Chapter 265: Polished Shoes And Cracked Thrones
"Ahhh!" Arthur screamed, launching himself at the intruder with the shoes held like holy relics, only for his eyes to widen to an alarmingly saucer-like size as his brain finally caught up with his body.
His feet scrambled for mercy, skidding helplessly across the floor as he attempted to stop, much like a racing carriage realising far too late that the brakes were, in fact, optional.
Ivan’s molten orange eyes immediately registered that the so-called intruder was none other than Arthur.
He stepped aside smoothly and snapped his fist shut, snuffing out the fire that had flared a second earlier, all to spare his loyal but disastrously committed servant.
Still clutching the shoes, Arthur crashed gloriously with the corner of the door, bouncing off it like a confused bird that had wholeheartedly believed that reflection on the pane of glass was indeed an open sky.
"...."
Silence settled over the room once more, broken only by a dull thud followed by a very painful groan that came from none other than Arthur.
Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed like a man who had just aged several centuries in the span of three seconds.
When he finally looked up, he was met with the worst possible development.
An audience.
"Pfft-" Damien clapped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders shaking violently before his laughter finally rang out through the once quiet chamber. Cece and Edward, who had been staring in utter disbelief, quickly joined him, their restraint lasting all of two seconds.
"Well... well... well," Damien managed between laughs. "And here I was just telling Cece how dreadfully dull things were becoming around here. I must say, what an entrance, brother." He doubled over once again, laughter spilling freely from his lips.
Edward and Cece bit their lips in a valiant attempt to maintain some semblance of respect, but both failed miserably.
Ivan released another tired sigh and shot his butler a flat look. "Arthur," he said evenly, "what exactly did you think you were doing, charging like a deranged thief with my shoes in your hands?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "I was mere seconds away from burning you to crisps."
Arthur scrambled to his feet, rubbing his nose, which was now bright red from the impact. Letting go of Ivan’s shoes, he bowed deeply, his cheeks and ears flushed a vivid crimson.
"Y-Your Highness, please forgive my imprudence," he stammered. "I-I thought there was an intruder, since when I had earlier checked the bathroom....it was empty."
Ivan’s expression softened slightly as he understood where Arthur was coming from. Unaware of his teleportation abilities, Arthur’s confusion suddenly made perfect sense.
He let out yet another sigh and addressed his loyal attendant, "Go and have the food packed for me to take."
"Right away, Your Highness," Arthur replied, bowing extra low in his lingering embarrassment. He turned to leave when Ivan’s voice stopped him.
"Wait."
Arthur froze mid-step and turned back at once, bowing again. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Pack some extra blood as well," Ivan added calmly.
Arthur nodded and was just about to leave when Ivan spoke again, his tone deceptively mild. "And Arthur."
Arthur looked up instinctively. Ivan’s molten red gaze moved pointedly to the shoes lying on the floor like abandoned relics.
Arthur’s eyes widened in sheer horror.
And that was one of the very few times anyone ever witnessed Arthur’s impeccable composure completely crumble.
"Oh my god. What have I done?" he gasped, staring at the shoes as though he had committed an unforgivable sin. To think that Ivan’s shoes, objects he revered nearly as much as the prince himself, had been so carelessly discarded after the collision left him utterly devastated.
He spiralled into dramatic despair, clutching his chest and muttering apologies under his breath, while Ivan watched in silence.
At that moment, Ivan felt an overwhelming urge to teleport straight back to Eve, abandoning both the palace and Arthur’s theatrical mourning altogether.
Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose once more at his unusually dramatic butler and called out calmly, "Arthur."
That single word was enough.
Arthur immediately snapped his mouth shut, straightened his posture, and all but fled the room, leaving behind a stunned audience who were once again reminded just how quickly the man could recover his composure.
"Well," Damien turned his attention back to Ivan. "It’s good that you’re finally here. We have much to discuss. Tea?"
Sensing that something serious had surfaced yet again, Ivan nodded, and together they made their way out to the balcony.
Over tea, Damien filled Ivan in on what he had uncovered regarding Minister Silas’s nightly activities and informed him of his plan to attend the upcoming ball.
Ivan’s lips curled into a cold smirk. "So it seems strangling him in front of the entire royal court didn’t work."
