Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 176: Throne of Thorns (2)

Chapter 176: Throne of Thorns (2)

Lauren found it hard to believe that it was Simon Lancelot who lured her into his evil trap. She thought he was a gentleman true to his duty as a councilman, but it turned out she was wrong. She must admit she wasn’t a very good judge of character, but most of the time she could sense if someone was hiding beneath a mask. She guessed Simon was one of those people who were very skilled in the art of deception, and she was one of the majority who blindly believed his flawless acting.

"I guess that got you gagged. You were not expecting it to be me." Simon continued to smile as he said, "I hope you don’t mind this side of me, though. Compared to the devil you married, I can say I am less evil than him."

"Where is Vivian?" Lauren asked firmly.

Simon shrugged. "How would I know?"

"What on earth do you want from me?" She had no idea what Simon’s purpose was in doing all of this, but at the moment, what was more important was Vivian’s safety. She wanted to be sure that she wasn’t harmed.

Simon snapped, and his throne turned around. He reclaimed his seat and put one leg above another while tapping the armrest of the throne with his fingers.

"I’m asking you. Where is Vivian." Lauren could feel her body’s temperature dropping because of the anger rising to her chest. "I am here now and I didn’t bring anyone with me as you said in the message. Let me see her."

"Miss Vivian must be in her brothel, unharmed and doing well," Simon grinned when he saw Lauren’s confused face. "I lied. I didn’t abduct her, alright. I just thought you wouldn’t hesitate to bite my trap if I used your friend."

Suspicion was etched in Lauren’s eyes when she asked, "How can I trust that you are saying the truth?"

"I don’t know. You should just believe it because I’m telling the truth. Though, if you didn’t come, I wouldn’t mind doing it." Simon sounded so devious that Lauren couldn’t help cursing him in her mind.

He snapped again, this time the darkness surrounding them vanished. They were back in the shoe store’s building, and he was sitting on an ordinary chair in front of her while she stood at the center of a dark room. Thick curtains covered the windows, and the candles in the chandelier bore no light. Still, Lauren could see enough to know it was only her and Simon inside the room.

"See? Your friend is not here with us. I just lied so you would come to meet me." Simon smirked at her.

"If you dare harm any of my friends, I promise I won’t spare you an ounce of mercy, Simon Lancelot," she vowed, her fists clenched on her sides.

"Oh, that is quite harsh. I don’t think that is how you should repay me for my kindness, my queen..." The way Simon addressed her sent shivers down Lauren’s spine. It didn’t sound like how a subject addressed his queen, but it rather sounded intimate.

"What kindness are you talking about?"

"Jennifer Haystone. She tried to kill you, remember? I did the honor of punishing her for trying to harm you. You should be proud."

Lauren was reminded of how Jennifer Haystone was killed. She didn’t see her body, but based on the reports, the lady was brutally murdered and was barely recognizable due to the damage the murderer had caused to her body. Now she understood why they had a hard time finding a lead to Jennifer’s death. It was because Simon Lancelot was the one leading the team of councilmen who were investigating the case.

"You are one of the rebels and so she is. You were on the same side, yet you killed her so brutally..." Lauren didn’t like Jennifer and she didn’t feel bad about her death, but she wondered how Simon could kill Jennifer just because she tried to harm her. Weren’t they supposed to be on the same side?

"You punished her for trying to harm me," Lauren scoffed. "What is the next thing you will say? That your psychotic heart fell in love with me and that is the reason why you killed her?"

"Hmm..." Simon hummed like he was thinking. "Well, if that is the reason why a man wants a woman to be his bride, then that must be right."

"So you want me to be your bride?" Lauren wanted to laugh at how hilarious it sounded. "You must have forgotten I am a married woman, Lord Lancelot. And I am not planning to remarry in this lifetime, especially not to a lunatic devil pretending to be a good man."

"You must not forget that you did not marry a saint, dear Lauren. Alec Everston is a bigger evil. He is using you this whole time, and you are so blinded by his sweet actions that you cannot see it."

"Cut the crap. If you are trying to ruin us so you, rebels, can have your way, you are just wasting your time," Lauren fired against her clenched teeth. She knew what Simon was doing. He was making her turn against Alec, which would bring chaos to the royal court, and by then their defenses would crumble.

"Tell me. How did you know about my condition?" No matter how she thought about it, she could not think of a plausible scenario for how Simon found out her secret. She could only count on her fingers how many times they had met, and all of those encounters were brief.

"Were you spying on me?" In the past, she always knew if her stepmother or stepsisters sent someone to spy on her because of Julian and Darius. She believed no one else had successfully spied on her, but now she was starting to have doubts.

"I just know..." Simon shrugged; mischief glimmered in his eyes. "I wonder if it’s because we were born to be soulmates?"