best hope. Now, he was just another pawn in a game where Harry held all the cards. And though she still had influence over Alfie, the fact that Harry had become a knight at such a young age made everything far more dangerous. 'Alfie would never be able to defeat him. No one could.'

Her mind churned with schemes, each one darker than the last, but none felt like they could undo the damage she'd caused.

'Perhaps... perhaps there's still a way to bring him down.'

But as she stood there, her thoughts slipping into darker corners, she knew one thing for certain: she had underestimated Harry. And now, he was going to make her regret it.

"No, it's not too late to make amends now."

The words echoed in Madam Glenda's mind, sharp and determined, as the storm of thoughts swirled inside her head. The death of Reggie and Harry's sudden rise to power were both setbacks, but not insurmountable.

She paced back and forth, her heels clicking sharply against the stone floor, as her mind raced to find a way out of the mess that had unraveled. Harry, now a knight, was a force to be reckoned with. His strength and status put him in a position that made him nearly untouchable. Reggie's death had shifted the balance, but as long as Harry was around, he posed a far greater threat to her plans than Reggie ever had.

'But this can still be turned around,' she thought. 'If I can just find a way to remove him, everything can go back to the way it should be. Alfie will still be the rightful heir, and I can still control this territory.'

She stopped and took a breath, her mind narrowing in focus. What was clear now was that a direct confrontation with Harry was impossible. A true knight like him, with his mastery of life energy, could wipe out everyone in Ethan Manor without breaking a sweat. To attack him head-on would be suicide.

But Mrs. Glenda was no stranger to the ways of the world. 'There are always other methods,' she thought. 'Subtlety. Manipulation. There are ways to bring down even the strongest opponent without ever raising a sword.'

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her chamber creaked open, and a servant entered, bowing respectfully.

"Lady Glenda, Master Alfie has returned."

Mrs. Glenda's expression shifted, and she quickly gave a nod. "Bring him to me at once."

A few moments later, Alfie appeared in the doorway. His usual confident and well-groomed appearance was gone. His clothes were disheveled, his face pale, and there was a weariness in his eyes that spoke of exhaustion, both physical and mental.

He looked like a man who had been through a storm and barely survived it.

Without even a word of greeting, Mrs. Glenda's gaze fell sharply on him. "Did Harry really kill Reggie?" she asked, her voice taut with barely controlled emotion.

Al's shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy sigh. "Yes," he said, his voice flat. "He did. Harry became a knight, and he killed Reggie. I saw it all."

Alfie moved slowly toward her, his gaze distant, and began recounting the events. "Reggie ambushed him first. He didn't hesitate. But Harry… Harry was stronger than I imagined. He fought back with everything he had, and in the end, Reggie was dead. Harry… he didn't stop there. He took over everything, Reggie's power, his men, his territory."

As he spoke, Mrs. Glenda's face remained impassive, but her mind was sharp. 'So, Reggie struck first,' she thought, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. 'And then Harry, with his knightly strength, retaliated. He killed Reggie... and then, instead of finishing off Alfie too, he let him go.'

She turned to Alfie, her eyes narrowing. "He didn't kill you?"

"No," Alfie replied, sounding confused by the question himself. "He let me go. After everything, after Reggie's death, after taking over the manor, he just... let me walk away."

Mrs. Glenda's mind raced. This was exactly the kind of information she needed. It wasn't just about what had happened; it was about 'how' it had happened. Harry's decisions were revealing something critical about him.

She began to pace slowly, her fingers tapping thoughtfully against her chin. 'So, he let Alfie go... but why?' Harry could have killed Alfie easily, especially after everything that had transpired. Instead, he had allowed him to leave, unscathed. This wasn't the behavior of someone who had truly consolidated power. No, it was a sign of weakness.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at Alfie, her eyes glinting with a new understanding. "He's soft-hearted," she said, more to herself than to him. "Harry is far too soft-hearted for someone in his position. He wasn't decisive. He hesitated."

Alfie blinked in confusion, not fully understanding where she was going with this. "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Glenda's lips curled into a small, calculating smile. "You said that when Reggie confronted him, Harry kept insisting that he hadn't betrayed him, that he was only defending himself. That's weakness. That's hesitation. He didn't take the initiative, he waited until Reggie attacked him first. And then, when he had the chance to eliminate the last threat—'you'—he didn't act. He just let you go."

She shook her head slowly, as if speaking to herself. "If I were in his position, I wouldn't have waited. I wouldn't have let anyone live. I would have taken charge, crushed all resistance before it even started."

She turned back to Alfie, her eyes cold and calculating now. "Harry's victory was only half a victory. He's in control of the manor, but not completely. He lacks the ruthlessness required to keep it. His hesitation—his 'mercy'—will be his downfall."

Al's brow furrowed in confusion, but Mrs. Glenda could see it clearly now. Harry, for all his strength, had a critical flaw: he couldn't bring himself to fully embrace his power. He was still holding back, still thinking about relationships, about feelings. He had spared Alfie's life, and that would come back to haunt him.

She took a deep breath, her plan beginning to form in her mind. 'Harry isn't invincible after all.'

"Do you know what that means, Al?" she asked softly, her tone now one of quiet confidence.

Alfie looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"It means," Mrs. Glenda said, her voice suddenly colder, "that there is still a way to beat him. If we play this right, we can exploit his weakness. He may have the power of a knight, but he doesn't have the heart of one."

Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as she continued, "We don't need to fight him directly. We'll use his mercy against him. We'll make him doubt himself. And once he does, it'll be too late for him to recover."

Alfie stood there, still uncertain, but something in her voice made him feel a flicker of hope. Mrs. Glenda had always been calculating, always two steps ahead. If anyone could turn this situation to their advantage, it was her.

"We just need to wait for the right moment," she finished, her smile widening into something almost predatory.

And in that moment, Alfie understood: the game wasn't over. Not yet.