"If only I hadn't protested so much when Lincoln died..." Grace, Frederick's mother and the matriarch of the Huntingtons, sighed deeply. Despite nearing seventy, her youthful beauty still hinted at the allure she once possessed.
Remembering her late nephew Lincoln, Grace's heart grew heavy. After her daughter's death, Frederick had taken Lincoln into their care, lavishing him with wealth and luxury in the capital. This upbringing refined Lincoln's noble sensibilities and appreciation for art, but it was not enough to save him from his downfall.
"We should have adopted Lincoln as our own. That way, we could have secured the Crassus succession and avoided all this tragedy," Frederick lamented.
Grace shook her head, her face clouded with regret. "What's done is done. The world has changed, and we must learn to live quietly in its shadow," she said, her tone resolute.
