Chapter 308: Reuben’s Scheme 2
Reuben pursed his lips, the taste of wine suddenly bitter on his tongue as the haze of drink evaporated in a rush of cold clarity. His spine straightened, shoulders squaring with the weight of his title. He fixed Alaric with a searing glare, his voice rising like a whipcrack in the charged air.
"How dare you!" he roared, his finger stabbing the space between them. "I am the Crown Prince! And you—you are nothing but an exiled wretch, a prince stripped of his birthright. Don’t you dare look at me with that smug, condescending gaze!"
His fury spilled over, sweeping the room. His eyes snapped to the noblewomen clustered nervously at the doorway, their fans trembling in delicate hands.
"All of you, get back to the banquet. What are you even doing here?"
His voice, deep and edged with command, sent the ladies scattering like startled doves, their slippers whispering against the stone floor as they fled.
Alaric lingered for a heartbeat, his dark eyes cutting into Reuben as if weighing him. Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and strode toward the banquet hall, the sound of the door closing behind him like a final judgment.
The moment Alaric disappeared, Reuben’s composure shattered. With a snarl, he lashed out at the door, his boot connecting with a solid thud that jarred through his bones. Pain flared sharp and immediate—he cursed, hopping on one foot, rage and humiliation burning hotter.
"Twice her size!" he barked at his companion, his voice cracking under the strain of his pride. "How could you let her overpower you? A woman!"
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was caught off guard when she threw you to me." He paused and looked down as if ashamed. "I hadn’t expected that she was so strong."
Before Reuben could retort, a soft creak sounded—another presence slipping in through the hidden door, the one Espiyor had used earlier. A hooded figure, face shadowed, voice calm and chiding.
"You miscalculated, my prince. You should have drugged her. You let her choose the ground for this battle." The man sighed.