Chapter 116 - I Beg Of You (1/2)

I refused to leave the room for another two days until Mariela came knocking on our door. She had heard what happened and was concerned.

”Are you certain the knife was not simply dropped? Al said he only heard one noise,” she said rationally.

One noise that somehow ended up right behind him when no one else was seen nearby? I didn't buy that. ”I'm positive,” I said with a shudder. ”This has Sigmund's handiwork all over it. His or Duke Orla's.”

”The duke returned to his estate yesterday. I doubt he was involved in this.”

He left? Just like that? But he hadn't managed to accomplish anything here. Unless he was the one who threw the knife and chose to leave when it failed. I couldn't understand why he would do that though; he was more tenacious than that in the novel.

Then again, nobody acted like they were supposed to so I couldn't trust the stupid thing at all. If he had thrown the knife, now that he was gone were we safe? Could I finally stop stressing out?

At this rate I felt like I was going to get gray hairs and this body wasn't even eighteen yet. I wanted to cry again but was all out of tears. I was not built for this level of anxiety.

”Why don't you come out and have dinner with us today?” Mariela encouraged gently. ”The guards will be with us the entire time. You will be perfectly safe.”

I bit my lip. Security was tightest around Mariela and Roland. There was no safer place to be in this castle than by their sides. ”Alright. I'll come as long as we can have lavender blackberry cake for dessert.”

She smiled. ”Not a problem. I will send someone to the kitchens right now.”

In the end, Mariela got what she wanted and I got my cake without incident. It helped me relax a little seeing that Sigmund looked calm and even a little defeated. It served him right for treating my poor husband so terribly all of those years.

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Sigmund realized that Charles had abandoned him as soon as he decided to go back to his estate. Since he was no longer useful to him, there was no reason to stay and try to help.

His annoyance had been plain to see for weeks now. So much for standing with your friends in times of need. He would have abandoned a pawn with the same callousness and yet having it done to him drove him toward the edge.

He was ready to give up on everything when Katie and Alpheus finally exited their chambers and came to dinner for the first time in days. Seeing them look so unbothered by everything was the final push he needed to go over the cliff of insanity completely.