Chapter 126: Estranged.
He stood at the balcony for a long time watching the darkening sky.
He hadn’t seen her since she had vanished into the crowd with Aldrich.
He didn’t want to wonder where they had gone. Aldrich’s carriage had reportedly left the premises, and she had gone with him.
"I’m just glad you’re alive, Your Grace."
Yeren glanced over his shoulder and nodded briefly.
"Is she back?"
Andon tilted his head slightly as if deliberating what to say.
"I don’t think so. I would have been told otherwise."
Yeren nodded, his fingers tightening around the railings.
"You understand that she can entertain the attention of any man of her choice, do you not?"
"I will not have this conversation with you, Andon."
Andon inched closer, until he was standing beside him.
"I came to tell you something else... about your bride."
Yeren rubbed the back of his neck.
"I don’t want to hear it."
Just then, a carriage rolled through the gates.
The guards at the battlements hurried around, shouting orders as the gates slid shut.
It was her, no doubt.
"What really happened out there, Yeren. You seem very agitated."
Yeren shut his eyes to block out most of what he saw.
"The Rogues, most of them - not all, are being paid to wreak havoc across the Kingdom. These occurrences are no mere incidents."
Andon patted the back of his shoulder.
"What do you intend to do about it?"
Yeren let out a sigh as he opened his eyes. "I beheaded as many of them as I could, but you can only put an end to a problem when you know its source."
"And the source would have to be someone wealthy enough to supply large amounts of gold... apart from you."
Yeren nodded.
"Things are more complicated than I thought. But who would benefit from such chaos?"
"Once there is unrest in Reden, it would be much easier to usurp the throne that way - the people would want me gone because I would be supposedly responsible for all the mishaps that had befallen them."
Andon’s eyes widened.
"So that means we have to find out the culprits before it gets to such a stage?"
Yeren didn’t answer immediately.
"Time will tell, Andon." Then he added, "Inform the guards that Miss Stenly is to be escorted to my chambers."
Andon nodded and left.
He waited there, expecting to hear the door slide open to announce her arrival.
But nothing.
He was sure a good amount of time had passed. Where was she?
There was finally a knock on the door.
"Miss Stenly to see you, Your Grace." Marius called out as the door opened.
He waited quietly, refusing the urge to turn around.
"You summoned me, Your Grace." Came her voice.
She sounded small... almost scared. As if she had done something she knew he would terribly disagree with if he knew about it.
The tone of her voice forced him to toss a glance her way.
She was wearing a dress of midnight blue, and her hair looked damp at the tips. That wasn’t what she had been wearing when she’d left with Aldrich.
And from her scent, he was sure she had just had her bath before coming to see him.
That was probably why she took so long.
"Where were you?"
She bit her lower lip briefly before saying, "With someone."
They both knew who the someone was, but he preferred to pretend that he didn’t.
"Doesn’t this someone have a name?"
"Lord Aldrich Bronan, Your Grace."
"Did he touch you?"
Silence.
He knew it was none of his business, but the question slipped out before he could think better of it.
Her hesitation spoke volumes. Something had transpired between her and Bronan - something she refused to name.
"And if he did?" She said at last.
Yeren downed the remaining contents of his goblet and set it down on the surface closest to him.
"I promised that such a man would lose all his fingers or be forced to never see you again."
Her lips thinned. "You can’t be serious about that. I want to be someone’s wife as well."
"Did you tell him about us?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "He doesn’t need to know. It is my place to decide what to tell him and what not to tell him, not you."
"Very well. Has he asked for your hand?"
She twisted her lips.
"I won’t answer any more of your questions. I do not owe you any explanations, Your Grace."
He nodded.
"We haven’t seen each other in more than a week."
She stepped closer, until they were less than five feet apart from each other. The candle light flickered across her features, making her eyes dark and her skin look like molten bronze.
"When we both marry our prospective suitors, there would be no reason to see each other."
He’d missed her, no matter how little.
"But... I’m glad you returned safely." Her voice shrunk to a whisper.
"I had no intention of dying."
"That’s good. Your bride doesn’t deserve to be widowed just before she becomes a queen."
A dry laugh escaped him.
"Has it ever occurred to you that I came back to see you?"
She shook her head. "The only thing that has occurred to me is that you are selfish enough to do anything to keep me within your grasp while you marry another woman."
Fair. She had a solid point.
He turned away from her and returned to the balcony.
Footsteps echoed softly behind him as she drew closer.
Then she rested on the balcony railing beside him.
"I was torn between wanting a wild beast to tear you in half and hoping to see your arrogant face again. Now that I’ve seen you, I wished I had prayed for the former more eagerly."
He chuckled lightly.
"You really do hate me."
"I don’t hate you. It’s just... if you died out there, I wouldn’t feel bad about marrying someone else... and you won’t have to marry Garelle."