"You are up to no good." Galen comnted as Lanai walked away.
"You would know that, wouldn’t you?" Sigrid replied smoothly. She flashed Galen a curious smile and slowly asked. "Whose idea was it to co to the Vale and play by the lake?"
Galen pointed at Benjamin, but when she saw the doubt in Sigrid’s eyes he gave up on the lie.
’What can I say?" He shrugged. "I like starting trouble and its fun watching my dear third brother stumble. I won’t lie, I am enjoying watching him be humbled little by little, his reputation going down a trench and finally learning how it feels to be the rest of us, ignored by our father. Roland may not have grudges about how we were raised but I do."
"So you brought them here to irritate because you figured that I would do sothing else to make waves." She surmised.
Again, he shrugged, looking very unapologetic. "Every ti you encounter Emmah Windrider, sothing happens. It always ends in tears or blood for her and Benjamin rushes over to comfort her."
His eyes glittered with sly amusent, they were sharp devoid of the pretentious carefree disposition that he always displayed.
"So, you are using ." Sigrid chuckled dangerously.
Galen nodded, "Welco to the royal family, we all use each other but to what end is the question. I am admitting this willingly, I intend to reap from the seeds you sow. I have no desire to be king and I would have my real brother on the throne than the son of a whore who will no doubt wipe us out if he becos king.
He despises us because of the verbal humiliations his mother suffered over the years. My mother also tried to kill him many tis. The more loved he was, the more she longed to snap his neck so he hid in Roland’s shadow, following him to battles and acting as if he was the best brother in the world.
He stole my brother just as he stole my father’s love, they loved, protected and defended him as if he was the most precious child in the royal family. I think his mother taught him well, he is bidding his ti, watching Roland’s strength and assessing his weakness.
Roland is a mage knight, Benjamin in not so to take Roland down, he must study him extensively.
He also thinks the queen killed his mother and he has been investigating the fire secretly while pretending that he moved on. As long as that suspicion sticks, we are considered enemies so I would rather kill him before he kills ."
As he passionately explained his reasons, Sigrid saw the calculating man behind the happy mask. Galen was also a predator, a silent and slow predator. The kind that you never saw coming in the dark until your throat had been cut and you were on the ground bleeding to death.
It was not unexpected, Sigrid knew that to survive in the royal family everybody sched.
"Why are you being honest with ?" she asked him.
He leaned back in the chair, the expression on his face changed from calculating and sly to easy going, silly and happy.
"An enemy of an enemy. You see things for what they are unlike Roland that has been blind for many years. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to work with . You have your ways and I have mine, so to each his own."
Sigrid stretched her arms above her head and yawned. "What happened to King rrett and Eulalie by the way?"
Galen laughed loudly, looking out at the lake. "My great, great, great grandmother was Eulalie. What do you suppose happened?"
She did not know this part of Eldoria’s history but she took a wild guess. "The king and queen lived happily ever after."
"Like I said blood is blood or in this case, noble blood ruled over a minor infatuation. So, if Emmah Windrider thinks she will easily marry and live happily ever after, she is dreaming." Galen picked up a glass of wine and stopped talking. He stood and decided to talk a walk in the orchard.
Sigrid was left pondering on the contents of the novel. Galen was wrong, in the original story, he died fighting for the throne after Roland’s death and Emmah had a happily ever after.
As a matter of fact, she beca the empress and led the Windrider family to the top because they gave her a helping hand. They never adopted her but Lysander protected her and empowered her in many ways.
The pri minister also helped her bring down the Thorin’s. Blood did not matter in the novel, of course things were a little different now that the lucky halo’s effects were weakening slowly.
Not long after Galen left, she did the sa, returning to the castle without interfering in Emmah and Benjamin’s outing. An hour later, Roland returned and she told him about what had happened, showing him the pictures which had been discreetly taken as well.
When she checked his loyalty to Emmah, only ten percent was remaining, which pleased her abundantly.
"I thought breaking Benjamin’s legs would be enough to keep him away from her. Wasn’t he ordered to go out of the city on an errand for my father despite of his injuries?" Roland tossed the crystal cara away with disdain.
"He feigned illness and ca back. I wonder what the king will think when he sees the pictures." she answered. "And he is no longer injured, Emmah already healed him. I guess we did not take that into account."
She cursed herself for missing sothing important like forgetting about Emmah’s healing powers.
They walked down the stairs together, exited the house and entered the carriage.
"I cannot believe that he brought her to my ho despite knowing that I don’t want her there. First the restaurant and now this!!! After all we went through to correct the narrative, he wants to ruin our hard work. Has he no sense at all?" He whispered a few curses and then exhaled to clam himself.
"Calm down." Sigrid patted his back, she could feel his body trembling through as he struggled to hold back the rage he was feeling.
"I am beginning to wonder if Benjamin is being deliberate in his movents and trying to sar my na again or he is just a love struck fool that has been entangled by a scheming woman."
Sigrid’s lips curled upwards as he edged towards him to give him a hug. She was glad Galen had devised the plot, it had opened Roland’s eyes up to Benjamin’s hidden side.
"I would say that his is being deliberate, one ti we can assu that was a mistake but two is not a coincidence. Watch your back around him Roland, do not ever let him get the upper hand over you.
Tell , what do you think of your brother Galen. I am short of advisors and I think he could be useful."
As the carriages pulled out of the city, she opened up to him about her conversation with Galen. Roland’s shadow needed to be replaced, it was better to have Galen there than Benjamin.
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