Chapter 199: Bravery Or Insanity
"I’m glad you returned safely to us, sister. You even managed to worry me for a moment," Damien said from his cell in a gentle tone.
"That’s right. Glad you’re back in one piece; otherwise, who knew what Lord Edward was about to do. The man was a walking ball of anxiety the entire time," Dante called from his cell.
A faint flush rose to Edward’s cheeks at that, embarrassed by how he had behaved earlier. He quickly released Cece and stepped back, clearing his throat subtly. "I....I thought you were in trouble," he muttered, looking away.
She let out a small smile. "I understand," she replied softly, glancing up at him, looking all fluttery and adorably flustered.
Seira then spoke, "I’m glad you’re alright. Did you...find anything?" she asked, sounding unsure if she should bring it up now, even though it was the question weighing on everyone’s mind.
At her question, Cece’s face grew grim as the horrible memories came crashing back. She took a deep breath before she began, "Yes...In fact, I found more than I ever should have."
That immediately caught everyone’s attention, and Dante quipped, "Do tell, Lady Cece."
Cece began recounting every horrific detail she had witnessed in that secret chamber of the dead. She didn’t skip a single part, not even the vile plans she overheard the queen had for Evelyn after marrying Valen.
By the time she finished, everyone in the dungeon was left utterly shocked to their core.
A loud slam echoed through the dungeon, jolting everyone as their heads snapped toward Damien’s cell.
"F*ck! I’m going to kill that evil queen and that scumbag brutally!" Damien roared. The violent bloodlust radiating from him was unlike anything he had felt before.
"Lord Damien, I concur with your sentiments," Dante said calmly, "but let’s not break the cell right now, shall we? You must remember Prince Ivan is still very much under her control. And if we don’t find a way to get him out soon...the consequences will be grave, to say the least."
Damien gritted his teeth, glaring at the cell wall where a fresh, gaping hole now marked his fury. "I cannot let that bastard marry Evelyn! We need to do something to stop this farce!"
"Oh, we will," Dante replied with a pleasant smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes. "After all, I cannot let my dear students suffer at the hands of someone else who is not me."
Seira frowned sharply at that, wondering how even now Dante’s sadistic tendencies managed to slip through.
"So what do we do now?" Seira asked, folding her arms across her chest as worry creased her brow. The thought of everyone’s safety weighed heavily on her.
"We..." Dante paused, his expression sharpening as a cold smile tugged at his lips. "We have the perfect opportunity to expose the queen tomorrow in front of everyone and put an end to all of this once and for all."
This caught everyone’s interest, and Edward asked, "How do we do that, Professor Dante?"
A slow smile tugged on Dante’s lips as his mind started to craft his sadistic plan.
.....
In Oliver’s room at the Rosemount Hotel, the atmosphere was no different. He sat on the room’s sofa with an incredulous look, as he tried to process everything Prince Aden had just told him. Prince Aden had just revealed that, during lunch at the royal palace, he had slipped away to use the restroom shortly before Professors Dante and Seira left...only to witness that brief but explosive confrontation between Damien, Evelyn, Cece, and the queen with her son.
He explained how, at this very moment, both professors and the rest of their group were likely rotting in a dungeon somewhere beneath the castle. Oliver felt his blood run cold at the thought of his friends being trapped in grave trouble. It was already shocking enough to think of them imprisoned, but what shook him even more was the revelation that the queen practised forbidden dark sorcery strong enough to control someone like Prince Ivan, the strongest man alive.
Moreover, Princess Evelyn’s desire to make a deal with the queen was not difficult for Oliver to decipher. He could easily guess what kind of deal she might have offered that evil woman, especially when he already knew the queen wanted Evelyn married to her son.
"L-Lord Oliver? Are you there?" Aden asked when the silence stretched on for far too long.
Oliver slowly turned his head to look at him and asked in a quiet voice, "Are you absolutely certain? Is that truly what you saw?"
Aden frowned at the question. "Of course! I’d have to be crazy to make something like that up! It’s all so messed up! Even I couldn’t believe what I saw and heard while hiding behind that pillar!" He rubbed his hands along his arms as a shiver ran through him. "I still feel my blood run cold every time I think about that queen! I mean, if she could do something like that to Prince Ivan, then how are any of us safe anymore?"
Panic began to rise in him again at the thought of becoming the next target.
Oliver drew a sharp breath before running a hand through his dirty-blonde hair in frustration. He sat there for a moment, thinking, before abruptly rising from his seat.
