Chapter 338

338.Chapter 338 “You’ve seen it before?” King Magnus’s gaze landed on Sophie..

Though Sophia wore a veil, he wasn’t blind. Even if he couldn’t recognize her, he could certainly recognize Gabriel sitting right beside her.

“Yes, Your Majesty. My mother was skilled in medicine and left me some medical books and herbs. Among them was a dried Snow Lotus she had preserved. Unfortunately, I fell ill later and had to use it, but I still remember it quite well.” “Really?” King Magnus’s eyes swept over Sophie and Gabriel.

Gabriel stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, my daughter speaks the truth. If Your Majesty wishes to verify whether Fletcher’s Snow Lotus is genuine, perhaps my daughter could assist you.”

“No rush, no rush. Since Fletcher went to the trouble of presenting this Snow Lotus, I trust his judgment, of course.” Fletcher’s eyes immediately brimmed with tears at King Magnus’s words, as if he never expected King Magnus to trust him this much.

But the next moment, King Magnus added, “After all, if Fletcher could even offer the wrong medicine, he might as well become blind.”

Seated high above, King Magnus looked down at Fletcher with a faint smile that carried a sharp edge.

“Don’t you agree, Uncle Nolan?”

Beside Eliza, Nolan sipped his coffee leisurely before replying, “If his eyes are useless, just get rid of them.”

Fletcher felt a chill run down his spine.

He didn’t know how he had suddenly offended King Magnus and Nolan. He glanced around. Under the imposing presence of King Magnus and Prince Nolan, no one dared to speak up.

Sitting at the back, Grant tugged at Percival’s sleeve and whispered, “Father, what’s going on? The atmosphere was fine just a moment ago, and now they’re talking about gouging out eyes?”

Percival glanced at his useless son and hissed in a low voice, “You rascal! I’ve told you to learn and observe more from me, but you never listen. Now look at you, you can’t even grasp the situation in a setting like this. How can I count on you in the future?”

“Come on, Father, just tell me.”

Grant was tired of Percival’s endless nagging.

Percival snapped, “Think for a second, will you? Who gives medicine as a gift during a celebration? Even if it’s the rarest herb, gifting it now is like cursing the king.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you? Watch carefully and listen closely. When we get home, I’m quizzing you.”

“Seriously, Father? Even during the holidays?”

“Humph!”

Meanwhile, Eliza, who had also caught onto the implications, had a faint smirk playing on her lips.

It seemed the Henderson family had joined forces with the Stonor family.

Her “dear father” must’ve promised Fletcher something worthwhile to make him risk offending the king by presenting medicine at such a time.

She wondered, ‘Is this to pave the way for Sophie? Or to forge connections for the Stonor family? Forget it, I might as well sit back and enjoy the show.‘

Whatever their plan, she wouldn’t let Gabriel or Sophie succeed.

“Your Majesty, I was wrong. I was wrong!” Fletcher cried out. “I was so thrilled to see the medicine that I got carried away. I only wanted to present it to Your Majesty, but I never thought I’d commit such a grave mistake.”

He bowed solemnly, tears streaming down his face. “It’s all my fault. Please punish me, Your Majesty. I’ll accept whatever penalty you see fit.”

King Magnus couldn’t stand the sight of him.

‘Fletcher is a tougher nut to crack than the Duke of Mowbay, King Magnus thought.

Every time, Fletcher was the first to admit his mistake, and the loudest to weep, putting on a sickeningly loyal display. It was hard to find a reason to punish him.

After all, he was a “loyal subject“.

1/2 338.Chapter 338 But since it was difficult to deal with this “loyal subject“, he would change his tactics.

“Fine,” King Magnus said. “Since it was an unintentional mistake, you’ll receive twenty lashes after the party to serve as a reminder. Make sure this doesn’t happen again, Fletcher, or I might start questioning your competence.”

Fletcher froze at the mention of twenty lashes, his body stiffening. When King Magnus followed up with that thinly veiled threat, he almost lost control of his expression.

He replied reluctantly, “I–I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy.”

“As for you...”

King Magnus’s gaze shifted to Gabriel before he said slowly, “Since the Duke of Mowbay insists your daughter can handle the appraisal, let her do it then. I’m sad that Fletcher has just let me down. It’s better to inspect it.”

Fletcher nearly lost his footing, almost dropping the Snow Lotus in his hand.

Eliza quickly lowered her head, covering her face to stifle her laughter, afraid she might lose control if she kept watching. Beside her, Nolan noticed the untouched dishes in front of her. Tilting his head, he quietly instructed someone to replace the meal.

By the time Eliza finished suppressing her laughter, several palace maids had already stepped forward, replacing the vegetarian dishes she disliked with her usual favorites.

Eliza turned her head and met Nolan’s gaze.

Without a word, he mouthed, “Eat something, or you’ll go hungry.”

Eliza was used to accepting such gestures of kindness. She gave a slight nod, smiled faintly, and set down her coffee cup. Once the maids had finished serving the dishes, she began eating at a leisurely pace.

As she ate, her eyes remained fixed on the ongoing drama unfolding in the grand hall.

Meanwhile, Nolan’s sharp gaze subtly swept over the maid standing behind Eliza and the spider dangling not far from her head.

He thought, ‘Isn’t that Serenity’s spider? Did something happen here before I arrived?‘

Nolan’s attractive eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze returned to scan everyone present in the grand hall.