Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 171: Troubled Eyes

Chapter 171: Troubled Eyes

"Why the hell is she here again?" Vincent muttered which Lauren heard.

"Again? Did she come here while we were gone?" Lauren asked, confused about what Vincent meant. She then remembered the missive Alec received back in Acheron. He didn’t let her see what the missive was all about, but he said someone from the Supreme House came to the palace to ask about the deranged humans. However, Lauren was not told it was Amber.

Vincent gave her a quizzical look as if he was confused about why she didn’t know. Then he looked at Alec and assumed that he must not have told Lauren anything about it so she wouldn’t worry.

"Well, yes... I believe I told Alec about it in the missive I sent him." Vincent smiled and raised a brow at Alec.

Before Lauren could ask more about the meeting, the doors opened. Amber stepped in and darted her gaze around until she found the three people present in the room. Her brows twitched when she saw Vincent, this time with his real face. It meant Alec was back and she didn’t waste her time coming to Evardin.

"Oh, you must be having lunch together," Amber said. Her tone wasn’t friendly or hostile. But when her eyes went to Vincent, her eyes narrowed sharply. "I can see that you have your real face back, Lord Vincent."

With only the four of them present in the room and assuming Lauren was aware of the conspiracy that transpired between the two men, Amber did not bother feigning ignorance.

Lauren was stunned. She was shocked that Amber knew Vincent was pretending to be Alec. Did she find out the first time she visited? Did Vincent include it in the missive? Why didn’t Alec tell her anything about it? Now that someone knew about the crime Alec and Vincent had committed, what would happen? Worse, it was someone from the Supreme House and the chief’s daughter!

"You came back earlier than I expected. I didn’t even need to inform you about King Alec’s return because you seemed to know it before I did. I should applaud you for that, Lady Amber," Vincent smirked at the woman and grabbed the apple on the table.

Vincent shook his head and walked to the long sofa. He crossed his legs and bit on the apple while watching the three with a ghost of smile on his lips. He had been wondering if Alec had a thing with Amber before, and what would happen with these two women present in the same room.

"She knows...?" Lauren asked Alec.

Amber’s eyes narrowed at Lauren. She was sure Vincent must have informed Alec about how she discovered their little monkey business. She wondered, though, why Lauren seemed to know nothing about it. Now she was starting to believe that the important matter Alec needed to do outside Evardin was related to his wife, and he didn’t want her to worry about the palace affairs while they were away.

"Yes, Queen Lauren, I discovered Lord Vincent was only pretending to be King Alec the first time I visited. I was then wondering if I should tell my father about it or not. After all, creating a king’s replica to replace a king, even if it’s just temporary, is against the law."

Lauren sucked in her breath. She was confident that Vincent wouldn’t get caught by anyone. Now she feared things would go out of control because of this. As she could see from Amber’s demeanor, she wasn’t someone to be easily intimidated or influenced. Lauren was afraid Amber had already told the Supreme House.

"You have nothing to worry about. I did not mention it to anyone," Amber glanced at Vincent. "I was convinced by Lord Vincent’s words when he explained it to me, and I believed King Alec had a valid reason to leave the court for a few days. I’m here today to discuss the rise of deranged humans with King Alec."

"Surely you wouldn’t mind waiting for a bit, Lady Amber. My wife and I just returned and we have yet to have our lunch. Why don’t you stay here and have a chat with Lord Vincent while I and the queen eat our lunch downstairs?" Alec sounded polite, but it did not put Lauren at ease. She could not believe Alec was being so cold and calm even when someone knew about what they did. He was acting so nonchalant about it like he didn’t care.

Lauren turned to Alec and said, "Your Majesty, I’m sure you are not starving as you have a different diet. You don’t need to have Lady Amber wait just to accompany me to lunch. You should discuss the important matter first. I can dine alone."

"That is so thoughtful of you, Queen Lauren," said Amber.

Before Alec could disagree, Lauren was quick to excuse herself and walk out of the room.

Amber looked at Vincent who was sitting cozily on the sofa while staring at them like he was trying to solve a puzzle in his head. Vincent shot his brow up at Amber, questioning the look she was giving him.

"Does that look mean I am being asked to leave the room?" Vincent pointed at himself with the apple in his hand.

Alec didn’t mind the two and went to his desk. He got his bottle of blood wine and poured himself a glass. Standing by the window, he took a sip as Amber spoke to Vincent in a rather hostile manner.

"I am sure you have fulfilled your job here, Lord Vincent. Your presence is not needed anymore, so I suggest you must get yourself out of here as I and King Alec have important matters to discuss. After all, you don’t belong to this kingdom and whatever we will talk about does not concern you."

"You should have directly asked me to leave. That was quite a long speech, Lady Amber," Vincent smirked and took another bite from his apple. Standing, he said, "Okay, if that is what you want, then I shall leave. I cannot disobey the future chief of the Supreme House, can I?"

Amber didn’t say anything and just gave Vincent a glare.

"I’ll join Queen Lauren downstairs. It would be too lonely for a lady to dine all by herself. A gentleman like me should accompany her."

Vincent received another glare, this time from Alec. He only grinned, finding Alec and Amber so similar in many ways. They were cold and grim, and both of them were so satisfying to annoy. He didn’t say more, though, and just left the king’s office before one of them snapped his head.

After Vincent left, Amber stood in front of Alec. Her striking sea-green eyes gave Alec a critical look as if she were trying to decipher his thoughts.

"You seem different," Amber said as she continued to scrutinize Alec. "I’ve seen you look at your wife. Love, I suppose?" She got her own glass of blood wine, her lips forming a smile but it was humorless. "When I heard about your marriage, I thought you were only using the girl to get the throne. Now I see that is not the case."

"I’m glad you came to visit me," Alec said, which made Amber’s brows furrow.

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Amber looked at Alec like something was very wrong with him. In all those years they had known each other, Alec never cared if they met or not. "Did you finally grow some heart because of a woman?"

If Amber based it on Alec’s character, she wouldn’t believe it. But after she saw the tenderness in his eyes every time he looked at his wife, she couldn’t help but think it was really the case.

"I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I didn’t come for a friendly visit. I need to know what on earth is happening in your land. Father is pressuring me to solve this matter before it goes out of hand. He fears that these deranged humans would spread to other lands, so I must know what kind of sorcery is the source of this."

Alec looked out of the window, his thoughts running deep. Amber watched him in silence, noticing the weight in his expression. Alec was most of the time serious and dark, but she had never seen him with such troubled eyes. He was always assertive and proud even in the midst of war, but this time... it was different. It was like he was dealing with something he wasn’t sure how to deal with.

"I need your help, Amber."

"Of course, I would help. I told you, my father has been pressuring me to sort out the rise of deranged humans." Amber couldn’t believe that Alec was asking for help. Never in her life did she remember him asking for help as calmly as that. She knew his ways to make someone obey his whims—by threatening them. And this was out of his character.

"No, not with the deranged humans. It is about my wife."

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