Chapter 32: Book 2 (S2)
The carriage rattled down the paved road. Anita stared out the window a smile permanently printed on her face. Things were finally playing out as she planned. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Anthony's twisted face. Greed was his fatal flaw, had he been a little more rational like he usually was, she wouldn't have been able to manipulate him, but thankfully he was foolish enough to fall into her trap.
If every step was taken, there would be no doubt that Anita would rise to a high position, and she would be able to rid of Winter who was an eyesore to her. Her revenge was justified. Ever since Winter's appearance, Anita's life has been a total rollercoaster. Nothing had ever worked in her favor, her family fell apart, and she became the laughingstock of the aristocratic world. For good things to prevail the problem had to be removed.
However, recently the "problem" was getting out of hand. She changed and that did not sit well with Anita. She never felt more panicked than hearing that Winter was snaking her way into a royal position. Had she predicted this, she would have blocked all the pathways, cornering her, but winter proved against Anita, and because of that Anita realized, that if she continues to lose control of the situation, it would only be her downfall.
She couldn't allow that, and that's why she had to move quickly, and she had to do it now. Now that the duke was playing to her tunes, she could proceed with what she had in store, and no matter what Winter did, her end was to be under the guillotine, completely eradicated.
*
"Sigh" I huffed out as I laid my head on the desk that was now piled with books. Nothing was making sense. There seemed to be little to know information about Shadows and the so-called "awakening" Zachary kept referring to.
If I recalled the events in my dream well, there was no such awakening or shadow encountered in the dream I had. I simply lived foolishly and fell into Anita's plans. But if this so-called awakening seemed so important to Zachary, why was it he never sought me out? Technically, it would be farfetched to say he knew about my existence but thought nothing of it or, he knew about my existence, and this so-called "awakening" never applied to me.
The main question was: what exactly was the awakening? I needed to find what it meant for me to understand the reason he accepted my proposal without a second thought. Something told me finding out what not going to please me in the least but had to face it. I put myself into this situation without thinking it over. My naivety got the best of me, and I thought simply having him on my side would change my tragic fate.
Let's think about this logically, I thought to myself.
In the dream, Zachary had come back from the battlefield but had only ever attended the Banquet hosted for his Victory which I did not attend because Anthony had coaxed me into allowing him to accompany Anita. After that, Zachary had gone silent and only appeared when his majesty the king had passed. There had been no news of his highness other than there was no one who was allowed to enter the premise. However, after a year his highness began looking for someone or something. What was it that he needed to desperately that the entire kingdom was in an uproar?
I leaned back as I tried clearing my hazy memory. What exactly was he looking for and why? I kept recounting the events, but I couldn't make out that important detail.
"What seems to be so different now other than the fact that I have invaded his space? The king still got sick, and Anthony most likely has started frequenting the palace." And for a second I paused. Remembering one important thing.
What about Azef?
Azef is the highness's son. This is something I know now, but it wasn't something known to the world and still isn't known to the world in current times. Saying he never existed in my dream would be a little too much, but he was never a part of or mentioned in anything related to Zachary or the so-called awakening I keep hearing about. Perhaps did Azef exist, and the world just didn't know about him? If that's the case, then what exactly is the reason for this? If that's the case, who is Azef exactly? Who is his mother? I sighed in my stupidity to swallow my curiosity when his highness mentioned that he was his son. Could Azef not be related to his highness? I mean it seemed to be the only thing that made sense since there was no announcement to an heir if anything happened to his highness. However, what was the reason to keep him hidden? What is the purpose of keeping a child of blood behind castle walls, never letting his existence be known to the world?
For a moment all these questions had me wondering about the mother of the child. Who was it that his highness was keeping this child so preciously and lovingly for? I found myself jealous of someone who no longer existed in the confines of the castle.
The more I dug the more questions arose and I was getting nowhere near my goal. Sighing I stood up and walked out of the library. Who could I ask? I had no one I could rely on, and through all of this, I couldn't trust Zachary because of everything he was hiding. The only option left was to visit an information guild. But to do that the only person I could trust, and use would be Susan. I needed to bring Susan from the Monroe household.
And I knew exactly how I was going to do that.
that.