"Tell me about it," Damien muttered, rolling his eyes. "I said the same thing."
"How bold," Ivan mused flatly.
"How do you want to handle him, Ivan?" Cece asked, curiosity lacing her tone.
Ivan considered it for a moment before replying, "Let’s stick to Damien’s plan for now. Silas isn’t acting alone. Someone else is backing him, giving him the confidence to move so brazenly."
"I agree," Cece nodded. "So....are we attending this ball then? Or, to be more precise, will you be attending?" Her crimson eyes settled knowingly on Ivan.
"Hm. We should," Ivan replied coolly.
"You know Minister Silas has a daughter he’s desperate to see become crown princess," Cece added. "Your presence alone will make people think you’re entertaining the idea."
"A man can dream," Ivan replied indifferently. "And a man tends to grow careless when he believes he’s winning."
"Really? But I’m not sure Evelyn would like that," Cece pointed out, thinking of her friend.
A rare, genuine smile bloomed on Ivan’s face at the thought of Evelyn. "Hm. I’ll let her deal with things. After all, it isn’t me they should be worried about," he replied confidently, recalling her threat during their moment in the bathtub.
Edward, Cece, and Damien exchanged glances, noting the ease in Ivan’s expression and how utterly unconcerned he seemed.
"You don’t look worried at all, brother," Damien said, narrowing his eyes before grinning. "I knew it. She’s finally awake, isn’t she?"
Ivan’s gaze swept over them. "She is. Since yesterday," he revealed.
"Yesterday?" Cece exclaimed. "How is she? Why didn’t you bring her here with you?"
"She’s doing well now, but she still needs a little more rest, Cece," Ivan explained. "I promised her I’d bring her here tomorrow. She feels bad about you all having to stay here for her sake."
Cece waved a hand dismissively. "She doesn’t need to feel bad. We all agreed to it."
Ivan nodded. "That’s exactly what I told her."
Damien thought for a moment before asking, "So....I’m guessing you filled her in on everything that happened in Dartmouth after she passed out?"
"I did," Ivan replied.
"Alex brought a report yesterday regarding what’s currently unfolding in Luminear," Damien said, then glanced at Edward. "I assume you’ve heard things from your family as well, Lord Edward?"
Edward set his cup down on the saucer, his expression turned grim. "I have. Things aren’t looking good in Luminear right now."
"Evelyn is worried about what her fa-" Ivan paused and corrected himself, "-King Solan might do after the incident in Dartmouth. She’s convinced he won’t sit quietly after witnessing everything, especially given his vengeful nature."
"Her worries aren’t unfounded," Edward said. "King Solan is already acting up. I received a report yesterday from my men stating that a meeting was held with all the court officials regarding the Dartmouth incident, during which every detail was questioned."
He paused briefly before continuing. "The faction supporting Prince Ryan claimed that the official reports were falsified or heavily exaggerated. That led to a long argument between the two sides, until they eventually turned to King Solan and asked him to confirm whether the report was true or not."
Cece’s sharp eyes fixed on Edward. "What did he say?"
Edward pressed his lips into a thin line before letting out a sigh. "He denied ever witnessing the appearance of divine beasts in Dartmouth."
"In other words," Damien added dryly, shaking his head, "he dismissed the entire incident as fabricated."
Edward didn’t disagree. "Yes. And because of the king’s statement directly contradicting the official report, much of the support Evelyn might have gained has been all but lost."
A heavy silence fell over them before Ivan finally broke it.
"I’m guessing everything is back to square one now that the king has denied the reports?" Ivan said.
Edward met his gaze with pale blue eyes and nodded. "Yes. But I’m afraid it isn’t that simple anymore. Queen Elara will not sit quietly after everything that has happened."
He paused briefly before continuing. "Until now, Evelyn was only a minor obstacle in her eyes, largely because Evelyn had not awakened her powers. But now, she has become the greatest threat."
"The queen married into the Luminear royal family with one ambition alone," Edward went on. "To rule a powerful kingdom alongside the child she would bear."
"She knows that even if the king has denied the reports for now, the High Council and the royal representatives from other kingdoms have already witnessed what transpired in Dartmouth. Sooner or later, the truth will surface, and it will become clear that their king lied to them."
