Supreme Heir Son-in-law

It only took a few days for the butler to realize there was nothing left to teach the other person. Looking at the youth’s face, the butler could only pack his belongings with a heavy heart and go to bid Claude his very last farewell.
When the butler went to say goodbye to Claude, Claude was on the phone with someone else.
"I still have a few matters to attend to here. I’ll call you later," Claude said to the person on the other end, then hung up.
"Have you already packed your things? Leaving so soon?" Claude asked, a bit surprised.
"Yes, everything’s packed. The new butler you’ve hired is quite clever; there’s nothing more for me to teach him. He’s taken over all the affairs of the manor, and I have no further use for being here. That’s why I’m here to say goodbye," said the butler.
The butler couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. After all, he’d worked in this place for over ten years, with deep affection for every flower and plant here, and also for Claude.
Yet, he couldn’t quite discern if his feelings for Claude stemmed more from a parental fondness or a sense of duty as a butler from the Manson family.
The butler didn’t want to ponder these emotional issues, so he decided to leave the place he’d stayed for over a decade and start anew elsewhere.
He wasn’t planning to return to the Manson family, but he didn’t intend to tell Claude about this decision, to avoid making this emotionally sensitive child think thoughts best left unthought and prevent himself from getting a proper rest.
"Oh, I see. You know, people are sometimes very strange. We’ve accompanied each other for over ten years here. I always thought I would take care of you in your old age here in this manor. I never imagined there would come a day for us to part, much less a day we’d meet in silence like this. It wasn’t like this before," Claude said, leaning back into the soft chair that the butler recognized—he’d chosen it for Claude.
"Parting is inevitable for everyone, sooner or later, it makes no difference. And even if I leave, my heart will always be with you," the butler earnestly said, wanting to remember Claude’s features at this moment, to cherish in a new place.
"Is that so? Perhaps. The time has come. Let me see you off," Claude said after glancing at the clock on the wall.
"No need, I can leave on my own." The butler assumed Claude knew his train’s departure time, so he naturally replied. But the next moment, his pupils dilated in shock as he turned to see a pitch-black gun barrel.
"Goodbye, butler." With Claude’s voice just falling, a gunshot rang out, and the butler’s body fell back.
In his last moments, his eyes were filled with disbelief. He couldn’t believe he died at the hands of the child he’d personally raised.
"You know too many of my secrets. I can’t let you leave alive. Besides, I promised to care for you in your old age, and I intend to keep that promise. I’ll find you the best burial plot and visit you every year. So rest in peace." Claude reached out to close the butler’s eyes with a gentle hand, a look of compassionate sorrow in his eyes.
Although he was the one who took action, his demeanor at this moment was like that of a bereaved family member who had just learned of a beloved’s death—full of irony.
Not long after, the study door opened from the outside. The shadow Claude had sent out returned without a sound. Seeing the dead butler on the floor, the shadow’s brow twitched subtly.
"Take him out and bury him properly. Choose the best burial plot," Claude said, pouring himself a drink.
"Yes." The shadow asked no questions, as he always did whatever Claude instructed, never speaking out of turn or harboring unnecessary curiosity. That’s why Claude kept him around.
The body was carried out by the shadow, and the study door was closed again. Looking at the open wine bottle, Claude’s eyes showed a slight confusion. Though he should be smelling wine, for some reason, all he could sense was the sweet aroma of fresh blood.
Claude rubbed his fingertips, as if still feeling the texture of the body he had just touched.
"So, why did you betray me? You should know that the thing I hate most is betrayal. You promised when you were young to always stand by me unconditionally, no matter what I did. But now you want to leave me and return to the Manson family. What’s so good about that place, full of hypocrisy and stench, that you’d abandon me to go back?" Claude muttered, gazing out the window.
It was unclear whom he was addressing or why he was speaking at all. Claude’s soliloquy gradually faded in the room, along with the liquor in his glass. But his eyes were alive with fascination, as if he had discovered something intriguing once again.
Meanwhile, at the Calvin Family, the twin brothers were the first to learn about the trouble Xu Ke had stirred up.
The brothers sat facing each other like mirror images, the same look of seriousness on both faces.
"I never thought he was working for Claude," Albo spoke first, breaking the silence in the room. "When did he start working for Claude, I wonder?"
"What’s more surprising is that an equestrian instructor could orchestrate such a thing. If he managed it all on his own, then he is no simple character," Job said seriously.
"Claude already held all the advantages. Bringing him down was already difficult. If he has someone as capable as Xu Ke helping him, the resistance to overthrowing him and taking down the Calvin Family only increases. We cannot let such a thing happen," Albo said firmly.
"You’re right. We’ve sacrificed so much and put in so much effort toward our goals. We can’t let this suddenly surfaced person derail us. If he can’t be used by us, then he can’t be allowed to remain, no matter the cost," Job said, making a beheading gesture.
"I know you’re close to him. Don’t let your feelings get in the way," Job added immediately after.
"Don’t worry, for the sake of our grand plan, nothing is beyond sacrifice. We’re twin brothers—do you not know if I’d make such a foolish mistake?" Albo said, glancing at his brother.