“But I’ve been very careful! I followed everything you said, including the little details on my facial expressions. Perhaps it is your methods that are flawed.” The bitch actually had the audacity to question my plans and blame her failure on me.
“Since you think so, then stop following my instructions from now on. You can do whatever you like. Let’s see if Rufus will even spare you a glance.” Adela might appear like an innocent girl, but her true nature was that of a wild, uncultured wench. Even now, she could barely hide the lust and greed in her eyes whenever she mentioned Rufus’ name. How dare she act all high and mighty in front of me? It was no wonder that Laura disapproved of her. She could probably tell what kind of person Adela was at a single glance. Compared with Alina, Adela still had a long way to go in terms of scheming.
Adela must have realized that I was mad for real, because she quickly changed her tone and tried to mollify me. “That’s not what I mean. Your instructions have actually been very helpful. Without them, Rufus wouldn’t have decided to marry me in the first place.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and felt a little sorry for Rufus for sending a dimwit to seduce him. I could have chosen any other plain Jane of low status, and she would still be leagues better than Adela.
“Are you angry?” Adela asked cautiously. Her timid expression was not unlike Sylvia’s when she had first entered the palace.
I shook my head inwardly. Even if Sylvia had committed an unforgivable crime, she was still his one and only love. Perhaps the only reason he kept Adela around was because of her deliberately crafted similarities with Sylvia.
Who could have imagined that the magnificent and noble king was nothing more than a pathetic sod in the face of love?
“I will do as you say, okay? Don’t be mad anymore, okay?” Adela was obviously scared that I would stop helping her.
I folded my arms over my chest and leaned back against the table. I looked out at the bleak winter scene raging outside. “Rufus loved Sylvia the most. It might be a good idea for you to imitate her.”
“But that she-wolf betrayed Rufus. How can he still pine after her? Isn’t he supposed to loathe her instead? What if I become so much like Sylvia that he turns his hatred on me one day?” Adela’s eyes had grown anxious, but her worries only amused me.
There was merit in the saying that fools were always worried about things that hadn’t happened yet. The girl in front of me was a living example of that.
“Don’t worry about that,” I said lightly. “Rufus might have lost his memory, but love always knows. It is ingrained in one’s instincts. He is bound to fall in love with Sylvia again. Or, in this case, someone similar to Sylvia. Don’t be stupid and just do as I tell you.”
Adela’s POV
There was a snide quality to the way Lucy looked at me, and she sounded as though she was speaking to an idiot.
I felt outraged as soon as the thought formed in my head. Perhaps Lucy did, in fact, see me as a fool.
But no matter how angry I was, I had no choice but to swallow my rage and endure. Her methods just might work. Besides, I couldn’t find anyone else who knew the secrets of the royal family more than she did, at least for now. I lacked confidence in myself, too. I was just the daughter of the Alpha of a small pack. I couldn’t even begin to compare to the noble girls who flitted in and out of court. I need a backer, although the one I found seemed to be living a more miserable life than I did.
I eyed the thin, shabby clothes that Lucy was wearing. She was only wearing one coat despite the nasty weather, and the collar was practically threadbare.
Even so, the scented tea that she served me every time I visited was excellent. If I didn’t know better, at most I would have thought it was a luxury good.
“What are you looking at?” Lucy snapped, her eyes narrowing at me. She must have caught me staring. I shrugged and poured myself a cup of tea. “Nothing, my mind was just wandering.”
“Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Lucy sneered. “You are far from capable, so you’d better behave yourself. I may not have much power around here, but I still have the power to get rid of you.”
I froze, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Damn it! How could she be so perceptive? I couldn’t believe she saw through my thoughts so easily.
I mustered an awkward smile and tucked an imaginative strand of hair behind my ear. “Please, you know that I consider you the greatest mastermind of all time. When I become queen, I will grant your wishes, no matter what they are.”
Lucy threw me a contemptuous look before saying, “I don’t really care what you think. Become the queen first, otherwise your daydreams will simply be just that-dreams.”
I struggled to suppress my anger and bit out a smile. “Yes, you’re right. We should take this step by step.” Lucy turned away from me and focused on her own teacup. I had to admit, she had a very elegant manner, even something as simple as sipping tea looked so graceful when she did it. It was almost most like she had come from one of the noble families.
My interest was piqued. “I heard that you used to be Prince Richard’s wife,” I remarked casually.
Her face darkened at that, and she turned back to me with her cold, icy gaze. “What does it matter to you?”
