Chapter 132 Sydney's Investigation
Sydney had always been observant. Growing up poor taught you to notice things others missed. Small details. Patterns. Who had power and who didn't. Who was hiding something and who was desperate.
Working as a palace maid, those skills became invaluable. She learned which nobles were generous and which would beat you for minor mistakes. She learned which areas of the palace to avoid and which offered refuge. She learned to be invisible while seeing everything.
And lately, she'd been seeing things that didn't make sense.
Aria, the head palace maid, had always been cold and exacting. But her cruelty toward Lila went beyond normal strictness. It was personal. Targeted. And recently, Aria had been making frequent trips to the lower city on her days off.
Sydney began following her.
The first time, Aria met with a merchant in an alley near the market. Money changed hands. A small purse that Aria tucked into her dress quickly.
The second time, Aria entered a shabby building that housed several businesses. She emerged an hour later looking satisfied.
The third time, Sydney got closer. Close enough to hear fragments of conversation.
"...the Hartwell girl is becoming a problem..."
"...increase the dosage..."
"...Master Gerrit requires..."
Sydney's blood ran cold. She pulled back into shadows before Aria could spot her, her mind racing.
She needed help. This was bigger than she could handle alone.
She found Maya in the laundry rooms, scrubbing stains from table linens. "I need to talk to you. Privately."
Maya took one look at Sydney's face and nodded. They slipped into a storage closet, cramped but secure.
"What's wrong?"
"Aria is being paid by someone. I've followed her three times now. She meets with people, receives money, and today I heard them talking about Lila." Sydney's words tumbled out. "They mentioned dosage. And Gerrit's name. Maya, I think Aria's been poisoning Lila. Maybe for weeks."
Maya's face went pale. "Are you certain?"
"Not completely. But the pieces fit. Lila's been exhausted beyond what training should cause. She's had headaches, moments of confusion. What if someone's been adding something to her food? To her water?"
"Moon Goddess." Maya pressed a hand to her mouth. "We need to tell someone. The King. Commander Marcus."
"We need proof first. If we accuse Aria without evidence, she'll just deny it. And she has authority over us. She could have us dismissed or worse." Sydney pulled a folded paper from her apron. "But I found this in the head maid's office when I was delivering linens. I shouldn't have looked, but something made me."
She unfolded the paper. It was a ledger page, listing payments. Dates. Amounts. And a note at the bottom in different handwriting:
Continue dosing H's meals. Small amounts. Keep her weakened but functional. Report any memory recovery immediately.
"H," Maya breathed. "Hartwell. They've been poisoning her food this whole time."
"And reporting to someone about her memory recovery. Which means whoever's behind this knows Lila's starting to remember." Sydney refolded the paper carefully. "We need to show this to Delta Keal. He's been investigating Gerrit. This connects to his research."
They found Keal in his laboratory, examining samples under his magnifying glass. He looked up as they entered, immediately reading the urgency in their expressions.
"What's happened?"
Sydney showed him the ledger page. Keal's expression darkened as he read.
"Where did you get this?"
"I found it in Aria's office. And I've been following her. She's meeting with people in the lower city, receiving payments. Today I overheard part of a conversation mentioning Lila and dosage and Gerrit's name."
Keal set down his magnifying glass carefully. "How long have you been investigating?"
"A week. Since the dinner incident with Lord Petyr. I saw how everyone was watching Lila, whispering about her. And I noticed Aria seemed... satisfied by it. Like she'd planned something." Sydney met his eyes. "I know I should have come to you sooner. But I wanted to be certain before making accusations."
"You did well." Keal's voice was warm with approval. "This is exactly the kind of evidence we need. The ledger page alone proves conspiracy to poison someone under royal protection."
"What do we do now?" Maya asked.
"We bring this to His Majesty immediately. And we arrest Aria before she can destroy evidence or flee." Keal stood, gathering the ledger page and several of his sample vials. "Both of you, come with me. You'll need to give statements about what you observed."
They made their way through the palace corridors. Near the royal wing, they encountered Marcus conducting evening rounds.
"Delta Keal. What brings you here at this hour?"
"We need to speak with His Majesty. Immediately. We have evidence of a conspiracy involving the head palace maid."
Marcus's expression sharpened. "Aria? What kind of conspiracy?"
"Poisoning Lady Lila. Slowly. Over weeks. With reports going to Gerrit about her memory recovery." Keal showed Marcus the ledger page. "This is grounds for immediate arrest."
Marcus read quickly, his scarred face going hard. "His Majesty is in his study. This way."
They found Adrian reviewing reports, a half-empty glass of wine beside him. He looked up as they entered, his eyes immediately finding Keal.
"More bad news?"
"Evidence, Your Majesty. Concrete proof that someone has been systematically poisoning Lady Lila through her food." Keal laid out the ledger page and explained Sydney's observations.
Adrian's expression transformed. The cold king vanished, replaced by something feral. When Keal finished, Adrian spoke with deadly calm.
"Marcus. Arrest Aria immediately. Use whatever force necessary. I want her in the dungeons within the hour."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Keal, examine all of Lila's meals from this point forward. Nothing reaches her that you haven't personally cleared." Adrian's eyes flashed gold. "And Sydney. You've done the kingdom a great service. Both you and Maya will be rewarded for your loyalty and courage."
Sydney bowed deeply. "We want no reward, Your Majesty. We only want Lila safe."
"She will be. I promise you that." Adrian stood, moving to the window. "Where is she now?"
"Her quarters, most likely," Keal said.
"Post guards. No one enters except Maya, Sydney, or me. And Keal, prepare another counter-agent. If Aria's been dosing her for weeks, the poison might be cumulative."
"At once, Your Majesty."
They dispersed to their tasks. Within an hour, Aria was dragged from her quarters in shackles, screaming about injustice and false accusations. Her office was searched, yielding more evidence. Bottles of chemicals. Notes in Gerrit's handwriting. Proof of payments.
The conspiracy was unraveling. Person by person, thread by thread, the truth was emerging.
But the mastermind remained hidden. Gerrit sat in the dungeons, silent and refusing to speak. Aria screamed innocence despite the evidence. Neither would name who had orchestrated it all.
Adrian stood in his study long after everyone left, staring at the ledger page. Someone had tried to poison Lila slowly, to keep her weakened and confused while erasing her memories.
Someone had looked at his mate and decided she needed to suffer.
And Adrian intended to find out who. Then he would make them suffer in ways they couldn't imagine.
Because whatever else he was, whatever he'd failed to be, he was still an Alpha King. And no one hurt what was his without paying the ultimate price.