Chapter 100 Finding The Culprit

Chapter 100 Finding The Culprit
ROWAN

The moment Nyra’s breathing evened out, I let out a sigh in relief as she had been erratic for the past hour in a way that made me worried.

I watched as she lay asleep there for more than a minute and what I felt in my soul at that moment wasn't peace. It was far from it.

Gingerly, I stroked the hair that was on her face away and watched the exhaustion and sadness on her face with so much animosity in my heart.

In a way I had zero idea about who could have done this yet I felt this anger at the person already. Seeing her in that state did exactly that and slowly it was consuming me with rage, a rage that drags a person under whether they are ready or not.

I stood there for a while, longer than necessary, watching her. The tension in her body hadn’t fully left, even in sleep.

Her fingers twitched faintly where they rested against the fabric of her sleeve, as though she was still holding on to something that wasn’t there anymore.

My jaw tightened slightly at the thought as carefully, I stepped closer and pulled the blanket over her without making too much movement.

She didn’t stir, but her breathing shifted just enough to tell me she felt it.

Good. I thought to myself…At least her body still responded.

I straightened slowly, my gaze lingering for one second longer than it should have before I turned away.

The moment I stepped out of the room, the air changed as it became more intense as it seemed as though it was filled with my own energy.

The guard outside straightened immediately. “My lord…” He bows.

“Cyril?” I gritted through my teeth.

“One of the inner rooms. He hasn’t left her side.”

I didn’t respond as already I was moving towards the direction.

My steps were quick and precise, still there was nothing calm about the way my mind worked through everything that had happened.

The timing, the execution, the precision of it,it was too clean to be a coincidence.

Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing and more importantly they knew us.

The door to the room was partially open when I got there. I didn’t knock as I pushed it open. Inside, the scent of blood hit first.

It lingered heavily in the air, thick enough to taste. Cyril stood near the bed, his hands stained, his sleeves rolled, his focus absolute.

He didn’t look up when I entered. “She’s alive,” he said before I could ask.

Straight to the point.

“How bad?” I asked.

There was a brief pause this time. Not in deep hesitation but I felt he didn't know too.

“I don't know if she can survive this, ” he answered finally. “Whoever did it avoided leaving such chances…I am surprised she is still fighting, she got my respect.”

My gaze shifted to Aria who was pale and near lifeless. Her body lay still against the sheets, but there was tension beneath it, faint, like her system was still fighting to understand what had been done to it.

“How long did it take for a healer to get here?” I asked.

“He got there not too long before she collapsed,” Cyril replied, finally glancing at me. “She …Honestly I don't think he can do much.”

I thought suddenly. “Samantha?” I looked up at him hinting at the fact that she was a healer as well and should be summoned. "Not sure what that is, I heard she left after dinner on a run.”

That didn’t surprise me as I had seen how she had been after dinner. I shrugged and took a deep sigh.

My expression hardened slightly. “What weapon?”

“A dagger,” he said. “Thin and likely coated.”

That made my eyes narrow. “Poison?”

“Wolfbane” He turned back to his work.

" That explains why the bleeding is worse.” I muttered.

My fingers curled slightly at my side. “They wanted her to suffer,” I murmured.

Cyril didn’t disagree as silence settled for a moment, broken only by the faint sounds of movement and the quiet rhythm of Aria’s breathing.

“She opened the door herself,” I said after a while. " I wonder what would have happened if it was Nyra that got to that door, would it have been the same fate.” I muttered, rubbing my jaw in thought.

“I figured that I'd tell you this, but I think Samantha should be summoned…Or who else can do this. You know their back and forth."

I thought about it for a minute.“I don't think so." I sighed.

“Then we have a long way to go finding whoever did this."

My jaw tightened. “I am not capable of such, she is not around, didn't you say that…She is our guest, let's leave her out of this.”

The room felt smaller after that because that narrowed things down in a way I didn’t like.

A lot of enemies existed outside these walls.

But inside?

Inside was supposed to be controlled and I didn't want to plant my mind that Samantha was capable of such.

Clearly, that assumption had just been proven wrong.

“Lets hope she’ll live,” Cyril said after a moment, quieter now. “If nothing changes, we need to get our guards up."

I caught that immediately. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” he replied, meeting my gaze again, “that whoever did this intended to finish the job, they might try again.”

A low, dangerous silence followed that. My expression didn’t change, but something in me settled.

“They won’t get the chance.”

Cyril studied me briefly, then nodded once, not in agreement but in understanding.

I stepped closer to the bed, my gaze settling on Aria again. For a moment, just a moment, I allowed myself to see it clearly.

How close this had come to ending differently, reluctantly my hand clenched slightly before I forced it to relax.

“She needs guards,” Cyril said.

“She’ll have more than that.” I turned, already moving toward the door again.

“My lord,” Cyril called.

I paused, glancing back.

“If this was meant to draw attention…” he said slowly, “then something else might already be in motion.”

He made a valid point. My gaze darkened slightly.

“Then we’ll make sure they regret it.” And with that, I left.

The corridors felt different now when I stepped back out. I was still thinking about everything he said and that included Samantha even if I still wouldn't accept it. Yet like they say, leave no stones unturned.

By the time I reached the main hall, the guards were already waiting.

At least some things still worked as they should. I thought to myself.

“No one leaves,” I said immediately. “No one enters without my direct order.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Search every wing. Every corridor. I want names, movements, anything out of place.”

They moved instantly, but I knew better than to rely on that alone because if someone had managed to get this far without being seen… Then they either knew our system—Or they were part of it.

My steps slowed slightly as that thought settled in fully as a faint exhale left me as I came to a stop.

I didn’t like assumptions but this followed one pattern too closely to ignore.

Still…Accusations without proof were useless.

“Keep an eye on Lady Samantha.” I instructed the guard standing with me close to the door.

He nodded once and stepped away.