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Hobert asked Penny, "Ms. Penny, for the future with Mr. Barron, I must confirm: do you intend to divorce him? Please answer seriously."
Penny thought for a few seconds before replying, "I am grateful to Mr. Barron and feel deeply guilty towards him. I can only say that I don't dislike him."
She smiled bitterly, saying, "Although that family is not what I wanted and Mr. Barron has been temperamental over the past year, I can sense his respect for me. Who would want to end such a marriage?"
"I understand," Hobert said. "Madam, forgive my frankness, but your initial concealment has sown the seeds of today's bitterness in this marriage. Furthermore, I believe Mr. Barron should know the truth.
"Also, please end this unfortunate marriage for both of you; continuing serves no purpose."
"I know." Penny looked worriedly at her child. "But, but…"
But she had been born into an ordinary farming family and had no means to protect this child. She feared that once Barron learned the truth, things would spiral completely out of her control.
Hobert reassured her, "Trust me, ma'am, we are all adults here. No one will harm the child; Mr. Barron won't either."
He continued, "While it's necessary for Mr. Barron to know the truth, it should be done carefully. You cannot simply present the child before him. I will inform Mr. Barron of the truth; that is the best approach."
Although this was Penny's first meeting with the young lawyer, theoretically, they should lack trust. However, after hearing his words, she found them very persuasive and indeed the best course of action. If she were to tell Mr. Barron the truth while holding the child, it could easily provoke his anger.
"You're right," Penny said. "But you must ensure Benny's safety."
Hobert replied earnestly, "I assure you, this is a matter between the two adults and will not affect the child."
He added, "I believe the sooner we handle this, the better. There's a carriage at the village entrance; shall we take Benny and set off immediately?"
Penny hesitated for a moment but quickly steeled her resolve. "Alright."
"Wait!" Penny's father suddenly said with a troubled expression. "Child, what if Mr. Barron gets angry? What if he…"
"Father," Penny smiled, "perhaps this is my fate. Since it can't be changed, I might as well embrace it."
The old man shook his head. "No, no! I cannot let little Penny get hurt. I must go with you." With that, he grabbed an axe and tucked it at his waist.
Penny was about to dissuade him, but Hobert smiled and said, "That's fine, but please handle that axe carefully; don't damage the carriage seats."
Penny looked concerned. "Mr. Lawyer…"
Hobert smiled, "You should understand a father's worries, just as you worry for Benny."
In fact, he suddenly recalled his own father in the old days. If he had stirred up trouble he couldn't resolve, his father would likely have acted similarly to this old man.
Once back on the road, the carriage became a bit crowded. After all, it was only a two-wheeled cart, and now it held three adults and one child.
Benny seemed curious as he sat on Penny's lap, asking all sorts of questions.
Upon learning that Hobert was a lawyer, Benny's eyes widened as he asked, "Are you like that loudmouth Upton?"
"Not at all!" Penny replied. "This uncle is a real lawyer!"
She smiled as she explained to Hobert, "Upton is a young man in the village who loves to debate anyone he meets. Strangely, he's very eloquent and has never lost a debate or argument.
"Some jokingly say it's a pity he doesn't become a lawyer, and gradually 'Lawyer' became his nickname.
"However, he seems to dislike that nickname. Once, when I saw someone call him 'Lawyer,' he turned pale with anger!"
The more Hobert listened, the more uneasy he felt. "Has this Upton always been so articulate since childhood?"
Upton's behavior resembled that of a Lawyer. After consuming the potion of the Lawyer pathway, Hobert often found himself unwittingly debating with others.
When a casual reminder from Xio made him aware of this, he began to avoid arguments to prevent exposing his Beyonder abilities and pathway.
Perhaps Upton didn't dislike the nickname "Lawyer," but rather it was the name of the potion he consumed. He might not have turned pale from anger but from fear when ordinary villagers uncovered his secret.
"I don't know," Penny replied. "Upton and his mother moved here five years ago; they seemed quite wealthy and bought a lot of land.
"Look, that house over there is theirs!"
Hobert saw a charming two-story house; in the countryside, it was undoubtedly a mansion.
He speculated that Upton was likely a wild Lawyer, so he discussed the Upton family with Penny. He learned that Upton's father had passed away a decade ago, and his mother, who had been in poor health, also died last year.
Now, the large estate was home to Upton and a male servant.
After gathering this information, Hobert already had plans to investigate further when the time was right.
He didn't intend to harm Upton; he was simply curious about where Upton's potions came from.
The carriage traveled for more than half an hour, arriving at Mr. Barron's farm gate.
Once again in the stable, Hobert saw Mr. Barron bathing a large white horse.