Chapter 225 I Think I Know Who Our Fated Mate Is

Chapter 225 I Think I Know Who Our Fated Mate Is

~Aveline~

"Pass my gratitude on to Emperor Valerius," I said as I walked out of the cell.
The gate swung closed and locked once more with a sharp click. Inside the cell, Maribel lay motionless on the floor, unconscious but not dead.
Death would be too easy for her.
"Understood, Your Highness," he said.
"And her final verdict?" The other one questioned.
I barely glanced back as I answered, "Send her off to the Tragon territory if execution is too much.”
Either one of the two will make sure Maribel reaps what she sowed and suffers for what she's done to me.
"We shall pass your word along, Your Highness. Have a safe trip."
The guards bowed, and I walked out of the dungeon.
The moment I stepped outside, a whiff of fresh air mixed with the scent of rain hit me. I inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling, feeling something close to satisfaction settle in my chest.
It had taken me four whole months to achieve this, and at last, I'd done it.
I'd made one-third of the people responsible for my suffering and Lucious's death pay.
Now, all that was left...
was Lucien.
"My lady." Daisy's voice pulled me from my thoughts.
She stepped out of the carriage and hurried toward me with an umbrella just as a drop of rain landed on my forehead.
Huh.
It was raining for the first time in months.
How unexpected.
The drizzle intensified as Daisy successfully positioned the umbrella above my head. I watched the droplets falling around us, my brows furrowing faintly.
I didn't like it when it rained.
"Did everything go well, my lady?" Daisy asked, pulling my attention back to her.
Her pure gaze made me feel proud that I hadn't let her see what had happened inside.
She was far too innocent.
Reaching out, I gently patted her head.
"It did."
The smile on her face grew at once. But the next second, her eyes flickered to the side and her expression shifted into surprise.
"Sir Rowan, your hand..."
I threw a glance over my shoulder, my eyes falling on Rowan's hand.
He seemed to have pulled the pen out at some point, leaving behind a deep wound across his palm and blood staining his hand.
"It's nothing to concern yourself with," he said.
My gaze lingered on his hand for a second longer than it should have.
"Return to the packhouse and have it treated," I instructed, finally tearing my gaze away.
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Did he think I cared? Or was I feeling guilty?
No.
I simply wanted him to be at his best if the need ever arose for him to protect me again.
"I'll have it treated once we return home. You still have somewhere to be—"
I threw him a glance, my eyes narrowing into a warning glare.
"Have you started disobeying my orders, Rowan?"
Whatever he had wanted to say died on his lips.
He closed his mouth and, as though recalling his standing, lowered his gaze.
"Forgive me, Luna Aveline," he said. "I'll return at once and send out another guard to assist you—"
"That won't be necessary," I cut him off as I started toward the carriage, Daisy following closely behind with the umbrella.
When I reached the carriage, I looked back one last time.
Rowan stood beneath the overhead shade provided by the dungeon entrance.
"If Rhaedon happens to ask, tell him I'm simply venturing to my mother's land and will be back before dinner, as promised," I said, then glanced at Daisy. "Come on."
I slipped into my seat, and Daisy settled into the extra seat beside me after closing the door.
As the carriage began pulling away, I glanced at Rowan one last time. The rain had grown heavier, gradually obscuring his figure until the carriage finally pulled out of view and I looked away, staring at the road ahead instead.
With Maribel and the Thorne household handled, the next and right step would be to slowly strip away everything Lucien had worked so hard for—everything he'd used me as a stepping stone to obtain before discarding me.
And then, after I'd dealt with Lucien...
What next?
For the first time, the question caught me completely off guard.
I'd always anticipated that after my revenge, death would be what followed for me. But as my gaze drifted toward Daisy, who was staring out the window with a smile on her lips, I felt that future waver.
If I died, who would take care of her?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when suddenly—
"Aveline." Serena's voice cut through it.
"What is it?" I questioned, tearing my eyes away from Daisy.
"There's something important we must discuss," she said.
"I'm all ears," I responded. "Tell me."
A beat of silence followed, the only sound being the steady movement of the carriage beneath us and the drain drops above us.
Then Serena spoke again.
"I've had my suspicions for some time now, but I believe I've finally identified the owner of the mark," she said.
"Mark?" I questioned, confused for a moment, until my hand almost instinctively moved to my neck.
“The fated mate mark?” The question sounded sharper in my mind than I'd intended.
Serena didn't possess her full existence, or essence, and neither had I drunk that shady-looking potion. She wasn't supposed to know about this, was she?
Yet whether this was the truth or merely a guess, some part of me still wanted to know who the person unfortunate enough to be bonded to me was.
Did he have a hand in this whole ordeal?
Gathering my composure, I instinctively straightened my spine, as though I were about to receive an answer that could change my entire life.
"Who do you suspect?"
Another beat of silence followed.
Something inside me still carried a strange sense of anticipation I hadn't realized was there.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, Serena spoke.
"Rhaedon Ashkaar."
One simple name.
The name of the man I already knew, the man I'd already shared a bed with.
Yet the moment I heard it, it felt as though my entire mind had been thrown into chaos.
Rhaedon?
My brows furrowed, his name echoing repeatedly in my mind.
That couldn't be possible.
I would have felt it when we'd first locked eyes, or during the countless times we'd gotten close. His own mark should have been a dead giveaway.
Except there was none.
Unless... this had something to do with those visions?
"Why would you think that, Serena?" I asked.
"Because—"
The next second, the carriage suddenly shook violently before coming to an abrupt stop, throwing me out of my seat.
I reached for the handrail, but my fingers missed. Instead, the bracelet Rhaedon had given me caught against something.
SNAP!
It broke cleanly in two.