Transmigration: The Tyrant General Can Hear My Thoughts

Chapter 288: Chapter Two Hundred And Eighty Seven

The grand study in the Ryde’s residence was dark, except for the dim, flickering yellow light of a single candle sitting on a large desk.

Lord Ryde stood still near the tall glass windows. He had his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He was staring out into the dark night. He watched drops of rain hit the clear glass. The water slid down the windowpanes like fast, continuous tears.

Behind him, the door of the study was open.

A tall armored guard stood in the center of the room. The guard’s metal boots were wet, leaving small, muddy footprints on the clean floor. The guard slowly lowered his body. He went down on one knee. He placed his right hand firmly flat against his breastplate. He bowed his head, staring at the floor.

The guard took a short, nervous breath. He had to deliver terrible news, and he was terrified of the Earl’s reaction.

"My lord," the kneeling guard spoke. His voice was slightly shaky, echoing softly in the large, quiet room.

Lord Ryde did not turn around. He did not flinch. He kept his eyes fixed on the dark, raining sky outside the window.

"Your daughter," the guard continued, forcing the heavy words out of his mouth. "She is in royal custody. The city guards arrested her tonight."

The study went silent. The only sound was the loud, continuous drumming of the rain hitting the glass windows.

The guard kept his head bowed. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He needed to finish the report.

"She is being held for attempted murder and kidnapping, my lord," the guard finished.

Lord Ryde was silent.

He did not gasp. He did not turn around to yell. He did not ask if his daughter was safe, or if she was hurt, or if she was crying in a cold cell. He just stood there, looking at the rain water on the glass like an unfeeling, cold stone statue.

The guard remained kneeling on the floor. His knee was beginning to ache against the hard wood beneath the rug, but he did not dare to move a single inch. He raised his head just a tiny bit. He looked at the back of the Earl, waiting for an order. He expected Lord Ryde to command the guards to ride to the royal prison immediately. He expected the Earl to demand his daughter’s release.

But the order was taking too long.

A full minute passed in suffocating silence.

Inside Lord Ryde’s mind, a dark, furious storm was raging. It was much worse than the rain outside.

"Isabel," Lord Ryde thought to himself. His internal voice was filled with crushing disappointment. "You foolish, spoiled, arrogant girl. I told you to stop. I told you to leave Damon alone. I told you to stay away from his wife."

He tightened his hands behind his back. His knuckles turned slightly white.

"Attempted murder? Kidnapping?" his thoughts continued, analyzing the terrible situation. "She actually hired people to kidnap Camilla. She tried to kill the wife of the Tyrant General. And now, she has been caught. She is sitting in a royal dungeon, guarded by the King’s men."

Lord Ryde felt no pity for his daughter. He only felt anger that she almost ruined his perfect, quiet plans.

He was in the middle of planning an assassination against Damon with his faction. They needed to stay hidden. They needed to act normal until the time was right to strike.

"And now, because of a stupid girl’s petty jealousy," Lord Ryde thought, gritting his teeth. "The royal guards are looking at my family. The King’s eyes will turn toward my estate. She has drawn unwanted, dangerous attention to us."

Lord Ryde finally opened his mouth.

He spoke, but he did not sound angry. He sounded tired. He sounded like a man speaking to himself in an empty room.

"Do you know why we do this?" Lord Ryde asked. His voice was very low and smooth.

The kneeling guard blinked. He was confused by the strange question.

"Do this?" the guard thought to himself. "Do what? Stand in the dark? Guard the estate?"

The guard had absolutely no idea about the assassination. He was just a normal soldier hired to protect the house. He did not know what the Earl was talking about.

But the guard knew he had to answer his master.

"No," the guard let out a very tiny, quiet reply.

Lord Ryde slowly turned his body away from the window.

He walked with slow steps toward his large desk. He stopped near the flickering candle. He looked down at the surface of the desk.

Resting near the candlelight was a piece of thick, expensive parchment paper. It had a broken royal wax seal on it. It was an official letter from the King’s palace that had arrived earlier that day.

Lord Ryde reached out his hand. He picked up the letter. He stared at the elegant ink written on the paper.

"The king has issued another decree," Lord Ryde spoke. His voice grew slightly harder, filled with a deep, bitter hatred for the crown.

He looked at the kneeling guard.

"Another decree that abolishes one of the old laws," Lord Ryde continued, explaining his deep frustration. "A law that protected our wealth. A law that protected our family’s power in the provinces."

Lord Ryde squeezed the edge of the paper tightly.

"The King is slowly stripping away everything," Lord Ryde thought to his own mind. "He is taking our control over the trade routes. He is trying to make the old noble know that change is coming to the kingdom."

Lord Ryde threw the letter back onto the desk. It landed with a soft slap.

"We are working ourselves to the bone to make this plan work," Lord Ryde said, his voice rising slightly in volume. He was talking about his secret alliance with the other nobles. "We are risking our lives, our estates, and our entire lineage to secure our future against all this."

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