What the Emperor silently hoped for though, was not something Matthew thought about at all.

Not only had Matthew not been able to find the lass, nor his mother and sister, he had lost a few good men from his side, while he was in prison. One had been an official, who had died ‘suddenly’, and a few casualties were from the military, that were either captains or lieutenants. It was in the last day or two, before Band One returned, that Matthew had news of his General becoming so exceedingly sick, that he had to go back home, and the family were looking into saving him…They were currently continuously begging for physicians to help, yet none of them did, pleading to be too busy.

Knowing that he had someone, that he had known quite a substantial amount of information, had changed sides, Matthew then silently protected others, with whoever was left.

Another strange event had occurred a few months ago…And that was the vanishing of Gabriella. Matthew had sighed to this news, when he had found out…

He would have personally taken care of Gabriella, but then the ‘fire’ had happened. Having wished that even someone else had killed her instead, Matthew wondered who would have taken this girl away from a private area of his own estate…

With the ‘signal’ going off, Matthew’s men had to gather for new information, making quite a few of them free, due to the lass being found. With their new-found freedom, they were granted a day’s rest and then to invade upon many places, to gather people and evidence. Matthew knew it would take quite some time to get this done, so, his trip away, came at a perfect time!

This…Arrangement, was practically all a lie.

Matthew had thought of who the perpetrator was and could think of quite a few that may have the guts to work on both sides. Thinking of how to find this person, this ‘arrangement’ was solely used to find this perpetrator.

With this, he gave each and every ‘slayer’ a single job to do and spread them out through the entire Green Haven.

He had thought long and hard on all the ‘fake evidence’ and made sure that if the other side found out, even if they were quite questionable over it, they could see that it might be something that could potentially get in their way.

All he had to do now, was wait until something goes to get stolen or brought up in any kind of respect, and the perpetrator should be found out...Well that’s if the ‘bands’ can keep the ‘secret’ that they have been ‘given’…Each of them were told something different and into their ears only, all they had to do was keep that secret and go pick up something…Sounds easy, yes?

Matthew had not been dilly-dallying his time away in prison. This plan, that he will achieve now that he’s out of prison, will rock the entire Green Haven. The thorn…Was going to be removed! Well, actually, the thorn was going to be shown as a thorn first, then hopefully would then be removed, but that wouldn’t happen until after Matthew’s return…

***

Matthew was just about ready to leave the outer towns of Green Haven, when someone’s voice came into his ears.

“My boy, I was…Just about to save you.”

Looking to the side, Matthew waved off his subordinate’s, and stared at the older man in front of him.

He was quite a handsome man, showing a few features that were similar to Matthew. Having already tested his cultivation base, Matthew knew this man was the strongest person he had ever met in his life. But, after he had found out a short amount of this man’s past, it wasn’t really surprising that he was so strong.

Another thing that didn’t surprise Matthew, was that the man had done nothing to help him…Their bond seemed to only extend through blood and that was it. But that wasn’t a problem. Matthew had never sought his help in the first place and would prefer to grow stronger in his own instead, anyway.

Since he was here…Matthew finally had an idea.

As he stayed silent, the other man sighed, “I hadn’t thought you’d get into so much trouble, just because of me.”

Matthew breathed in and out, a question that he finally might have an answer for. “Is mother and sister alright?”

“Of course!” The man brightened up.

Nodding in relief, Matthew showed a small uplift to his lips, this man in front of him didn’t seem to know how to do things peacefully…He seemed to be living in the past still. But it was a relief indeed…Matthew had considered many times, that the bodies of his mother and sister did actually turn into ashes.

​

Having enemies, had given Matthew the thought that a fire was indeed something that could have been done, so, he didn’t want to bring his hopes up too much on their survival. It was commonly known, after all, that having weaknesses was something that could get you into trouble!

Through thinking this, he had thought, as well, that they may have been taken hostage…Yet, so much time had passed, and no word had been said. The reason why he leaned towards them not surviving the fire instead, was because of this…Having no note or somebody to ask for something, even while he was in prison, just made him feel that they had not been kidnapped.

The palace may not have been the safest place to be, but the Crowned Prince had placed his mother and sister in a bad circumstance once before and the emperor had found out. Since the last circumstance, the emperor himself had given his mother and sister people with higher cultivation bases to serve them and to keep them safe. With these actions, Matthew had placed their safety in the emperor’s hands…He did care for his mother and sister, and still knew that something could happened to them, but he also knew that they were a weakness. As much as he didn’t like it, he acted as though their lives had not mattered enough for him to protect them himself. It was a harsh strategy, when he did genuinely care for them, but it had seemed to work…For the most part.

Luckily, the Emperor stating his care, seemed to help protect them enough, so that they weren’t used against him.

Having his family in such unfavorable circumstances, gave him the chance to use his anger to think of a big strategy of containing everything he needed, to be rid of this thorn.

Smiling to the fortune of his mother’s and sister’s health, Matthew said, “Very well. Now I understand everything. But this prince is currently busy and will have to converse with you another time.”

“So cold! My boy, I heard about what happened with Isabella. Are you like this because of her?”

