“No.” It took all of my remaining strength to lift my head and speak. “Go to the black market and fetch the best wizard or witch for me. Do it discreetly. Make sure nobody knows about this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The servant wasted no time and took off to fulfill my orders.
I hurried out of the palace, fuming. My feet thumped heavily on the marble floor because of my anger.
If Rufus hadn’t said something nice in the end, I might have been tempted to kill him today.
“Don’t be angry. This is all Adela’s fault. She is so smart that she even came up with the idea of using witchcraft that could make Rufus mistake someone irrelevant for his mate,” Yana yawned and consoled me softly.
I pursed my lips tightly, feeling very unhappy. “Rufus is usually so sharp. How could he have been so easily fooled? I’m afraid that he simply wants this.”
Yana clicked her tongue and said, “Why do I sense that you’re jealous? I thought someone had decided to be very generous and had even said that she would bless Rufus!”
“Of course, I will bless him, on the condition that he marries the right woman. Anyway, I’ve revealed my true thoughts to him today. Now I don’t need to pretend to be nice to Adela in the future,” I mumbled without confidence.
“Well, it’s your choice. I will support you unconditionally anyway.” Yana reluctantly had to end the topic.
Walking on my usual route, I passed the palace where Rufus and I used to reside. Every time I went by this way, I would look at it, and then sit by the pond nearby.
The view of this area was gorgeous, and everything had been carefully crafted.
However, I was in no mood to appreciate it today. I just wanted to sit quietly by the pond and lose myself in my thoughts.
At this moment, someone called my name from behind me. Puzzled, I turned around and saw that it was Adela. She was standing a little away from me and watching me with a scowl.
“Why are you here?”
I ignored her question and got to my feet, ready to leave.
But Adela grabbed my arm and scrutinized me sullenly. “I’ve never heard of the king having a child. Whose child is it? Is that child really yours? You didn’t collude with him to pull my leg, did you?”
“What do you think?” I eyed her defiantly. The more agitated she became, the happier I would be. Sometimes, I truly felt like I’d become a bad person, but so what? I wasn’t ready to give in.
Adela’s face contorted with suppressed rage. “Is that true?”
“Of course. Rufus doesn’t have to lie, and neither do I. Beryl’s eyes are so similar to mine. It’s hard to miss it.”
Hearing my reply, Adela fell silent. She studied my eyes, which were not covered by my mask, carefully. Her face darkened.
I was not interested in continuing entangling with her. I made to leave.
Adela grasped my arm again and mocked, “I was wondering what skills you possessed to become the Alpha of a pack at such a young age. It turns out that you got that position by sleeping your way up. You gave birth to the king’s baby. So what? He clearly doesn’t make any commitment, and you’re just his plaything. I’m the future queen, and you are destined to be his shady lover!”
“Are you so confident that you will become the queen? Aren’t you afraid that I will reveal your deception tomorrow?” My lips curled to one side, I shook off Adela’s hand, and frostily said, “Adela, I know what tricks you’re playing and you know that too. You don’t have to put on act here. We’ll see what happens in a month.”
I paused then, took two steps toward her, and continued, “I promise you, you will never become the queen.”
Adela’s expression changed drastically and she stared at me in shock.
Crystal’s POV
A guilty look flashed across Adela’s face before she assumed her usual timid demeanor. Only a fool would fall for her act.
The problem was that I still had no idea who was the mastermind behind Adela’s evil plan. It seemed that I had no choice but to wait for the true perpetrator to show up.
“What is it that you know?” Adela asked warily.
I shrugged noncommittally. “Come to me when you finally figure it out.” I turned and made to leave, not wanting to waste any more of my time on the duplicitous she-wolf.
“No! You can’t leave without making yourself clear!” Adela grabbed my arm and pulled me back. She looked some deranged harridan as she demanded that I reveal what I knew.
“I have nothing else to say.” I was getting increasingly annoyed. I never wanted to talk to her in the first place.
Adela’s grip tightened around my wrist, so much so that it actually hurt. She was sporting a vicious expression as she spat out, “Tell me what happened between you and the king! What do you know?”
I pried my hand out of her hold, releasing my fingers one by one. “No comment,” I taunted.
“Mark my words, Crystal. Once I am queen, I will make sure that your days are miserable for the rest of your life!”
Adela was panting from rage by the time she finished talking.
I just snorted and shook her off again, but she persisted on grabbing me for a third time.
“No! I’m not letting you go until you tell me what you know!”
Her attempt at intimidation was almost amusing to me. “If you have so much time in your hands, then I suggest that you read more books and learn something. Stop making a fool of yourself every time you open your mouth. Now, unlike you, I’m very busy. Let go and don’t bother me again.”
Right then, I heard someone approaching from a distance. I struggled harder against Adela’s grasp. I didn’t want anyone to see us arguing like this. If Rufus caught wind of it, he would only make things difficult for me.
“Leave, and I’ll cry,” Adela threatened, her voice already sounding teary.
Damn it! This bitch was really unhinged.
I paused where I stood, speechless and dumbfounded. I had never met someone so difficult before.
But that didn’t mean that I was going to give in. I shook her off once more and said, “If you want to cry, then just cry. Do you think I give a shit?”
Adela gnashed her teeth, her eyes already turning red. “Just you wait!”
Before I knew it, she had thrown herself backward into the pond, making it look like she had been pushed.
She sank into the water until only her head was above the surface. She screamed and flailed about. “Help! Somebody, help me! Help, please!”
My first instinct was to jump in after her and save her, but then something occurred to me. Adela had told both Rufus and Laura, right to their faces, that she was good at swimming. I eyed the pond and figured that it was no more than four feet deep. I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest as I watched Adela’s performance.
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