"I am here only to ask what you mean, Harper," Nicole answered reservedly.

"I don't understand."

Anger broke out across Nicole's face. "Alexander has been registered as your mother's son. I'd like to know what you mean by this, meddling in the affairs of the Chu Clan. Have you forgotten you're married and have your own household to be concerned with?"

Silent as a wraith, Nina slipped into the room, brought Harper some tea, and disappeared again. "I had Alexander registered under my mother's name for only one reason," Harper explained. "I didn't want Howard to escort Grandma's coffin."

Nicole was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"He has no right," Harper answered. "You have no need to worry. Alexander and I won't fight for a tiny bit with your child in the future. Matthew is responsible for all of my little brother's needs. Everything

ply stared at the room, stupefied, until Harper gingerly stepped forward and picked up the cat, which made no protest. "Your Highness, a black cat is a sign of bad luck," protested one of her maids.

But Harper was curious and inspected the feline closely. After a moment she said, "Father, it's holding something in its mouth." Setting the cat down on a clean section of the floor, she produced a hairpin and carefully extracted the object from its teeth.

It turned out to be a piece of red paper. His face ashen, Charles swallowed, drew near, and took it from Harper's hand. Written on it was the exact times of birth of two people, which Harper had immediately recognized as corresponding to Howard and Hailey. The most surprising of all was the line at the bottom of the paper which read, "My son, they are not your children. I died with grievance."