Chapter 86

Jeffrey Asher always pays meticulous attention to not repeating the same mistakes, whether in sword training, interpersonal relationships, or clerical work.

Now, what is making Jeffrey nervous is that Anna Victoria Asher is acting on her own regarding the mercenary incident.

"She has a strong attachment to family. She must be trying her best to protect me and Nonna in this situation."

Jeffrey realizes that Anna is afraid of Nonna being targeted and of causing trouble for her husband. That's why he has repeatedly told her, "Don't go off on your own. Leave it to your brother."

Anna lived for her life from the age of eight to twenty-seven in a place where she had no one to rely on, risking her life. Jeffrey doesn't think that just because she married him, she can completely change her way of life.

"She is a bird of the wild. Even if I tell her not to fly, she will surely fly. I don't want to confine her in a cage or break the wings of her heart just to protect her. That would make the place I prepared for her to rest meaningless."

Jeffrey is torn between wanting to give Anna freedom and wanting to protect her in his hands. On his desk is a letter from the abbot of the monastery. He looked at it while organizing his thoughts.

Recently, he had a question about the sheep farm manager.

Anna had recruited a manager for the sheep farm, and the monastery informed him that an application had been received and the position was filled.

Jeffrey recognized the name of the manager written by the abbot.

"Isn't Miles the man who lived in the house Chester currently resides in? If it's him, was his application a coincidence? Or did he have a purpose?"

Before going to the castle, Jeffrey visited the farm and secretly observed Miles.

It was no mistake. The manager of the farm, Miles, was the man who came to Lady Yolana's house asking, "Has something happened to Victoria?" when Victoria disappeared after leaving a letter.

Jeffrey hadn't thought about Miles since coming to Shen, but if he was now managing the sheep farm that Anna oversees, he needed to be cautious.

Jeffrey searched the military records for a man named Miles from that era. His movements and physique were those of a soldier.

As a result, Miles was indeed a former soldier who had served as a squadron leader before retiring. According to the records, he was a capable and trusted leader, respected by his superiors and admired by his subordinates.

Therefore, Jeffrey had no objection to Anna hiring him as the manager of the sheep farm. He also had no problem with him being a sparring partner for Nonna's training.

However, the monastery contacted him again.

The abbot, who reports frequently to Jeffrey, the nominal owner, even though Anna is in charge of the sheep farm, informed him that Miles had said, "My sister is ill, so I will take some time off." Anna had relayed this information to the abbot.

Out of caution, Jeffrey visited a retired soldier who knew Miles and heard his story, saying that Miles had become one of his servants.

Miles' sister lived in the capital, and taking a long leave was unusual.

"Anna must have asked him to go somewhere. Probably about the Harrows Marquis case. Anna is indeed planning to act independently in this matter."

Jeffrey is not angry that Anna, while saying, "I will leave it to Lord Edward," is trying to act on her own.

He finds it endearing and pitiful that Victoria is willing to risk her life for the family.

"She grew up in an environment where she was not allowed to seek help or rely on others. I thought she had changed a lot since getting married, but this incident has awakened her past way of life."

He has never asked her in detail about the work she has done.

He intends to listen if she wants to talk about it, but he is very careful not to pry.

It's not a story to be asked out of curiosity. Asking about the content of her work would lead to asking about the reasons for her escape.

He can imagine that this would dig up her mental wounds.

He absolutely does not want to do that.

"She is planning to jump into the enemy to protect me and Nonna all by herself."

He feels frustrated that she doesn't rely on him, but he thinks it's because of her brother.

When they were sent to Shen, Mike said something that sounded like, "To protect Victoria," and sent them there.

(Why does the leader of the Third Knight Regiment go to such lengths to protect her?)

He thought about it continuously after coming to Shen and reached one conclusion.

"The leader of the Third Knight Regiment is not trying to protect Anna. He is trying to protect Jeffrey Asher."

There were only two people he could think of who would go to such lengths to protect him.

One was the then Prince Conrad.

The other was the leader of the Third Knight Regiment himself.

However, Prince Conrad had no opportunity to know Victoria's true identity, and if he had known that she was a foreign agent, he would have moved to eliminate her rather than send her to Shen. That's what a royal would do.

So why does the leader of the Third Knight Regiment care so much about Jeffrey Asher?

There was only one conclusion.

The leader of the Third Knight Regiment is his brother, Edward Asher.

This made everything fit together.

His brother also has a strong sense of family and thinks of Jeffrey as someone who always needs to be protected.

He dotes on Anna and Nonna because they are the people he loves. His brother is always gentle to everyone but is not swayed by emotions.

He always acts logically. Except when it comes to family, especially Jeffrey.

Jeffrey can understand why his brother kept his mission hidden.

People in special operations units hide their affiliations even from their families and spouses. If they don't, their families, themselves, and their comrades are put in danger.

So when he returned from Shen, he kept this question to himself and didn't confirm it with his brother or tell Anna.

This led to a new question for Jeffrey.

"Does she also know that my brother is the leader of the Third Knight Regiment?"

He clearly remembers taking her to his brother's house after she finished her undercover role in the castle for two months, which was commissioned by the leader of the Third Knight Regiment.

His brother, who usually speaks kindly to her and Nonna, didn't even look at her that day.

He felt a strange sense of discomfort and wondered, (Did something happen between Anna and my brother?)

She lived in the castle for two months as an undercover agent, and the request for the undercover role came from the leader of the Third Knight Regiment. She might have realized that his brother was the leader of the Third Knight Regiment at some point.

"Perhaps, Anna is trying to settle things on her own, fearing that I will be seen as a burden by my brother?"

Once he thought about it this way, it seemed to be the only explanation.

"I see."

She is trying to settle things on her own to protect the family she has finally found.

If that's the case, what should he do?

Binding her with "If you care about me, don't do it," "Do nothing," "Don't move" would be a foolish strategy.

She has lived in that world since she was eight years old.

If he says, "You are my wife, I won't allow you to fight anymore," she will feel as if her entire personality and life have been negated.

That's the only way of life she knows, the only life she has lived.

Having reached this conclusion, Jeffrey decided to go to sleep.

There was much he needed to do for Anna.