Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 215: Credible, Not Supported...

Chapter 215: Credible, Not Supported...

The council chamber was still thick with smoke when Evelina and Damian returned.

Though the fires from the siege had been doused, the tension inside Arcadia’s heart had not. Every noble seated around the war table looked drawn and stiff, their tunics dusted in ash, eyes bloodshot from too many sleepless nights.

King Lucien stood at the front of the room, with General Thorne and Lord Alderic by his side. Selene was positioned a bit to the side, her white robes looking fresh and clean, as if the ongoing siege hadn’t affected her at all.

The moment Evelina walked in, Selene’s gaze was fixed on her.

They all rose as Damian entered—he didn’t wait for formality.

"We found him," he said without preamble. "Luther."

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Lord Alderic stiffened. Lucien’s expression didn’t change, but his hand curled against the edge of the table.

"That’s unbelievable," Alderic snapped. "Luther’s been loyal to this kingdom for decades, He can’t just escape prison and—"

"He can," Damian interrupted. "And he did."

Evelina stepped forward beside him. "He escaped the prison wall and had been in Arcadia. Somehow... somewhere. And he’s the one behind this siege. The rogues, the masked soldiers, the explosives—it’s him."

"How do you know this?" King Lucien’s voice was calm, but beneath it lay something sharp and uneasy.

"I followed him," Evelina said. "After the wall breach. I saw him in the forest. He approached the southern hills and disappeared into the trees. He’s planning something larger. The siege was only the beginning."

Selene stood smoothly. "And you just happened to follow him alone?"

Evelina met her eyes without flinching. "Yes. I followed him because I saw no one else acting fast enough."

Selene gave a soft, measured smile. "Of course. And conveniently, you return unharmed. Again."

"Selene," Lucien warned.

She lifted her hands slightly. "Merely noting the pattern, Your Majesty. Lady Evelina seems to appear where chaos begins—and somehow walk away with more information than anyone else. I’m not saying she’s lying... only that it seems strange."

Lucien’s gaze shifted to Evelina. "Do you have proof?"

"No," she said truthfully. "Not yet. But I’m working on it."

"Then find it," the king said. "Until you do, this court will treat your word as it stands—credible, but unsupported. No accusations without evidence. Am I understood?"

Selene sat again, her lips curving in a way that said she was far from done.

Evelina nodded, holding the king’s gaze. "Understood."

When the meeting adjourned, nobles filed out in hushed murmurs. Selene lingered, but Damian’s low growl sent her retreating with a graceful turn of her skirt.

Only once the chamber had cleared did Evelina slip down the hall, catching Jasper just as he emerged from a side corridor, bloodied from sparring and half-wrapped in a loose linen bandage.

"You look like hell," she said.

He grinned. "I try. You look like you’re about to ask me to do something dangerous."

"I am," she said.

Jasper straightened, instantly alert. "Name it."

Evelina pulled him into a shadowed alcove and lowered her voice. "I didn’t tell the council everything."

"Didn’t expect you to."

"I saw him at the breach. Luther. But I think there’s more there—tunnels, maybe. A lab. Something." Her hand brushed against the hilt of her dagger, still crusted with dried ash. "I need you to go back with me. Discreetly. I don’t trust what might be buried under that rubble."

"You think he’s still nearby?" Jasper asked.

"I think he left more behind than footprints."

Jasper nodded. "Alright. When?"

"Tomorrow night. We’ll slip out when the watch changes."

"I’ll be ready."

She rested her hand briefly on his arm. "Thank you."

As Jasper disappeared into the maze of corridors, Evelina exhaled slowly, trying to push down the weight clawing at her lungs.

She hadn’t said it aloud—not to the king, not to the council, not even to Damien.

Tobias.

Not Luther.

Not entirely.

And it gnawed at her.

When she finally returned to their room, she found Damian already inside, seated near the hearth with his shirt unbuttoned, a cloth in one hand as he wiped ash from his arms.

The soft golden light cast shadows over his jaw, making him look older, worn. A commander at the edge of war.

"You didn’t come back right away," he said without looking up.

"I needed air."

"Did Jasper give it to you?" There was no anger in his voice. But the edge of suspicion was unmistakable.

