qFrancesca pleaded William's case fiercely and passionately.
The prince stared at his friend, his eyes reddening inadvertently with grateful tears.
He had struggled silently for twenty years, and Francesca had just pointed out every bit of
injustice he had suffered to the king that day.
He never imagined someone in this world could understand him as wholly as Francesca
did at that moment.
William was even more surprised that someone would fearlessly stand up for him despite
his obviously disadvantaged situation.
He stared at Francesca as though she were the only shining beacon of hope in his bleak
life.
She had given him hope and the determination to stand on his feet again. He felt
reinvigorated to challenge the mounting obstacles in his life.
Normally, Silas would have told Francesca off for her outburst, and Federico would have
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtordered some soldiers to drag her out of the room for her impudence.
To everyone's surprise, none of that happened.
Instead, Silas froze in shock, tearing up as he shot William a pitiful look.
Even Federico lowered his head and fell into silence. Sometime later, he asked, “Can his
legs truly be cured?”
“I swear on my life,” vowed Francesca.
She wanted to try her best for William and defend her medical skills.
“Good, good.” Federico nodded and addressed Silas, “Please send her back first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Silas stepped forward and said, “This way, Dr. Felch.”
Francesca shot William a worried look.
He reassured her with a tender gaze, “Go. I'll be back soon. Don't worry.”
“Call me if there's any danger.”
Then, Francesca shot the king a meaningful stare before leaving.
Federico was stunned by her behavior. “T-This! Is she threatening me?”
William chuckled before he could help himself. “I've never seen you like this before.”
“This lady is impudent! Utterly so!” Federico bristled with fury as he added, “I was too kind
to her. I should've sent her off to prison and taught her a lesson.”
Smiling, William defended his friend. “She has always been like this; even L is frightened
of her. But she's fiercely loyal to her friends and an extremely skilled doctor to boot!”
“Is she really Francesco?” The king was still doubtful of her identity.
“In the flesh! I would never lie to you about this, Your Majesty!” William answered
somberly.
The king's hesitation was evident as he commented, “She looks very young to possess
such superb medical skills. Robin says she saved L in the past, which is why they affirmed
their feelings for each other at a young age.”
William nodded and explained, “It's true. They lost contact after that, and L looked for her
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmfor seven years.”
“If he has such strong feelings for her, how could they split up so suddenly? And how could
L turn around and become engaged to someone else?” Federico stared at his grandson
and questioned, “Could it be because of you?”
William lowered his head in silence.
Federico suddenly approached him and advised, “I said something to your father once,
and it's about time I shared that message with you. An empire will always be more
important than a woman.”
William shuddered and stared at the king in disbelief.
Is he implying that he's giving me the opportunity to control an empire?
“How long will it take to cure your legs?” Federico pointed at William's legs.
“About three months. There will be several months of physical therapy after that...”
Federico cut him off and asked, “Does that mean you will stand in about half a year?”
“Yes.” William nodded determinedly, though he felt slightly guilty about keeping his
grandfather's hopes up. Still, Francesca had won him a precious opportunity to fight for
the throne, and he would do everything in his might to make it happen.