Second Arc (His Art of War) - 88. Impossible Second Chance
Angel turned and walked into the bathroom. His gaze was immediately fixed on Rose's whip that was lying in the corner of the room. He walked over and took it.
"Rose Ambrosia Heart ..." he muttered. His eyes were on that whip, but his mind wasn't there. Maybe if he found out what really happened five years ago and her true identity as the princess of Zephyrus, he would meet her as soon as he stabilized his position in Euphorion or perhaps proposed an engagement, since he could already see that Rose also had the same feelings as him. But sadly, he only found out this truth now, after he attacked her kingdom and after her family's poison destroyed his largest trading city.
'Too bad we have to meet again in this state ...'
He took the poisoned knives that were scattered in the room and brought them out, including the whip. He intended to destroy this weapon tomorrow and return the whip to King Eudon. But as he put it on the table, an idea flashed through his head. He could use this incident to lure the rebels without destroying Rose's or his reputation. Rather than a bad rumour that said that Rose snuck into his room, all he needed to do was twist the rumour that he was in love with Rose and for the sake of Zephyrus' peace, she accepted his feelings. That way the rebels would quickly come out of their hiding place and show themselves. He was sure his plan would work, since Artheur and Rose's engagement alone could make the rebels attack the capital, even though Artheur was still a prince and the Fallensoar family had no power over Zephyrus. Now Zephyrus had fallen into his hands, if he showed interest to her then the rebels would have no choice but to attack him or the Heart family head-on. In addition, this rumour could help Angel to win Zephyrus people's hearts and the nobles who still support the Heart family. At least with this he was able to convince them that he wouldn't hurt Rose.
Immediately, he sat down behind his desk and began writing a message to Flare and Frost.
First, he ordered Flare to make Rose return his blazer tomorrow morning, in front of everyone. That would help him to strengthen this rumour. Even though Angel just lent his blazer spontaneously to cover Rose's wet clothes but usually if a king lent his blazer to a woman then that woman must be very special to him.
Second, he ordered Flare to protect Rose tightly on their journey, since the rebels might attack them. He also ordered her to report to him if something happened beyond her control.
Third, he ordered Frost to help him to spread this rumour, especially using the guards who had seen them earlier. But of course, this was done after Rose left Zephyrus. Because who knew what kind of reckless things Rose would have done if she found out about this rumour.
He put down the pen, put the message in an envelope and gave it to a guard outside his room.
"Give this urgent message to General Flare, right now," he ordered.
The guard took the letter in his hand and bowed. Then he carried out his orders.
He went back into his room and headed for the bathroom. Right now, all he needed to think about was how he could get King Eudon's support to work with him to take care of these rebels. After all, he had no interest in having a thorn in the flesh from the kingdom he just conquered. Also, he had to think about Artheur. Even though Artheur and Rose's engagement was only based on political interests, it was clear that they were attracted to each other. These rumours were likely to trigger Artheur's wrath, which may have made it difficult for him to stabilize his authority on Draconis later. He could only hope that King Esteve was not provoked by his son's emotions, but since he could see that King Esteve was a very considerate person, he thought it wouldn't be a problem.
He took off all his clothes, all the scars on his body were clearly visible, especially the scars from Ilex's lash from five years ago on his back mixed with the red scar from Whitedevil Rose that almost filled half of his body. His feet slowly entered the pool, then he immersed himself in the warm water. A deep breath escaped his mouth as he tried to relax his tense muscles and mind.
'Whatever the result is, I still have to take care of this one by one. Even though Asteria is the main cause of this great war. But I'm the one who attacked them so I'm the one who have to end it ... '
He lifted his head, stared at the lonely ceiling and began to wonder.
' Rose... After all of this is over. Can I still get a second chance to start our relationship over? '