Chapter 123 Traps
‘Ah… what can I do with it?’
She never thought she had to show her true colors to the world like this! Veronia was in a panic. She wanted to use the teleportation scroll to disappear right now.
But there was no scroll, and she couldn’t just disappear like this. There were already so many people who recognized her, kneeling and calling her name.
“Lady Nia, what is going on?”
“Saint…!”
Saint Evangelina came to Veronia’s side. She had rushed to the castle in response to a call from Windler, who was concerned about the patient’s condition.
Evangelina was first surprised to see people kneeling before her, but she was even more surprised to see how badly Veronia was injured.
She was relieved to see Evangelina, or perhaps she had lost too much blood.
Her head pinged for a moment, then her vision blurred and her legs gave out. A startled Killion caught Veronia firmly as she tried to collapse.
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness Veronia!”
“Ah… no!”
Screaming cries erupted from the mouths of the people, who were angered by the sight of Veronia’s unconscious, limp form. Everyone’s faces contorted with worry and concern. Evangelina hurried over to Killion.
“Her injuries are serious, we need to treat her quickly! Please lay her down on a flat surface over there.”
“Yes.”
Killion set Veronia down, and Evangelina tended to the head wounds first, as they seemed the most serious. As she placed her hands to her head, reciting a silent prayer, a faint glow emanated from them.
After a few minutes of concentrated healing, the wounds were all healed. But Veronia’s consciousness still hadn’t returned.
Evangelina spoke softly to Killion, who stood there fidgeting, his eyes full of depth.
“Her wounds are very deep, especially her head injury, so I think we’ll have to wait a while longer before she regains consciousness.”
“… I see.”
“Don’t worry too much, she’ll wake up soon, she’s a strong woman.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Killion’s mouth at Evangelina’s reassurance, but it quickly faded. He couldn’t forgive himself for not being there for Veronia in her moment of danger.
It was horrible that he had been so preoccupied with other matters while she was so badly injured, even though he had been so close by.
“Your Excellency, we’ll finish cleaning up the mess, the carriage is ready, so why don’t you and Your Highness return to the castle first.”
“Very well, thank you. I’ll follow you.”
Picking Veronia up on Windler’s horse, Killion headed straight for the carriage. He held her dearly, as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. Windler watched Killion’s careful steps behind him and had mixed feelings.
‘Lady Nia is actually Princess Veronia! That means… You recognized her from the start? How did you recognize her? You’re amazing.’
It suddenly made sense to him how Killion, who had been so cold and aloof for so many years, had suddenly taken an interest in a commoner woman and her child.
He thought it was love at first sight, but it turns out it wasn’t.
‘So it was the love of a lover reunited after five years, and yet you never said a word to me… and hid all this from me!’
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Killion’s decision, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. He felt as if he had been stigmatized by his position as his closest aide for so many years.
‘No, that’s not what’s important right now, get a grip!’
Windler soon slapped me across the forehead and shook his head.
‘I can only imagine what you’ve both been through, and I hope Princess Veronia gets well soon…’
Windler’s concern grew deeper and deeper.
***
The two brothers, Jonathan and Tate, were having their first lunch together in a long time.
They were both in good spirits, conversations flowing throughout the meal, soft smiles playing on their lips. As Tate swallowed the last piece of steak, he suddenly had an idea.
“I didn’t realize you were so sincere about donating to the orphanage. I admire that.”
“What do you mean, donating to the orphanage?”
Jonathan asked, his wine glass in hand, confused. Tate snorted inwardly.
“You don’t have to play dumb in front of me, brother. I heard across the street that you’ve been donating to nurseries across the country in the name of Club Ares for about ten years now. I was told it was a substantial sum.”
Having said his piece, Tate took a sip of his wine and savored its flavors, a grin of considerable satisfaction soon tugging at the corners of his mouth. Jonathan spoke up again, this time with more excitement.
“Well, Tate, you’re being too modest, I know you’re a loyal servant and brother. But that doesn’t mean you have to give me credit for your good deeds.”
Jonathan’s face broke into a wide grin. Tate, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded and set down his wine glass. His brow furrowed deeply.
“What do you mean, brother, what good deeds have I done?”
“It was you, Tate, who made donations to orphanages all over the country in the name of the imperial family, wasn’t it, and you gave the most to the Mickelson orphanages in the South?”
“That, that…”
“Was it also because of your connection with the director, what was his name again, ah, Lars Kohen, I think?”
Tate faltered. It was creepy to hear Jonathan lie so casually, so effortlessly, without changing his expression. He’d seen Jonathan up close his entire life, but this was the first time he’d ever felt this scared.
But he couldn’t let this happen. Gathering himself, Tate spoke again, slowly.
“I think you’re mistaken about something, my brother. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never donated to the orphanage, not once, and I know that you have.”
“There you go again, there you go again. So much for humility. Let’s see if you can say that after seeing this.”
On Jonathan’s signal, a waiting servant brought a briefcase and handed it to Tate. Tate was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, but he took the envelope without hesitation.
“What is this, brother?” he asked.
“Go ahead and open it.”
Jonathan’s face was plastered with a look of sheer amusement as he wiggled his palms impatiently. He looked like he was about to burst out laughing.
Inside the envelope were several donation certificates, and Tate’s eyes widened as he read the contents.
“No… why is my signature on this? This is my signature, but I didn’t do this!”
Tate’s hand shook as he clutched the document. He felt dumbfounded and angry at the same time. Jonathan looked at him, his voice breaking with anger and surprise.
“No way, that’s your signature, you didn’t do it, what does that mean?”
“It means someone is trying to frame me!”
‘And that someone is you, my brother!’ Tate exclaimed, squinting at Jonathan. Jonathan looked confused this time, but Tate could see in his eyes that he was acting.
“Accused? What kind of nonsense is that, Tate? How is donating to the orphanage a crime? You’re being a little weird today.”
Jonathan was right, there is no sin in donating to the orphanage. As long as they don’t find out that the donation was used for something weird.
“… Ah, yeah. I see, I was being a little harsh.”
Apparently, he’d walked into a trap Jonathan had set. Nervous, Tate swallowed dryly, trying to keep his expression straight.
‘You mean I’m not to ask questions about what goes on at the Mickelson nursery, and I’m not even to speak of it, brother!’
The moment he questioned anything that was being done there, Jonathan would bite him in the arse and blame him for it. The deed of donation was a sign of that warning.
‘The Mickelson Nursery must be very troubling to you, brother. What on earth is going on there, I wonder? It must be something quite dangerous, something that could jeopardise your position.’
Tate was sure of it. There had to be a reason Jonathan was trying to shut him up with that smirk on his face, threatening him, he just had to find out specifically what it was.
‘Another trip to the Ashmore Intelligence Guild.’
Tate stood up, mentally rearranging his afternoon schedule.
“Why are you rising already, and not staying a little longer?”
“I don’t think I can take up any more of your time here. This has been a most enjoyable lunch, brother. I hope we can do this more often in the future.”
Tate bowed stiffly and turned to leave. He didn’t want to be in the same room with Jonathan for another moment.
‘I won’t be so patronizing, brother.’
Watching Tate’s backside disappear out the door, Jonathan smiled a smile of conversion.
‘You won’t beat me. Take a good look around. See if there’s a way out.’
Huffing and puffing, Jonathan downed the rest of the wine in one gulp. The flavor of the wine was sweet today.
