When Petals Meet The Blade (Priscilla and Waldo) novel Chapter 338

Chapter 338

Currently, Lincoln still couldn’t discern right from wrong in this matter

But he refused to take sides.

Yet Jessica had made her stance perfectly clear. She was siding with Leon.

To Lincoln, this was truly a letdown. Before this, he had genuinely believed her demeanor and bearing made her stand out from other noble ladies.

“Why are you disappointed, Mr. Moore?” Jessica asked, her gaze calm and slightly aloof. “Disappointment implies expectation. Yet my family has never had any dealings with you, nor any past entanglements. Isn’t it self–defeating to place your hopes on someone who is, to you, practically a stranger?”

Lincoln froze, instantly overwhelmed with shame.

After years of poring over countless tomes on statecraft, he believed himself versed in the art of conduct and steeped in the upright ways of governance, He never suspected that hidden within him still lay private prejudices toward all manner of people.

So he wasn’t truly impartial after all. Today, he’d actually pinned his hopes on a young lady he’d only just met. Wasn’t that just another form of prejudice, judging people with preconceived notions?

All these years, he had prided himself on his unyielding integrity. He even dared to speak boldly before the King. Yet today, a mere girl had seen through him with a single remark.

Lincoln let out a long, weary sigh.

“Perhaps, after all, standing alone against the world for too long breeds loneliness.” But to voice such thoughts to a young lady he had only just met would be most improper.

“My apologies, Ms. Yates. I meant no ill intentions toward you. It’s just that, when we first met, I was impressed by your remarkable eloquence, and seeing Garbisch’s upright character, I couldn’t help hoping we were kindred spirits.”

“You overestimate this, Mr. Moore. In this world, there are no true kindred spirits. Even if people pursue the same goals, it doesn’t mean they’ll always be of one mind. Once you understand that, there’s no need to force connections.”

She truly understood Lincoln’s predicament and what he was feeling at that moment.

Standing alone against all those powerful factions and refusing to bow, to align, or to take sides was an utterly exhausting way to live.

He had made countless enemies, so if trouble ever arose, not a single soul would genuinely stand behind him.

If anyone stood up for him, they’d have to pay the price–shedding that unyielding pride to become the very person he once despised: taking sides, bowing to power, and currying favor with a faction.

His unyielding integrity had earned him the King’s favor, but it came at a steep personal cost.

Now, as the Assistant Minister of the High Court, Lincoln had to tread incredibly carefully. A single misstep could see him replaced at any moment.

But he simply refused to bow to any faction.

Crushed by pressure, he desperately longed to find a so–called kindred spirit right now.

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