Althea glided into her office, her deanor as frosty as a winter morning, fully prepared to face Vyan. Instead, she was greeted by his overly thusiastic, gold retriever of an aide.
"Where is Vyan?" she demanded the momt she crossed the threshold.
Clyde shot up from his seat with the precision of a wind-up toy, executing an overly dramatic bow. "Good afternoon, Your Imperial Highness!"
"Where is Vyan?" she repeated, her tone sharper.
"His Grace wt out to get so fresh air," Clyde replied, his smile widing as if he had just delivered the most delightful news.
"I can imagine why he would need that. Being trapped in a eting with those greedy, selfish people for two hours—ugh. It must have be suffocating."
Clyde nodded vigorously. "Indeed, quite suffocating it was. Anyway, it has be a while since we last t," he said, gulping audibly, "Althea."
Althea's icy facade cracked for a second as she rembered their last counter. "Yes… yes, it has be a while. How have you be?"
Clyde's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You won't believe how busy it has be for ! Vyan has be working like a donkey!"
Althea almost chuckled at his dramatic flair. "I am sure Vyan would never do sothing like that."
"Oh, but he does!" Clyde exclaid. "That man could give prison wards a run for their money. He is that cutthroat."
"I like cutthroat people," she commted, her neutral face covering up her playfulness.
Instantly, Clyde straighted up, puffing out his chest.
"But Vyan is nothing compared to . I am more cutthroat than he could ever dream of being," he boasted, and Althea had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
Look at how fast he changed tunes, she thought.
"In fact, he learned everything from ," Clyde added.
"Really?" She arched an eyebrow, settling herself on the couch across from him. "Why don't you tell about an incidt where you were cutthroat?"
Clyde gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "Oh my, there are so many! I will have to choose the best one!"
As Clyde tapped the side of his head with a conctrated expression, Althea couldn't help but let a smile creep across her face.
Talking with Clyde was like watching a cody show; he was always such a chatterbox, full of life and ergy.
She secretly liked people like that, but admitting it would only complicate things.
After all, she knew Clyde had a soft spot for her.
She might have only t him a few tis, but his eyes always gave him away—honest, sincere, and brimming with admiration and affection.
Of course, she could be mistak, but the odds were slim.
Leading him on would be cruel, but ignoring him completely wasn't an option either, giv his position as her main accomplice's aide.
That is why she settled for giving him the cold shoulder, hoping he would get the hint that she wasn't interested.
"... so do you see how rciless I can be as well?" he concluded, flashing her a bright grin.
"Oh, pardon . I wasn't paying atttion," she said, her tone disinterested and distant, ev though she had heard every word.
She expected his face to fall, but instead, his grin wided. "That's no problem. I will repeat it again."
"There is no need. Actually, I think I am going to go find Vyan—"
"No, please stay," he urged, his eyes turning into those of a pleading puppy. "You would feel bad if I didn't get to repeat the story."
"I wouldn't—"
"As I was saying, there was this one ti wh my father tried to poison Vyan…"
Althea's mind raced as Clyde continued his tale with unflagging thusiasm.
What is with this guy? Why won't he take the hint? I am not ev showing any interest!
Despite her best efforts, Clyde seed impervious to her cold deanor.
As he recounted the dramatic story, complete with wild hand gestures and exaggerated expressions, she found herself reluctantly tertained.
Clyde's ergy was infectious, and though she tried to maintain her icy facade, a small part of her joyed his company.
Maybe, just maybe, she thought, it wouldn't hurt to let him talk a little longer.
———
Vyan's heart momtarily paused at the bombshell Celeste dropped. His mind reeled, but he t her unreadable gaze, keeping his expression calm and composed, masking the chaos within.
"You are mistak, Your Imperial Majesty. I don't have mana—"
Celeste chuckled softly, taking a step back. "It's alright. You don't have to hide the truth from . After all, I have known you since your birth."
