Chapter 181 Letter

Chapter 181 Letter
Alaric and Freya's Chambers

Both Alaric and Freya sat in their living room chairs, eating fruit while laughing and joking with one another. For both of them, it had been a while since they had truly relaxed. For some time, it had felt as though whenever they solved one problem, another would follow right after.

Just then, their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door. Alaric paused as the knocking stopped.

"Come in!" he called out. The door opened and a servant walked in before bowing to the two of them.

"Greetings, my king. Greetings, my queen," the servant greeted before handing an envelope to Alaric. He took the envelope and stared at it for some time.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It is a letter, my king," the servant responded in a low voice before lowering her head. Alaric rolled his eyes, annoyed not only by the servant's response but also because his time with his wife, Freya, was being disturbed.

"I meant... where is it from?" Alaric asked.

"I do not know, my king. The royal messenger brought it and I was asked to bring it to you," the servant responded.

After sighing, Alaric half-opened the letter before pausing as he realized the servant was still in their midst. "You may leave," he instructed.

After thanking him, she quietly walked out. Alaric opened the letter while Freya continued talking. As soon as he began reading its contents, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. Suddenly, he was no longer in a cheerful mood because what he was reading was not something he had ever expected.

Slowly, Alaric looked up and stared at his wife, Freya, as though she were a stranger to him. Suddenly, the months they had spent together felt as though they had all been nothing but pretense.

As though sensing something, Freya looked up and noticed the way Alaric was staring at her. Instantly, she felt unsettled. He was not looking at her like a loving husband looking at his wife. Rather, he was looking at her as though she were nothing more than an enemy he was carefully observing.

"My love, is something the matter?" she asked in a calm voice.

"I... I am fine," he responded with hesitation. Just like that, Alaric rose from his chair with surprising speed as Freya looked up at him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, worried that something terrible might have happened and had put her husband in such a dreadful mood. For a few seconds, Alaric was speechless as he stared at his wife.

"Yes, I have received some bad news, and I need to be in the throne room soon."

"I can come with you," Freya said as she half stood.

"No! You cannot come with me. It is a very secretive meeting," he responded, doing his best to stop her from following him to the throne room. Alaric closed the space between them and kissed her on the forehead before walking away.

Freya watched as Alaric left their living room, leaving her wondering what could have put her husband in such a terrible mood.

"Call Henry right now!" Alaric yelled the order to his soldiers just as he entered the throne room. The soldiers immediately rushed out to fetch Henry.

While waiting, Alaric ordered everyone else out of the throne room so that he could speak with his friend in private. After a few minutes, the large doors to the throne room opened, and Henry walked in. He looked worried and Alaric could not blame him. After all, he had summoned Henry on such short notice.

"My king, is something the matter?" he asked, urgency evident in his voice.

Alaric stared at his friend for some time in utter silence. Then he slowly stood from his throne, closing the space between the two men. The letter remained tightly clenched in his hand. Every word in the letter echoed louder than the last, threatening to shatter everything he believed to be true. He searched Henry's face for answers, yet found none... only concern. For a long moment, neither of them spoke as the heavy silence filled the room.

"Read this," he said as he handed the letter to Henry. Alaric watched as his friend took the letter from his hands. With every line he read, he grew more bewildered until he finally lowered his hands and looked into the king's eyes.

"Where did this letter come from?" Henry asked.

"I do not know. It is from an anonymous person," Alaric answered.

Both men stood there in silence as they tried to make sense of what they had just read.

"I feel like a fool!" Alaric yelled.

"It could be a ploy to make the queen look bad. What if this person is trying to make the queen look bad?" Henry suggested. Alaric looked annoyed that he could suggest such a thing.

"I would have thought the same thing, but this seems accurate!" Alaric lashed out again, his voice echoing throughout the throne room.

"But, my king, this letter simply contains accusations and there is no real proof that the queen is having an affair with someone in this castle. The last time I checked, the queen loved you," Henry argued. Alaric turned to look at his friend, and suddenly there was a look of ease in his eyes.

"Are you sure about that?" Alaric asked.

"Yes, my king. Besides, this letter does not even say who this person is," Henry added. That was enough to put the king at ease.

"Yes, you are probably right," Alaric responded. Just before he could say anything else, the doors swung open and a messenger from the kingdom walked in. The look on his face was that of a worried man.

"Greetings, my king, and greetings, Master Henry."

"Yes, what is it?" Alaric asked.

"My king, I was looking through some of the letters that have been posted to the castle and those going out. I saw one that was suspicious, and I read through it. I think you should have a look at it."

The messenger handed the letter to Alaric, who took it. The more he read, the sicker to his stomach he felt, and finally his face grew red with anger. Once he was done, Alaric looked up and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Thank you for being observant. Make sure that no one hears of this," Alaric told the messenger.

"Yes, my king. I will make sure of that." The messenger responded before walking out of the throne room.

"What did the letter state?" Henry asked the king. Alaric looked up at his friend, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"I think it's best that you read the letter yourself," Alaric said as he handed the letter to Henry.

Henry took the letter from him, concern written all over his face. The room fell silent once more as he unfolded the parchment and began reading its contents. Alaric remained still, watching his friend carefully while trying to steady his breathing. Whatever hope he had clung to moments ago had begun to fade, replaced by a growing nothing but dread.