Chapter 45

Chapter 45

ANDREAS

“How’s she?” asked Aiden by the stairs, almost making me jolt in surprise. He furrowed his brows as he looked at me. I must admit I was not in my best focus the moment I arrived at the manor. My head is still swimming with the thought of Henrietta.

Sighing, I replied, “She’s fine now.”

“So your blood could-really cure anything, huh. Even poison.”

I “Except for Aran. Whatever was done to him, I could not reverse it.”

it.”

I went to the table to pour myself a drink before I settled on one of the chairs. “What happened when I left last night?”

“Strange enough, nothing. I was waiting for you to come back, but you did not, so I did the investigation. The most probable suspects are the ones with easy access to the kitchen where the glasses of wine are stored. And the servers.

He crossed his arms.

“The Royal Guards checked all the wines. There was no poison. The wine glasses were clean as well.”

I looked at him. “So the poison was placed right when she was served that wine.”

“Or while she was talking with others, someone could have slipped it in her drink.”

“I talked to the people she talked to that night. I kept an eye on her when you told me to. I interrogated them, and none of them seemed to have done it.”

“Give me the list of people she talked to last night. I’m going to interrogate them again. And what of the servers?”

“All were interrogated as well when Philip demanded it. The servers were checked and interrogated. They were all clean. But they were placed in a dungeon when I told them you would investigate them as well.”

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Chapter 45

“Dungeon? Were they hurt?”

Aiden was quiet and then he said, “I hope they weren’t.”

Dread settled over us, lingering in the air. Some people have a reason for hurting Henrietta and the worst part is they could be anyone. However, I discerned a few people who had a strong motive to end her life.

Her stepmother and stepsister have a motive to want her dead. Philip has a reason to kill her, too. But I can’t conclude without strong proof. Someone is deliberately trying to kill her, and it could happen again.

“What’s your plan now?”

I sighed. “Whoever did this to her could be lurking anywhere. It could be someone near her.”

Henrietta’s words last night resonated with me. When she told me last night she felt safe with me, it was what made me stay. I’ve heard those words countless of times being a warrior, but it felt different from her. Somehow, it made me feel more protective than I already was.

v one Right now, she does not have anyone she can confide in. Among the people surrounding her, I am the only closest to what she could call her confidant. It felt like an honor to be able to gain her trust, albeit she was under the influence of my blood when she asked me to stay.

“I’m going to stay as close to her for the time being.” I said. “The wedding is nearing, anyway.”

Aiden nodded in agreement, but then he said, “Would it be difficult for you to do what you needed to do?”

Thinking for a moment, I shook my head. “How’s Lord Theon?”

“Nothing suspicious about him since your confrontation. And he’s out today. If you wish to meet him, you can do

so while he’s still out.”

I nodded at Aiden, and he clasped my shoulder. “Be careful.”

When I was confronting Lord Theon, I managed to get a strand of his hair. I let Nadia do a spell on it, which allowed me to track wherever he was. When Lord Theon revealed things he knew about my mother, it was a given he knew about my identity as well. But from what Aiden could glean from following him, there was nothing suspicious about him. He has not told his peers, whoever they are, about me.

“Keep an eye on him, still.”

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Chapter 45

Aiden nodded, and it was his cue to leave to attend to other matters. We still have two prisoners in the catacombs that need to be taken care of. Aiden has access to the local infirmary where he can easily get blood bags for Dreyfus and Aran. There are still no signs of Aran regaining his memory. I have tried giving him my blood, but it was rejected by his body. He ended up throwing them all out.

Whatever they did to him, it was not poison. It is something far greater.

Lord Theon was compelled to kill his children and then himself once he muttered something related to what they had been doing. If he did not turn out to be someone I should see as a threat, I would have gleaned the information from him and killed him myself just so he wouldn’t be able to hurt his children.

Lord Theon might be the key for me to know what is going on between the vampires and the werewolves in Veridia. But I have to be careful about how to go about it.

I got out of the carriage, and the bustling buzz of the town center echoed in my ear. The Pala zzo Dining stood proud in front of me, oozing with its own air of opulence. It was by far the most luxurious dining venue in the capital. It was no surprise that Lord Theon was here. Although, I am more curious about who he would be dining here today. They could be people he worked with in their werewolf and vampire schemes.

I entered the premises and instantly found Lord Theon. To my disappointment, he’s dining with his daughter, Lady Grace.

His eyes caught mine and he smiled, dipping his head. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Lady Grace and she turned to see me. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately stood, smiling in my direction. Before I could leave, she was already in front of me.

“Sir Andreas,” she greeted. “It’s a pleasure to see you here.”

I dipped my head. “Lady Grace. I was just passing by-”

“Why don’t you join us for lunch? My father– even as he doesn’t admit it- is sick of my presence as he could not talk to me about matters I have no idea about. Perhaps you can accompany us?”

Her invitation was certainly not for the sake of her father, but it would be rude of me to decline. So I smiled and

answered, “Of course.”

