The next afternoon, Lyanna sat in a small adjacent room, watching through magical projection as Azrael waited for Eve in the waiting room.
After a few seconds, Eve entered, her eyes red as if she had been crying.
"Your Majesty," She said, curtseying. "Thank you so much for eting . I know it’s improper, but I didn’t know who else to turn to."
"Sit." Azrael said, gesturing to a chair across from him. "You said the attack left you unable to sleep. Have the additional guards helped?"
"Up to an extent." Eve replied. "But guards can’t stop the nightmares. They can’t make feel safe ntally."
"The healer ntioned she could provide a sleeping potion to prevent nightmares. Have you tried it?"
"Potions can’t help." Eve said, wiping her tears. "Right now, I’m struggling with loneliness. Being in this castle, where everyone sees as a political pawn, where the other candidates hate , and I have no real allies or friends." She looked up at him with teary eyes.
"You’re the only one who has been kind to . That dance at the ball, when I stumbled and you caught , you made feel safe for the first ti since I got here."
In the adjacent room, Lyanna clenched her jaw.. Her performance was flawless.
"Lady Eve, I appreciate your honesty. But I hope you understand there’s a limit to want i can do. I can ensure your physical safety through guards and security. But emotional support cos from friends or family." Azrael said.
"I don’t have anyone here," Eve replied.
"Lady Eve, I’m sympathetic to your situation. But trust , I can’t do anything more."
"Of course." She replied. "I apologize for overstepping." Eve wiped her tears. "Your wife is very lucky to have soone so devoted. But still, she can’t give you an heir."
"Stay within your limits." Azrael said coldly.
"But it isn’t a lie. We’re all here because Queen Lyanna can’t conceive." Her face was suddenly filled with contempt.
"This eting is over." Azrael said.
"Wait...Your Majesty...I didn’t an to..." Her vulnerable mask was back again.
But Azrael left.
"Record everything." Lyanna said as Victor entered the room.
"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied.
Within seconds, Azreal entered the magical projection room.
"Did you see her?" He asked.
"Yes! Victor is recording everything." Lyanna replied.
After a few minutes, Victor pulled out a small crystal containing the recorded conversation.
"This is enough evidence to present to the council."
"We’ll present it tomorrow and formally accuse her of manipulating the courtship for undisclosed purposes, and provide the evidence."
At night, when they were preparing for bed, an urgent knock interrupted them.
"Your Majesties. There is another situation with Lady Eve." Victor said.
Azrael opened the door imdiately.
"We’ve been attacked. A few assassins just attempted to break into your private chambers using silver weapons and wearing these badges." Victor handed him a cloth badge.
Azreal examined it.
"Anti- courtship council?"
"Yes." Victor replied. "Apparently, there is a council that is against your courtship decision while you’re still married to Her Majesty."
How then showed him a captured assailant’s weapon.
"We caught one of them alive. He’s claiming that he was part of the assassins who attacked Lady Eve."
"The timing seems suspicious." Azrael said. "Hours after Eve’s manipulation failed, suddenly there’s an attack on us by the sa assassins who attacked her yesterday and one of them is conveniently caught as well, and confessed so easily."
"You are right" Victor agreed. "The captured assailant is currently in the dungeons. He is willing to confess everything. His story sounds rehearsed."
"Because it is rehearsed." Lyanna said, "She knows about our plan. So she created a counter-narrative that anti-courtship extremists are ther threat, and that the attack on her was real."
"She’s trying to discredit us before we can discredit her." Azrael said. "She is very good at manipulation." He then looked at Victor.
"Interrogate the assailant thoroughly. Find out who paid him, how he was recruited, and find out everything about him. We need to connect him to Eve before tomorrow’s council eting or this entire plan will fail."
"I’ll use every thod at my disposal." Victor said. "But Your Majesties, if he has been trained to resist interrogation, we might not get answers in ti."
After Victor left, Lyanna and Azrael processed this new developnt.
"She’s three moves ahead." Lyanna said.
They looked at each other, both understanding the stakes. If they couldn’t prove Eve’s involvent before the council eting, she’d successfully turn their evidence against them. She would erge as a victim while they would look vindictive.
The ga had escalated and they were running out of ti.
"We need a different approach." Lyanna said suddenly. "We can’t just react to her moves anymore. We need to force her into making a mistake she can’t undo."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"I think it’s ti I had a private conversation with Eve," she said. "Just the two of us being completely honest about what we both want and know."
"That’s dangerous."
"I know but she has been playing a ga where she controls the board. It’s ti to flip the board and see how she reacts when she’s not the one setting the rules."
"What if she turns that against us too?" Azrael asked.
"We will deal with it then." Lyanna replied. "But right now, we’re losing and we need to do sothing unexpected."
"I understand... but still..." He was scared.
"Don’t worry. Just trust ." She looked at him. "Let talk to her tonight before the council eting. Let see if I can force her into confessing sothing we can actually use."
"Fine. But I’m positioning guards nearby. I’ll be there myself, sowhere she can’t see . I don’t trust her. And promise , if anything feels wrong, you will leave imdiately."
"I promise." She replied.
Then she imdiately sent a word to Eve:
The queen wants to have a private discussion with you imdiately. Co alone.
The response, as expected, ca quickly:
Of course. I’m honoured.
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