Chapter 198: Accepting Her Mistake
As soon as they were alone in the king’s office, Lauren’s voice, laced with curiosity and contemplation, graced the air as she spoke in a hushed tone.
"Do you think Amber knows sothing about how to unlock the book I got from the ship?"
"After all, she was raised in the Supre House and she has access to confidential materials," she added while Alec was checking the books Amber brought.
"I didn’t tell her about the details of your condition. I trust her but she’s still on the Supre House’s side, so I suggest we go see Anthony first," he replied, his gaze lifting to et her eyes, brimming with reassurance. "If Anthony knows nothing, then let’s see if Amber has so knowledge to share."
Lauren nodded. She too, started to skim through one of the books. A couple of hours later, she stopped on her third book while Alec was on his fifth. He read so fast that she could barely keep up with him. He was also very focused the whole ti which made him look ten tis more serious than usual.
"I did not find any cases similar to the corruption of humans," Lauren said, breaking the long stretch of silence, a tinge of disappointnt was evident on her words.
"It’s because it had never happened before. That’s why Lord Eleazar is willing to lend a hand if necessary. He’s afraid that this phenonon will spread across other lands and spark a new war."
Alec held an opened book in his hand, his gaze shifting to et Lauren’s. "I found sothing about the black mages."
He showed the page to her.
"An elder mage who once experinted with a black mage six centuries ago said that it is possible to create a stronger kind of black mage if there is a drug that could hold the black mage’s sanity, a drug that could ta their wild nature."
Lauren’s brows knitted together, her mind awash with contemplation. "Could it be that the mastermind of the rebels is soone very powerful? If the black mages are serving her, it ans she must be the one making them stronger."
The pieces of their puzzle began to align, painting a picture of a formidable figure manipulating the strings from the shadows.
"That is possible," said Alec.
Her gaze locked onto him, a whirlwind of thoughts spinning within her mind, stirring up a storm of possibilities. But at this point, they didn’t have ti to dig up every piece of information they could use. All they could do was devise a plan to counter the attack of the rebels with the fewest possible casualties.
Alec called for a court eting later that afternoon. He had dismissed nine officials the last ti, those he found suspicious and who were proven to be involved with illicit doings. He figured he needed to do so cleaning in the court for a change, especially now that they had a big battle ahead of them. He needed responsible officials who could do their jobs well.
As Lauren continued her relentless pursuit to unravel the mystery book from the ship, she was inford about Julian’s arrival with Vivian and Ethan. She went downstairs and the four of them gathered in the tearoom.
"What is happening, Lauren?" asked Ethan, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Julian said that we might need to stay in the castle for a few days. Is there anything we need to know?" Vivian had the sa confused expression.
Lauren kept a straight face, the weight of the situation was evident in her eyes.
"The rebels are on the move. Simon Lancelot is with them and he already blackmailed
once. They might use you against
and that is what I’m trying to avoid. So can you please stay in the castle even just until the lunar festival is over?"
Ethan’s eyes squinted. "Will sothing happen on the night of the festival?"
Julian and Vivian stayed attentive; their eyes were like hawks following Lauren’s every move as if they didn’t want to miss a single word spoken by her.
"The rebels will attack," Lauren muttered silently against her gritted teeth.
Vivian took a sharp gasp.
"And the black mages are their dogs, which ans I have more black mages to kill," Julian smirked.
"This is not sothing to be excited about, Julian," Lauren reprimanded.
Julian straightened up in his seat, his smug smirk was gone now.
"We are talking about lives here. If they attack with a strong force, bloodshed is inevitable," she added.
"Forgive , Your Majesty." Julian pursed his lips when he realized he had the wrong reaction.
"That is why I would rather have you here in the castle," continued Lauren, looking at Vivian and Ethan who both looked puzzled.
"What did you an Simon Lancelot blackmailed you once?" asked Ethan.
Lauren then told them how Simon lured her by making her believe that he was holding Vivian captive. She wasn’t very detailed but she gave enough information, including how Simon offered her an alliance against Alec.
"That’s the day when you suddenly arrived at my place!" Vivian’s palm flew to her half-open mouth.
Ethan frowned. "Why didn’t you tell us, Lauren? What if that bastard did it for real?"
"I’m sorry, I was trying to hide it from Alec at first so I thought of telling you later. But I stationed so n to watch Vivian’s place. I could not risk her safety."
"I cannot believe it." Vivian was still dumbfounded. "Lord Simon looks like a very nice man. I never thought he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And he wants to marry you so he can get the throne? What a scum he is!"
"You shouldn’t do that again." Julian was serious, his brows were knitted as he gave Lauren a subtle glare. "You knew he could harm you and you went to et him alone. You taught
how to outsmart enemies, but you foolishly bit the enemy’s trap."
Lauren was about to speak but Ethan spoke first.
"Julian is right. You were too impulsive. You didn’t even think that he might just be bluffing. You went straight to his trap."
"What do you expect
to do? I was worried! He told
in the missive that he would know if I told anyone. I didn’t think about anything else and decided to go alone like he wanted. Vivian’s safety was more important."
"What if he actually had Vivian and he wanted to kill you? Imagine the possibilities. You two would have been killed right on the spot," Ethan said firmly, his jaw clenching.
"Think about it, Lauren. Even if that bastard really had the ans to know if you’d tell anyone or not, there is always a way to seek soone’s help discreetly. You should have thought of a better plan."
Lauren sighed wearily, accepting her defeat. Reflecting upon her impulsive actions, she acknowledged her lack of foresight when she went to et Simon alone and without a well-constructed plan. She had placed her trust in her own ability to safeguard Vivian, underestimating the possibility that Simon might have bolstered his forces that would have left her outnumbered and vulnerable.
Though disappointnt lingered, Lauren resolved to channel her remorse into a steely resolve, vowing to learn from her mistake.
Reviews
All reviews (0)