twojebook Chapter 526: Unfounded Or Exposed? (I)
Chapter 526: Unfounded Or Exposed? (I)
"So when you speak to us, you should lower your head, like a proper subject."
Averon’s pupils trembled the moment he heard Primrose’s words. He had never imagined that a woman—someone he saw as beneath him—would dare to insult him so openly.
He was about to say something, but for some reason, Primrose’s golden eyes made him feel uneasy. It felt like her gaze could pierce straight through his skull, locking him in place. For a brief moment, he couldn’t move at all.
"Miss, could you tell us where this jerk imprisoned you and the other women?" Primrose asked Evelia, pretending that she didn’t know anything.
"T-There..." Evelia raised a trembling hand and pointed toward the west wing. "He locked us up there. P-Please hurry... I’m scared those people will move them somewhere else before you can save them."
"They won’t," Edmund spoke firmly. His blue eyes stared sharply at Averon. "I will handle this matter personally, and if anyone dares to interfere with the investigation, I will make sure you pay a heavy price."
Edmund turned his head toward Solene. "Stay with her. Make sure not a single palace soldier dares to touch any of our people again."
Solene straightened at once. "Understood, Your Majesty."
Without wasting another second, Edmund walked toward the west wing, with Primrose right beside him. They hadn’t brought any soldiers with them to Azmeria Palace, so Edmund had no choice but to handle everything personally.
But somehow... that only made things feel even more dangerous.
Averon, who had been frozen in place, finally managed to gather his strength and immediately followed Edmund. "Your Majesty, as I said before, there’s a misunderstanding. The place she pointed to is a building that is currently under renovation, so I deliberately closed it off."
"Then that makes things easy," Primrose replied before Edmund could speak. "If that’s true, you won’t mind us checking it right now."
Averon gritted his teeth, speaking inwardly.
[Why is she acting so bold all of a sudden? Isn’t she afraid her husband will punish her for talking like that to another noble?]
[And... why hasn’t he said anything to her? Yesterday, he sounded like he couldn’t stand her.]
After thinking for a moment, Averon clicked his tongue inwardly.
[Damn it! They were just acting yesterday!]
[That bastard... he dared to trick me and stab me in the back!]
[Shit... shit... shit! How did that woman even escape from the west wing?!]
Primrose let out a quiet sigh as she heard Averon call Edmund a "bastard" the moment they were no longer on the same side.
If anyone deserved that word, it was Averon himself.
[Should I just run away now? No... the Leader will kill me if I do that. Damn it!]
Leader? Who was he talking about?
If a king like Averon still answered to someone else, then just how powerful was that person?
[Calm down. I’ve already trained my soldiers for this. If the west wing is exposed, they know what to do.]
[That’s right... why am I even panicking?] His confidence slowly returned. [By the time we get there, the girls will already be hidden in the basement.]
Primrose smiled faintly, feeling satisfied as Averon carefully went over his escape plan in his mind.
When they arrived at the west wing, the gate was no longer locked by magic. Instead, it stood wide open, as if it had been waiting for Primrose and Edmund to come.
In one last attempt to keep up his act, Averon quickly moved ahead and stopped right in front of the gate.
"Your Majesty," he said, forcing a calm tone, "do you realize that entering someone else’s property without permission is a criminal act? Especially when you’re doing it based on an unfounded accusation."
Without lowering his head, Edmund stared sharply at Averon. "An unfounded accusation? Isn’t the injured escaped beastwoman enough proof?"
Averon’s lips slowly curled into a small smile. "Honestly, I didn’t want to bring this up, but Your Majesty, isn’t it possible that you arranged this situation yourself?" His gaze darkened slightly. "Don’t think I’m unaware of what happened in Veloria County."
[I honestly didn’t expect the informant to deliver this news so late, but at least I know that the Count of Veloria is dead.]
Averon clicked his tongue inwardly. [If the Lycan King were truly on my side, I would have already forgotten about that incident. The Count of Veloria was just a mere pawn, after all.]
"What exactly are you trying to say, King Averon?" Primrose asked, her eyes narrowing. She already knew where this was going, but she wanted him to say it out loud.
"Count Veloria is dead," Averon said in a low voice. Yet there wasn’t even a trace of sadness on his face. "He killed himself after you and the Duke of Illvaris visited him. Doesn’t that sound a little too convenient?"
To his surprise, Edmund let out a low chuckle. "How interesting," he said calmly. "You’re telling the story while leaving out the most important parts." His gaze turned colder. "I believe that news of Count Veloria’s death has already spread across Azmeria this morning. People can judge for themselves what really happened."
Primrose stepped forward and added, "My husband and my father went to Veloria County because the sugar he sold made me sick."
She stepped closer to Edmund and wrapped her arm around his, showing that their relationship was just as good as what Averon had seen at the banquet.
"But what’s strange is..." she continued, her lips curving slightly, "Count Veloria acted just like you are right now, Your Majesty." She emphasized his title just enough to sound like a mockery.
"He was nervous when my husband and father wanted to inspect his sugar factory," she went on. "And then... when they found something wrong beneath that factory, he chose to end his own life."
"Will you do the same thing he did, Your Majesty?" Primrose asked Averon. "Will you also kill yourself to escape from your crime?"