CHAPTER 176

CHAPTER 176

Reika's POV

Tonight, I did not wear the usual strapless silk nightdress that I loved wearing because of its comfort. Instead, I wore a three-piece silk nightwear set. A pair of long pants in which I had hidden the dagger inside the waistband, a strapless top, and then a knee-length robe that I tied tightly around my waist to secure the dagger.

I dabbed the seductive allure perfume on my neck. Because of the way Ileus had felt guilty about having sex with me yesterday, he might not want to touch me today, but with the perfume and by invoking more of my scent, I bet he wouldn't be able to resist.

I intended to make the assassination fast and painless. I would focus on stabbing him in the chest, then leave his chamber after telling the guards that the king was sleeping and did not want to be disturbed. I would return to my chamber, and then I would leave.

It should be easy, especially since he trusted me, was heartbroken from his daughter's absence, and had lost his magic powers. But I still had to be careful because he still possessed his werewolf powers and heightened senses.

After mentally going over the plan in my head and becoming confident that it was going to work out well, I made my way out of the room and toward his chambers.

At the door, I squeezed my eyes shut to invoke more of my scent with my powers. My scent of pine and cinnamon rolled out of me, filling the entire hallway and becoming seductive even to me.

Just then, I felt another strange wave of dizziness crash over me. I had been feeling strange since the day I had sex with Ileus. It felt like a part of me was being taken away and replaced by something else.

In fact, I felt weaker than usual, and now that I had used my powers to summon my scent... I felt extremely weak to the extent that I had to lean my palm against the wall to catch my breath for a second.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I really hoped this wouldn't ruin the mission for me though.

Gathering all the strength I could summon, I knocked softly.

“Come in,” he called out.

My chest pounded loudly as I twisted the doorknob open and stepped into the room, forcing a smile through the exhaustion crawling into every nerve of my body.

He stood tall by the window and then turned toward me with a broad smile on his face. He looked better tonight than he had the previous night.

“I thought I was imagining things when I perceived your scent earlier.” He closed the distance between us. “Isn't it crazy that I can now perceive you from miles away?”

I wasn't miles away though. I had been standing at the door for at least three minutes now.

I let out a short laugh. “I guess that is how hard you've fallen for me.”

He laughed as well. “I guess you can say that again. I love you so much.” He moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

My breath seized as I quickly grabbed his hands to stop them from sliding down to my waist where the dagger was hidden.

“You look better tonight,” I said, wanting to distract him from the fact that I was practically holding his hands in place. “What is the secret?”

He bit my earlobe lightly. “Yes. I figured out that yesterday, I might have made you feel bad with the way I acted after our lovemaking. Though I still feel sad about my daughter's disappearance, I realized I shouldn't make you feel unwanted because of it, especially since you have been by my side through it all.”

“I do not mind though.” I tried to force my voice to remain steady. “I understand how much she means to you and how worried you are that she is not here.”

“Yes, I'm worried and sad...” He turned me to face him. “But the fact that you're here by my side makes me feel lucky that I have someone who cares so much, and for that, I'm grateful... very grateful, Lilith.” He pressed his lips to mine. “I love you so much, Lilith,” he whispered, his breath warm against my lips. “I promise you... once everything is over and my little princess is safely back here, I will let the whole world know just how much you mean to me... I will marry you like I have always wanted to and make you the most powerful Queen the world has ever seen.”

He had told me about how he planned to dethrone Ariadne for me even before she ran off.

Now, the guilt of trying to kill the man I loved while he was planning how to make me Queen hit even harder... but then, some things must be done even if you end up regretting them for the rest of your life.

I forced a smile at him. “Thank you, Ileus, and I love you too...”

“You smell amazing tonight.” He breathed in my scent before suddenly pulling me into a tight embrace. “I wish I could eat you whole.” His body pressed hard against the dagger.

My body trembled with fear as I tried to push him away before he found out, but he wouldn't budge. “You are suffocating me, Ileus,” I choked out.

Just then, he pulled back, his eyes narrowing in suspicion before dropping to my stomach.

The exact place where the dagger was hidden.

Oh...

My pulse roared loudly in my eardrums, and I couldn't bear to look into his eyes because I was afraid he had already discovered the dagger.

For a moment, the room fell into a deep, suffocating silence.

Ileus had found out.

I could feel it in my bones that he had discovered I was carrying a dagger.

I did not know which of his hands reached out to touch my stomach. “Is there something there?”

I grabbed it before he could touch my stomach, then forced myself to look up at him. “What happened?”