His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 1342

The entire room fell into a stunned silence.

The Royal Chamberlain was completely blindsided. He cradled his red, swelling cheek, too shocked to speak.

"This is not Helgen, and this is not your royal palace. Watch your mouth when you speak in this house."

Evadne's gaze was ice-cold. She tapped a finger against the aide's stiff, pale face before throwing a chilling look at Benedict. "Mr. Benedict, keep your dog on a leash. If you can't control him, I'll have to play host and do it for you."

Elvis clapped his hands, a delighted grin spreading across his face. "Good slap, Evadne! But let me handle the trash next time. I wouldn't want you to hurt your hand."

"Young lady, I know who you are."

Instead of getting angry, Benedict looked at Evadne with a gentle smile. "Princess Stella speaks of you often. She is very fond of you."

Evadne's voice dropped. "Princess Stella? It seems you've grown distant from your own daughter. But then again, she isn't your biological child, is she? You've already decided to strip her of her status."

Benedict's expression stiffened instantly, his lips pressing into a thin, pale line.

Bennett's heart sank heavily, his concern for Stella spiking to unbearable heights.

"Mr. Benedict, I have zero interest in your royal scandals. But Stella is a very important friend to me. If she faces any mistreatment or bullying from you simply because she doesn't share your blood, the Ashbourne family will absolutely not let it slide."

"Your Majesty."

Bennett stepped forward, walking directly up to Benedict. A fierce, unwavering protectiveness burned deep in his eyes. "My name is Bennett Waverley. I am the third son of this family.

"I also have another identity. I am a suitor of Stella."

Benedict narrowed his eyes, studying the bold young man who dared to confront him head-on.

He noticed that Bennett's features were achingly familiar.

He looked so much like her... the woman Benedict had buried deep in his heart, the woman he never dared mention, let alone think about.

"If you no longer intend to shelter Stella, I will go to Helgen and bring her back with me."

Bennett's eyes were utterly sincere, pure, and resolute. "For the rest of my life, I will cherish her and protect her."

Everyone was floored, Evadne included.

Her third brother, who was always so gentle and hated confrontation, was practically marching up to an emperor to steal his daughter.

"Child, who is your mother?" Benedict's tone shifted abruptly, his gaze growing feverishly intense.

Bennett furrowed his brow. For some inexplicable reason, he felt a visceral reluctance to answer any of this man's questions.

This wasn't the first time he, Cassius, Arnold, or Elvis had seen this man. Yet none of them had ever connected him to their biological father.

Benedict's misty eyes lingered on his four sons' handsome faces over and over again. They had been raised so well, and each bore traces of his own features.

He wanted to scream at them that he was their real father.

He wanted to tell them how fiercely he and their mother had loved each other back then.

But the immense guilt weighing on his soul made it impossible to speak the words. If the royal family wasn't on the brink of collapse, he never would have recklessly crossed the world to claim them.

It wasn't because he saw them as illegitimate children or thought they brought him shame.

It was because he hadn't wanted to disrupt their peaceful lives. He knew that if Dorothy were still alive, she wouldn't have wanted this to happen.

He had simply run out of options.

"Your Majesty, it seems you've made this trip for nothing, because none of us are leaving with you."

Cassius's gaze was completely devoid of emotion, a cold detachment that chilled Benedict to the bone. "The only father we recognize is Emeric. We value the man who raised us. So-called bloodlines mean absolutely nothing to us."

The other three brothers nodded in fierce agreement.

"Cassius..." Emeric choked up, tears blurring his vision.