Chapter 173: Locked Up for Trespassing
{Third Person}
Sebastian folded his hands behind his back.
"The investigation concerning her poisoning will proceed alongside the investigation into the banquet."
Alexander gave a small nod. That was exactly what he expected.
The room remained quiet for a few moments before Alexander spoke again. "Father."
Sebastian shifted his gaze to him.
"There is something else."
The King’s brows lifted slightly.
"After the delegates return to their respective kingdoms, I have an important decision to relay to you," Alexander announced.
Sebastian immediately became interested. "What decision?"
Alexander did not answer.
Sebastian frowned, then narrowed his eyes. "Alexander. What are you planning?"
Alexander calmly took a sip of tea.
Barron immediately became interested even though he could very much tell more of less of what Alexander planned to discuss with her father.
Meanwhile, Jasper remained expressionless.
Unfortunately, Alexander seemed perfectly content allowing everyone else to suffer from curiosity.
After several moments, Sebastian realized he was getting nowhere. "You intend to tell me later."
"Yes."
The answer finally came.
Sebastian held his gaze longer, then sighed. "You’re impossible."
Alexander accepted the criticism without comment. Eventually, the King abandoned the subject altogether.
There were more pressing matters demanding his attention, and it was time to leave.
As he moved toward the door, he paused briefly. His gaze settled on Alexander one last time.
"The people responsible for yesterday’s incidents will be found." The promise carried the full weight of a King’s authority. "And when they are found, they will be punished."
Alexander inclined his head slightly.
Sebastian gave a final nod before leaving.
When Alexander attempted to stand, the King immediately stopped him. "Stay where you are."
Alexander sat back down.
"Jasper."
"Your Majesty," Jasper bowed.
"See me out."
Jasper bowed again and followed the King from the room, and the door closed behind them.
For several moments, silence settled over the living room. Then Alexander leaned back comfortably against the sofa.
As though discussing the weather, he said, "We should prepare to leave the palace in a week."
Across from him, Barron froze, then a smile slowly appeared on his face.
At last.
After everything that had happened, it seemed Alexander had really made up his mind, especially since their plan worked out for their good in the end.
And judging by the look in his cousin’s eyes, the decision he intended to announce later would shake the King up more than he expected.
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Elowen wasted no time putting her plan into motion.
The moment she returned to her residence, she summoned two of her most trusted attendants and gave them very specific instructions.
The invitation was to remain discreet. There would be no unnecessary attention or gossip.
And certainly no palace-wide announcement that the Princess Royal wished to see a group of human noblewomen.
The attendants immediately set off for the guest house.
Not long afterwards, Hazel, Rachel, and Davina received the unexpected summons.
The three young women were gathered in one of their rooms when the attendants arrived. At first, none of them thought much of it, then they heard the words:
"The Princess Royal requests your presence."
All three women froze.
Rachel looked behind herself as if the attendant might be speaking to someone else. Hazel blinked while Davina nearly dropped the cup of hot tea she was holding.
"The Princess Royal?" Hazel repeated.
The attendant nodded politely. "Yes."
The three girls exchanged looks. A mixture of surprise, nervousness, and confusion immediately filled the room.
Why would a royal princess invite them? What had happened? Was something wrong?
The attendant offered no explanation. So in the end, all three hurriedly prepared themselves before following the attendants toward Elowen’s residence.
Unfortunately, they were not the only ones paying attention.
Elsewhere inside the guest house, Lila had been enjoying another peaceful afternoon until she noticed unusual movement in the corridor.
Curiosity immediately got the better of her.
It did not take long for her to learn that Hazel, Rachel, and Davina had received a private invitation from Princess Elowen.
The moment she heard it, her mood soured. Why them? What business could a royal princess possibly have with those three?
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became. Then another possibility occurred to her.
Amara.
Immediately, her eyes narrowed. Without wasting any time, she quietly followed from a distance.
Unfortunately, Lila’s plan fell apart very quickly. She managed to reach the outer grounds of Elowen’s residence before a pair of royal guards stepped into her path.
"Halt."
Lila stopped, as her expression immediately hardened. "I am merely walking."
The guards remained unmoved. "This area is restricted."
