Chapter 183 Failed Test

Chapter 183 Failed Test
Freya ran toward the horse shed after receiving a letter from Kael urging her to meet him there and to make sure that no one saw her. Deep down, Freya worried that something of great urgency had happened. A small part of her wondered whether the King had found out that she had been the one to send Kael to create a distraction so that Henry could not follow her.

Just as Freya arrived at the horse shed, she saw that Kael was already there, pacing back and forth. As soon as he noticed her, he hurried over, his eyes filled with urgency.

"My Queen... I'm so happy that you're here. Tell me... what happened?" he asked. His question left Freya utterly confused. The expression on her face made it obvious that even Kael could see she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I beg your pardon... what are you talking about? I came here because of a letter I received from you urging me to come to the shed immediately and to make sure that no one saw me," Freya explained.

As soon as those words left her mouth, Kael stepped back. His eyes widened with shock because he was just as confused by what she had said.

"I'm sorry, My Queen, but I did not send any letter to you. In fact, you are the one who sent me a letter urging me to come to the shed and to make sure that no one saw me," Kael responded.

For a moment, neither of them could believe what they were hearing. Kael immediately pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it to Freya. She accepted it and carefully read through it. Once she was done, she looked into Kael's eyes. Alarm bells rang loudly in her mind, yet she still could not make sense of what was happening.

"I promise you... I did not send you this letter. I received a similar letter from you as well, urging me to come here. If you did not send yours and I did not send mine, then this must clearly be someone's ploy," Freya said.

At that exact moment, worry settled across both their faces.

"My Queen... you're certainly right. We need to be careful. I suggest we both return to our chambers and avoid meeting one another because we do not know who is behind this or what they are planning."

"You're right. I understand exactly what you're trying to say," Freya responded. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Kael in a brief hug. However, just before she could pull away, the stable doors suddenly burst open. Soldiers stormed inside with Henry leading them.

The moment Freya saw them, she quickly stepped away from Kael. Her eyes met Henry's and the smug smile resting on the corner of his lips told her everything she needed to know. He was behind all of this.

Before Kael could say another word, Henry stepped forward and swung a punch so powerful that it landed squarely on Kael's face. The force sent him crashing onto the stable floor. Freya gasped in horror. She rushed toward Henry, trying to stop him, but he shoved her aside with ease. She stumbled backward and fell onto the hard floor of the stable.

"Take the Queen back to her chambers as instructed by the King. As for this traitor... take him to the throne room. His Majesty will deal with him accordingly," Henry ordered loudly.

The soldiers immediately obeyed. They grabbed Kael and dragged him away. They paid no attention as he kicked and struggled against them. His desperate cries echoed through the stable as he repeatedly shouted that he was innocent of every crime he was being accused of.

"I know that you were behind all of this. This entire ploy... it's all you!" Freya accused.

Henry did not seem bothered by her words. Instead, he simply stood there, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, as though being accused was exactly what he had wanted all along.

"I'm afraid, my queen, I have nothing to do with this. But you, on the other hand, have let down the king," Henry replied.

Just as Freya was about to respond, she paused. Everything was finally beginning to make sense. If her suspicions were correct, she was being accused of having an affair with Kael.

Just then, the soldiers lifted her off the ground and escorted her back to her chambers. The entire time, Freya did not argue. There was no point in doing so. Whatever was happening was clearly part of a plan that had been carefully thought out. All she needed to do now was find evidence proving that she was innocent of the crime she was being accused of.

The throne room

Lord Preston paced the length of the throne room as he impatiently awaited the outcome. He knew that the king was about to test his son and deep down he hoped Kael would pass whatever test the king had set before him. But the moment he stopped pacing, he sensed his son drawing closer to the throne room. At that very moment, Lord Preston's heart sank to the pit of his stomach because it was evident that his son had failed the test.

Before the large doors even swung open, the king had already risen from his throne. His hands were clasped behind his back as he silently waited. Not long afterward, the massive doors of the throne room opened wide and the soldiers entered alongside Henry as they dragged a screaming Kael into the chamber.

The soldiers threw Kael onto the floor, forcing him onto his knees. He looked up at both the king and his father. Lord Preston wore an expression of horror that Kael had never seen before. It was unsettling to see his father in such a state, and that alone told him he was in serious trouble. He had to defend himself while he still had the chance.

"My king, whatever Henry has told you... I've not done it. Someone is trying to frame both the queen and me and everyone knows it," Kael defended himself.
Kael had expected Alaric to say something, but instead, the king stared at him with nothing but disgust. That expression alone was enough to convince Kael that the king had already made up his mind based on what he believed had happened.

"My king, you might not believe a single word I say, but at least you can trust your queen. She's not a promiscuous woman, and you know that," Kael added, desperately trying to defend Freya even further.

From the corner of Kael’s eye, he could see his father sinking deeper into despair with every word that left his mouth. Lord Preston wanted to speak, yet he remained silent, knowing that interrupting the king would only make matters worse.

"Soldiers, I want you to take my cousin to the dungeon. As soon as I am done here, I will tell you what to do with him... and what his punishment will be," the king said before turning to face his uncle.

"I believe we shall go ahead with the punishment that my uncle requested earlier... don't you think?" the king asked.