Chapter 175: Cheesetrap 3

LYSANDER

... "I am not entirely heartless. I understand the value of family, even when the family in question makes it exceedingly difficult to remember why. So I will not pursue treason charges this time. However, his behavior cannot go unanswered. You should know that all too well, aunty. He will either accept this punishment or stand before the Elder Court. The choice is yours, Edelina."

For a moment, she said nothing. She simply stared at me, her eyes burning with such concentrated hatred that I almost admired the purity of it. There was no pretense of affection left, no carefully constructed concern for the kingdom, no attempt to disguise her contempt beneath the manners expected of a queen.

Then she turned to Johann.

Her hand struck his cheek with a sharp crack that echoed through the room.

"You should have kept your mouth shut," she spat.

Johann stumbled half a step, one hand flying to his face. He stared at her in disbelief, seemingly more wounded by the betrayal than the slap itself.

"You will let this bas..."

Her palm connected with his other cheek before he could finish.

"Shut up," she hissed.

Edelina turned to the Sentinels, her voice settling into something that resembled composure. "Obey the Regent. Take him to the dungeons."

The guards moved at once, seizing Johann by the arms and hauling him toward the door. He offered no physical resistance, but he made no effort to hide his displeasure either. He cursed under his breath, his gaze fixed on me as they dragged him away, promising retribution with every step.

Edelina watched him go, her back rigid and her hands clenched at her sides. When the doors closed behind him, she turned to me. For a moment, we simply stared at each other across the table.

"What?" I asked, my tone light, almost teasing. "Do you have something to say?"

She pressed her lips together, and I could practically see the words struggling to escape.

"I thought you were braver than that, Aunty," I prodded, leaning back in my chair. "You don’t strike me as someone who struggles to speak her mind. Go on. Say whatever it is you want to say."

She held my gaze for a long, charged moment, her expression promising all the things she couldn’t afford to say aloud. Then she spun around and stormed out, slamming the door behind her hard enough to set the chandelier rattling.

The silence she left behind was almost deafening.

Beside me, Bonnie released a breath she seemed to have been holding for the better part of the evening. Her shoulders sagged, and she leaned back in her chair, some of the tension finally leaving her body.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

I picked up my wineglass and swirled its contents, watching the lamplight shift through the red liquid.

"I cannot take Johann’s life for what he did, not yet." I took a small sip before continuing. "But I could see how angry you were watching him walk around as though your attack had done nothing to him. I thought this might offer you some consolation."

Bonnie studied me, searching my face for something I couldn’t quite identify.

"I would say thank you," she said eventually, "but antagonizing them like that... is it really smart?"

I shrugged and took another sip of wine. "I also want to see how our trip to Lily of the Valley goes. At this point, only the people at this table know about it, aside from Bradley. I want to see if someone gets desperate enough to stage an attack on me, or perhaps on Lily of the Valley itself, while I’m there."

I set my glass down, turning it slowly between my fingers.

"That is why I needed to provoke Edelina. I wanted her angry enough to stop thinking clearly. People are most dangerous when they’re calculating their next move, but sometimes, when you push them hard enough, they forget to calculate at all."

Bonnie shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Smart. And manipulative."

"I am an Asker," I replied, picking up my fork again. "You could say it’s in the blood."

I cut off another piece of lamb and brought it to my mouth, letting the flavours settle on my tongue. The meat was tender, perfectly cooked, with rosemary and garlic mingling in the wine reduction. It should have been comforting, but after the evening we’d had, it tasted more like victory. A small one, perhaps, and certainly not enough to put an end to the trouble waiting for me, but a victory nonetheless.

Bonnie cleared her throat.

I looked up, my fork pausing halfway to my mouth. "Is there something you want to say?"

She was nervous. I could tell from the way she picked at the edge of the tablecloth, her fingers worrying the fabric while her gaze drifted toward the door before returning to me. Whatever she had in mind, she had been turning it over for some time.

"I want to come with you," she said at last, her voice steadier than her hands. "To Lily of the Valley."

I lowered my fork and gave her my full attention.

"Of course. But why?"

She drew a slow breath, her chest rising as though she needed to gather herself before saying what she had already decided.

"I think it’s time I confronted my past."

The words settled between us, simple enough, yet carrying a weight I couldn’t quite place. I had no idea what past she meant. Was it something of her own, something connected to her mother or the life she’d lived before coming here? Or did it have something to do with the dreams, with the healer powers stirring inside her, powers she still didn’t fully understand?

I wanted to ask, but I held my tongue. She would tell me when she was ready. That was the understanding between us, the trust we were building slowly, piece by piece, and I had no intention of undermining it simply because my curiosity demanded answers.

Instead, I nodded, once, letting her know I’d heard her without asking her to explain herself.

"Okay."