Chapter 181: Filling The Carriage.
"Your grace, I—"
"Who is Alexander?" Alaric pressed, his tone sharper now, demanding.
Manni hesitated, his gaze darting away as though searching for a way out of the conversation. But Alaric’s piercing stare left no room for evasion.
Finally, Manni sighed. "Alexander is the name of your father, your grace."
The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. Alaric’s hands tightened into fists on the table, though his face remained composed.
"My father," he repeated, the words tasting foreign on his tongue.
"Yes, your grace," Manni said softly.
Alaric’s face grew pale, the color draining as if the weight of Manni’s revelation struck him physically.
He gripped the edge of the table, his mind racing. "I thought no one knew who my father was," he said, his voice steady but laced with disbelief. "No—he was never public... not even the king knew his sister’s lover."
Manni sighed, his gaze dropping briefly before meeting Alaric’s again. "But I knew," he said, his tone soft yet resolute. "The coachman always knows."
Alaric’s frown deepened as he leaned forward. "Explain."