Chapter 70: The Weight of the Secret

**Thelma Zane’s POV** "He took a leave and went home?" I asked, my voice steady despite the tumult in my chest. "Yes, Miss," the soldier on duty replied. "Sir Aldrich will return this afternoon." "Alright, thank you," I said, though my shoulders sagged slightly at the news. The imposing aura I had worked so hard to maintain faltered the moment I realized Aldrich wasn’t in the camp. “You’re not allowed to retreat!” Maxine's voice snapped at me from within, sharp and unrelenting. “But he’s not here...” “Then go to his house! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten where Duke Frank’s mansion is.” “Is that really necessary?” I asked, hesitant. “Of course, it is! Listen, little princess, you and Aldrich didn’t just have a simple lovers’ quarrel. This is bigger than that. If you want both sides to agree you’re done for, then sit here and mope. But if you still love him, get up and fix this mess! I don’t want to witness a drawn-out, pathetic drama where you two idiots act li