Chapter 169:
Worthy Opponent
Outside of their room, Silas and Clarence were met with a darkened hall, neither the usual knights nor any servants walking the palace halls. The only figure standing outside the room was Jasmine, her tired eyes carrying a hint of curiosity as she stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot as she impatiently stared forward, as if anticipating the two men to be out of the room at any moment.
So she waited after all. Silas thought. Clarence, however, carried a stronger bitter aftertaste to his words as he glared at Jasmine, the full temperature of hatred leaking from his fervent gaze as he asked with a trace of annoyance. "What has you at the palace this late? I thought you were supposed to be helping Beau and Holland on their mission."
Chuckling to herself, Jasmine shot back with a hint of spice, "Unlike you, I don't have time to fool around." Flicking a piece of her hair over her shoulder, Jasmine looked over her shoulder towards the prince as she added, "I got here only moments ago. I have some news regarding Malcolm. Beau and Holland are still cleaning up the mess that psychopath made." Trailing over Beau's name carried a trace of unhidden disdain, her lip curling.
"What happened?" Silas cut in, a trace of anxiety hanging on his words.
Clarence bit his lip to keep himself from shooting back insults at Jasmine, while the woman responded to Silas, her eyes full of exhaustion, "I figured you two would still be awake… anyway, I would rather not repeat myself, so follow me to the conference room. The others shouldn't be far behind. We'll talk more there."
With the information hanging on Jasmine's lips, waiting to be shared, the trio made haste to return to the conference room under the cover of the dark. The large halls, filled with the light shadows of the moonlight, made it all the more eerie, and their footsteps echoed prominently, so much so it nearly made Silas's hands tremble in a mix of fear and excitement, a hanging suspense that brought with it a possibility of calm, redemption, and an end to madness.
Anxiously, Silas walked ahead slightly, his footsteps carrying him quickly as Clarence watched, staring forward towards his lover with a sweet smile before he wordlessly began to slow his own steps, causing Jasmine to match his pace, noticing his fervent gaze had moved towards her with far less affection. A bad feeling rose in the pit of her stomach.
Without pause, Clarence spat what he had been waiting to say since Jasmine's earlier interruption. "If you say anything about what you saw tonight-" Clarence shot out, nearly in a whisper as Silas walked a step ahead, unable to hear, "I'll kill you."
"You really think I'm that interested in you two?" Flashing hostility, Jasmine glared with a toothy smile, exposing her sharp canine teeth.
Clarence smiled back all the more threateningly, his eyes nearly glowing. "I mean it, Jasmine."
"You don't have to worry about something that's none of my business." Restraining the urge to roll her eyes, she whispered in response, "Besides, why would I say anything?" She huffed with a strong hint of finality. "Things have already gone to shit, sides blurring, enemies becoming lovers… this shit is aging me. It's easier to just act like I don't see anything." Her voice was hoarse, tired, but her words carried a trace of the same old Jasmine, her words much like an abrasive sister.
Carefully, Clarence turned back to Jasmine and hummed thoughtfully, watching as Silas slowed down to walk by them, "Thank you, Jasmine."
But, her next words came as unexpected. "But if I need help with my novel, you can't refuse me now, can you?" With what little energy she had left, she wiggled her brows mischievously, dodging to the side as Clarence threatened to wave his fist at her.
Though Jasmine was nearly Silas's age, watching the two joke around in such a manner made Silas even crack a smile. Knowing such tense news could come, with Jasmine's lightened demeanor, it made them hopeful something good was to come, at least.
Once the conversation ended, so did the jovial tone. Without pause, the trio continued forward, fatigue and anxiety drifting between them in waves as they entered the conference room, still having yet to pass a working servant. They closed the door behind them without looking back, prepared for whatever was to come.
"Where are the servants?" Silas asked as he pulled out a chair for Jasmine at the table, "Even the knights are nowhere to be found."
Jasmine thanked Silas briskly as she sat down, yawning into her hand, "I sent them on a small mission. Eva should be here shortly with Meredith and Maeir."