"Thank you for telling me all of this, Prince Aden. But I believe you should head back to your room now, while I-" He didn’t finish his sentence as he crossed the room, opened his closet, and pulled out his overcoat and the sword he carried with him at all times, fastening it securely around his waist.
Aden’s eyes widened as he realised what Oliver was about to do. "W-wait! Where do you think you’re going?!" he exclaimed, rushing toward him. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to march down to the castle right now?!"
Oliver simply gave him a calm look before continuing what he was doing. Aden, baffled by the man’s sheer bravery....no, insanity....to even consider such a thing at a time like this, blurted out,
"Have you gone insane? You cannot go there right now! I didn’t tell you all of this just so you could run over there and end up dead later!"
Aden’s eyes frantically darted toward Oliver, who didn’t seem fazed at all. Adjusting his coat, Oliver started to move, forcing Aden to hurry after him.
"Lord Oliver!" he called again, almost desperately, making Oliver stop in his tracks. Oliver turned and met Prince Aden’s anxious gaze.
"Prince Aden, as much as I would like to march into the castle right this moment, I’m not going there."
Aden’s eyes widened. "Th-then where are you going so late at night?"
Oliver stared at him quietly for a few moments before replying, "Listen to me carefully, Prince Aden, things are getting very dangerous around here, so for your own safety, whatever you shared with me...don’t share it with anyone else. You should head back to your room now. I’m heading somewhere important, and with matters this grave, I cannot sit around and do nothing."
He turned again and walked toward the window instead. "Well, have a good night and shut the door after you leave."
Aden stood there, utterly perplexed, before rushing forward to block Oliver’s path. "Wait! I want to come too! I don’t care where you’re going, but please don’t leave me alone here. I want to help too!"
Oliver frowned at the request and rejected it outright. "No. As I said, it’s far too dangerous, and I need to move quickly. You’ve helped enough by sharing what you saw, and I’m grateful for that."
Oliver wanted to hurry off to where he wanted to go, but Aden stood planted in front of the window like a stubborn wall, arms spread as if he could physically stop Oliver from leaving. His brown eyes filled with determination, "Please take me with you! I can be useful! I promise I won’t be on your way!"
"Prince Aden," Oliver said firmly, "please move. I don’t want to push you aside."
"I’m not moving," Aden shot back, "You don’t know what it was like...hiding behind that pillar.....listening to that evil woman threaten them for turning Prince Ivan like her puppet...and when he appeared, he seemed completely empty! And Princess Evelyn braving herself before that wicked woman! God knows what conversation they must have had, but I..." He swallowed hard. "I’m scared for them, alright. But I am so scared of doing nothing when things go from bad to worse!"
Oliver’s brows drew together as he listened to the human prince. He had expected him to whine, or show arrogance, maybe even a tantrum. But not this.
"I told you, it’s dangerous," Oliver repeated, but there was less bite in his tone now.
Aden clenched his fists. "I’m not useless, Lord Oliver. I might not be as strong as you, or as powerful as the others, but I’m not a coward either." Then he lifted his chin just slightly. "I’ve been trained in basic swordsmanship all my life. I can read ancient languages, something the Kingdom of Sunfire thrives in. I might actually be helpful."
Oliver blinked as the prince tried to convince him desperately to take him. He stared at him for a few seconds, and the silence stretched between them like pulled rubber before Oliver finally let out a long, resigned sigh.
"...Fine." He rubbed his temple as if he couldn’t believe he agreed to this. "Fine. You can come."
Aden’s entire face lit up in stunned relief. "R-really?"
Oliver gave him a small nod, "But," he added sharply, "you follow my lead. No running off or doing stupid heroics, and stay as discreet as possible. Are we clear?"
Aden nodded eagerly. "Of course! I swear! I’ll be quiet as a mouse...I mean, a noble mouse! No! A helpful mouse-"
" Prince Aden," Oliver interrupted wearily, "stop talking before I change my mind."
Aden’s mouth snapped shut instantly.
Oliver sighed again, moved to the window, unlatched it, and pushed it open. The cold night air swept in, carrying the scent of pine in the dark, moonless night.
"Come on," he said, stepping onto the ledge gracefully. "And don’t fall. I won’t catch you."
Aden scrambled after him with far less grace, nearly tripping but catching himself at the last second.
Oliver glanced back once more and murmured under his breath, more to himself than to Aden, "Let’s hope I won’t regret this."
Aden grinned nervously. "I can assure you...probably not!"
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gods help me..."
And with that, the unlikely pair disappeared into the night, one calm and calculating, the other terrified but determined as they headed toward the place Oliver intended to go with urgency.