Matthew looked at the other man and sighed. His mother must have told him that he had changed somewhat, since the time of Isabella. “It isn’t anything to worry yourself over. I had already gotten revenge.”

The other man walked closer and raised his eyebrows, “Ah, well, you can say to your mother that I had mentioned it then.”

Looking away and letting out one small chuckle to the words ‘so cold’, Matthew looked back and said, “I’ll tell her that.”

“That’s my boy! So…Where are you going? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Watching the other man with a keen eye, Matthew wondered if he really wanted to know, “To bring someone back.”

“Uh.”

His short response didn’t surprise Matthew at all.

“Matthew?”

Turning his head to the feminine voice, he found his mother coming closer to him from a distance.

Smiling, he saw his sister as well, coming from behind his mother, “Mother. Madeline! I’m glad you are safe!”

“Matthew, we didn’t know. I’m sorry. If I had known what your father was going to do, I would have said something.”

Matthew looked at the man, who took his mother into his embrace. She looked…Different. Matthew decided to not talk about her ‘difference’, if he could help it. But it was even more obvious on why they had broken out of the palace now, making everything make sense!

Watching his father instead, it seemed obvious that man only had eyes for his mother, and nothing else…

“It’s nothing, I’m glad you and Madeline are safe.”

“Your father wishes to take us away, like he had said...”

Nodding and breathing out, Matthew was indifferent. Giving his sister a small hug, Matthew stood back again, not expecting affection from his mother. Having had to live in the harem, had made his mother a little cold, as well. She had kept a relatively low profile, while in the harem, happily giving much of Matthew’s upbringing to the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

Having done this, she was able to keep her secret and stay safe with her children.

It can’t have been easy, to be a wife of an Emperor and bare two children that wasn’t even his…

It had been quite some time now, that more affection was shown to Matthew from the Empress and Empress Dowager then his own mother, most likely due to her enduring what she had to.

It was a question indeed, how everything had taken place…These questions…

Matthew’s father had stated briefly on how he had been able to get the emperor to see his mother straight after she had become a consort but didn’t go into much details…Like everything else.

He could see it as plain as day, though, that his mother was not going to stay with the emperor now, as she obviously wanted to go with the real father instead.

They really did make a pair though, as she did shine brighter when she looked into his father’s eyes. “Then you must take care, but I will stay longer.”

“You had said that you’d follow last time…”

Oh, that’s right! That was a few years ago…

Having forgotten that he hadn’t a reason to stay in Green Haven back then, Matthew had said this. Thinking now to that little lass and his plans, there was no way he would leave just yet.

Looking out into the vast, land area, Matthew thought that not only he himself, but the lass, had some unfinished business. “…I’ll come to see you another time.”

“Well, if he’s not coming, let’s go!”

Matthew smirked at his father’s impatience. Clearly, he wanted to find somewhere to be alone with his mother.

Thinking to all the time that he had been away from his own little lass, Matthew could sort of understand his father. He’d been away from the lass for near two years, and now that he knew where she was, all he wanted to do was to go and see her.

Even though his father had taken the emperor’s own flower, Matthew found himself on familiar grounds with him, for the first time.

“Matthew, are you sure?” His mother asked once more.

“Mmm, perhaps in a year or two.”

With my woman by my side…

His mother smiled at him, something she hadn’t done for a while. Matthew breathed out in relief, she will be happier now. “Go on, be happy.”

His father chuckled, “Yes, of course she’ll be happy!”

Matthew watched, as his father turned his mother around and they started to walk away, chatting.

“It’s not my fault you left me!”

“But I didn’t know I loved you back then, my dear!”

“It would have been a lot easier…”

“Yes, yes, but I stole you back, didn’t I?”

“…Not careful…Madeline!”

“…Count…it!”

Shaking his head, Matthew couldn’t believe the predicament of his real family. When he had found out about his real origins, he had been sixteen, and Isabella, along with his child, had just passed away.

At that time, he hadn’t experienced very much at all. Becoming a cultivator and an honest, loyal son to the Emperor, Matthew had no idea to the evil of some people’s hearts.

Having been safe, while under the Empress and Empress Dowager, Matthew hadn’t been in any kind of royal fight and didn’t see it, until he had been eight, when his little brother had been born. With an ending coming to that small fight, after a few years, Matthew hadn’t learnt much from it at all…He had not been the Crowned Prince and he had the Empress and Empress Dowager behind him, so, he had spent many days of their fights, cultivating in seclusion.

Everything had slammed into him at once, upon Isabella’s death! Disloyalty to the throne, using one’s family to get what you want, losing something precious, seeing a brother that became an enemy, finding out that your ‘father’ isn’t your father, and then seeing how pathetically weak he was to fight against each of these circumstances!

It was quite an emotional time, as he had found out that Isabella’s death had been caused by her own family. They had wanted him to fight for the throne and become the next Emperor. They then, knowing that Isabella was favored, used their own family member to talk him into it. What they hadn’t expected, was that Isabella’s body during pregnancy already had troubles, so, what they had done had gone disastrously and tragically bad! Not only had he lost Isabella, but his soon to be born child as well…

Matthew had not known, until then, how cruel he could become!