"Oh, so now you're going back on your word?" Lord Han said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm not," Austin replied.

"But you were clearly about to use your status as prince to avoid facing what you did."

"And what exactly did I do?"

"You grabbed my daughter's butt."

Austin coughed softly. "Okay, you're right. But technically, it was just a… uh… supportive gesture."

"Supportive? Really? I highly doubt that, because I saw it with my own eyes, and you smacked it like it owed you rent."

"Pfft, alright, alright, I'll admit that I got carried away yesterday; I shouldn't have smacked her butt the way I did."

Lord Han gave a long sigh as he placed his palm over his face and slowly walked closer to Austin. "Ugh, I raised my daughters for eighteen years, but then I blinked for two minutes, and you're out here patting their rear ends like ripe melons in a market."

Austin held up his hands while taking two steps backward. "Hey, for the record, I was just checking its firmness."

"…That doesn't justify what you did." Lord Han shot him a glance, and they both fell silent.

They both paused and stared at each other, and before they knew it...

"Pfft-"

Both men burst into laughter.

After a while, Austin smiled as he looked at his father-in-law. "You know what, father-in-law?"

"What?"

"You're actually kinda cool."

Hearing this, a genuine smile appeared on Lord Han's face as he wiped the single tear hanging from the edge of his eye. "Finally, somebody in this household agrees with me."

"Yep, and don't worry, because very soon, everyone will see just how cool you are."

"Thanks, but your kind words won't change the fact that next time I see your hands on my daughter's butt in public, I'll be challenging you to a duel."

"A duel? What type of weapons will be allowed?"

"Weapons?"

"Yeah, swords or whips?"

"Whatever lets me spank you in return."

"Noted. Then, I'll wear thick pants from now on."

Lord Han burst into laughter after hearing Austin's words.

His laughter lasted for a while before he focused on Austin again and asked him a very serious question.

"Your High–, I mean, Austin, now that you've listened to the reports your retainers relayed to you, what do you intend to do about the problems the estate is currently facing?"

Listening to his father-in-law's question, Austin couldn't help but smile at him.

Even though they had been laughing a minute ago, Austin could see that his father-in-law was still concerned about his estate.

And this was enough for Austin to confirm that his father-in-law really cared for his people.

"Father-in-law, I appreciate your concern, but don't you remember the first rule of politics?"

"What's that?"

"In politics, what you can do, you must not declare, and what you can declare, you must not do."

Hearing this, Lord Han clicked his tongue as a smirk pulled at his lips. "Tch.... cryptic little man. Fine, I'll trust you for now."

Although Austin didn't say directly that his father-in-law should trust him, Lord Han was able to understand the underlying meaning behind what his son-in-law said.

Seeing this, Austin smiled and said,. "Goodnight, father-in-law. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Austin." Lord Han said in reply, but just before Austin could leave the room, he called out to him.

"Austin."

"Mm?"

"I don't know what your plan is, but whatever you do, don't trust the Imperial Oversight Team."

Austin nodded in understanding before heading to bed.

Meanwhile, Lord Han remained in the hall for the rest of the night, quietly reflecting on what he and his son-in-law had discussed and how their conversation had turned into a bonding moment of laughter between them.

Now, Lord Han could see why his daughters were so in love with the Fourth Prince.

Even when they were at the palace, Lord Han had found it strange to discover through the pigeon letter his daughters had sent to him that his son-in-law was actually making them feel happy and comfortable in the palace.

But with everything he had seen tonight and since Austin had arrived at the mansion, Lord Han could see how happy his daughters really were with him.

In fact, he had never seen his daughters smile and laugh so much the way that they had ever since they returned from the palace.

The last time he saw his daughters looking so happy and smiling this much was when both girls were still babies, so it really brought back a feeling of nostalgia to Lord Han, and it was all thanks to Austin.

Speaking of the fourth prince, Lord Han recalled the cryptic response his son-in-law had given to the question he had asked him.

"Hmm, what you can do, you must not declare, and what you can declare, you must not do." Lord Han repeated these words in his mind.

At first, anyone could think that Austin's response was a riddle, but Lord Han was able to easily interpret it as a response to the question he had asked the fourth prince.

And he knew that it meant that the fourth prince had a plan, but he wasn't going to reveal it yet.

It also hinted that Austin might have already begun implementing his plan behind the scenes and that Lord Han should trust him, even if the plan isn't announced yet.

Lord Han released a sigh of relief as he stared at the night sky through the window.

His discussion with his son-in-law that evening had not only allowed him to discover how wise his son-in-law was.

It also allowed him to see that the fourth prince actually had the ability to think like a leader and that he wasn't as impulsive as a young prince his age usually was.

Pushing this thought aside for now, Lord Han decided to call it a night.

Since his son-in-law had indirectly requested him to have faith in him, Lord Han was prepared to do just that and to guide him in any way that he possibly could.

And so, with nothing else to do, Lord Han returned to his room to call it a night.

======

The next morning, a beautiful lady with a pair of cute, twitching fox ears could be seen running toward Lina's room.

In not more than a minute, Lily arrived at Lina's bedroom and swiftly slid the door open to see Lina, who was just about to step out of her room.

Seeing how Lily was breathing heavily, Lina swiftly asked. "Lily? What's wrong?"

"His Highness... he's...."

A look of dread swiftly spread across Lina's face, and before Lily could complete her sentence, Lina swiftly dashed toward her husband's room.

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