Evelina paused. "He’s helping me. We’re going to check the breach again tomorrow. I didn’t want to wait for another council vote."

Damian finally looked up, his storm-silver eyes narrowing. "You’re still keeping something from me."

She froze.

"You’re not lying. But you’re not telling me everything either."

"I told you what matters," she said softly.

Damian stood, crossing the space between them. "Evie, this is bigger than just survival now. This is war. If you know something—if Luther told you something—"

"I can’t prove it yet," she interrupted. "And I won’t drag the council into chaos with half a suspicion."

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he reached out and took her hand.

"I trust you," he said. "But if that trust ever starts to feel one-sided, you’ll tell me. Right?"

She nodded once. "I promise."

It was a lie.

Not yet.

Not until she knew what Tobias truly wanted.

And how far he was willing to go to take it.

—

The moonlight filtered through the trees of Arcadia’s southern woods, creating a soft, silver glow on the forest floor. Evelina walked ahead, her feet finding the path easily, as she remembered every branch and thorn from the night before.

Just behind her, Jasper moved quietly, while to her right, Prince Zade moved gracefully, like a natural-born hunter.

Two Arcadian scouts followed at a distance, handpicked by Damian—quiet, fast, and trusted.

Zade had said little since they left the outpost, but Evelina could feel his presence like a steady warmth beside her. He always kept slightly closer than needed—never overbearing, never possessive. Just... there.

They reached the clearing near the broad pine tree where Evelina had found out that her fiancé from the modern world was actually Luther.

"Here," she murmured, crouching to examine the faint impressions of footprints still preserved in the softened dirt.

Jasper knelt beside her. "Still fresh. Could be his. Could be one of ours."

Zade moved closer, scanning the trees ahead. "You’re sure this is where you saw him last?"

"I’m sure," Evelina said. "We were talking, and when Damian arrived, and I turned, he was nowhere to be found. He just... vanished."

Jasper knelt and brushed his fingers through the leaves. "There are faint prints here. But they loop—see? They double back. He didn’t want to be followed."

Zade straightened, his expression tense. "He’s mocking us. Like he knows we’re always a step behind."

"I know," she said quietly. "That’s what worries me."

They split up then—Jasper took the scouts to go ahead, while Evelina and Zade circled around through the lowbrush, angling toward the edge of the southern hills. Birds were silent. Even the wind had stilled.

"I wasn’t expecting you to come," she said, breaking the silence between them.

Zade looked over at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "When I heard you were heading back out here, how could I not?"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "You don’t owe me that."

"No," he said gently, "but I still choose it."

She didn’t respond.

They fell into a thoughtful silence until she suddenly stopped, her eyes focusing on a spot of ground that seemed unusually neat and smooth. Evelina knelt down and brushed away a thin layer of moss.

As she touched the stone, smooth and carefully carved, she noticed a faint spiral design that seemed to glow softly.

The moment her fingers brushed against it, her breath caught in her throat, and a rush of excitement surged through her. It felt like the world around her was shaking in response to a distant call that only she could sense.

The tunnel. The black oil. Masked soldiers sharpening blades. And Tobias—Tobias—his back to her, marking another map in the dirt. This time with more detail. Arrows. Supply routes. Internal defenses.

He wasn’t waiting.

He was preparing.

The vision vanished.

When Evelina blinked herself back to the present, she found Zade crouched beside her, brows drawn tight with concern.

"You alright?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just... dizzy."

She noticed Jasper was back. "Do you need to rest? We can stop for a moment."

"I’m fine," she said, rising. "It’s nothing. You didn’t find anything?" she asked.

"It was a dead end west from here. I’m hoping the other two scouts have better luck."

Evelina nodded slowly, her eyes trying to find anything she might have missed.

"You think it’s here?" he asked.

"No," she said, dusting herself off. "Not here. But nearby. We’re close."

Zade squinted at her. "You said something while you were... in a daze."

She froze. "What?"

"You muttered a name." He stepped closer, speaking slowly. "Tobias."

Jasper’s head snapped toward her.

Evelina’s mouth went dry.

"Uh-oh," Relia exclaimed with a whisper.