The morning breezed past as if it had lasted only for a few seconds. Both Wolf and Sola had been looking for each other, but neither found the other until the evening passed. Having heard of William's testimony to the queen while searching for the maid, Wolf decided to head back to his room expecting to see Sola hiding there.
With Renee in his tow, he arrived at the halls leading down to the servant quarters, but the gathering of the villagers, all of whom were sleeping on the ground with blankets covering their heads, made the way to his room quite a headache. Avoiding stepping on anyone, the two managed to slip through the crowd and managed to get back to Wolf's room.
Just as he'd expected Sola was waiting for them inside.
"You're finally here…" She heaved, her eyes swollen from a lack of peace.
The screaming of children and the retaliatory screams by their mothers had drained her more than ever compared to serving under William. Not fond of kids, especially the creepy boys, she would've kicked the villagers out herself but lacked the permission to do so.
"About that," placing the axe he was carrying by the entrance wall, Wolf locked the room's door. Pulling himself a chair, he sat in front of Sola who was lazily leaning into his study. Her face masked under the warm light of a lantern highlighted just how tired she was. "We heard about what happened with William, with you, and Robert."
"Don't tell me you believe that rascal's words over mine," shaking her head, she hoped Wolf hadn't fallen under the same spell as the queen.
"As if, he's always been a manipulator. Mother is simply too blind to see it since he was heavily injured when she first saw him," although he wasn't allowed to meet the queen or William, and was even told to quarantine himself, Wolf deduced what must've happened from the little he'd heard being passed from one servant to another. "She's too soft at times, but enough about her. You tell me, what happened last night?"
Trying to think of last night, Sola reached for the spot where Robert had struck her. It ached to the touch and served as a reminder of how horrible of a spy she was. Vowing never to take that role again, she moved her hand off of her head and began retelling everything that she'd heard and what she'd done to get there.
"Where are those girls?" Wolf asked, as soon as she was finished with her story.
"William's toys? I think I saw them earlier strolling down the servant quarters," with the kids running amok, the whores and pleasantries had gone into hiding. "About that promise I made them–"
"We'll see about that, for now, we have more important things to worry about," although he knew there was plenty to work out, somehow he felt lost from having the initial topic run dry. "Goddamn it, we can't do anything against William though. Mother is gonna freak out, not to mention, the people will see me as the culprit if he so much as stubs his toe now."
An inescapable dilemma, despite knowing the culprit behind his attempted assassination, all Wolf could do was hold his tongue. Even Sola's testimony held little weight to the queen and if he attempted to back her, it would make it seem like a sly attempt at disqualifying his greatest opponent from the competition.
"So we're just waiting for the competition then? It's just one more day anyways," Renee chimed from the edge of Wolf's bed.
Looking at her, the other two thought over what she'd just said. With all paths for retaliation cut off, they had no choice but to simply wait for the competition.
"What is the competition even going to be? I heard it's a collection of events to test the contestants in different ways, but that's all I've heard so far even though it's supposed to take place the day after tomorrow," Renee asked, curious about the event. But unfortunately, neither of the other two had a clue either.
The last procession had taken place nearly a hundred years ago. Back then William's father was a kid who was forced into taking his dead father's rank. A sagacious man, not higher than A in rank, he'd mostly confided in his studies of magic, and thanks to his findings, Aestonia has flourished into an expansive kingdom.
Had William followed his father's path instead of succumbing to hate, he had much greater potential and that is why the late king never accepted Wolf as his son. To leave behind a legacy greater than himself, only for it to be thawed at the hands of an incompetent son. A shame really, and even Wolf felt beaten by that realization.
"Whatever those events are, we need to prepare for it," Wolf said, bringing himself back to the present.
"We?" Getting out of her chair, Sola wore a shocked expression on her face. A hand to her chest, she heaved heavily. "You have my support, but I'm already on William's mark! I can't risk anything else, because if you somehow lose–which I highly doubt, but!"
Words escaped her; Sola had no clue what to think. Already afraid of the consequences that she would soon face thanks to her betrayal, the faunan felt the need to back away a little.
"I'll support you still, but I can't be an active part of this right now, I need to hide–stay away from William, because unlike you two if someone tries to kill me, no queen will protect me and I sure as hell know that Hestia wouldn't waste a breath to heal me!"
Having heard her rampant screeching of self-doubt, Wolf knew he had to let go. She'd helped for sure, but she could've done much more and possibly without getting caught moving forward.
"Fine, you should go. I'll talk to you once I'm king," Wolf responded, to which her eyes widened with surprise.
"You will still make me your queen?" She asked, and although a flicker of hesitance reflected in his eyes, Wolf nodded back to her.
"What good is a man who can't keep his word, I'm not my brother–I take care of my women instead of hiring them like cheap sluts," a light flush took over Sola's cheeks, the authority of a man, nothing made her hornier. In fact, it was the one trait that all women in the kingdom wished for in their ideal man.
"I-I'll be waiting then," with a breathy whisper she took her leave, leaving Wolf with Renee so that they could discuss how to prepare for the coming competition.
The axe already secure, there was no need to look for a weapon, but if the events, at least some of them, weren't entirely decided on physical strength, Wolf had to practice his spells and even read up on Aestonian history and literature. After all, what good is a king that doesn't know a thing about his own kingdom?