Chapter 171 Accomplished

Chapter 171 Accomplished
To Lord Preston's surprise, Henry laughed out loud and clapped his hands dramatically. Once he was done, he looked the old man straight in the eyes.

"It's a pity that, up until now, you saw the dark side of me. I am your trusted servant, Lord Preston. I will do no such thing... including going to the King and informing him that you were the one who helped Iris sneak into the castle on the night of the Full Moon Celebration," Henry responded.

Deep down, Lord Preston was shocked.

All his life, he had grown accustomed to people wanting to exchange favors with him. He also knew the kind of man Henry was... the kind who would double-cross anyone if there was enough money involved. For Henry to display this kind of behavior, expecting nothing in return, left Lord Preston wondering what the young man was truly trying to accomplish.

"I must say that I am shocked by this behavior coming from you. I always thought you were the type to want something in return, so this is quite a surprise," Lord Preston said. Henry laughed once again before walking over to a nearby chair. Resting on it was a wooden box. He picked it up and returned to Lord Preston before presenting it to him.

"Here... I got this for you. I hope you like it," Henry said. Lord Preston took his time studying the wooden box, carefully examining its exterior before lifting his gaze back to Henry.

"What is this, if I may ask?"

"It is something I believe you will appreciate... just a small way for me to show my undying loyalty to you," Henry replied proudly. Instead of taking the box from Henry's hands, Lord Preston simply opened it.

The moment the lid lifted, his expression froze. Inside the box lay a severed human hand. He slowly turned his attention back to Henry, confusion written all over his face. He could not understand why there was a severed hand neatly placed inside the wooden box.

"And why do you bring me this?"

"This is the severed hand of the servant you and Iris entrusted to carry messages between the two of you. I had her hand cut off as a warning not to say a word to anyone. She thought that by showing me this letter, I would turn against you and perhaps expose your secret," Henry responded, clearly pleased with what he had accomplished.

Although he did not say it aloud, Lord Preston felt relieved that this was not another attempt by one of his followers to blackmail him. He would have hated losing someone as reliable as Henry.

Not long afterward, Lord Preston closed the box before walking over to a nearby chair. He sat down and stared thoughtfully at Henry.

"I must say... you have done quite a good job. But how sure are you that this woman won't go around telling everyone who is willing to listen that I was the one who helped Iris sneak into the castle?" Lord Preston asked. He had long believed that servants could not be trusted. Given enough time, they would eventually reveal every secret they knew.

"There is no need for you to worry, Lord Preston. I have already made sure a few of my men are watching her. They will ensure she is taken care of... if you know what I mean," Henry said.

Even without Henry saying the words directly, Lord Preston understood exactly what he was implying. The servant would most likely never get the opportunity to reveal the truth.

"I see. You have done well for yourself. I suppose I trust you a little more now that you have done this," Lord Preston said.

Lord Preston rose from his chair, walked over to the fireplace and tossed the letter into the flames. Together, the two men stood in silence, watching as the paper slowly curled, blackened, and burned until nothing remained but ashes.

"Now that you've solved this issue, how do you intend to handle the investigation?" Lord Preston asked. "Alaric tasked you with finding out who helped Iris sneak into the castle. Now that you know it was me... and you've promised not to reveal my identity... what are you going to do to cover your tracks... or rather, my tracks?"

"There's no need for you to worry, Lord Preston," Henry replied calmly. "I will handle everything. You don't need to concern yourself with what I'll tell the King." He bowed his head slightly before continuing.

"I'll have to take my leave now, Lord Preston. I have urgent matters that require my attention."

Without waiting for a response, Henry walked out of Lord Preston's chambers and made his way back to his own. The entire walk back, an idea continued to form in his mind... one that would earn both Lord Preston's and King Alaric's trust at the same time.

Hours later...

Alaric made his way toward the throne room with Freya following closely behind. A soldier had informed him that there had been a major development and that his presence in the throne room was urgently required. Without wasting another moment, he left his chambers and headed straight there.
As soon as he stepped through the large wooden doors, he noticed that the elders and royal advisers were already seated, waiting patiently for his arrival.

Alaric confidently walked toward his throne before taking his seat. His eyes slowly swept across the room as he waited for whoever had requested this urgent meeting. Whatever news was about to be delivered had clearly been important enough to pull him away from his chambers.

Not long afterward, the massive doors creaked open once again and Henry walked inside. Both Alaric and Freya exchanged confused glances. Neither of them understood why Henry had summoned everyone to the throne room.

Henry approached the royal couple with confidence before bowing respectfully.

Deep down, Freya wasn't convinced by his composed appearance. Her eyes immediately fell on his hand, noticing that it was still visibly swollen from the injury she had caused earlier. She knew, however, that Henry would never admit how he had been hurt. His pride would never allow him to confess that the Queen had overpowered him.

"My King... My Queen... forgive me for disturbing you on such short notice," Henry began. "However, I've managed to accomplish the task you assigned me. I have captured the person responsible for helping Iris sneak into the castle... the same act that resulted in Lady Sapphire's tragic death."

Upon hearing those words, Alaric immediately rose from his throne and fixed his eyes on his best friend.

"Are you certain you've found the right person?" Alaric questioned.

"I assure you, my King, I have found the right person," Henry answered confidently. "The very individual who helped Iris is here... and that person works within this very castle. More importantly... it is someone you trust greatly."

A heavy silence settled over the throne room.

"Then bring that person before me," Alaric commanded, his voice cold with anger. "I'll make sure they receive a punishment so severe that they'll never dare cross me again."