Hearing this, Rufus laughed bitterly. “You’re very worried about him, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I’m not one of those unreasonable people who make the innocent suffer.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in front of him. “So, I should be thanking you, is that it?”
While he might’ve said flowery words, I knew that there was poison behind it.
Rufus raised his eyebrows and looked at the mask in his hand with great interest. Then he stared at my face for a long time.
Suddenly, he moved his face closer to mine.
My heart skipped a beat and I stepped back without thinking. I had no idea what he was up to.
“Don’t get close to me!” I yelled, staring at Rufus warily. Rufus ignored my warning and quickly cornered me.
With my back pressed against the wall, there was nowhere I could go. He brought his face close to mine and said sharply, “I’m curious about your social abilities.”
“What?” I didn’t understand what he meant.
Rufus continued, “You’ve stayed at the border pack for years and rarely gone out ever since you became an Alpha. Yet you have many good friends from the various packs.”
I held my breath, not daring to say a word.
“Warren, Flora, Joanna… Hmm, let me think… Oh! And Harry!”
Every time Rufus said a name, my heart missed a beat in my chest.
Then, to drive the stake home, he added, “And as far as I know, even my mother also seems to be one of your friends.”
Rufus’ POV
Every time I dropped a name, I’d carefully observe this she-wolfs reaction, especially when I mentioned my mother. There was undeniable disbelief in Crystal’s eyes, which I caught.
I pursed my lips and couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. I just had a guess about the relationship between her and my mother, but I didn’t expect that my bluff would actually lead me somewhere.
Last night, when my subordinate told me that Crystal had taken Beryl away from my mother’s palace, I had an inkling that the two must’ve had some sort of special relationship. But it was also possible that Crystal had used some means to f0rce my mother to trust her so that she could successfully take Beryl away.
Since the first time I confronted Crystal, this she-wolf had been as cunning as a fox. If I wasn’t careful enough, I’d inevitably fall into some sort of trap.
That was why I wanted strike as soon as she let her guard down.
She wanted to leave in the middle of the night. Perhaps she thought I didn’t expect her plan, but it turned out that she was wrong. After all, I had spies everywhere in the imperial palace.
Warren might be an esteemed Alpha, but how could his power compare to mine? The so-called bribing of the guards was just to provide me with new information. But I didn’t expect that my own mother would help Crystal escape, which surprised me very much.
Thanks to my mother’s involvement, the whole situation became even more interesting. I didn’t believe for a second that the so-called “Leonard’s cousin” act was that simple.
Besides, I was in no rush to get an answer now. Sometimes, it was more interesting to watch the prey struggling when cornered.
“So, what on earth do you want? Did you really take great pains to block my exit just because you wanted to ask me about my social life?” Glaring at me warily, Crystal pushed me away and strode to the door decisively.
“I don’t want anything. I’m just curious about your relationship with my mother,” I said unhurriedly, following her to the door.
Crystal immediately tensed up and her voice went up a few octaves. “We’re just friends. She likes my kids, and I’m willing to let them keep her company.”
“That’s all?” I narrowed my eyes at her back.
Crystal turned to look at me over her shoulder and said firmly, “That’s all. Ask all you want. I have nothing to tell you. Cancel my travel restrictions now. I have a flight to catch.”
I sneered, “What’s the rush? We have plenty of time. Some things can’t be explained clearly with just a few words. Take a look at this first.”
As I spoke, I turned around and reached for a document on the desk and handed it to Crystal. “My men have found an armory in the border area under your jurisdiction. Now I suspect that you’ve amassed arms privately, colluded with vampires, and were planning to rebel against the crown.”
I stared into Crystal’s beautiful eyes as I said each word clearly.
Crystal’s tense expression disintegrated instantly. With an incredulous look in her eye, she shouted, “What are you talking about? Colluded with vampires? For a rebellion? That’s hilarious!”
“Take a look at the report and you’ll see if I’m joking or not.” I sneered unhappily.
Crystal didn’t even glance at the document. Instead, she threw it back at me and snapped, “Even if you wanted to frame me, you should’ve come up with a better excuse! Armory? I don’t know anything about a non-existent armory!”
Crystal’s POV
Despite being berated by me, Rufus didn’t get angry. On the contrary, he picked up the report from the ground, patted off the imaginary dust, and handed it back to me, saying, “Don’t be angry. Look over the evidence first, then argue.”
I pursed my lips tightly, eyeing the piece of paper in my hand. Finally, I took it and looked through it.
The first time I read it, I laughed out of anger. The armory it mentioned was the one Geoffrey used, which had been found by Leonard five years ago. But it had been emptied out at the time, thanks to Rufus and Leonard. All its contents had been transported back to the capital city.
And now, the armory was mysteriously filled with weapons again. The only person who could have made such a big move was the one standing in front of me.
I didn’t know how Rufus managed to find this place, considering his lost memories. I also didn’t know how he managed to fill up this abandoned armory without being noticed.
Was he just pretending to have lost his memory? No, that was impossible. If he were pretending, he would’ve done something far worse than restricting my travel freedom.
Which meant he had only one purpose: to frame me!
The way he framed me was so brilliantly executed that I nearly went crazy from sheer rage. I directly ripped the report to pieces.
“Are you mad because I found your secret?” Rufus feigned a shocked expression.
I couldn’t help but grab him by the collar, hissing fiercely, “Don’t think that I won’t do anything to you just because you’re the Lycan King!”
“Oh? What exactly do you plan on doing to me?” Rufus raised his eyebrows and asked sarcastically.
Indeed, my threat meant nothing to him.
Rufus unhurriedly pried my fingers off his collar. “I told you that some things can’t be explained clearly with just a few words. Just like this armory-I doubt you were able to fill it up in just a few days. Maybe it took you a few years? Or maybe you’ve been planning it since you became an Alpha.”
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