Chapter 104: Acting like a sweet wife

"To follow the rules, we shall give you two days to gather enough evidence to prove Prince Alec’s allegations wrong, King Martin. Another court trial shall be held two days later and by then the verdict will be given," Lady Amber said and dismissed the trial.

When the Supreme House left the courtroom, the ministers chattered, shocked by the sudden turn of events in the castle. The furious king stormed out of the hall while the Queen remained.

Queen Thalia wrung her hands, her eyes holding so much disdain. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked to where Alec and Lauren stood. Her chest heaving hard in anger.

"After accepting His Majesty’s grace, you filed a petition for his dethronement. I’m afraid your lack of gratitude shows how uncivilized you are, dear Alec. It was my mistake for supporting the King in giving you power over the court." Her face contorted in utter dismay when her gaze dropped to Lauren. "I’m not surprised you chose to marry this unsophisticated girl who previously had scandalous affairs with different men."

"Mentioning a lady’s unconventional past in a disgraceful manner, doesn’t that also make you uncivilized, Queen Thalia?" Alec asked in a calm tone, but his words were like knives.

"And if you believe supporting the King’s decision to grant me status and power is a mistake on your end, then you should blame your poor judgment."

"You!" Queen Thalia trembled in anger. "You cannot talk to your queen that way! I am the mother of this land! You are overstepping your bounds, Alec Everston!"

The ministers had left and only the three of them were left in the courtroom.

Lauren chuckled darkly. "Queen? You call yourself the queen of this land after you cheated and killed innocent people just to get that title? You were born as a peasant, if I may remind you, Thalia Schieffer," she addressed the Queen with her real surname and not the one given to her by her foster parents.

"And to hide that fact, you even had your foster parents killed, the people who gave you name and status in society. How ungrateful."

Thalia’s eyes widened. The veins on her neck were popping out as her jaw moved. Her hands were aching to hit Lauren like she always did before, but under Alec’s threatening dark gaze, she did not dare.

Unable to counter Lauren’s words, she turned away and walk out of the courtroom with her nostrils flaring.

Lauren smiled, feeling fulfilled that she gagged the Queen.

"The Supreme House only gave your father two days to follow the legal process of a court trial for a king’s dethronement even though it’s impossible for him to prove his innocence at this point," Alec said.

"Yes, and I can’t wait for two days to pass," she said gleefully and clung to Alec’s arm as they headed out of the courtroom.

Alec glanced at Lauren’s hand on his arm, then at her blue eyes glimmering in mirth.

Why was he starting to like pleasing her? He asked at the back of his mind.

"Are you acting like a sweet wife now because I help you achieve your plans? I feel used."

"You feel used?" Lauren laughed. "I admire your humor, dear husband. Just say that you want my blood for your ’good work’ instead of making me feel like I owe you a big favor."

Outside the courtroom, Matthias was waiting and when he saw the couple walking out, he quickly bowed his head and gave his greetings.

Lauren darted her gaze to the brown paper bag Matthias carried with him and asked, "What is that?"

"Ah," Matthias raised his head. He glanced at his superior. "These are cakes from the Thompsons’ bakery, Your Highness. Last time, you forgot your cakes on the carriage and I gave them to soldiers. I also ate some of it, so I figured I should pay you back."

"It’s unnecessary but thank you." Lauren accepted the paper bag. She smiled politely at Matthias.

Alec coughed.

"If there is nothing else, you should head to the council and see if there is news about the black mage in the west village."

"Yes, Your Highness," said Matthias and excused himself.

"This is such a nice day and I’m craving something sweet. What a good timing," Lauren muttered as they walked to the corridor. "Seems like Matthias is a thoughtful man."

"But I..." Alec pressed his parted lips. He was about to say that his subordinate didn’t deserve the credit because it was his idea in the first place, but he stopped himself.

Lauren turned to him. "Did you say something?"

"No."

"What’s with the frown?" She asked when she noticed he was suddenly frowning like a moody child.

"Do you want to eat cake with me?" She smirked when she remembered how he got so annoyed after she shoved a bite of cake into his mouth last time.

He glared at her.

"Alright. I’ll eat alone then," she said before walking ahead of him.

--

The moon shone above a huge mansion in a wealthy family’s estate in the countryside of Evardin. No stars appeared on the horizon and the mansion was dark and utterly quiet as if it was resided by no one.

A woman drinking wine stood by the balcony with half of her face covered with a black mask. Her long hair cascaded down her back.

Her index finger with two rings, one with a big ruby stone and the other with emerald, was tapping the glass as she listened to the soft rustle of the wind while staring at the darkness surrounding the tall trees ahead of the mansion.

"Milady," a man spoke behind her.

"Have you prepared everything?" The woman asked in a smooth voice without turning around.

"Yes, milady. I assure you the plan shall be executed flawlessly," the man promised like a loyal servant to his mistress.

"I shall not tolerate mistakes. Leave no trace. The Crown Prince is far from a simpleton. He is smart and calculative, and so is his wife. You better do the job right or die."

"Yes, milady," replied the man.

--

The next morning, Queen Thalia’s hysterics stirred up the royal castle. She was still in her nightdress when she left the royal chamber which she shared with the King. She never showed up in the castle’s hall with her nightdress and with her hair undone, which took the servants by surprise.

"Where is the King? Have you seen him?" Thalia asked every maid she came across like a mother searching for her lost child.

She remembered something strange happened last night.

She woke up in the middle of the night and saw a silhouette of a man in a dark corner of the room. She was about to rise from the bed to make sure she was seeing it right when she received a hit on her nape and lost consciousness.

Thalia thought she was just dreaming, but when she woke up the next morning, she realized it wasn’t just a dream.

Martin was not by her side. Her initial assumption was he woke up early and had gone for a walk around the castle like he usually did, but when she saw there wasn’t a single missing pair in his shoes and his royal suits, she grew suspicious of his absence.

Lauren and Alec who was about to have breakfast in the dining hall stopped in their tracks when they saw the hysterical Queen Thalia.

"What the hell are you paid for?! Your job is to guard the castle and you are telling me none of you have seen the King?!"

"What is this all about, Queen Thalia? Why the fuss at such an early hour," Lauren asked in a lazy manner.

The frustrated Queen darted her eyes at Lauren.

"You bitch! You must have had Martin abducted so you can kill him in secret!" Her allegation echoed in the hall loudly, making some of the servants jolt.

Lauren’s eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"His Majesty seems to be missing, Your Highness," the head guard said. "We have checked every corner of the castle but the King is nowhere to be found. Not a pair of his shoes is missing and his royal suits are all intact which is strange."

"Perhaps he left with his night clothes and without shoes because he felt better that way?" Alec asked with an indifferent look on his face.

Queen Thalia glared at him. "If you don’t want to help, I suggest you proceed with your business, Prince Alec. Believe it or not, someone was inside our bedroom last night. I saw a silhouette of a man but before I could check something hit my nape which made me lose consciousness! This is an urgent matter!"

"I believe we should send a missive to the council and have this thoroughly investigated, Prince Alec," the head guard said.

Lauren grew silent. She knew her father. He was a man full of pride and he wouldn’t likely run away even when the verdict of his case was obvious. He would rather burn the whole castle with him than cower. So something must have happened.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read