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Harvey’s attempt to approach them was nothing but a facade. It was all a Starhaven plot. They had set a trap with a dozen suicide soldiers, and Leroy had foolishly walked right into it.
Leroy lifted his cold, piercing gaze and locked eyes with the Hell Monarch. He wanted to shout that Starhaven had sent Harvey to Westhaven to set this up, but he swallowed his words when he saw the chilling depths of Rafael’s gaze.
No, he couldn’t act on impulse.
This was still just a guess. He couldn’t keep falling into their traps over and over again.
Rafael knew Leroy was an impulsive and reckless man.
The trap had been easily defused, and Icarus had been captured on the spot. Now, Leroy would doubt Harvey and wonder if this was all part of a joint scheme.
However, Rafael saw Leroy’s mouth open and then immediately close. That indicated that while Leroy was rash, he wasn’t foolish.
However, Rafael wasn’t disappointed and ordered, “Matthew, continue the interrogation.”
After giving his command to Matthew, he turned to Michael. “Take Mr. Stellwyn back to Concord Lodge and report this matter to Grand Princess Lisandra.”
“Understood!” Michael responded, then turned to Leroy. “Mr. Stellwyn, please follow me.”
Leroy glanced at Icarus, then adjusted the sleeve pocket where the king’s edict was kept, signaling for Icarus to remain silent.
Seeing the motion, Icarus’ heart sank. He realized he had been discarded like a pawn. He had been caught on the spot, with no room to evade responsibility. Still, he couldn’t let Westhaven’s negotiation fail because of him. There was no choice left-he would have to bear this burden alone.
As Leroy left the Supreme Court, he felt a coldness creeping through his limbs. His heart seemed frozen in his chest.
Where had things gone wrong? Had there been an ambush? Or had it been just the three of therm?
Looking at the whip marks on Icarus’ body, it was clear he had been attacked by only one person. When Michael arrived at Glimmering Tower, he angrily claimed that a dozen men had surrounded three people, which meant the Hell Monarch and his party might not have prepared in advance.
Could Icarus and the suicide soldiers have simply been overpowered?
That conclusion was hard to accept. If it had truly been just three people, it would have had to be the coachman, the maid, and the Hell Monarch’s wife. Even without the suicide soldiers, that combination couldn’t possibly defeat Icarus.
No, the Capital Guard had arrived just in time. It suggested that they might have been prepared ahead of time. Had the Capital Guard been the ones to beat Icarus?
But that didn’t make sense, either. Leroy had already investigated the Capital Guard and Royal Guard. Few of them were highly skilled. From the marks on Icarus’ body, it was clear he had been in a dire situation before the Capital Guard even arrived.
What was frustrating was that there was no way to get a clear answer now. The true situation remained a mystery.
When Leroy hesitated to mount, Michael asked, “Mr. Stellwyn, would you like a hand getting on your horse?”
Leroy steadied his thoughts, mounted his horse, and straightened his back. “Let’s go.”
Amos was waiting for the news at Concord Lodge. Midnight passed, and there was still no sign of Leroy. A twinge of unease began to stir in him.
Could there have been some unforeseen trouble?
Amos had already offended Lisandra beyond repair, but he knew she wouldn’t act against him in Starhaven as she would want to preserve her reputation. However, if he failed to carry out the king’s orders, he knew Edmund wouldn’t protect him when he returned to the capital. If Lisandra decided to implicate him, his position would be in jeopardy.
Just as anxiety began to cloud his thoughts, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Bailey, Mr. Stellwyn has returned. Grand Princess Lisandra requests your presence.”
He immediately stood up and opened the door. ‘Did Commander Icarus return with him?”
“No, Mr. Stellwyn arrived with Starhaven’s deputy commander of the Capital Guard.” Amos’ heart sank-had Icarus failed?
He hurried to the main hall of Concord Lodge. As soon as he entered, he saw Lisandra sitting on the main seat with a frosty expression. The Starhaven deputy commander had already left. Leroy sat beside her, looking dazed and as if struck by a heavy blow.
“Mr. Stellwyn, what happened?” Amos asked, his voice trembling.