Clarence sat next to Silas, pulling in his chair as he asked, "You didn't go to wake them?" He curled his brow with a note of irritation.
Laughing, Jasmine succinctly responded with a quip, "I expected the two of you would still be awake, but not in such a manner."
Coughing into his hand, his face flushed to his chest, Silas attempted to catch his breath, but Jasmine's sharp remark rendered him speechless. Preferring to keep intimate matters quiet, Silas felt as if he would never live that moment down, knowing how wide of a mouth Jasmine had. Watching Silas, Clarence gently patted Silas's back, speaking softly as his dark eyes gravitated towards Jasmine, a cool air of mana shifting in her direction, nearly solidifying in the air.
Before another fight could begin, an expected guest arrived without the announcement of a servant, pushing the door open on her own before swiftly shutting it behind her trailing garment. "Oh, you're already here." Wearing a long, draping robe tied at the waist, Eva walked into the room, carrying a candle holder with a lit candle in her hand. Her face was full of fatigue, but her eyes had an air of vigor, lit up with a burning light. Her short hair was tied behind her head in a casual fashion, and without makeup, Eva looked younger than her usual self, "I came as soon as I could. You must have news about Malcolm."
"That's right. It'd be best if you sat down for this." Jasmine gestured, moving towards the empty chairs around the table. "There's a fair amount I'd like to discuss first. Silas and Clarence don't know anything yet either."
"What about Maeir and Meredith?" Silas asked, the ends of his hair still dripping with moisture from his earlier escapade. "Shouldn't they be here to hear this?"
"Well…" Jasmine began with a sigh, "They're asleep in their rooms at the moment, at least, the ones I checked. I'd rather not try to rouse Maeir." Jasmine said as she awkwardly rubbed her arms. "Everyone else I tried is asleep, too. They'll get the update in the morning. Won't kill them if it's a little late." She let out another sigh, the fatigue visible in her own eyes. "After this, I'm going to sleep myself. If anyone asks, the rest of you can speak for me."
Eva leaned forward slightly as she added, "I also tried to wake Meredith, but he and Maeir stayed up most of last night to prepare for Adora's return. He's been sleeping since dusk. It would be best to let him rest."
Ah. There was a pause, Eva's words carrying a stronger weight than intended. Eva and Meredith really are… together. Silas thought to himself, nodding his head lightly in surprise.
"What of Malcolm?" Clarence spearheaded the conversation first without acknowledging Eva's earlier words, his eyes burning with a scent of rage underneath the dark circles. "Is he finally taken care of?"
Eva sat with her legs crossed, leaning forward slightly with a twinkle in her eye. Seeing Clarence's hand clenched under the table, resting on his leg, Silas slowly lowered his right hand from the table and gently held the back of the man's hand in his own, gently rubbing the tense knuckles with his thumb in a soft gesture.
Feeling the gentle touch, Clarence lifted his heavy glare and smiled towards Silas sweetly, enjoying the soft touch as he was momentarily distracted. Meanwhile, Jasmine looked around the table and addressed the group without much patience. "According to our sources, Malcolm has been captured by Theo and is being transported back to the main camp before he is properly killed."
He's been caught. Really. He's finally been captured. Clarence thought coolly, gently touching Silas's hand with his own, holding their fingers together like a knot, savoring the warmth of the elven man's hand as if it were his own.
With no response from the tense onlookers, Jasmine continued to speak, "Theo has promised to parade his head through the town if there is so much a peep of resistance. After what had happened between Theo's lover and Malcolm, I would not be surprised if Theo plans to torture him further than necessary." Though her words were light, Jasmine's tone carried the weight of a sack of bricks, heavily lying on Clarence's heart as he thought of Alywin and Charlotte, who had been abandoned and left in the palace with that insane maniac. "He wants to take care of him himself. Holland has-"
"-he has two days to kill him and bring his head to me. He is well aware of what Malcolm and those who supported him have done…" Eva interrupted, lifting her gloved hand with a trace of bitter fury in her tone. "I don't want another escapee. If he so much as steps out of his cage, I will ensure whoever let him escape joins his descent to hell."
