Chapter 21: A Gift
Sir Stanis placed a neat, white envelope bearing the scarlet royal seal on the desk in front of Tillian. He hid his hands behind his back, and his scarred face deformed into a wide grin.
"Our messenger was turned away because the King’s messenger was already en route here. This is the official invitation to visit the Capital and the Royal Palace."
The duke deftly opened the envelope with a sharp silver letter opener. He quickly scanned the letter’s contents and tossed it back onto the desk, stretching his lips into a smug grin as well.
"It appears Count Crueder has already conferred with the King. Our modest delivery certainly stirred up some nerves."
"So what are you planning to do when you meet His Majesty? The Royal Law dictates that only the King can grant permission for a divorce between nobles, but I don’t think Euris Ruan will make it happen simply because you have the princess in your hands. Perhaps killing the mercenaries was a bad decision, after all, we could have used them as witnesses."
Tillian slid the index finger of his right hand across his lips, the soft, cool sensation from Aideen’s skin still lingered in his memories, then reclined in his leather-covered chair, and replied,
"Well, since we knew about Crueder’s plan all along, I decided to rely on something more convincing than a testimony of some rogues. That night, I had one of my traders pass through the forest with his caravan. We have at least six witnesses to testify against the Count."
Stanis arched his thick eyebrows, a surprised exclamation nearly escaping his lips.
"You’ve got a trader as your witness?! Why am I only hearing about this now?"
"I wanted things to happen naturally. It’s a trader that goes from the Capital directly to Utar. I tasked him with some menial tasks just to have him cross the forest at the right time. Since he has to pass the North before crossing the border with Utar, there will be nothing suspicious about him meeting me and delivering this information. And since everybody is aware of the traders’ chatty nature, the thought of him spreading the rumors of the Zelon’s granddaughter being assaulted will make King Euris lose his cool."
Stanis clapped his hands, a wide grin cutting his face in two as he exclaimed in admiration,