I managed to remain calm. Turning to him, I angrily asked, “Did you see her save you with your own eyes? How can you be so sure that she is telling the truth? What if she is fooling you?”
Rufus remained quiet. He just gazed at me as if he wanted to see into my soul.
Staring at his pale face, I was overcome with guilt and rage as I continued, “You know, the vampires injured you this time. They can disguise themselves as werewolves or compel a werewolf to become their puppet. It’s difficult to guarantee that this she -wolf is not a spy. You must be careful!”
The more I spoke, the more my temper rose. I was so angry with Rufus. A she-wolf claimed that she had saved him and he just believed her. He had always been a smart man. How could he be such a moron at critical moments?
Rufus furrowed his eyebrows and his expression changed subtly. He was at a loss for words, so he turned around and simply ignored me.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Turning my attention to the she-wolf, I confidently said, “You claimed that you saved the king, so give us the details.”
Crystal’s POV
I desperately hoped the girl before me would cower now that she was being confronted. After all, I was the one who actually saved Rufus, so how could she possibly know what really happened?
Unexpectedly, she looked up at me and flashed a confident smile. “Of course, but since it was a very complicated, long story, I want to take some time and explain it slowly and clearly.”
“Fine. Say your piece. ” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at her with hostility. A strong intent to kill her and rip her disguise to shreds with my bare hands surged within me.
The girl pursed her lips and composed herself. She swiveled around to face Rufus and cautiously started narrating the story she’d probably just made up. “While I was painting at the bottom of the cliff, I suddenly saw a person fall into the water from above the cliff. At first, I was scared, but I thought it was more important to save the person, so I jumped into the lake. Unexpectedly, the lake was very deep, and the bottom was littered with rubble. King Rufus was caught in a whirlpool under the water. Fortunately, I’m a good swimmer. After several attempts, I managed to get him to shore.”
She stopped halfway and looked at Rufus and Laura apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I’m a little thirsty. Can I please have some water?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. The girl’s acting skills were so terrible that I couldn’t stand it.
Laura nodded and said, “Yes, you can.”
The girl gulped down some water and continued, “After saving King Rufus and reaching the shore, I saw the wound on his body, so I treated it the best I could at that moment. And since it was getting dark, I didn’t feel comfortable spending the night by the lake, so I took the king to a cave nearby. It was not until the soldiers found us that we were brought safely back here to the imperial palace.”
After saying that, she glanced at Rufus affectionately and said, “Fortunately, His Majesty is fine.”
After listening to the obviously fake story, I sneered and exposed the lie. “When I checked the same lake after the accident, I didn’t see any rubble where King Rufus had been injured as you claimed. But I did find weeds under the water. Besides, we’re currently in the midst of winter. Unless you happen to come across some macro aquatic creatures, you won’t find any large whirlpools beneath the lake.”
The girl’s eyes shifted, and she said timidly, “I was so focused on saving His Majesty at that time, and my attention was all on him. Maybe I remember it wrong.”
I snorted. “Since you claim to have tended to his wound, you should know its location and the kind of herbs used to treat it.”
My presence certainly deterred the girl. Her countenance shifted abruptly, and her eyes welled up with tears. “The situation was very chaotic at that time, so I couldn’t remember every detail.”
Laura eyed the girl sternly. “It was you who said that you had attended to Rufus’ wound. Surely, you should at least remember where he was hurt, right?”
The girl was rendered speechless. She glanced at Rufus beside her with a pitiful expression on her face, as if she was wronged.
Rufus’ face was frigid, and he cast his gaze down. No one knew what he was thinking.
“I’m sure you can’t answer my question, because it’s not you who saved him. ” I gave the girl a stern look and was about to tell her off when Rufus suddenly spoke up.
“You don’t have to ask her anymore. It was truly an urgent situation. It’s normal that she couldn’t remember so much. I have no doubt that it was her who saved me.”
The girl immediately smiled at Rufus. “Thank you for believing me.”
I was stunned. Was Rufus being tricked? Was he attracted to her? Was that why he was speaking for this liar?
Rufus raised his eyes at me without showing any signs of emotion. “The doctor said that my injury was so severe, and only my mate could save me. If Adela hadn’t been with me at that time, I would have died. So I know clearly who saved me.”
When I heard Rufus say “mate,” I exchanged a glance with Laura. A sense of guilt was eating me up, and I didn’t know how to reply to Rufus.
“Because Adela is my mate. ” Rufus’ words shocked me to the core.
Crystal’s POV
I was stunned and my eyes flew to Rufus in disbelief. I reflexively blinked and my mind went blank. For a moment, I didn’t know how to proceed. Laura also couldn’t believe how ridiculous Rufus was being. She asked, “Look, Rufus, how can you be sure? Perhaps you have made a mistake!”
Rufus scowled and studied us with displeasure. “I’m sure there’s no mistake. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw Adela, I felt my mate’s aura under the Moon Goddess’ guidance, so I brought her back with me. I’m not wrong.”
Adela’s cheeks colored and she glanced at Rufus before shyly dropping her gaze to her feet.
I was bewildered. Rufus and I were still mates since we didn’t break off the bond between us. Werewolves were loyal creatures. So how could the Moon Goddess guide him to a second mate?
“That’s impossible. The Moon Goddess couldn’t have done something so outrageous…”
I mumbled to myself. After saying this, I realized that Rufus and Adela were staring at me. It only dawned on me then that I had spoken my thoughts out loud.
I hurriedly shut my mouth and dragged my mind back to the present. I f0rced myself to meet Rufus ‘ deep gaze. I had made several mistakes today and was behaving weirdly. I prayed that he wouldn’t get more suspicious of me than he already was.
But when I noticed the frostiness in his eyes, my stomach twisted uneasily.
Sure enough, Rufus looked up and asked my sharply, “Why is it impossible? Are you hiding something from me?”
I was nonplussed and didn’t know how to reply. My mind was muddled. Faced with Rufus’ sharp scrutiny, I felt defeated. I quickly looked away from him in panic and didn’t meet his eyes again.
Fortunately, Laura came to my rescue. “Crystal just thinks it’s too big of a coincidence. She is just being cautious for your own good. After all, you’re a man of high stature, so it is wise for you to be discreet.”
The girl lowered her head awkwardly at these words. The tips of her ears turned red, and it seemed that she was embarrassed.
However, Rufus’ expression significantly softened. He pressed his lips into a thin line and stayed silent for a while. Then he said to me, “You’ve been against Adela since the moment you walked in. You claimed that she was not the one who saved me. What proof do you have? Did you witness the matter with your own eyes?”
I was instantly caught in a dilemma. If I wanted to expose this girl as a fake, I would have to also admit that I was the one who rescued Rufus. This meant I would have to confess everything, including us being mates.
Laura furtively shot me a wink, warning me not to act impulsively.
I pursed my lips and icily replied, “I was not there.” Rufus snorted, “That’s what I thought. You are confined to the imperial city. You can’t even step beyond its borders, so it is impossible for you to have been there.”
After a short pause, he continued, “Or did you disobey my order and sneak out without permission?” Rufus observed me sharply, as if he wanted to see into my mind.
Laura quickly interjected, “Of course not. Crystal stayed with me and didn’t go anywhere.”
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