"Understood." Jasmine uttered, feeling a trace of cold sweat growing on her brow.
"Though they have been unused for some time, Theo can be contacted by mana gem, correct? I will ask Meredith to contact him as soon as he is awake. Something this important can't wait for a messenger."
Nodding his head, listening carefully, Silas added, "I can relay this information as well, Eva. Let Meredith rest."
With her gaze, nearly full of impatience and cold as ever, Eva surprisingly responded, "That may work better. Contact him tonight, after this meeting ends."
"Of course." Silas bowed his head.
The wash of emotions left everyone tense, so much so that Clarence's sudden bout of laughter shocked everyone at the table, and even after squeezing the man's palm, Silas still did not receive a response. Instead, Clarence laughed deprecatingly, "I should thank your rebel efforts, Eva, for making his rule so short." There was a pause before he continued, "After all that effort he put into taking over the palace, he crumbled so quickly… it was a shame I wasn't able to be here for it."
"Oh?" Sensing the overt mockery in his tone, Eva had no patience to wait to put him in his place. "Had you still been in power, you would have swiftly joined him at the guillotine, Clarence." Eva pushed back a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes gleaming threateningly as her tone grew cold, "While you've changed your ways for now…" She trailed off, her gaze trailing over Silas before she continued, returning to face Clarence, "There is still much you need to do to win back the palace. You will never rule this kingdom, not from under my thumb."
Swallowing back his own response, Silas fell silent. Jasmine's eyes also trailed between the two, but she kept her lips tightly shut. In response, Clarence smiled mockingly towards Eva, "But you can't kill me, not without losing the support of the people."
While the two never got along, today's news brought a hint of danger to it, and Clarence could feel Eva's weighted gaze on him fall again and again, judging his usefulness and worth with a single, piercing glance. The rebels that had invaded the palace would love nothing more than to destroy him where he stood, but there was too much at risk now for him to allow himself to fail like his cousin did.
I won't let you win, Eva. He clenched his fist to his side, his stare never backing down from Eva's own, making the dim room feel all the more stuffy.
"More importantly-" Feeling the tension in the room only growing, her own impatience just as strong, Jasmine interrupted with a pause. "Devon came to intercept the news. He's delivering it back to Camille and Angeline as we speak." Jasmine explained, yawning into her hand as she ignored the second awkward pause. "All that's left is to alert Adora once she reaches base camp. The last of Malcolm's subordinates are being slaughtered by her troops as we speak."
"Who will be contacting Adora?" Silas asked again, listening to the important information. "Will you need one of us to go? I am willing to do whatever it takes to make this come to an end."
"Your enthusiasm is appreciated, but unnecessary. Holland and Beau will be traveling with the troops to take care of that now. They will return as soon as we receive word on Malcolm's troops and the last of the rebels." Tapping the table with her finger, Jasmine spoke quickly, her eyes drooping. "Theo will dispose of Malcolm at that time after torturing any last necessary information out of him."
"I see." Silas's response was just as heavy, hearing such simple words at the end of another man's life, a man that had tried to end him no less than Clarence, made him feel it was all too simple, as if the falling of the Yursear Kingdom just happened to coincide with Malcolm's downfall.
But, like everyone sitting around the table, he was well aware there were no coincidences, and the fact that everything happened so swiftly could only be due to the blessing of good planning. With the discussion nearing the end of its lifespan, the preparation to leave had come, and only one person had yet to say their final statement of the night before they were forcefully stopped.
"Silas, there are some things I would like to discuss with you tomorrow morning, without accompaniment-" Eva's words trailed off as a knight arrived at the door, appearing somewhat urgently as the door was pushed open, stopping their conversation abruptly as all eyes fell on the door.
The knight bowed respectfully as he quickly relayed, "Two important guests have arrived at the front gates of the palace." The knight's eyes fell towards Eva, and as if articulating something unspoken, he nodded his head and swiftly closed the door behind him, leaving those in the room somewhat startled.
