Merle''s face lit up with delight almost instantly.


    The man standing in front of him was Doyle Conrad, a close friend of his older brother, Jonah Yardley. Doyle had been to their home twice. He also happened to be a brigadier general. The two shared a particrly close bond.


    "Today, I am going to make that filthy tramp, who sneaked in here trying to seduce men, pay the price for offending I, Merle thought to himself.


    With an expression full of outrage, Merle shot a resentful nce at Raven, then turned to Doyle and spoke. “Brigadier General Conrad, this woman''s invitation is highly suspicious.


    "We politely asked her to show it, but instead of cooperating, sheshed out and attacked this youngdy."


    Doyle frowned. His gaze turned cold as he looked over at Raven and asked in a low voice, "Is that true?"


    Raven swept a dispassionate nce toward I, whose eyes were now glinting with even icier contempt. Then, she replied calmly. "Call Lome.


    Doyle''s expression darkened. His eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth. General Drakon is not someone you can just demand


    to see


    He was merely doing his duty, and Raven did not take offense at his tone. Instead, she took a step back and offered, "Fine. You cane with me to find him."


    Doyle''s expression grew even colder. His tone hardened, "Who do you think you are? You have no business going anywhere near General Drakon. Hand over your invitation. Now."


    Realizing there was absolutely no room for negotiation in his voice, Raven stopped insisting on seeing Lorne. Instead, she chose to tell the truth.


    "General Drakon called me. He asked me toe. He did not send me an invitation," she exined.


    The nearby guests, who had been watching from the sidelines, were all stunned for a moment. Then, they began whispering among themselves, their expressions turning from curiosity to scorn.


    "General Drakon personally called her? Who does she think she is? He probably would not even give her the time of day."


    Toverheard someone from the Yardley family saying she''s from the Valor family. The Valor family is not even qualified to be here tonight. And she dares to im General Drakon invited her?"


    "She looks so in. And she actually thinks she can marry into high society? What a joke. I bet she sneaked into this party hoping tond a rich man. Pathetic. As if anyone here would even look at her


    I listened to the sneering voices around her, and the contempt in her eyes deepened as she looked at Raven.


    Meanwhile, Merle could not help but notice the way pitiful clown.


    everyone was staring at Raven, as if she were nothing more t


    than a


    Among the elite, marriages were almost always strategic alliances between powerful families. Even those with personal lives never went as far as marrying someone entirely beneath them.


    messy


    0


    10:57 Sat, 19 Apr A.


    93%


    To Merle, a woman willing to throw away her future for a shot at marrying into wealth was not only pitiful but downrightughable


    Doyle, unwilling to waste another second, turned toward two nearby soldiers and barked, "Take this woman, who has no invitation and still dared to sneak in, and escort her to the Regalhold Inspection Office."


    "Yes, sir," someone replied.


    Just as the soldiers responded, gasps rippled through the crowd. Murmurs of astonishment followed.


    A momentter, two men stepped through the entrance, one strikingly handsome, the other rugged andmanding.


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