“Simple. We escalate the conflict.”
Sylvia’s POV
To make it appear as though I was utterly upset, I purposefully paced back and forth across the room and touched nothing from the small tea table, which was full of my favorite desserts.
I made a mournful face as I touched my baby bump.
At this time, Maya walked in, set down the fresh sheet in her hand, and asked, “What’s wrong, Miss Todd? You seem to be in a bad mood.”
“Nothing,” I answered weakly.
It was raining cats and dogs outside today, and Harry didn’t come to make trouble again, so the weather might have been a factor for that. Meanwhile, Rufus went to the city hall to preside over some important meetings, and he might come back very late.
Maya didn’t leave. She walked up to me and asked gingerly, “Miss Todd, are you affected by the rumors circulating in the palace?”
I feigned a surprise reaction and asked, “Have you heard about them as well?”
Maya nodded cautiously.
I quickly pulled her to sit on the sofa. “Tell me more. Has it spread widely in the palace?”
“Yes, rumors had it that you killed the lycan king. They also said that you did all these for your sake, so Prince Rufus could ascend the throne and you could be the new queen. Despite Prince Rufus’ best efforts to silence such a rumor, it is still being discussed among the servants behind closed doors.”
After hearing what she said, I fell silent and pulled a long face.
The sky outside erupted in a flurry of lightning and a heavy downpour.
A warm fire from the fireplace kept the room warm. Maya held my hand and comforted me gently.
“Miss Todd, I believe you. I quarreled with several maids this morning and even beat them because they were gossiping about you,” Maya said, showing me the bruises and scratches on her hand. There was no grievance on her face, but only pride as she added, “These are the meridians of victory. I beat those snarky bitches, so they won’t dare to gossip about you anymore.”
I felt sad as I gently caressed Maya’s bruised arm. I said softly, “Thank you, Maya. Since I entered the palace, you have been protecting me like a guardian angel. I would not have survived here without you.”
Maya gave me a hug and replied, “Miss Todd, you don’t have to be so polite and formal to me. I should look out for you since I am older than you.”
My eyes welled up, and I reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I always remember your kindness. You are like a sister to me.”
Maya was a kind-hearted person. When I first came to the imperial capital, I was afraid of getting hurt, so I was always vigilant and never let my guard down. It was her presence that helped me better adapt to this world that I originally couldn’t fit in.
So I would always be grateful to her.
But was this she-wolf standing in front of me really that same Maya?
Every part of me shivered at the mere thought of it.
Maya was so touched that she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. “Miss Todd, if possible, I want to be with you all the time,” she uttered with a slight sob.
“Of course.” I gave her a big smile.
Maya cried tears of joy. Finally, she asked cautiously, “So what on earth really happened, Miss Todd? Can you tell me? I want to help you if there is something I can do.”
I thought for a moment, and then said to her hesitantly, “Last time, I told you that the king was dead, didn’t I? Well, Rufus caught two suspicious people who might hurt the king.”
“There are accomplices? I can’t believe it!” Maya widened her eyes in surprise, and her face turned into rage. “Damn it! Why did they kill the lycan king?”
I pursed my lips and looked at her seriously. “The thing is, those two accomplices said that I was the mastermind behind it all.”
In shock, Maya let out a scream before covering her mouth in disbelief. “What?! What is happening? They are clearly framing you!”
Sylvia’s POV
“Yes. I was made as the scapegoat for the whole thing.” I angrily stood from the sofa and walked to the fireplace to try and calm myself down.
“But you didn’t do anything. How can they frame you?” Maya exclaimed from behind me.
I took a deep breath and sighed. “They probably planned this a long time ago. Rumors alone are enough to make me suffer, and they knew that.”
“What if those two insist that you did it?” Maya worriedly asked.
I sharply turned around and looked at her. “Then we have to stop the source of the rumor. Rufus planned to imprison and interrogate them, but now, things are getting out of hand. There’s no way we can stop the rumors from spreading, and people will know about these two sooner or later. If that happens, it’ll be hard to explain the whole thing. That’s why Rufus and I decided to take them out of the palace and secretly kill them.”
“Are you sure about this?” Maya nervously replied. “The palace is now heavily guarded. I’m afraid it’ll attract a lot of attention if you take them outside the palace.”
“Rufus has a way to take them out. We have to succeed so I won’t be involved in this matter. You’re the only one who knows this except for me and Rufus, so don’t you dare leak any information.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Todd. I won’t tell anyone about it. But if you need my help, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Maya said as she put her thumb and index finger together and made a gesture of zipping her lips, indicating that she wouldn’t tell anyone.
“I trust you, Maya. But the fewer the people involved, the safer it will be, so I won’t be needing your help for the time being. What you can do for now is keep an eye on the palace and not let any strangers inside,” I replied and looked straight into her eyes.
Maya vigorously nodded. “Yes, Miss Todd!”
After a while, the rain stopped, and the room became colder.
I wrapped the shawl around me tighter and yawned. “If you don’t have anything else to say, you can go out now. I just need to rest a bit.”
“Okay, Miss Todd. Have a good rest.” Maya bowed in respect before she left.
Soon after, Rufus came back from the city hall. He put the stack of documents he brought back with him to the study and then came to the bedroom to accompany me.
I weakly nestled into his arms. “Now all we have to do is wait for the fish to take the bait.”
Rufus tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered, “It should be something worth celebrating, you know? Why do you look so sad?”
I shook my head and sighed. I was still in a foul mood. Even though I intended to lower Maya’s vigilance, most of what I said was true. I had always treated her as a sister.
“Is it because of Maya?” Rufus asked.
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