Chapter 128: Decisions
He had seen enough.
"Andon."
Garelle’s eyes shot open first. She blinked and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Then, she saw him. She jerked away like a snake who’d been hit, glancing at the window and instantly turning pale.
Andon, however, was still soundly asleep.
"Forgive me, Your Grace, this is not-"
"I have eyes, Lady Plumette. I know exactly what it looks like." Turning to Andon, he called again. "Andon."
The man stirred but still didn’t open his eyes.
Which wasn’t normal.
Andon was even more alert than he was.
"What did you do to him?"
She had already slipped off the bed and was wearing her dress.
"Nothing. He was deep in his cups last night."
Yeren barely heard her.
Her bare feet slapped against the marble floor as she ran out of the room.
His supposed bride.
He returned his attention to Andon, resorting to tapping him gently.
Andon blinked slowly before his eyes pushed open.
The startled look in Andon’s eyes was unmistakable.
He blinked before raising himself to his elbows.
It took a while before his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit atmosphere of the room.
"Your Grace..."
Yeren just stood there and observed him, resisting the urge to drag a chair to the side of the bed and watch Andon process what happened and what did not happen.
"Today is your wedding, isn’t it? What are you doing here?" His voice was groggy, heavily muffled by sleep.
Yeren said nothing.
Andon glanced at the draped windows and at his state of undress.
The moment his face paled said it all.
He knew what happened.
Her scent still lingered in the room, the smell of blooming primroses and daffodils... and the remnants of a long night of passion.
"What happened?" Andon asked after a long gulp.
"I’m the one supposed to be asking you that, if I recall properly."
Andon swallowed again.
"It was her, wasn’t it? She was here... in my room." He said mostly to himself.
Yeren smirked.
What was he getting at?
"Do you mean to tell me that you made love to a woman and can’t remember? If it was some other man, I might fall for it, but you? You hold your liquor almost as well as I do."
Andon cleared his throat but didn’t speak immediately.
"I don’t... remember what happened." He rubbed his temples gently, squeezing his eyes shut as if battling a rigorous headache.
Yeren turned away from him.
"Get dressed and see me in the study within an hour."
He walked towards the door, stopping at the threshold.
"The wedding is off. I hope you have a splendid explanation for Lord Plumette and his wife, as well as the whole Kingdom."
Then he left the room.
His hands curled into fists as he walked down to the Common receiving room in the company of four guards.
It wasn’t like Andon to do such a thing. It was... beneath him. And he had seemed genuinely shocked by the events.
But it was not befitting to choose sentiment over logic - what was done was done, and the expected consequences would have to follow.
Only the immediate family of both parties were gathered there.
And Aunt Adisa looked worse than furious, she looked like a tilted steaming pot, pouring vapour out of her reddened lid.
Uncle Casmere sat by the corner with a goblet in his hands, as far away from his darling wife as he could. He didn’t seem the least bit upset by the news.
Lord Plumette was pacing the room while his wife sat by herself with a lost look in her eyes. The irony wasn’t lost on him - Garelle was not present as well.
Eliza stood at the window, preferring to avoid the company of the reeling adults.
Yeren stopped close to the door and took in a deep breath.
The moment they saw him, both his Aunt and Lord Plumette asked simultaneously, "Where are they?"
How had the news reached them so quickly?
He had been too occupied with waking Andon to care if any servants had witnessed the scene - because his guards never gossiped. It simply was a taboo.
"I will speak with both of them first before allowing any of you to descend on them with your wrath."
"Don’t think of protecting that son of a whore! He deserves to suffer for ruining my daughter. And on her wedding day on top of it all."
Yeren blinked at the way Andon was addressed.
"Mind your words, Plumette. You might just share a prison cell with him if you don’t."
Plumette’s eyes darkened.
"I am an aggrieved father - my daughter’s virtue was just taken! I have every right to speak ill of the offender."
"That’s enough, Sterling. Talking like a child won’t fix anything. The man you speak of is yet to arrive." Lady Plumette said, a sharp glare directed at her husband.
"Your Grace." His Aunt said, moving closer.
"This is an insult to the entire Stormhall house. It has to be punished, or else, we will forever be ridiculed."
He knew exactly what she was asking - Andon should be demoted from his position.
"We are in no haste to make decisions. But one thing is clear - the wedding is cancelled. Inform everyone at the ceremony." Was all he said as he turned to leave.
As he passed by the main hall to the Study, he encountered Claire and her sister, alongside a few servants returning from the Chapel.
Had they already heard or were they back for something else?
Her sister was leaning heavily against her, her little face pale.
Then, the guard he had assigned to the girl picked her up and carried her up the stairs.
She wasn’t feeling well.
He hadn’t even realized when he stopped walking, until he noticed that his guards had stopped around him as well.
Her guard waited dutifully behind her as she stood there.
What was she waiting for?
Then, a female servant came forward and exchanged letters with her.
What letter was that?
Just then, she glanced across the hall in the direction he stood.
And their eyes met.
Slowly, she moved the letter behind her and began walking up the stairway that led to her chambers.
What was she hiding? He wondered.
His jaw tensed as he continued on his journey to the study.
Part of him looked forward to hearing what Andon had to say - he wanted to believe that Andon just needed time to compose himself.
But Garelle met him first.
"Your Grace."
She was already standing by the door of the study when they arrived there.
She had changed to a dark red velvet dress.
"We need to talk."