The Crown Prince braced himself and came out to mediate, but The Old Duke kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling across the floor like a gourd. Instantly, no one else dared to move. In the end, it was His Majesty the Emperor who smoothed things over and tried to make peace, personally guaranteeing Thomas Brooks's personal safety from now on. Only then did William Brooks storm off in anger, flinging his sleeve. As he left, he swept his gaze over each of the supporters of the princes, making every one of them tremble like noodles...

The Old Duke hadn't lost his temper in ten years, but after a decade of restraint, this single outburst left all the civil and military officials in utter panic! To actually start a fight in the Golden Throne Hall, even daring to lay hands on a prince—what else would he not dare to do?!

Only His Majesty the Emperor, watching the departing figure of William Brooks, sighed deeply in his heart. Although William Brooks's outburst today was imposing, His Majesty the Emperor already knew that the last remaining Thomas Brooks of the The Brooks Family had completely disappointed this The Old Man! Thinking back to when William Brooks had once asked to marry Princess Grace, it now seemed that was his final effort to preserve the bloodline of the The Brooks Family.

And at that time, he himself had ruthlessly refused.

If Ethan Morris Brooks had shown even a bit of promise, William Brooks would never have lost his temper like this in the Golden Hall. The reason for today's loss of control was simply that the The Old Man could see no future for the The Brooks Family! William Brooks and the The Brooks Family had made countless enemies both at home and abroad; once he passed away, none of their foes would spare his descendants.

So now the The Old Man had no qualms about being forceful to the end! If anyone dared to touch my The Brooks Family, to harm my grandson, I'll strike first! Since my The Brooks Family has come to this, why should I continue to endure humiliation?!

Could it be that the once-glorious The Brooks Family, once the guardian of the Tianxiang Empire, would really fall into decline like this? The The Emperor sighed, suddenly feeling a deep sense of regret. Perhaps, back then, he shouldn't have...

Having witnessed The Old Duke's dominance, all the old military subordinates were beaming with delight, and everyone who had been plotting in secret abandoned their plans. Even the embarrassed The Crown Prince had no more complaints; if he had any, it was only against his Father-in-law for not knowing his place and bringing shame upon himself. Couldn't he see that this old man was already half-crazed?!

Of course, there were still many who felt indignant in their hearts. Did this old man think he could live forever? Once he breathed his last, the The Brooks Family would be wiped out for good!

But, for now, these were only thoughts. In the Tianxiang Empire, no force dared to openly oppose the The Old Man while William Brooks and The Old Duke were still alive!

Only...

The Grand Tutor and Chief Minister James Thompson had been watching coldly from the sidelines, saying nothing. But after Mr. Brooks left, he secretly furrowed his brow, then a smile appeared on his face. It seemed that William Brooks still protected his disappointing grandson. In that case, Ethan Morris Brooks was William Brooks's weakness? Such a weakness would be all too easy to exploit. Once a person has an obvious flaw, no matter how powerful or well-established they are, they are no longer so intimidating...

In an unnoticed corner, Grand Tutor Thompson and the palace guard general across from him, Robert Clark, exchanged a glance, each revealing a mysterious smile.

Meanwhile, in the The Brooks Family, inside Ethan Brooks's room.

The door closed. Emily, her pretty face blushing, turned to run out.

"Are you very afraid of me?" Ethan Brooks was wiping himself down. After all, this little girl had already seen everything, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. She didn't seem to mind, so why should he, a grown man, be afraid?

"Yes." Emily nodded quickly, but then realized that wasn't right and hurriedly corrected herself: "No, no... not afraid."

Ethan Brooks smiled, then stood up naked from the wooden tub. Emily let out another shriek and covered her eyes.

Ethan Brooks quickly put on his clothes, walked over to Emily, and said with a smile, "You can open your eyes now, it's fine."

Emily slowly moved her hand aside to peek through a gap, and seeing that Ethan Brooks was indeed dressed, she finally put her hands down, her face still red and looking very cute.

Ethan Brooks found the little girl truly adorable and couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her head. Emily was startled again and looked up, only to find warmth in Ethan Brooks's eyes, as if she were seeing her big brother looking at his little sister. For some reason, her heart settled and she was no longer afraid. She thought, "The young master now actually looks quite pleasant." As soon as she thought this, she was startled again: "How could I think that? He's still that lecherous scoundrel! I will never allow him to defile my innocence! If he tries to force me, I'd rather die!" She stubbornly took another step back, her face full of wariness.

Chapter 11: A Rebirth of Transformation

Ethan Brooks had lived two lives; in his previous one, he was a top assassin who had seen all the world's suffering. With a single glance, he had already seen through the little girl's thoughts. He couldn't help but lament how much of a failure the original owner of this body was, that even his own personal maid disliked him. He sighed and said, "You don't need to serve me here. You can go." Emily bowed and thought, as long as I don't get close to you, you can't do anything bad. Besides, you're still injured and weak, you couldn't catch me anyway. Only then did she leave.