Chapter 511
511
511
G21
Caitlin walked out of the gallery and got into the car, instructing Xavi to drive. They first dropped Federico off at his hotel before heading to TIG. She still had to finish the final design piece for the competition.
While Caitlin was buried in her work, unaware, major shifts were unfolding in S Country.
At Graystone Castle, upon learning in advance that the royal family was planning a crackdown, Zorro immediately began making arrangements to safeguard his retreat. Shadow Moon Pavilion’s forces were quickly dispersed and relocated in full to the US.
After overseeing the transition, Zeke went to Zorro. “Father, everything is in place. You should come with us now.”
Zorro looked at Zeke, his sharp eyes locking onto his son without a word.
Zeke was confused. “Father, the royal command to surround Graystone has already been issued. If you don’t leave now, it might be too late.”
Indeed, the royal decree had been officially released, and the imminent threat of military action left Zorro both furious and bitter.
He already knew that the royal army was en route to Graystone, led by none other than General Harvey – Xero’s older brother.
But what truly shattered him wasn’t the royal decree. It was Zeke’s betrayal.
“Guards!” Zorro barked.
Several highly trained men rushed in from the shadows. In a flash, Zeke was seized and forced to his knees.
“Father!” Zeke cried out in shock. “Why are you doing this?”
“You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to?” Zorro said coldly. “You leaked the rebellion rumors to the royal family, didn’t you?”
Zeke’s heart sank. His cover was blown. But he struggled to maintain composure.
“Father, someone’s lying to you! They’re trying to turn us against each other. You can’t believe them so easily!”
Zorro didn’t respond. Instead, he gave another command. “Bring him in.”
Another man entered the hall–Samir.
Zeke’s eyes widened. “Samir?”
He never imagined that Samir, someone who had grown up beside him, fought with him, bled with him–would be the one to betray him.
“Apologies, Vice Commander. I’ve always been loyal to the Commander.”
Samir turned to Zorro. “Commander, you’ve been deceived. The Vice Commander is the real traitor. He plans to overthrow you and take full control of Shadow Moon Pavilion and the Graystone forces .”
“You liar!” Zeke shouted, his voice tight with fury.
He had miscalculated. He never thought Zorro would plant a mole right beside him.
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Even with Samir’s betrayal, Zeke couldn’t afford to admit guilt. If Zorro confirmed his plot, the outcome would be disastrous–worse than what had happened to Zeke’s birth father.
He had no choice but to defend himself. “Father, don’t listen to his lies! This man’s manipulating you to create division and seize power for himself!”
But Zorro wasn’t swayed by either side. He trusted no one–not even his own son. He only believed in what he could see for himself.
“No smoke without fire, Zeke. Your performance was impressive–just a little too much.”
Zorro had already been suspicious when Zeke suddenly returned and apologized. He knew his son’s nature well. The boy who once cut ties with him over Caitlin wouldn’t just crawl back with no agenda.
He knew from the start that Zeke had an ulterior motive. Why else would he be so eager to relocate to the US?
What was he really after? As if Zorro didn’t know.
“Father, you’ve misunderstood. I’m your son. We’re blood–nothing can change that!”
Zeke played the family card, but Zorro wasn’t buying it.
He knew the truth about Zeke’s origin. Sentiment wasn’t going to change anything.
“Enough. Bind him. Take his communication devices.”
Zorro’s order was swift. The guards stripped Zeke of his phone and all electronics, handing them over to Zorro.
Zeke was tied up and dragged out of the main hall.
‘Father–please, believe me!”
His voice echoed toward the door before fading into silence. No matter how he pleaded, it was no use.
Panic welled up inside him. With the plan now exposed, everything was about to spiral out of his control.
After locking Zeke away, Zorro summoned the senior mentors of Shadow Moon Pavilion to strategize their next move.
Not long after, the royal army reached the outskirts of Graystone. In response, Zorro summoned troops back from his outposts to block the royal army’s advance. A tense standoff began at the border.
General Harvey sent word to Zorro demanding that he disarm and surrender control of his military forces.
But Zorro’s reply was defiant. Not only did he refuse, he declared he would defend Graystone’s sovereignty and would not allow a single royal soldier to step foot on his land.
The split in control over the region was reported back to the king, who immediately issued a formal summons for Zorro to appear before the royal court.
Zorro refused again–this time with a threat. If the king insisted on believing false rumors and chose to invade Graystone, then he would not hesitate to defy the crown.
He claimed he had no intention of rebellion, but if the royal family wanted war, he would give them war.
His response enraged the king. A new decree followed: eliminate the forces at Graystone by any means necessary.
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Thus, war broke out between the royal army and the Graystone military.
News of the conflict quickly spread through the media. Xero passed it on to Sebastian at once.
Back in the US, Sebastian met with Caitlin to discuss the situation.
Caitlin frowned. “Honestly, this was within expectations. Zeke reported Zorro to the royal family, and of course they responded. But Zorro was never the kind of man to go quietly. His power alone rivals the crown… still, this wasn’t supposed to happen.”
She had gone over the possible outcomes with Zeke when the plan was formed.
One, Zorro would realize the threat and escape to the US with Zeke and the rest of Shadow Moon Pavilion, where they could ambush him on foreign soil.
Two–what was happening now–Zorro would stay in Graystone and dig in for a war against the royal family.
“Going head–to–head with the crown is the worst option,” Caitlin said. “I thought for sure he’d give up Graystone and
retreat.”
“This is bad,” Sebastian agreed. “Zorro’s no easy target. We’ll have to wait for a ceasefire before we can make our next move.”
“With the codex bait, Zora’s existence as a daughter, and pressure from the royal court–any fool would’ve fled Graystone to save their own skin. So why didn’t he?”
Caitlin’s voice dropped. A troubling thought began to form in her mind.
“Something’s off. Has something happened to Zeke?”