Vyan's polite mask shattered, revealing the raw intsity beath. "That's great. Th, I don't have to pretd in front of you," his voice was cold as ice, but Celeste remained unfazed.
She tilted her head, her smiling welcoming. "Will you have so tea with , Vee?"
"I am afraid I have to decline, Your Imperial Majesty. I simply do not have the ti or patice to talk to you."
As Vyan turned to leave, she grabbed his wrist, her desperation replacing her earlier composure. "I know you are mad at , but won't you give a chance to explain?"
He t her with a cold glare, his voice dripping with vom as he said, "What is there to explain?"
"Vee, you don't know why I did what I did. Please let explain," she pleaded, her eyes imploring him to list.
Vyan yanked his hand away, his expression twisted with anguish and fury. "I don't want to hear anything."
"If you don't hear out, you won't know the reason behind it," she insisted.
"What reason could you have had?" His eyes burned with pain and betrayal. "Love? You freaking loved him, that's why you married him?" he demanded. "How could you have done that, ev after knowing what he did to my family?"
"Did you feel nothing wh your sister died?" His voice rose, raw and unrestrained. "Had I and Ash never ant anything to you? Were we that easy for you to forget?"
"No, Vee, no…" Her voice broke, thick with vulnerability and despair. "I loved you and Ash more than anything in the world!" she claid, her voice strong but trembling.
"Oh, really?" Vyan's sarcasm cut through her like a knife. "Is that why you chose to bed our emy? Spare your pathetic excuses, Your Imperial Majesty. Your actions spoke louder than any words ever could."
Celeste shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks like silt confessions. "That's not it."
"How co that isn't it? Your sister's body wasn't ev cold in her grave wh you strutted down the aisle with the man who killed her," he spat, his words sharp ough to cut.
"No, no, Vee. That..." She reached out, grabbing his arm with a desperate grip. "Please, let explain everything from the start. You will understand , I know you will. Please give your tia one chance."
Vyan's eyes narrowed, filled with a fury that made his vision blur.
All he felt while looking at her desperate face was a storm of anger and betrayal. Pity and sympathy? He had left to offer.
What kind of sister marries the murderer of her own flesh and blood just a day after the atrocity?
But sure, let's tertain her sob story. It's not like there was anything that could possibly change his mind about the loathing that consud him.
"One chance, huh?" he muttered, the edge in his voice cutting deeper. "Alright. Let's hear your tale of woe. Not that I expect it to be anything more than a pathetic justification for your betrayal."
"Thank you so much," she whispered.
Celeste guided Vyan to the secluded pavilion behind the Crystal Palace, her expression grave. "Can you put a soundproof veil a us?"
Vyan nodded curtly, a flick of his wrist veloping them in a shimring barrier that soon beca invisible.
He remained standing, arms crossed, while Celeste took a seat and motioned for him to join her. He refused with a shake of his head, eyes narrowed.
Taking a deep breath, she began, "As you already know, Edgar and I were in love, ev before the incidt took place."
Vyan's lips twisted into a sardonic smile. "Well, you sure have a talt for picking winners."
She let out a bitter chuckle. "Tell about it. I had no idea he had these plans against your family back th. Until it was too late…"
She inhaled sharply, her voice trembling. "Wh the monsters invaded Ashstone that day, I was initially worried about Edgar and wondered who could have orchestrated such an attack. Never in my wildest dreams did I suspect Sister and Brother-In-Law. I ev told Edgar, but he brushed it off, saying it didn't matter who was responsible—the Ashstones had to be eliminated."
"So th, you decided the best way you could be settled for life was marrying him?" he snickered. "What a wonderful tale of true love. I am in tears," he deadpanned.
Celeste laughed, a hollow, mirthless sound. "That's what you think?" Her eyes darked, a storm brewing within. "You think it was for love that I married him?"
"It wasn't?" He raised an eyebrow.
Her eyes blazed with fire. "No, it was for revge."
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