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Death’s Daughter Chapter 285

Author: FoodLovingPanda

BREAKING HIS HEART

“What do you mean he is already dead? You saw him kicking and screaming perfectly fine just now. How can he be dead all of a sudden?”

“If you go to the dungeons, you will most likely find out that he committed suicide. I don’t know if he smashed his head on the wall, cut his neck with a sharp neck or hung himself, but no matter what, there will be no way to save him.”

Vitou didn’t believe my words and sent someone to check on the prisoner. Neither of us spoke as he waited for the news to arrive. I was still in a dilemma over what to tell him when the guard he sent out came back.

“Your Highness, the prisoner hung himself with his belt. When I arrived, there was nothing I could do to save him. He already lost his breath.”

I wanted to say ‘I told you so’, but held it in. Now was not the time for messing around. Vitou sent away the guard and turned around to stare at me, visibly angry.

“You obviously knew the outcome and yet you let me send him away. Why didn’t you suggest we escort him personally?”

“Even if we did that, he would have died some other way. Most likely it would have been some freak accident that would not only kill him, but also hurt the guards carrying him. By not saying anything I achieved the best outcome. Even if he arrived at the dungeon cells, he would not live.”

The King would not allow anyone to link him with his dealings in Vilikis, least of all Vitou. This was all the more true now that Vitou was suspicious of him and was opposing him. If the King wants Vitou to be the obedient puppet he nurtured, he would have to convince Vitou that the Vilikis is truly meaning to harm Elicia, and not the other way around. There is one thing that I am sure of; Vitou will not be a tyrannical ruler. That is why the caught assassin would die before he even got the chance to speak and ruin everything for King Erik.

“How can you know that? Are you the one that had him killed? You do have the resources and power to do so.”

“I hope this is the last time you utter such accusing words. I may have the ability to do so, but I would never take a life unnecessarily. Even more so a life of a person that was only a running dog for someone else. Besides, if I decided to make a move, do you think you would have a body to look at?”

“Are you saying that this is the work of his master? He was eliminated once he got caught so that he won’t betray his true master? Tell me who that person is. I want to know who my enemies are, the ones that wish to hurt my Elicia.”

“Vitou, I…”

I couldn’t say it. He’s not collected enough to receive such news. I need him to calm down first and bring him away, so I can keep an eye on him and make sure that he does not do something stupid.

“What? Still not saying anything? Do you trust me so little?”

“No, that’s not it. If you want to know the truth, take a day off tomorrow and come with me to my mansion tonight. I’ll tell you everything I know, but you must be prepared. The truth is not as pretty as you may think.”

There was a dinner banquet being held tonight to celebrate my approval by the Church. It seems that I can no longer use Vitou as a shield against the King, but rather be one for him. I heard that there was no familial love in the royal family, but I really thought it was only a saying and the truth.

Luckily the King didn’t stay too long and excused himself which let me heave a sigh of relief. I tried my best to act naturally like I always do in his presence, but I could feel that each and every move Vitou and I did that evening was being observed. Thankfully, Vitou was still the same as ever and we were cleared of all suspicions. That is most likely the reason why the King left early that evening.

Actually one of the reasons why I didn’t dare to tell Vitou about this is because the King would be wary of him and wondering if he knew the truth about the matter or not. This way, he would at least relax his guard around his son and allow him to act more freely. I figured that this evening will be the most crucial moment and it would be best for Vitou to remain ignorant. If he showed signs that he was onto the truth, I don’t think the King would sit around and the situation will only turn from bad to worse.

When the dinner was over, Vitoua and I left the castle and walked to my mansion. He was keeping silent and walking close to me. This is something I enjoyed as well. But I knew that such peace will not last for long, only until we reach our destination.

I didn’t bring him to the lobby or the study. I directly led him to my room. I planned on letting him stay for the night because I wanted to give him support. And at the same time I wanted to let him relax and not worry about prying eyes

“Do you want to know how I was able to predict that a war is coming and why I always stay at Dragon’s Descent base these days? The answer to this question lies in the fact that I know who is the one to send this guy in the first place. I knew who sent him to Vilikis in the past and I know who was the one behind today’s attack.”

Vitou is smart. He can probably guess the truth, but his mind is most likely refusing to acknowledge it. He places great importance on his family and to have them betray him is not easy to accept.

“Just tell me. Who is the mastermind? Who was the one that sent that assassin to attack the two of us? Don’t try stalling for time now, you already promised to tell me the truth.”

There was sadness in his tone of voice. I knew that he connected the dots and was only waiting for me to confirm it. The more I prolonged it, the worse he would feel. That is why I stopped hesitating and told him what I knew.

“The one behind that man is your father. He’s the one that hopes to instigate a war between two kingdoms and he wants to make you hate Vilikis, so that you would lead the troops at that time full of vigor and defeat the ‘enemy’ that endangered your people. He knows how to push you and is using the best way to make you move to his tune.”

This is the first time that I saw him cry. Seeing his tears spill out, but refusing to make a sound made me feel so sad and heartbroken. I could feel a huge lump in my throat that made it hard for me to breathe. For once I didn’t care about his and mine emotions and just hugged him not worrying how it may cause misunderstandings. All I knew is that he needed someone to be with him at this moment, and I decided to take on that role.

I hugged him tightly fearing that he would crumble if I let him go and when I thought about it I felt scared as well. That is why for both of our sakes, I decided to not let go.