I touched my nose and averted my eyes. Judging by Lucy’s reaction, I could tell that it was true. Richard had been sentenced to lifelong confinement, and by extension his family had been sent away to struggle day by day. It was only natural for her to harbor some hatred toward the man.
I decided to drop the subject and divert the conversation to the matter of Sylvia instead. “Do you have any pictures or videos of that she-wolf? If I can study some of them, I will have a better chance at imitating her.”
“No. I used to despise her, so I didn’t really have any reason to keep anything of hers. More to the point, after Sylvia was executed, Laura wiped out all the existing information about her, including photos.” Lucy spoke of her so nonchalantly, like she was talking about the weather.
I didn’t say anything more. To be honest, I was distracted by the floral tea I was drinking. It smelled so good and tasted delicious. It had a lingering taste that stayed with me long after I’d left Lucy’s place.
I plucked a fresh teabag from the box on the table and carefully observed it. “What is it made of?” I asked in what I hoped was a casual voice.
“I mix it myself. If you like it so much, I can pack some for you to take home.” Lucy’s tone was still cold as ever, and she didn’t even bother looking at me.
This was just how she was. She was often mean to me, and I knew she didn’t think highly of me, either, but she was always generous. The last time I was here, she also gave me some goodies and homemade wine.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Although you can be mean sometimes, you still treat me better than my sisters.”
Lucy did turn to me then, the ghost of a smile on her lips. It was a rare sight, indeed. “You will be my future sister-in-law, after all,” she replied.
I basked in those words. Just like that, all our previous disagreements and my apprehensions disappeared. I took her hands and beamed at her. “If only everyone is like you. I’ve met another she- wolf before, but she was immediately hostile to me for no reason. That wasn’t nice at all!”
Lucy frowned and asked, “Which she-wolf?”
Lucy’s POV
“It’s a she-wolf who wears a mask. She seems to have an attractive figure. I don’t know why she wears a mask. Anyway, she looks strange. She is quite intimidating and frightening, but Rufus ‘ attitude towards her is ambiguous. The other day, she had barged into Rufus’ room without warning. Laura was also present. But for some strange reason, Laura didn’t reprimand her either. In fact, she sounded rather nice to that she-wolf. People always claim that Laura is strict, but I don’t think so.” Adela pursed her lips, her unhappiness evident on her face.
“Did the she-wolf have any other distinguishing feature?” I pinned Adela with a serious look. My intuition warned me that this she-wolf was trouble. She was bold enough to break into Rufus’ room just like that. No other person besides Sylvia would have dared to do this.
Adela pondered for a while and cautiously said, “Does her voice count? She has a subtle southern accent. By the way, my first impression of her was that her eyes were gorgeous and dark green, like emeralds. They are the most beautiful pair of eyes I’ve ever seen.”
My heart clenched in my chest. Southern accent and dark green eyes… All these qualities matched Sylvia’s features! Was Sylvia still alive?
I then realized that no one had actually witnessed her execution themselves. Only Laura had made the announcement that Sylvia had been executed. There was definitely more to the story.
“A guard told me that she is the Alpha of the border pack. The feeling she invoked in me indeed matches her job description. It’s rare to come across a female Alpha, but unfortunately, she was hostile to me from the moment we met. I don’t know why Rufus puts up with her. A courtier with such poor etiquette as her should be taught a lesson,” Adela ranted, her words colored with dissatisfaction and more jealousy.
I massaged my forehead, my mind suddenly a jumble of thoughts. I had heard of this Alpha from the border pack. She had been assigned that position five years ago. Now that I thought about it again, Sylvia happened to disappear at the same time.
“Have you clicked any photos of this Alpha?” I interrupted Adela’s complaint and asked.
Adela shook her head and replied, “No, I haven’t. Rufus and Laura were both there. I wouldn’t dare to do that in their presence. Besides, that she-wolf was wearing a mask and concealing her real face. Some people say that her face is disfigured, and rumors are floating around that anyone who sees her unmasked face will meet with disaster. I don’t know if this is true or not.”
I fell silent. My inner suspicions became stronger when I heard these facts. The Alpha of the border pack hadn’t visited the capital city for five years. As soon as she arrived here this time, she claimed that she was disfigured and never took off her mask. She didn’t dare to reveal her real face, undoubtedly because she was hiding something. It looked like I needed to find an opportunity to look into this mysterious Alpha.
Adela stayed for a little while longer. I wasn’t in the mood to entertain her, so I came up with an excuse to send her on her way. “You can go now. Remember my warning. Don’t come to me unless it is absolutely necessary. Over the next few days, Rufus may investigate your identity, so try and keep a low profile.”
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