"Who's here at this hour?" Jasmine asked abrasively, "The rest of the group won't be back for at least another five days. Getting here at this time was a feat of its own." She had exhausted most of her strength to arrive on time, and after changing horses twice on her journey, she was prepared for a long reprieve from guests.
"The guests are here for Clarence." Eva tiredly closed her eyes, gently brushing the space between her brow between her fingers. "I'm nearly certain who they are."
"Who are they?" Clarence stood up abruptly, the sound of his chair scratching against the floor. His expression was taut, as if thinking who it could possibly be, making the arduous journey to the palace with the current state of the kingdom.
"It's Princess Naceri of the Khymal Empire and Marchioness Hallan of the Faelfier Kingdom. They have come to speak with Prince Clarence."
Standing from her seat, Eva adjusted her robe, her gloved hands even more evident under the cover of her silk night cover. "I have the faintest idea why they came here, but it is well worth having a conversation with them. Clarence, go talk to them."
"But, it's nearly-" Desiring nothing more than to cuddle up to Silas in bed, Clarence was nearly petulant, unwilling to help the woman that had made a game of casually threatening his life time and time again, as if he had not uttered such threats from his own lips.
"It's late to be entertaining guests. Speak to them now and we will continue our conversation later." Eva added with finality. "I'll speak to the servants and ensure a room is prepared for them. Do not make them wait."
Gritting his teeth with some irritation, Clarence sucked in a breath and finally nodded once, releasing his hold on Silas's hand as he stood up, standing next to the sitting man's chair as he spoke quietly to Silas, near his ear. "I'll be back soon. Go to bed first."
Watching such a sweet display made Eva roll her lip. "Do not share the word of Malcolm with them yet." Adding to her words, Eva's gaze bored into the two men like daggers, "I have yet to trust them even a sliver. Do not make me regret sharing that information with you."
Without waiting for Clarence's response, Silas bowed his head, nodding ardently, "You have our word, Eva."
Staring at Silas's now standing figure, Clarence watched Eva move towards the door to wait for Silas. Reaching out to hold Silas's hand in his own with a gentle, soft touch, Clarence tightened his grasp, squeezing Silas's hand. Directing his gaze, Silas smiled towards the prince, "Good luck."
Whispering his words to his sweetheart, Silas finally departed. Eva and Silas walked together towards the other end of the hall, speaking in quiet tones regarding the communication stone as Jasmine dragged her limp and tired body like a rag doll, nearly falling over as she hugged the wall, walking to her room as if she were drunk. The knight preparing to escort Clarence shot her a strange stare before continuing to wait for Clarence, his face full of disapproval.
After Clarence moved towards the door, the knight began to escort Clarence to the sitting room, where his two guests could only be seated, anxiously awaiting the arrival of anyone that would be willing to hear their cause at such an ungodly hour. So much so that the two women donned men's clothing to arrive safely at the palace, far into enemy territory.
"The two noblewomen are waiting in the room to the left. I will be outside if anything is needed." The knight bowed his head after taking Clarence nearly halfway across the palace, causing Clarence to lose his ticking patience.
Without speaking, Clarence nodded with a wave of his hand and stepped forward to enter the room. This meeting better be worth it. He thought, plastering a fake smile on his face, feigning friendliness as he had numerous times before, prepared to host a difficult conversation between nations.
…
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My sons have pulled through for me again and I had a flash of inspiration after weeks of feeling angry at myself for not having the energy to write. I miss them. I plan to paint one last cover for YMtK before it ends, so hopefully I will have time to do that soon... Apologies in advance for any awkwardness in this chapter. I wrote it over 4 weeks :(
I don't really have the words to express my disappointment in myself for missing so many weeks of updates. I've been busy that time has flown by without waiting for me to catch up. Lately, I've also been dealing with some workplace bullying. Due to the stress, I haven't been able to eat properly for a few weeks. Fortunately, my support system is helping me through.
I will be presenting at a convention with Hunny, so there will be no update next week. I will try my best to keep going, but for now, it'll take me more time than expected. Thanks all for your continued support. I'll be working on keeping my spirits up ;u;