Felix had been locked up in prison since the emperor woke up. So, Francis went to see the emperor to remind him that Felix was
still a prince at the end of the day. Even if he had made such an unforgivable mistake, he was still a member of the royal family,
and that was no way to treat a prince. With that in mind, Francis proposed to release Felix, the former crown prince and the
current eldest prince, from prison.
"Are you asking me to just let him go? Just release him and act as if nothing ever happened?" The emperor had just taken some
medicine and was in a good mood. However, the tone of his voice was flat, so no one could tell whether he was actually happy
or angry.
"Please don't misunderstand, Father. I'm not asking you to let him go. It's a fact that the eldest prince committed a grave mistake,
and I also believe that he should be punished for it. I just think that the prison is not the right place for him to stay in. The former
crown prince's mansion, which is the current eldest prince's mansion, should be a good place for him to reflect on his mistakes.
In my opinion, although the eldest prince is unfilial, you are still a kind father. It should be enough to keep him locked up in his
mansion. After all, his wife is carrying his child. For the sake of the unborn baby, please have him transferred to his mansion
instead. This way, you can show how merciful you are. Besides, there's not much of a difference between the Cold Palace and
the current eldest prince's mansion anyway. Staying there can actually be considered a punishment as well." Francis' voice was
as gentle as his character. At that moment, he was dressed in white, as pure as snow, and the smile on his face was also very
clear and bright.
After giving it much thought, the emperor finally nodded his head and said, "Okay. Get him out of the prison and put him under
house arrest in his mansion. He is forbidden to leave that place for the rest of his life."
"Yes, Father."
Francis immediately asked someone to take Felix back to the eldest prince's mansion. Felix had been stripped of his titles as the
crown prince and prince. Right now, he was just a civilian. To live in his mansion under house arrest was indeed no better than to
stay in prison for good.
After the once powerful crown prince's mansion had been turned into the eldest prince's mansion, it became very neglected.
There were no servants at all, and the former crown princess even had to prepare meals for herself. The guards outside wouldn't
allow them to step outside, and they also had to pay for what they wanted to eat.
When Felix finally returned to his old home, he stumbled upon the desolate yard and all sorts of feelings began to well up inside
of him. Moreover, seeing his pregnant wife cooking almost broke his heart.
"Fiona... Is everything okay?" Felix asked, his voice cracking up from the tears.
Hearing this, Fiona stared at him for a long time, but she simply turned back and went into the room, completely ignoring him, as
though he was nothing but a random stranger!
In a state of shock, Felix stood frozen in place. His heart ached when he saw how cold his wife was toward him. His former
concubines had all disappeared, and his former servants had all escaped and were long gone. There were only two of them
staying in this spacious mansion, and the yard was now all covered with fallen leaves. Needless to say, no one was there to
maintain the yard.
"Felix, you're finally back," greeted Francis as he came in, slowly walking toward Felix. The brocade he was wearing made him
look very handsome. Seeing this, Felix took a look at himself. The only thing he had on was some coarse linen, and he hadn't
taken a bath for a couple of days, so his body reeked. Suddenly, he felt as if he was brought low to the dust.
"What are you doing here?" Truth be told, Felix was quite wary of Francis. Never would he have expected that a guy like Francis,
who looked so weak that he might draw his last breath at any minute, would be able to gain the upper hand at last. He had
fought fiercely for the power in the past, only to let Francis take credit for all the work he had done.
With a wave of his hand, all of Francis' followers immediately withdrew. Now, there were only two people left in the yard. "Why
didn't you thank me, Felix? If I didn't act as an intermediary with our father for you, you would still be in prison right now."
"Winner takes all. You don't have to pretend to be nice to me." Felix snorted. "We all underestimated you severely, thinking that
you were too weak to withstand a gust of wind and would die at any time. No one had their guard up against you, so you were
able to seize the opportunity. But more than that, it is also your ability to make use of that opportunity."
"You had been in prison for quite a while, and now you have come to realize a lot of things. Getting you out of the prison won't be
in vain." The sound of Francis' voice was so soft that anyone who heard it would probably be addicted. "You are now under
house arrest in a place you used to be familiar with. I think you'll learn to like it here."
"What's the difference? At the end of the day, I'm still I'm still being held prisoner." As he looked at the calm smile glued to
Francis' smile, it suddenly occurred to Felix that Harper actually smiled as gentle and clean as him. They looked so charming
that no one would be able to take their eyes off them. "Has anyone ever told you that you look disgusting when you smile?"
Even after Francis heard this, the smile on his face didn't change. "No, none that I know off. In fact, Harper had told me once that
I look best when I smile. She seems to like my smile."
Squinting his eyes, Felix echoed in surprise, "Harper? Are you two in good terms? You describe her so intimately. Does Uncle
Matthew know about that?"
"Why should Uncle Matthew have to know about what happened between me and Harper?" Francis replied once more with a
gentle smile. "She is just being herself, and Uncle Matthew is another person. They have totally different personalities."
"You..." After a moment of silence, Felix raised his head and looked at Francis in utter disbelief, "You have feelings for..."