Chapter 101

Chapter 101 False Accusation

CAS SANDRA

When I arrived at my chamber, I was surprised to see it was completely empty.

“Erika?” I called out anyway, and when no answer came in response, I frowned and shook my head. Where was she? And where were Adalyn and Margaret?

Knowing how spiteful and petty the two women were, I’d a*sumed that they’d remain in my room until I was finished with work, just to incite a bigger emotional response in me. Perhaps they’d even gone as far as sending Finnick my way to hasten the process. Yet, they weren’t here.

So where had they gone?

I considered all of the options and landed on one in particular. I would go to every inch of the palace if I had to, but before I began checking every room, I decided I would start with Margaret’s.

Asher’s wicked stepmother’s chamber was a likely place for them to convene, as her win of Merliscire was tucked away from everyone else’s. She’d given up the larger chamber to Asher when his father had pa*sed all of those years ago and moved into the South Wing. It was forbidden to most, which would make it a prime place to take Erika.

So I took a deep breath. I would remain calm even though every ounce of me wanted vengeance.

I took off down the hall and headed to the South wing.

The hallways were empty, and as I got closer, my heart pounded. I had no ideal what I was going to say once I got there, but I was ready to go to war for my beloved Erika. I would do anything in my power to make sure she was okay.

Much to my surprise, Margaret’s chamber doors were unguarded. I supposed

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that now that the imposter guard had been seized, the vile woman had no one stationed here. I briefly thought about the implications of that and couldn’t help but wonder how involved Margaret was with any of this.

But I shoved those thoughts aside, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

When I rushed into the chamber, I was unsurprised to see Margaret and Adalyn standing there talking. The room itself was spa cious and lavishly decorated with gorgeous furnishings and lovely tapestries, but there was a strong smell of staleness that verged on decay. My nose crinkled and I fought back the sick feeling in my stomach.

The two women giggled and then glanced over at me.

“Oh, Healer Cas sandra,” Margaret greeted me, and she covered her mouth in faux-surprise. “Goodness, you surprised me. What brings you here, dear girl? Would you like to sit down and enjoy some tea with us?”

When her hand came back down to her side, the woman gave me a sickly, disgusting smile. She knew exactly what she was doing, and anger swelled within me, but I managed to stay calm.

“Where is Erika?” I asked slowly.

“Erika?” Margaret repeated back, and she blinked her eyes deliberately as if she didn’t unde stand. She turned to Adalyn. “Dear, do you know who Erika is?”

Adalyn didn’t answer for a moment, and then pursed her l*ps slightly, feigning innocence.

“Erika is Healer Cas sandra’s maid, Margaret,” she explained. Her tone was kind, but her amber eyes were cold and cruel as they bore into mine.

“Oh, please forgive my bad memory,” Margaret said, and then her overexaggerated expression settled into her normal, calculated stare as she dropped the act. “Your malicious maid tried to poison Lady Adalyn and Prince Marco. She needed to be punished, Healer Cas s andra. Surely you understand that-

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“It wasn’t her fault!” I interrupted as I seethed with anger. “The man behind it all has already been caught.”

Margaret laughed and shook her head. “What makes you so certain that Erika wasn’t involved? For all we know, she was his accomplice.”

“She wasn’t,” I practically snarled.

Asher’s stepmother’s eyebrow raised in surprise and then she tilted her head slightly.

“I find it rather… suspicious, that you would care so much about some maid,” she mused, and then her eyes narrowed. “I can’t help but consider how much you’re involved in all of this, Healer Cas sandra. Perhaps you need to be investigated as an accomplice as well.”

Anyone else would have been chilled by an accusation like that. But I wasn’t afraid of Margaret. Any excuse would serve a tyrant.

“What do you want, Margaret?” I asked.

She scoffed. “I didn’t realize we were on a first-name basis. You should mind

your attitude, girl. I’m just trying to figure out the truth of the matter.”

I knew then that I wasn’t going to get any real answer from her. If Margaret wasn’t going to tell me where Erika was, I would find out myself.

Looking around, I deduced that she wasn’t in this room, but I remembered that Margaret had a small study she used to use when she was this Pack’s Luna. She used to deal with “Pack business” there, whatever that entailed. I wasn’t sure where

it was located, but I’d figure it out.

I immediately turned on my heels and was about to leave when a guard stepped out of the shadows.

“Seize her,” Margaret ordered.

The guard took a step toward me, but before he could come any closer, a voice

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interrupted us.

‘What are you trying to do this time, Mother?”

I recognized the voice at once.

It was Kane.

Sure enough, Margaret’s handsome son crossed into the room. His nearly violet eyes were wide with concern as they surveyed the room, but narrowed at the sight. of the guards.

“Kane-” Margaret began to say, but her son raised his hand.

“Step a away from Healer Cas sa ndra at once,” he addressed the guards. The men stared at one another for a second and then nodded and walked out of the chamber. Kane then turned back to his mother. “What’s going on in here?”

“Nothing, my love,” Margaret insisted. “We were just talking.”

“I think there’s more to it than that,” Kane retorted, and then he turned to me. “Healer Cas sandra, your maid is outside the door with a few se rvants.”

My eyebrows knitted together and I blinked at him in surprise. I was abt to ask him how this was possible, but before I could ask, he walked past me and gently brushed my shoulder.

“Your maid might need some treatment,” he whispered as he pa*sed.

I didn’t hesitate for a single second. I rushed out of the chamber without a second thought.

As I stepped out of the room, I heard Margaret’s angry voice hiss at her son.

“How dare you help that filthy healer!” she demanded.

Kane’s laughter filtered out into the hall. I heard him say something more, but I

couldn’t make sense of his words.

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But then, I heard Margaret raise her voice and call out to me.

“Remember this well, Healer Cas s andra,” her cruel words reached my ears and made my skin crawl. “Let this instance serve as your first and only warning.”

I paused for a moment as a lump formed in my throat. Her threat was enough to set my entire b*dy on edge, but I didn’t have a second more to linger on Margaret. I stepped away from the chamber, and once I turned the corner, I spotted Erika.