Chapter 175 ENEMIES LURKED BY
Chapter 174
“Alive?” Rosa and I uttered at the same time.
I turned to face her as she held my hand.
She quickly pressed her lips together, trying not to say anything—like someone who had almost said something that could land them in trouble.
Then suddenly I turned to Rosa.
“And you said you are not the one who sent Brielle, right?”
“I…I… didn’t know anything…”
I turned to the servant who had broken the news.
“Y…yes, alive, my lord…” he paused, swallowing hard, gathering the courage to deliver what was clearly the most important news of the day. I knew he was afraid, especially after how quickly I had passed judgment on the chief warden and prison guard.
“She was shot in the head,” his voice lowered, trying to muster strength. “While trying to escape the pack, the bullet only scraped the side of her head… she survived by an inch…”
His words echoed in the room.
“That is enough!” I ordered. “Go and wait for me in my quarters.”
He bowed and hurried away. I watched as his sandals slapped against the floor, retreating from my presence.
A tiny drop of hope settled in my chest. At last, I would know what came over Brielle—why she bugged my room and who sent her.
I didn’t want Rosa to know anything about Brielle’s whereabouts. I still didn’t trust her enough. All those tantrums she had thrown could simply be to gain my sympathy.
I turned to Rosa. Something had shifted in her body language, but I couldn’t quite place it. She stood in the middle of the room, her hands clasped behind her back. All the anger she had displayed earlier—enough to shake the house—had vanished.
“If you want to leave, write a letter to Alpha Vexhood,” I said. “Tell him you are leaving this marriage for whatever reasons you may have.”
She clasped her hands together, staring at me like I had just performed some impossible magic—like an audience too stunned to clap, only able to whisper a long wow.
I walked out through the broken door I had kicked open earlier.
Anger sat deep within me.
My gun was still clasped in my hand, like a weapon in the grip of a hunter.
I got to my quarters moments later and sat down.
“You…” I pointed at him suddenly.
He jolted back, pressing himself against the wall as if it might open and swallow him whole. His soul looked ready to leap out through his throat. I could see it in the way his legs trembled.
“…Everything we discuss in this room must remain here,” I warned.
“Understood?”
He nodded repeatedly.
“Y…y…yes, y…your honor…”
I crooked my finger at him in a C-shape, signaling him to come closer.
His eyes stayed fixed on the gun in my hand as he moved—slowly, like a pup learning to walk.
I knew he was afraid.
I set the gun down on the chair.
He stepped closer—careful, not too near, not too far.
“Now… let us talk,” I said, leaning forward, my eyes locked on him.
“All I want is the truth… Where did you see Brielle?”