Chapter 133: Like Soothing Flames of the Hearth

Lauren could not deny how Alec’s presence gave her warmth. He was a vampire mage born with the ability to control fire, and she was a woman suffering from an unknown condition whose body was very sensitive to cold.

She always carried cold air around her, making her room colder than usual. When she started sharing a room with Alec, it was only then her nights became a little bearable. His soul emitted warmth like the soothing flames of the hearth.

She liked him for that. She liked what she could benefit from him. At first, she thought of taking advantage of it while it lasted, but she realized that doing so would eventually make her grow dependent on him.

"Thank you but I don’t need such a favor. It’s unnecessary."

His eyes turned to slits, looking at her as if he was scolding her in his mind.

"You should just be grateful. Stop acting tough when you can’t even stand the cold."

She gritted her teeth in irritation. "You can’t decide for me. Let me sleep here for tonight. A lot of things happened today and I want to rest alone."

"Then rest in our room. I won’t disturb you. I’ll just be around the corner and do my business," he persuaded. "Besides, what would the servants think if we stay in different rooms at night? I don’t want rumors to spread about me mistreating my wife."

"With all the negative rumors about you, I thought you don’t care about your reputation at all." Her eyes narrowed at him, seeing through his petty excuse.

One corner of his lips rose. "That was back when I was still a lord, Lauren. But now that I’m the ruler of the state, I ought to earn my people’s respect and keep myself clean from controversies. I am trying to be a good leader here, you see. Don’t people always sympathize with a man who is known to be a loving husband?"

"You forgot that you replaced most of the castle servants with yours. Aren’t your people very loyal to you. They would not dare spread a word about your misconduct."

"You have a point," he nodded in acknowledgment. "But sometimes people’s mouths cannot be reigned by their allegiance. The royal castle is the center of state affairs and endless strife. It is crucial to be careful with every action."

She sighed. Alec was eloquent and the type who would push what he wanted no matter what. She was tired of what transpired earlier that day and she just heard that Jasper Owens was nowhere to be found. Her people did their search alongside the council but none of them caught a trace of the man.

Didn’t want to argue with Alec and prolong the discussion, Lauren said, "Fine. I will sleep in our room but I will have the bed alone."

"Suit yourself."

Leaning on the rail behind her, Lauren remembered what she promised him after the court meeting.

"About Jasper Owens..."

He looked at her attentively.

"You investigated him, didn’t you?" His silence told her his answer. "But seeing how curious you are, I guess you were not satisfied with the information you got."

If he did some digging about what business she had with Jasper, she knew he didn’t find anything. Even Jasper didn’t know what her motive was back then.

"Tell me then. Why did you meet him at his mansion’s ball and why do you seem so curious about him." Alec turned serious.

If Jasper wasn’t connected to the rebels, she would not oblige herself in telling him her private plans with her stepmother. But now they had come to the point where Thalia and Jasper became entangled with the rising rebellion, she thought it was better to tell him.

"Remember the day Lord Merriweather’s dead body was hung in the town? Someone shot a blazing arrow to assassinate me. After my henchman’s investigation, it turned out that the marksman was Jasper Owens. I found it odd that a son of a lord was doing Thalia a dangerous favor that’s why I went to see him. Later on, I discovered they shared a deep connection." She sighed. "I’m still not sure if he is Thalia’s son or brother but I am certain they have familial ties."

"What did you talk about at Haystone’s mansion?"

"He recognized me as that masked woman he danced with. I was trying to fish for some information from him but I was surprised when he said Thalia is his sister. He might be saying the truth but he might also be lying. I don’t care how they are connected now. Their ties and Jasper’s involvement with the rebels made everything about them suspicious."

Alec crossed his arms as he leaned on the balcony’s door. "Are you thinking that Thalia is with the rebels?"

"That is possible, but it doesn’t make sense. Thalia had supported my father all these years, cleaning every mess he made behind the curtains. She was his backbone. As the King’s wife, the Queen’s throne is her pride. She was willing to do everything to keep the royal family’s power. So I doubt if she would collude with the enemy to overthrow the late King’s reign."

"We can’t be sure about that," he drawled and walked towards her. He stopped by her side and held the rail with one hand.

"It’s also possible that your stepmother only colluded with the rebels after the court trial for King Martin’s dethronement. Perhaps she knew your father had no way out of his crimes and out of anger, she wanted to ruin you at all cost. Most people are slaves of their emotions. Once hurt, they would try to avenge themselves despite the risks."

Her hair danced with the wind. He stared at her for a moment before speaking again.

"Jasper Owens must have heard about Thalia’s situation in the castle. He got carried away and told you a hint of his involvement with the deranged humans to disturb your mind. He may have also done it intentionally to show off what he could do. I won’t be surprised if you will receive a missive one of these days saying that you need to free the Queen Dowager or else another batch of deranged humans will rise."

Lauren thought about it. Alec’s speculations made sense. Thalia couldn’t afford to betray the late king but that was back when his power was still at its peak. Evil people could always turn eviler for their goals. Thalia could even be the one who plotted her father’s death for all they know. So it was possible she was colluding with the rebels. After all, she no longer had a place in the royal castle. She wouldn’t mind ruining it.

"I heard you didn’t have dinner," Alec suddenly interrupted her train of thought.

"I have no appetite."

Alec snapped his finger and his portal of blue fire appeared in front of them.

"Are you going somewhere?"

He smirked. "Yes, we are." Then he pulled her to the portal and both of them vanished in the castle the next moment.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read