Then she clung her arm into mine, much to my surprise. I am not oblivious of Lady Grace’s affection towards me. As much as I want to push her away, I’d rather think of her as someone I could use in the future should I need to.

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Chapter 45

I settled on a seat and Lord Theon gave a smile. “Forgive my daughter, Sir Andreas.”

“I brought him here so you could enjoy your lunch, Father.”

Lord Theon chuckled. “Are you saying that I do not find your company enjoyable?”

Lady Grace rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You’d rather talk about business than listen to my tea parties.”

Lord

d Theon gave out a hearty laugh. Then he turned to look at me, a knowing look before he nodded. Of course, I know we could not talk about certain matters in front of his daughter. And certainly not out in the public.

“I heard about what happened at the Crown Prince’s wedding celebration. Is your betrothed alright?”

“Lady Henrietta is still recovering.”

“Was it too bad? I heard it was poisoning. Was she the only one who got poisoned?” asked Lady Grace. Genuine concern was on her face.

I did not hide the dread on my face as I nodded. Lady Grace and Lord Theon looked at each other. “That would mean it was done deliberately towards her, wasn’t it?” Lady Grace’s hand went to her mouth.

“I wish to visit Lady Henrietta but perhaps I should wait until she’s fully healed.”

I smiled at her. “She will greatly appreciate it, Lady Grace.”

It was my

cue to stand and bid goodbye. I know the look Lord Theon gave me earlier. He did not want us to talk about matters while his daughter was present. So I bowed in their direction.

“Forgive me but I need to go to the palace.”

Lady Grace looked up at me. “Are you not going to have lunch?”

“Thank you for the offer, Lady Grace but I still have to investigate what happened last night. I will see you tonight, Lord Theon.” I dipped my head and did not wait for their response. I immediately walked out of the dining and went straight to the palace.

Lord Theon is still spending his time like he normally does. Nothing suspicious was going on and it seemed that he had not told others about my true identity. However, I still needed to be careful. I still need to make sure he’s

on my side.

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Chapter 45

The Palace was not buzzing like it used to. After what happened last night, perhaps they have been quite anxious. I could not blame them.

The moment I entered the entrance, the guards straightened. The Royal Guards did not want me as the high authority but if I needed to beat the hell out of them to help me capture the culprit then I would gladly do so.

I raised my gloved hand and one of the guards handed me the key to the dungeons. “Have they been fed?”

The guard shook his head. “No, sir. The Prince ordered they should not be fed.”

I sighed. Philip and his hot temper.

The guard immediately led the way into the dungeon located meters underground. These servers couldn’t have been the ones who placed poison on Henrietta’s glass but I needed to make sure.

I have no idea where Father and Philip were but I could not care less. All I care about is how to find out the

criminal.

When we reached the dungeon, I immediately saw the servers and the kitchen cooks curled in the corner, some hugging their knees, some were quiet while some were sobbing.

The moment they realized my presence, they all scuttled as far away as possible from the cell door, where I stood. As though I would take their life if they so as much as come closer. I do not know how my reputation

became so fearsome.

The Royal Guards- five of them– stood stiffly behind me. Their imposing presence makes the atmosphere even

heavier.

“If you didn’t do anything wrong, then you don’t have anything to fear,” I said as I took the keys from my pockets, the sound of it echoed in the quiet dungeon.

“How do we proceed with the interrogation, sir?” one of the Guards asked. I know they would immediately resort to forcing any information out of the prisoners by way of torture.

“I want every one of you to leave the dungeon first and lock it from the outside.”

“Sir?”

My words hung heavily in the air and I faced the guards. “This interrogation does not require your assistance. I

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Chapter 45

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shall be the one to interrogate them one by one. And this shall be between me and the prisoners.”

“But sir..”

I turned around. “I do not like to repeat myself.”

Silence settled for a heartbeat of a moment before I heard the scuttling of shoes behind me– sign that the guards had started moving out. It was when I heard the door open and close that I opened the dungeon door.

I stuffed my hands inside my pockets. “Now, shall we proceed?”

They all looked down, their trembling visible. “Sir… We did nothing wrong. We have families waiting for us at home. We would not dare–” One of the servers started to s ob before she could even continue her words.

I sighed. “Like I said, there is no need for you to fear me if you did not do anything wrong. I sincerely apologize for how the guards poorly treated you while I was gone. If I find you all innocent, we shall respect it if you wish to stop working and leave the palace. You will be properly compensated for all the trouble.”

They looked at me, genuine questions in their eyes. I went on, “I understand you have families waiting at home. That’s why I need your cooperation so we can finish sooner and you can go home.”

They started looking at each other before their eyes met mine. I smiled. “Good. Keep looking into my eyes.”

They followed and I stood and added, my tone changing as I prepared myself for compulsion– the same thing did to Henrietta when I made her forget the night she was attacked by a vampire.

“Now, tell me everything you think would be helpful for me to find the culprit.”

SEND GIFT