Leroy lifted his gaze, his voice low and gritted as he hissed, “We were fooled! Prince Harvey can’t be trusted. Commander Icarus failed and was captured.”
“What? We were tricked?” Amos was stunned. “Even if it was a trap, wasn’t Commander Icarus supposed to escape? How could he have been captured?”
“I saw him.” Leroy slammed his fist on the armrest, furious. “He was brought to the Supreme Court. His entire body was covered in whip marks. It was Prince Harvey. It has to be him! That scoundrel-I’ll kill him!”
Lisandra remained cold and composed, and her gaze was fixed on them. Her expression was indifferent as she asked calmly, “At this point, are you still blaming Prince Harvey? Where’s your brain? I warned you all not to underestimate women. Did you investigate Lady Sophie? Did you send people out without thinking? Does someone like Icarus even matter to Lady Sophie?”
“Impossible!” Leroy instinctively retorted. “No matter how skilled Lady Sophie is, can she really surpass Commander Icarus, the top fighter in Westhaven?”
“The fact is, she can and she did,” Lisandra replied coldly. “Not only that, but she captured him with ease. The so-called top fighter in Westhaven is too obsessed with scheming and power plays. His relentless pursuit of power has already determined the limits of his martial skills. Since you’ve already investigated Lady Sophie, you should know she’s trained in the Pathfinders Guild since she was young. Do you even understand what kind of place the Pathfinders Guild is?”
“Isn’t it just some martial arts guild? What’s so special about that?” Leroy argued, still in denial.
Despite the undeniable evidence-Icarus had been defeated by Sophie’s whip-he refused to believe that her martial skills could be that advanced. If it had been the Hell Monarch who defeated Icarus, he wouldn’t have doubted it for a second.
“A young woman from a guild-just how powerful could she really be?” Amos chimed in, echoing Leroy’s disbelief. He simply couldn’t accept that a woman could be this formidable.
Lisandra cast a sharp look at the two men, labeling them as fools. Their skepticism stemmed from their ignorance, and their ignorance was rooted in arrogance. They would never understand the sheer effort and sacrifice it took for a woman to enter court as an official. The blood, sweat, and tears were unimaginable.
Not just in Starhaven-even in Westhaven, where female officials were chosen once every three years. Candidates would burn the midnight oil, not daring to slack off even a little. Many survived on just three hours of sleep a night, all for a shot at one of the mere three positions available every cycle.
As for Starhaven, there was only one female official currently serving-Sophie. If her martial arts skills weren’t unparalleled, how could she possibly hold the position of commander of the Mystic Army? She had even fought on the battlefield and earned military merits. Of course, in the men’s eyes, it was all because the Hell Monarch had elevated her to this position. Even so, how many princes could successfully push their wives into positions of real power throughout history?
Lisandra didn’t bother explaining further. Instead, she issued an order, “Gather everyone. Since you’ve caused such trouble, we’ll need to adjust our strategy for tomorrow’s negotiations.”
“Adjust the strategy? Are you suggesting we back down?” Leroy’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing with dissatisfaction. “No way. Absolutely not! If the worst comes to worst, we’ll just fight!” Lisandra ignored his protests. “Penny, summon the ministers. We need to discuss this.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Penny replied before hurrying out to disperse the others and call the officials inside.
It seemed no one at Concord Lodge would be getting any sleep tonight.
At Hartstone Estate, the hours dragged on. By midnight, the back gate remained silent, showing no signs of activity.
Harvey frowned and sighed heavily. He called someone into his study and instructed, “Disguise me. I can’t stay in the capital any longer. At first light tomorrow, we leave for Valken.” “Yes, Your Grace!”
The people he had brought back with him were loyal confidants trained outside the estate, individuals he had never allowed near Hartstone Estate before this.
These confidants were capable in their own right-not extraordinarily so, but skilled enough for delivering messages, self-defense, and handling minor errands. However, he would have to rely on Yuvan’s ork for something truly significant.
His resolve hardened. “Open the treasury. Take every coin and banknote we have.”
“Your Grace, shouldn’t we leave some for Lady Heather?”