Chapter 84 The Woman He Loved Most
At Moonwell Cottage
Althea didn’t waste any time. She went straight to the Moonwell Cottage, determined to inspect and arrange the place.
Elsa led the way, but as soon as they reached the gate, she froze.
“What’s wrong?” Melva asked, frowning at her hesitation.
Elsa parted her lips but said nothing. It was Trudis who spoke from behind them. “The place has been abandoned. No one dares set foot inside.”
Melva glanced at Althea, then back at the gate. “But this is the cottage the Alpha King gave to My Lady.” Without another word, she pushed the gate open. But as soon as they stepped inside, it was indeed clear the cottage had long been abandoned.
“Seriously, this place feels so eerie indeed!” Melva complained, hugging herself as she looked around.
Dust coated every corner, cobwebs stretched across beams, and the air carried a faint, musty chill.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” Althea muttered, her gaze sweeping over the neglected rooms.
“There’s no need to worry, My Lady,” Rudy said, stepping forward with a polite smile. “Trudis, Ben, and I are here to assist you. The Alpha King himself has entrusted us to help with anything you require.”
Althea’s eyes drifted toward the three guards. She couldn’t sense a single thought from any of them.
‘Why can’t I read their thoughts?’ she wondered, unsettled. ‘Did I push my energy too far, and now my ability to read minds is faltering?’
Althea offered them an appreciative smile. “Thank you. Let’s start by cleaning up the place first.”
Without hesitation, she stepped inside, picked up a broom, and began sweeping. Melva and Elsa joined her, working side by side, while the three guards busied themselves outside, pulling weeds and clearing the paths.
“How long has this cottage been abandoned?” Melva scoffed, wrinkling her nose as she sneezed from the swirling dust.
“It’s been abandoned for seven years,” Elsa added quietly. “This was where Lady Rizza died.”
Althea’s eyes immediately fixed on Elsa’s, and in that instant, a flood of conflicted thoughts slipped through.
‘Lady Ava wants me to tell everything about Lady Rizza. The Alpha King ordered me not to hold anything back, to share whatever Lady Ava wants relayed to Lady Althea. But he also wants me to report to him first, before Lady Ava. Damn it! This is tearing me apart.’
Althea’s frown deepened as she listened in silence. So Gavriel had ordered Elsa to report to him first, before Ava? That could only mean one thing—he believed her when she warned him that Elsa was a spy planted by Ava.
The realization warmed her chest. Gavriel’s trust, however small, meant more to her than she cared to admit.
“Someone died here?” Melva asked, her tone laced with curiosity.
Althea’s eyes flicked back to Melva and Elsa. Their thoughts flowed to her as clearly as ever, which only made her wonder again why the three guards’ minds had been silent earlier.
Maybe I’ll try again later, she mused, forcing her focus back on Elsa. She needed to know more about Lady Rizza.
From what Althea had already gathered—back when she caught Trudis’s thoughts as the woman stopped her from using the swing beneath the oak tree—Rizza was the woman the Alpha King had cherished most, his true love. And now, according to Elsa, that woman was already dead.
“Yes,” Elsa said carefully. “Lady Rizza died here.”
“Who’s that Lady Rizza?” Melva finally voiced the very question Althea had been holding back.
Elsa glanced between them before answering, lowering her voice as though sharing a guarded secret. “She was the daughter of Minister Ariel Smith of the Ministry of Rites. The Alpha King’s first love and childhood sweetheart. They grew up together and eventually became a couple. But she died the night before their secret union. No one beyond the North Palace staff knew of their relationship. I was only eighteen then, still a trainee under Lady Dorothy, but even I knew.”
Melva’s eyes widened. “So aside from Lady Ava, there was Lady Rizza too? How did she die?”
Althea stayed quiet, though her gaze fixed intently on Elsa, reading the girl’s thoughts as carefully as her words. She wanted to know if there was any deceit in her story.
“No one really knows the truth,” Elsa admitted with a sigh. “Only Lady Ava, the Alpha King, and Lord Uriel are aware of what truly happened that night. This cottage… it once belonged to Lady Rizza, a gift from the King himself. But after her death, he forbade anyone from ever stepping inside. It became a forbidden place.”
She hesitated, her tone carrying a shiver of unease. “Many believe Lady Rizza’s soul has been trapped here ever since.”
She lowered her voice as though the walls themselves were listening. “People whisper that she cursed this cottage before she died. Even the Queen Mother has never stepped inside.”
“What?!” Melva exclaimed, eyes wide. “The Alpha King gave this cottage to Lady Althea even though it’s haunted?”
Elsa stayed silent, bowing her head.
Melva spun toward Althea, panic in her voice. “My Lady… maybe we can ask the Alpha King to let you use another cottage instead?”
“So how do you think she died?” Althea finally asked, her voice steady but her eyes watchful.
Elsa froze for a moment before lifting her head to meet Althea’s gaze. “I… I truly don’t know, My Lady. But there are rumors. Though none dare speak of them aloud.”
“Rumors?” Melva pressed, leaning closer. “Come on, Elsa, don’t keep us hanging. It’s not like we’re going to spread it around.”
Inside, Elsa’s thoughts churned violently. ‘The Alpha King killed Lady Rizza himself. I heard it from Lady Ava—she was Rizza’s closest friend back then and claimed to be there when it happened. But if I say that aloud, I’ll be signing my own death warrant. Everyone who dared to spread that rumor… vanished.’
Elsa lowered her eyes quickly, her lips trembling but sealed shut.
The silence grew heavy, and Althea, sensing the danger in Elsa’s unspoken words, gently cut in. “It’s fine, Elsa. You don’t need to tell us.” She gave her a reassuring look before picking up a cloth. “Let’s just continue cleaning.”
Althea continued sweeping, her hands moving but her mind elsewhere. She bit her lower lip, unease settling deep in her chest. If the Alpha King truly killed the woman he loved most, what would stop him from killing her—the traitor’s daughter?
Her grip on the broom tightened, the thought chilling her bones. ‘But… we are fated mates,’ she reminded herself, almost desperately. ‘That must mean something. Maybe… maybe it’s different with me.’
Still, the question lingered like a shadow she couldn’t shake.