The Devil's Betrothed
Chapter 622: Luis’ True Identity

Chapter 622: Luis’ True Identity

The royal court was in an uproar. The ministers who always sided with Luis were aware of his dealings with the Rainiar and Wynter families but were clueless about his involvement in the assassination of the Queen. The thought of being associated with Luis, especially if all allegations were proven true, made their hands sweat.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Prince Arlan. I do not accept these allegations," Luis roared angrily. "I do not know who this woman Edna is. Do not try to shift the blame on me just to rid your wife’s family of being traitors."

"This wizard will tell us everything, do not worry," Arlan said.

"This wizard, even if I know him, is lying. Whatever he has told you is an attempt to frame me," Luis’s voice grew angrier.

But Arlan remained calm and composed. "Since you are denying everything, let me refresh your memory by narrating everything from the start," he said, turning to the King and then passing his gaze over the ministers. "Don’t you all want to know how Luis Mortimer suddenly appeared in our kingdom and became the Lord of the most powerful territory?"

"Please, enlighten us, Your Highness," the ministers replied.

Arlan turned to Luis. "Everyone agrees with me. I hope you won’t interrupt me until I narrate your great journey to this royal court, Luis Mortimer, or shall I address you as Jeffrey Clifford?"

Hearing the name he had left behind long ago, Luis’s eyes widened as he took a step back. His expression betrayed his shock—how did Arlan know that name? He glanced at his knights, signaling them, but before they could move, swords were already at their throats, halting them. The royal knights present in the court had been instructed by Commander Conor Loyset, prepared for any action.

Arlan looked at the Commander, who stood next to the throne and offered a light nod.

Luis realized that even the King and his commander were in cahoots with Arlan.

Arlan turned back to Luis. "I have yet to narrate everything to prove you a criminal, and yet you have committed another crime by ordering your knights to act inside the Royal court. We allowed you to act as you wished, merely to make you overconfident so you could be careless and reveal yourself on your own. But it seems power has truly gone to your head, making you forget your true place," Arlan’s gaze turned icy, "Make another move, and my knight will not hesitate to take your life for disrespecting my father, the King, in his own Royal court. Do not test my patience."

His warning not only made Luis wary of the prince but also the others.

Arlan then looked at Imbert. "If he moves even an inch, kill his daughter immediately."

Grace, already terrified, began to cry as she looked at her helpless father. Luis stood still, for his love for his daughter kept him in place.

Arlan was always known for his calm and composed demeanor, hiding his true intentions behind a pleasant and smiling face. But when he set aside his calmness and showed his angry side, the person facing him was doomed. This unpredictability had always made everyone wary of the prince, as no one could guess when he would bring out the old skeletons from their closets.

"Your Majesty," Arlan began, "Luis Mortimer is the identity this man assumed after he entered the borders of Griven. His real name is Jeffrey Clifford, the son of Lance Clifford. The Clifford family was well-known in the kingdom of Aurialor, now part of Megaris. The Clifford family used to serve the royal family of Aurialor, the Laurien family."

Oriana heard it and realized her true family name was Laurien. She now understood that her grandfather had changed their name to Verner after coming to Griven, a name given by the previous King of Griven.

Arlan continued narrating the story of how Luis’s father, Lance Clifford, betrayed the royal family of Aurialor. After ruling for hardly two decades, they failed, and the kingdom was conquered by Megaris under the rule of King Theron Ivanov.

"....Later, Lance Clifford fled Aurialor with his son Jeffrey, who we now know as Luis Mortimer, changing their identities. But the question remained: how did they manage this transformation so easily and become powerful in our kingdom? It was all with the help of this wizard and a witch named Edna."

Arlan deliberately skipped the part about Oriana’s family possessing a secret artifact, which was the real object of the Clifford family’s desire. He didn’t wish anyone to know about the world of supernaturals which would bring fear and imbalance among humans.

"With the help of this wizard and witch, Lance Clifford quickly gained a foothold in our kingdom and became a wealthy businessman. But that wasn’t enough for him. He decided to take over the northeast, the largest and richest territory of this kingdom, to gain even more power. To achieve this, he needed to eliminate the Wynter and Rainier families, which he did successfully."

"This is not true!" Luis protested, only to have Imbert’s sword raised to Grace’s neck. Imbert’s icy gaze turned to Luis. "Dare interrupt His Highness again, and you will see your daughter’s head rolling at your feet. Then you will accompany her."

Luis stayed quiet while Arlan continued. "Getting rid of those two families and taking over the northeast was not the end of it. He had two major obstacles in his way: His Majesty, the King, and Lord Philip Verner. He had to deal with both obstacles simultaneously to secure his position in this kingdom without anyone daring to question him.

"The King had immense trust in those families and would not allow anyone to harm them without proper investigation. To keep His Majesty occupied, it was necessary to distract him by assassinating the Queen. His Majesty was consumed by grief, allowing Luis to wipe out those two families easily and gain the support of other noble families for their own benefit."

Ailwin glared at Luis with rage. "You dare kill my wife," he seethed, his fists clenched as if ready to strike. Julien, her eyes moist with tears at the revelation, placed a calming hand on the King’s arm, urging him to stay composed.

Luis could not say a word and stood stiffly in place.

"Prince Arlan, why did he harm Lord Verner and his family?" one of the ministers asked. "Was being the King’s adviser such a great threat?"

"There is a different reason why Luis wanted to get rid of Lord Verner," Arlan replied. "It’s because Lord Verner was aware of Luis’s true identity as Jeffrey Clifford. Once Lord Verner recognized him, it was the end for Luis."

"Lord Verner knew the Clifford family?" another minister asked. "How?"

"We do not know much about Lord Verner before the previous King introduced him as his savior and made him his personal adviser," one of the old ministers commented. "Is he from Aurialor and crossed the border like Luis Mortimer’s family?"

"You are right, minister. Lord Verner is from Aurialor," Arlan answered, his voice loud and clear. "But there is more to it. Lord Verner’s real name is Patrick Laurien, the rightful King of the Kingdom of Aurialor who was betrayed by the Clifford family and forced to flee his own kingdom."

A dead silence enveloped the Royal court as no one had ever expected this. All along they were with one King, not knowing his true identity.