Lila forced a smile. Of course, she knew that, but why would she admit she was in the wrong?
"I believe there has been some misunderstanding."
"There has not." The answer came immediately. Then one of the guards glanced toward the other. "Take her."
Lila’s eyes widened. "What?"
The next moment, strong hands grabbed her arms, and her shock quickly turned into outrage.
"How dare you!" Her voice rose sharply. "Do you know who I am?"
The guards clearly did not care.
"Release me!" she demanded, but her struggles accomplished nothing. The more she fought, the less patient the guards became. Within moments, she was being dragged away.
"This is outrageous!"
Several nearby servants immediately lowered their heads and pretended not to see anything.
"Unhand me!"
Nobody intervened. The guards continued marching her away.
"I will report this!" she threatened, but still nobody cared.
Before long, Lila found herself thrown into a holding cell reserved for trespassers and troublemakers.
The heavy door slammed shut behind her.
Lila stared at it in disbelief. Then her anger exploded. Her voice echoed through the corridor as she demanded release. Unfortunately for her, the guards simply walked away.
---
Later that afternoon, Amara finally arrived at Elowen’s residence after receiving her message.
Ginger was comfortably cradled in her arms.
The cat appeared completely unbothered by recent events and looked as though she intended to spend the entire afternoon sleeping.
Elowen led her toward one of the private sitting rooms. As soon as the doors opened, three familiar faces immediately came into view.
For a moment, nobody moved, then smiles appeared almost simultaneously.
"Amara."
The next few moments passed in a blur. There were no dramatic tears, no hysterics. It was just genuine relief, the kind shared between friends who had been worried sick.
Hazel reached Amara first. Rachel followed. Davina was not far behind.
By the time they finally settled into their seats, all three looked considerably happier.
"So?" Rachel leaned forward. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Amara replied with a small smile playing on her lips.
"Good." Hazel looked relieved.
Davina nodded. "We were worried."
"I know." Amara smiled warmly. It was because she knew how worried they were after the chaos last night that she forced this plan out of her head.
The conversation quickly shifted to the obvious topic. The banquet. And almost immediately, questions began flying toward her.
"What happened?"
"Are you alright?"
"Is the Alpha Prince alright?"
Rachel hesitated before asking the next question. "Why did he vomit blood?"
The room grew slightly quieter.
Amara had expected those questions. Unfortunately, she could not answer most of them as too many sensitive matters were involved.
She could not reveal that she had been drugged. She could not reveal that Alexander had been poisoned. And she certainly could not reveal anything regarding Alexander’s curse or health.
Especially not with Elowen sitting nearby.
So, she settled on the safest explanation she could think of. "His body is a little sensitive."
The girls stared at her, and she just continued. "The physicians believe he reacted badly to an ingredient."
Nobody looked convinced, not even remotely. The explanation sounded suspicious. Still, none of them pressed further.
If Amara did not want to talk about it, they would respect that.
Eventually, Elowen rose to her feet. The movement immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"I will leave you ladies to catch up," she announced as she let her gaze move from one face to the other.
Amara looked grateful for the privacy. Elowen was so sweet and thoughtful.
The princess smiled as she added, "You haven’t seen each other in months."
With that, she quietly departed, taking several attendants with her and granting the friends some privacy.
The atmosphere immediately relaxed.
Rachel was the first to speak. "The princess is surprisingly nice."
"Of course, she is." Amara laughed. She was glad her friends noticed.
Hazel leaned back in her chair, then shook her head. Her expression became complicated as she said, "Honestly, though... this kingdom is terrifying."
The others immediately agreed.
Davina nodded vigorously. "That banquet nearly gave me a heart attack."
Rachel shuddered. "I thought we had just witnessed an assassination."
Amara could not help laughing, but her friends looked offended by her reaction.
"I’m serious."
"So am I."
Amara continued smiling. "Before you girls overthink it, what happened last night isn’t normal."
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure." The confidence in her voice surprised them.
Amara then leaned back comfortably and assured them, "This isn’t an everyday occurrence."
The girls exchanged looks. None of them seemed entirely convinced, but seeing Amara relaxed and smiling did ease many of their concerns.