The Scarred Queen's Rise (Athena) novel Chapter 506

Chapter 506

Athena’s heart jolted, a spark of hope flashing in her eyes. “If I can just find the pawn ticket from back then, does that mean I can prove Grandfather’s innocence!”

Xander’s clue bore open a crack in the impenetrable darkness of the sky. This first glimmer of dawn sont Athana into raptures

“Don’t get your hopes up just yet,” Xander said gently. “This all happened a long ling, and there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to find that old parem

He hated to dampen Athena’s spirits, but he didn’t want her to get her hopes up only to be disappointed again.

Athena nodded emphatically. “No, I’ll definitely find it.”

There were only a few pawnshops in the capital. With enough determination, she was confident she could find it

At this point, Athena suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing you must be aware of, Prince Xander.”

Xander felt a warm satisfaction as he saw the renewed spark in Athena’s eyes. “Go on,” he encouraged gently.

“Do you know how the new Chief of the Federal Bureau rose to power, Prince Xander?” she asked.

Xander pondered for a moment before saying “Leonard was merely a Deputy Chief By protocol, the position of Chief of the Federal Bureau should have gone to Yarden, the current Vice Chief Yet, strangely, His Majesty unexpectedly promoted Leonard instead.”

“What’s even more perplexing is that Yarden didn’t even raise an objection, and, surprisingly, not even the Osborne family showed any resentment,” he

added

Realizing Xander was still unaware, Athena recounted everything in one breath. “You might not know, but Erwin, the former Chief of the Federal Bureau, was ambushed and killed by bandits on his way home.”

Xander’s brows knit at the news. “That doesn’t sit right,” he said, “Chief Ervin was always close to General Perkins. His sudden resignation feels too

convenient.

“Prince Xander,” Athena pressed, “could you use your connections to investigate this thoroughly? Something about all this feels off.”

Erwin had stepped down not long after Kurtis was imprisoned.

Athena vaguely recalled I meeting his daughter a few times as

as a child.

Her name was Madeline. She had a round face and a crescent–shaped birthmark on her neck.

Other than that, Athena couldn’t recall much about her. But if Madeline was still alive, they would be around the same age now.

Xander saw the anxious look on Athena’s face and gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said, “even if you hadn’t brought it up, I would have Investigated this case myself”

Athena stared at him, wide–eyed in confusion, then Xander said softly, “If General Perkins hadn’t shared everything he knew, I wouldn’t be where I am now. He was my mentor in all but name.

“Protecting you is not just my duty, it’s my responsibility”

Xander added with deep remorse, “If I hadn’t been injured, you wouldn’t have had to endure so much. The very day I turned to the capital, Nelson to find you, but I was one step too late, Michael had already taken you.

“When I slipped into a coma, I heard you’d returned to the duke’s estate. I kept hoping we’d meet again. But I was wrong about them. I thought they’d treat you kindly… Inever dreamed they’d hurt you again.”

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Chapter 506

He paused briefly, then continued with strained voice, “I’ve uncovered a few leads, What happened to your grandfather might be tied to the duke’s

At this point, Xander placed a reassuring hand on Athena’s shoulder and asked her, “If I were to take action against the duke’s estate, would you hold it against me?”

Athena froze, her eyes focked onto his, visibly shaken by what she had just heard.

All this time, she had thought she was alone in the world, never daring to believe someone might truly care for her and protect her,

Seeing Athena remain silent for so long, her eyes brimming with tears once again, Xander feared his words had frightened her

He said softly, “if you’re not comfortable with this, I can back off.”

Athena gasped softly, “No. I cut ties with them long ago. Whether they live or die is no concern of mine. But if they really dared lay a hand on Grandfather, you won’t need to intervene, I’ll make them pay myself”

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