Chapter 90: The Apprentice

MAEVE

The moment I was inside my room, I let out a loud and heavy breath that I had been holding on since earlier. My body slid down to the ground, until I was just sitting mindlessly on the floor. My heart hammered against my chest, beating loudly that I could hear it from my ears. Sweat formed at my forehead, my body shaking by the previous encounter.

“He doesn’t know anything,” I whispered to myself repeatedly. I shook my head, trying to calm myself down with reasons that I made up just to stop myself from thinking too much. “There’s no way he knew about it.”

My hands flew to my face, covering it as I exhaled as loudly as I could. Draven was doubting me. The way he stared at the parts of my face that still have traces of my real self wasn’t just a coincidence. His gaze lingered in my eyes and my hair—the things that were still showing the real me.

“He would have already done something if he knew the truth,” my wolf spoke, assuring me. “He would have chased after us and offered us to the Alpha King. There was no way he would stall time.”

I nodded, washing my face with my hands. “You’re right,” I muttered, forcing myself to believe and hang on to that. “Knowing Draven, he wouldn’t let us roam around free if he knew who I really am.”

I slowly pushed myself up. He might be doubting me, but I just need to make him doubt himself—just like what I did to Nathalia. I need to be more careful. I couldn’t let him doubt my identity more.

And Nathalia. She already knew the truth, yet she chose to help me. If not for her, Draven would have caught me in that tunnel, and I wouldn’t be able to leave the Red District with the same freedom I have now. But I still couldn’t trust her fully. What if time comes and she decides it was time to reveal my secret? My plan and my life will be doomed.

“That knight, too,” my wolf reminded me, snarling. “He knew about us!”

That’s right. I almost forgot about Rhydan. That man was hiding a lot up on his sleeves. First was his ability to use magic, then now, his knowledge about my real identity. I knew there was something wrong with him the first time I saw him. He was trying to get close to me in the first place. Did he already know everything the first time we saw each other? But how?

With heavy steps, I left my dorm room only carrying my sword on the side. Without a word, I made my way towards Rhydan’s room in another building. Several knights greeted me on the way, and the only thing I could offer was a smile. I won’t be in a mood to talk until I clear this up with that knight.

I pushed the door open, creating a loud thud sound. Rhydan sat on one of the beds, looking calm as if he already anticipated that I would be there. My eyes scanned the whole room, locking it completely from the inside when I confirmed that there was no one but us.

“Explain yourself,” I demanded, standing in front of him. My patience suddenly grew thin as I watched him slowly look up at me with casual emotions.

Silence grew louder between us. I could hear the laughter of the other knights in the corridor. Their fun was a huge opposite of what was happening in this room. Time was ticking, and my patience was like a bomb threatening to explode anytime.

“Declan sent me after you.”

My whole body went rigid. I stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to say something more, or to take back everything he said. But that didn’t come. He just stared at me with calm eyes, waiting for me to respond.

“What the hell did you just say?” I asked, taking a step forward.

He was unmoved. “You heard it right, Lieutenant Maxwell,” he responded before lowering his voice. “Or should I say, Lieutenant Maeve?” he stood up, placing his hands inside his pockets. “Do you think Declan will let you infiltrate this place alone? What you’re doing is a suicide mission.”

“You just don’t trust me,” I spat out, giving me a sharp look. “You don’t believe that I can do this by myself. Do you think I’m someone who needs help?”

“You know the answer to your question, Lieutenant,” Rhydan flicked the hem of my clothes. “Do you think you would still be here if I didn’t give you the potion and these clothes? Do you think you have a chance against that feral prince if I didn’t stop him with his magic? Do you think you would be standing here, in one piece, if I didn’t intervene?”

His words were low but sharp, echoing in my ears even if I didn’t want to listen. He pointed out things that I didn’t want to talk about.

“Lieutenant, even if you tell us that you can do this alone, you know deep inside,” he pushed his finger on my chest. “You need help. When Declan saved you, when he trained you, when he made this potion. He was helping you all this time, and it didn’t stop even if you were already here in the palace,” he clasped my hand between his, staring at me in the eye. “You have no idea what we did just to make sure His Highness wouldn't find it out.”

Rhydan pulled me to the bed, forcing me to sit on it. “He is looking for you. He almost found out that it was Declan who saved you before,” he spoke, making me lose my breath. “If he found it out, he would have doubts about you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

My eyes shook as realization hit me. Draven must have his eyes on me already. The closeness, the favorite knight thing, the subtle biases he had. He wasn’t doing it just because I was useful, but because he wanted me close to see if my disguise would crack.

“Who are you?” I asked, turning to Rhydan. “How can I make sure that you’re really under Declan’s order?”

Without a word, he pulled out a small box hidden underneath his bed. He placed it on my lap, motioning me to open it up. My eyes immediately widened the moment I saw the contents—the same potion Declan gave me.

“I was his apprentice before I joined the oracles,” he explained. “I was there when you were unconscious after he saved you. The two of us made this potion together.”

He closed the box and placed it back to where it was hidden. “I know you can’t trust me fully, and I don’t need you to trust me on everything,” he spoke. “But trust me on one thing: I will help you hide your identity to everyone, especially to His Highness.”