Chapter 353: Obtaining Custody of Eliza

The next morning...

"Transfer of custody, you say? What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

In her room, Cassandra stared at Ragan in surprise.

A few moments earlier, Ragan had suddenly come to her room, saying he wanted to discuss something important.

When Cassandra asked what he meant, Ragan explained that he wanted to transfer Eliza’s custody from her to Isabella.

To be honest, Cassandra never expected her husband to make such a request.

"Yes, I want Eliza’s custody to be transferred to Isabella," Ragan repeated calmly. "I know you don’t like that girl, and I was the one who forced you to take care of her. So, I’ve decided to hand Eliza over to Isabella. Won’t that make you feel relieved?"

He looked at his wife casually, as if her reaction didn’t matter to him.

When his last wife died, Ragan had considered giving Eliza’s custody to Vanessa, Clarisse, Cassandra, or Isabella.

At that time, however, Isabella was in the Eastern Empire of Izanagai, while Vanessa and Clarisse refused to take care of Eliza.

In the end, only Cassandra remained. Of course, she also refused, but Ragan forced her and promised her a reward in return.

Ultimately, Cassandra complied with his wishes, though reluctantly. Almost seven years had passed since then, and Eliza had grown up well.

Still, Ragan knew that Eliza had never truly experienced a mother’s love as she should have.

Therefore, after hearing Nolan’s request yesterday, he felt that entrusting Eliza to Isabella was the right decision.

Moreover, Isabella and Eliza’s mother had shared a close relationship in the past.

Cassandra didn’t immediately agree. Narrowing her eyes, she asked bluntly, "Tell me the reason you want to do that."

She sensed that her husband was hiding something from her, and she couldn’t just let it go.

Ragan paused for a moment before answering, "Actually, this is something I’ve been considering for years. Eliza has grown up well, but emotionally, she hasn’t developed perfectly. In this case, I don’t blame you, Cassandra. After all, you..."

He stopped himself quickly, but Cassandra immediately understood what he meant.

Her face darkened, though only for a moment. She took a small breath and nodded.

"All right, let’s change Eliza’s custody. Let Isabella take care of her," she said coldly.

From the very beginning, she had never wanted to take care of that little girl. If it weren’t for the gift Ragan had promised her back then, she would have refused outright.

"Good." Ragan nodded in satisfaction. "I’ve prepared the documents. You just need to sign them."

He took out a stack of papers from his pocket and handed them to Cassandra.

"Give them to Isabella once you’re done," he continued before turning to leave.

Cassandra stared at Ragan’s back as he slowly disappeared, her expression filled with dissatisfaction.

"He’s still the same as ever," she muttered inwardly.

Shifting her gaze to the documents in her hands, she furrowed her brow and whispered, "Why do I feel like he’s hiding something big from me? Or is it just my imagination?"

***

In the garden where Isabella lived, Nolan, Eliza, Rafine, and Isabella sat together in the pavilion they often used.

Isabella looked at Eliza, who was sitting on her lap, then gently pinched the little girl’s cheek.

"Have you eaten, my dear?" she asked affectionately.

"Yes, Mother Isabella!" Eliza replied with a sweet smile. "Brother Nolan cooked a really delicious meal earlier, and I ate everything!"

"Oh?" Isabella raised an eyebrow slightly. "It’s rare for you to cook for someone, son. Why didn’t you cook for me too?"

Nolan, who was sipping his tea, choked.

"Ahem!" He looked at his mother helplessly. "It’s not that I didn’t want to, Mother, but Maya and Miya had already prepared food for you. If I brought more, wouldn’t that be wasteful? Isn’t that what you always taught me and Elina?"

A faint smile crossed his face, while Isabella was left speechless, not expecting her son to reply so firmly.

"You’re right," Isabella finally admitted. "But tomorrow, you have to cook for me, all right? After all, you’ll be leaving in a few days, and it’ll be hard for me to enjoy your cooking then."

"I want to too, Big Brother!" Eliza exclaimed excitedly.

"Me too," Rafine added shyly.

Nolan: "..."

Am I your cook?

But he didn’t mind. It made no difference whether he cooked for one person or three.

"All right," he said, pretending to be troubled.

Isabella, Rafine, and Eliza exchanged glances, then chuckled together.

"Oh, right. You said you wanted me to take care of Eliza, didn’t you?" Isabella gently stroked Eliza’s head. "But Cassandra has custody, and it’s difficult for me to ask for it—unless His Majesty grants it to me himself."

After saying that, she sighed regretfully. Because of her departure for the Eastern Empire of Izanagi at that time, she hadn’t had the chance to obtain Eliza’s custody.

Of course, she had wanted to take Eliza from Cassandra, but doing so would have only caused unnecessary conflict.

However, earlier, her son had suddenly told her to take care of Eliza, and that left her confused.

"It’s fine," Nolan said with a relaxed smile. "You’ll find out soon enough."

Isabella blinked curiously. Her son was always so mysterious, and sometimes it truly annoyed her.

Just as she was about to speak, Miya appeared from the side of the pavilion.

"Lady Isabella, a maid from Concubine Cassandra’s side has come to see you. She says it’s very important. Shall I let her in?"

Isabella was surprised. She glanced at her son meaningfully before nodding.

"All right, Miya. Let her in."

Miya gave a small nod and went to call the maid who had arrived.

Moments later, she returned with a beautiful woman dressed in a maid’s uniform.

Upon seeing Isabella, the woman immediately bowed politely.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Concubine Isabella," she said softly. "I’ve come to deliver the custody documents for Princess Eliza, approved by both Lady Cassandra and His Majesty."

At that, Isabella froze. She stared at Nolan with wide eyes, unable to believe it.

"Don’t tell me this is your doing?" She asked suspiciously.

Nolan only smiled and shrugged.

Isabella sighed softly and decided to ignore him. She accepted the documents from the maid’s hands.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome, Concubine Isabella," the maid replied with a polite bow. "Then, I’ll take my leave."

Miya escorted her to the front gate.

Isabella looked down at the documents in her hand and began reading it carefully.

Rafine, who was sitting beside Nolan, glanced at the papers with curiosity before turning to him.

"How did you get it?" Rafine asked softly.

Nolan gave her a brief look, then said teasingly, "If you kiss me, I’ll tell you."

Rafine: "..."