Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 211: Conversation In The Library

Chapter 211: Conversation In The Library

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Heading towards the court of celestial Valor, Agathe’s senses remained mindfully keen and alert. Due to last night’s celebration, the early morning training had been scheduled at night time, giving her the opportunity to secretly meet one of the organizers who was in charge of handing out swords to the contestants.

The court of celestial Valor was empty, and while she waited, a man dressed in the attire of a blacksmith approached her from the backdoor that led to the celestial Valor. Agathe’s demeanor switched into relief at the sight of the man, feeling content that he had shown up at the time they had discussed. He lowered his head in a bow, conveying his silent greetings, and before anyone else showed up and saw them here, Agathe sneakily handed the bottle of poison to the man.

"Do you remember what I asked you to do? I want no mistakes." She whispered, reminding the organizer, "I need you to smear the poison on the blade of a contestant whose name is Maurice. Do a perfect job and you will be highly rewarded for it. No one must see you do it."

"As you wish, my Lady." The organizer nodded his head in understanding. After their brief exchange of words, Agathe waited for the organizer to leave before letting out a disturbed, shaky sigh.

Once the poison is smeared on Maurice’s blade, her plans will fall into action.

With a cunning smile etched to her red lips, Agathe quietly exited the Court Of Celestial Valor. Unbeknownst to her, from behind one of the towering pillars, a figure who had seen her give something to the organizer stepped out, his eyes squinting with curiosity, whilst he silently followed the organizer under the camouflage of the pillars.

—-

Ivan and Samantha stepped out of the room together, all dressed up and looking vibrant for the day. The servants who were working on the corridor had stopped what they were doing to bow their heads at the both of them, still unable to accept that the human who had been in their position was about to become the next Queen of GreenHollow. It was almost a make-believe, but according to Albert’s news and what they had seen today, their hearts dropped upon having to accept that they will serve a girl who was once a nobody. After everything she had encountered, who knew she would end up becoming the Queen? His Majesty’s soon-to-be bride.

"Your Majesty." The feminine voice of someone calling his name had Ivan lifting his head to see princess Mallory and her sister, Princess Ivy coming in their direction. An amicable smile graced the lips of princess Mallory as she lowered her head in a respectable bow before Ivan, and Ivy was evidently forced to follow in her sister’s polite footsteps. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to, but a surge of shame was preventing her from doing so.

"Princess Mallory, is it?" Ivan questioned the princess who nodded. Mallory was the eldest daughter of King Aberforth, the crowned Princess of her Kingdom. She had been away for some years now, attending to royal politics on her Father’s behalf, so her interactions with Ivan happened once in a blue moon. Ivan could guess she was also here in her Father’s place, since there was no sight of King Aberforth during the clash of Valor event.

"How is your Father doing?"

"He has been occupied for the past few weeks, but he sent his greetings from Home. We were on our way to the garden and I couldn’t help but stop by to congratulate you on your upcoming marriage. And this must be the soon-to-be bride?" Mallory casted a friendly gaze at Samantha who was about to bow her head, but was instantly stopped by the sound of Mallory’s decent voice. The young woman was rather elegant, and she had a striking resemblance to her sister, but her facial features were more mature and gentle when compared to that of Ivy’s.

"That is not required, you are going to be the Queen of GreenHollow, please accept my heartfelt congratulations. With your new position, I’m sure we’ll get to interact more often... maybe over a cup of chamomile tea some other day?" Mallory casted her a smile that seemed genuine, and Samantha returned her smile with an acknowledging one. "You both must be heading somewhere, please, do not allow me to get in the way." Mallory stepped aside, making way for the couples to pass, and Ivan waited for his little lamb to move first before following behind.

"That would have been you if you hadn’t refused his proposal." Mallory said to her sister, but her warm gaze followed the couple who went downstairs. "Maybe it is a blessing in disguise that you refused to marry him. Even if you had chosen to ignore your wits and entered a marriage of convenience, what you have been planning to avoid would have happened eventually. His Majesty would have loved someone else, and you would be trapped in a marriage that was never yours to keep."

She glanced at her sister who almost had tears in her eyes, "you made a wise decision by choosing to let him go."

"He didn’t even notice me."

"And that is still your fault," Mallory admitted to her sister, "you lost a good friend due to your jealousy, and you don’t need to explain, Father already told me what I needed to know when I returned." Mallory hinted, and another wave of embarrassment made Ivy stare down at the floor. Due to her mannerless display the other day, her Father had punished her by keeping her isolated in the Palace, restricting her movements, and if it wasn’t for Mallory, she wouldn’t be here today to even witness the clash of Valor event.

"You should count yourself lucky that His Majesty decided to report your feats to Father and not take severe actions himself, it will be better if you meet them and offer your apologies, most especially to the girl whom you’ve harassed." With a tender gaze, Mallory placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder, "it’s time to do the right thing, and you have to earn Father’s favor again. if you really love him like you claimed, then you have to let him go. Come."

Holding her sister close, they both continued on their path to the garden.

Ivan and Samantha had separated on the second floor. While she went to the guest room belonging to Maurice, Ivan made his way to the library room where he found Cassian and Madeline awaiting his presence. Albert had informed him of Cassian’s request to meet with him in the library, and now that he was here, he could see the relief etched on Cassian’s face as he approached him.

"Did our journey to Fernwood create an attachment that makes you want to see me everyday now? If I’m not mistaken we only returned yesterday." Ivan’s monotonous phrase had Cassian secretly rolling his eyes, and he knew the King was indirectly taunting him since they had partnered together in Fernwood, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the reason why he sought his presence at this time of the day.

"There’s something important my wife wants to share with you." Cassian informed Ivan. The man’s crimson eyes shifted towards the dark-haired woman who lowered her head slightly in a polite bow, and he gestured for them to take their seats. From their expression, it didn’t seem like what they were about to inform him was going to be a trivial matter, and that made him more curious to know what they had to deliver.

"Lady Madeline," Ivan’s gaze was fixed on the woman who seemed hesitant to begin. "Please, if you have something vital to share, do not hold back and let me in on what you know."

"Actually, Your Majesty.." pausing in her words, she glanced at Cassian who nodded his head reassuringly, telling her to speak, and that alone gave Madeline the courage to spill what she knew. "Yesterday, when everyone had left for the clash of Valor event, something held me back at that time, so I couldn’t leave with them. I had passed a certain chamber by chance and I may have overheard Lady Agathe speaking to someone, I don’t know who it was, the voice didn’t sound like one I’ve heard before. It was dreadfully deep and compelling... The issue is, she was talking to someone, and she beseeched for his help to get rid of someone too, whoever it was requested to have her son for a price...what’s his name again? Yes, Alistair! She wants to use Prince Alistair as a sacrifice to appease whatever she was talking to."

"When did it start?"

"On the day you left to settle matters in Fernwood, I saw her secretly handing a letter to a mail’s man behind the back of the garden, which I found puzzling at that time. From a lot of experiences, I have learned to listen to my instincts, and for some reason I smelled trouble. I monitored her movements once in a while. She didn’t harbor any good intentions so I felt wary of her presence, but yesterday, I sensed dark magic, and it didn’t seem ordinary."