Chapter 59: CHECKMATE

Captain Kaelen's voice, a cold steel blade, sliced through the tense air. "Is that so?" he interjected, his gaze a venomous dart aimed at David. "Young master, I must warn you, even bearing the Earl's name, accusing the Noble Elder is a perilous path. Disinheritance is a mere stone's throw away."

His words were a gauntlet, a declaration of war. Elder Maison, the king on this chessboard, watched with a mask of indifference, while Captain Kaelen, his loyal knight, had made his move. But David was no pawn.

His eyes, twin icebergs, met Kaelen's with a chilling intensity. "I merely asked a question, Captain," he replied, his voice as smooth as velvet. "A query I believe deserves an answer, if the Elder Noble permits." The words were a counterattack, subtle yet deadly. He was no longer a pawn, but a queen with the most power and freedom on the board, already laying out his trap.