Second Arc (His Art of War) - 77. Conspiracy
Angel and King Eudon walked down the corridor followed by Frost and some of his guards. Based on the direction they were walking, King Eudon could already guess where Angel would take him. But of course, he couldn't say anything.
They had just turned at the end of the corridor but suddenly a woman bumped into them. "Ah!" she gasped in surprise and staggered backwards.
Meanwhile, Frost and several of his guards rushed forward swiftly with swords in their hands, blocking the woman from approaching him.
"Ivetta, what are you doing here?" said King Eudon as soon as he could see the woman's face clearly.
Meanwhile, Angel quickly recognized her, since he saw Ivetta's face clearly in the elite Asteria troop's memory.
Ivetta bowed clumsily. "For - forgive me, Your Majesty, King Eudon." She turned to Angel and bowed. "Your Majesty, King Angelus."
"Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked in a cold voice. He decided to pretend he didn't know her in order to know Ivetta's true intention.
"My - my name is Ivetta Rosemond Crowheart, Your Majesty. I was terrified during the chaos earlier and ended up hiding near here ..." she replied as she lowered her head with a regretful expression.
Seeing Ivetta's expression and remembering Ivetta family's merit to the Heart family, King Eudon immediately defended her. "She's just a noble lady who doesn't know anything. I hope you can forgive her impudence."
"You seem to know her well," said Angel as he turned his gaze to King Eudon.
"Her late father was a noble who had done a lot for Zephyrus. Besides, Ivetta is also a good friend of Rose. I hope you can forgive her."
'I see ... Now, I am not confused, why they are having trouble eradicating these rebels.' He turned his gaze to Ivetta who still lowered her head. 'Then I'll use her to lure her comrades out of their hiding place.' "It looks like you are quite close to the royal family, I hope you don't mind accompanying me for a chat later," he said casually.
"King Angelus, even though she's close to my family but she doesn't know anything," said King Eudon with a worried tone. King Eudon was worried that Angel would throw his anger at Ivetta since he hadn't got the information he wanted earlier.
"I just wanted to have a chat with her and I don't think she will mind." He turned his gaze to Ivetta. "Is that right, Lady Ivetta?" he asked in an emphatic tone.
"I - I have no objection, Your Majesty," answered Ivetta without raising her head. A sly smirk developed on her face as her plan worked. Now Asteria had fallen and Ilex hadn't contacted her yet. Instead of wasting her time waiting for Ilex, wouldn't it be better for her to approach Angel who had clearly ruled Zephyrus? If she could convince Angel that the Heart family was a bad ruler and he would get support from Zephyrus' nobles by getting rid of Rose and King Eudon, then Angel would most likely choose her to be Zephyrus' next ruler. Moreover, if she managed to make Angel fall in love with her, then she had a chance to become Queen of Euphorion.
"Take her to the parlour room!" Angel ordered the guards.
Ivetta responded with a bow while Angel stepped past her indifferently, followed by King Eudon, Frost and the rest of the guards.
Their feet continued to step up to the front of the magic room. "You already know what you have to do," he said without further ado.
King Eudon stared at the large red door with golden ornaments in front of him. If he gave Angel access to the 'magic shield' in it then nothing could stop Angel's power anymore but right now he also had no other choice.
King Eudon took a deep breath and stretched his hand to the side. A guard gave him a small knife. He took it, took off his glove and scratched it into his palm. Reluctantly, King Eudon touched the door and the barrier that covered the room faded away.
Angel's feet stepped into the room. Meanwhile, King Eudon lowered his head and followed behind him.
His feet stepped closer to the magic formation that glowed in red in the middle as he removed one of his gloves. He stretched his hand to the side. Again, reluctantly, King Eudon clenched his hand, letting his blood trickle down Angel's palm.
"Thank you," said Angel. He touched the magic formation and he flowed his dark aura into it.
Slowly, the reddish glow of the magic formation mixed with his dark aura, indicating he already had the access to use all of his magic power in the castle.
"What are you planning after this?" asked King Eudon, holding back his anger.
"Destroying rat nests," he replied as he stared at the dark aura that swirling in his palm.