Marital Tension

After Lily Evans finished speaking, the more she thought about it, the angrier and more wronged she felt. She sent all her maids away, and the more she dwelled on it, the heavier her heart became. Hugging her son, she began to sob.

After crying for a while, Lily heard Mrs. Margaret Wang moving about outside and quickly wiped away her tears.

Margaret Evans came in and asked, "Ah Li, why isn't anyone here to serve you?"

Not wanting Margaret to worry, Lily replied, "It's nothing. I was about to take a nap, but the people around me were too noisy, so I sent them away."

Margaret responded with an 'oh' and then asked if Alexander Hayes had come by.

Thinking of this made Lily feel even more upset. That man was still standing outside the door, refusing to come in!

But when she was about to speak, she couldn't bring herself to say it, so she made up a lie: "He came by in the afternoon and then left. Maybe he's busy with work outside."

Margaret didn't suspect a thing and said to Lily, "Ah Li, you're tired from taking care of Charlie, and His Highness is also exhausted with state affairs. He's been staying up all night to handle government work lately. If he comes to see you and the child less often, don't take it to heart."

Lily responded with a hum, but in her heart, she thought: If he has time to stand at the door, how could he not have time to come in? Clearly, he's just annoyed by the baby's crying.

With resentment brewing in her heart, Lily became stubborn. For the next few days, even though she kept Alexander Hayes in mind, she deliberately avoided mentioning him at all.

As for Alexander Hayes, these past few days he would only stand outside the door for a while. For some reason, he never came in, merely instructing the servants to take good care of the Princess Consort and the little heir before leaving.

Because of this, the couple hadn't seen each other for several days.

Lily's anger only grew, but she couldn't even see Alexander Hayes, let alone vent her frustration.

"I wanted to talk to him calmly and apologize, but who knew he wouldn't even see me! I'm stuck in my room for postpartum recovery, and if he won't come in, am I supposed to go out and find him myself?" Lily sulked, deciding to focus all her attention on her son.

Prince of Qin's study

"Your Highness, Deputy White's ship will arrive at the capital's dock in half an hour!" a servant reported, delivering a carrier pigeon message.

Alexander Hayes immediately stood up and asked, "How is Deputy White's injury?"

The servant replied, "Deputy White's condition worsened on the way, but fortunately, the life-saving Six Divine Pill Your Highness gave him kept him alive until he reached the capital."

"I must go greet Deputy White myself!" Alexander Hayes declared.

With that, Alexander Hayes left the manor at once, mounted his horse, and rode toward the dock.

He arrived a bit early; Sophie White's ship hadn't docked yet. Alexander Hayes dismounted and stood at the pier, anxiously scanning the horizon, deeply worried about Sophie's injuries.

This was a child he had personally mentored—how could he not worry when her life hung by a thread?

Just as Alexander Hayes waited anxiously, the ship finally appeared in the distance.

As the vessel docked, Alexander Hayes hurried aboard. He saw four men carrying Sophie White out of the cabin on a wooden stretcher.

"Sophie... Deputy White, how are you feeling?" Alexander Hayes asked, his heart tightening as he saw her pale, weak face.

Sophie White looked frail, her voice barely audible as she gently grasped Alexander Hayes' hand, whispering, "General, it's my fault. I failed my mission and let you down..."

"You're so badly hurt, yet you still say such foolish things!" Alexander Hayes said anxiously. "Don't talk—just rest. I'll take you to the manor to recover right away."

Sophie White shook her head, her expression bleak. "It's too late, General. Unless you send me to the Medical Sage now, I won't last much longer..."