Chapter 175

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander was deeply relieved to find that at least something good had resulted out of the day. Finding Isabella’s hidden stash of Hemlock truly felt like a random stroke of luck. They were just one step closer to bringing down the people who had wronged them.

Knowing that they’d managed to accomplish such a fantastic feat, gave Alexander that extra boost of confidence he didn’t know he needed as he and Evelyn made their way over to the palace.

Being summoned by Gregory hadn’t come as any real shock. Hell, the Alpha was more surprised that his Luna was so insistent on attending the meeting.

But, as Evelyn had previously explained, there was a possible chance that they could discover the whereabouts of Fiona should they have the ongoing luck of running into Caroline. Unlike Isabella and Samantha, Caroline naturally had a better handle on her emotions, especially when she was in public.

Should his dear Stepmother be in attendance, Alexander would be lying if he said that he wasn’t looking forward to witnessing her reaction.

What does it feel like to know your plan to get rid of me failed so horrifically?

Indeed, part of him was actually looking forward to seeing everyone’s reaction to the truth. Perhaps, the Alpha King would finally let his glorified facade down and let his true feelings show.

Let everyone see the real person that you are...

Sitting beside him was Evelyn who was trying her best to hide her mild agitation. She’d firmly placed the mask back on her face and went about concealing the rest of her emotion behind a well-trained resolve.

“It’s alright to be nervous,” he said to her. “You’ve never been to the palace before have you?”

Evelyn gently shook her head. “No. I think I’m just mainly concerned about the chance of the King trying to pull something.”

Alexander lifted his arm up to drape it over the back of her shoulders. “Unfortunately, there’s always a chance of that happening,” he sighed. “What I know for certain is that he’s going to be pissed off and will demand an explanation above all else.”

“Yes, but will he try and put some kind of restriction on you? Will he try to seek some kind of retaliation for having been fooled?”

“Even if he were to try and pull something like that, it would only end up causing more backlash on his end,” he noted. “My pretending to be paralyzed and disfigured held no physical bearing on anyone else. It wasn’t as though my lies caused anyone else any physical harm. I hadn’t necessarily manipulated the public into purposely gaining sympathy.”

“That’s true. All of it had been orchestrated to keep others unsuspecting while you had your investigation going on,” she commented.

He mindlessly caressed her arm. “We will just have to see.”

...

Upon their arrival at the palace, Alexander and Evelyn were almost immediately met with the authoritative chaperone of two heavily armed guards. As they were escorted through the main doors, Evelyn couldn’t help but glance around the place with a wide-eyed look.

If she thought the courthouse was magnificent, the palace was beyond anything she had ever seen. The ceilings were tall and covered in hand-painted murals. The marbled floors were strategically laid out to create some sort of intricate overall design.

The place was breathtaking, yet not in her personal taste. Sure it was grand, but Evelyn didn’t see the necessity for a lot of it. It didn’t exactly give off the idea of ‘power’ but rather ‘excessive wealth’. The possibility of what that kind of money could do to help the general public was enough to give her a headache.

“We've been told to take you to the throne room,” one of the guards said.

Alexander snickered quietly. “Anything for the man to show off his sense of power.”

Evelyn’s eyes jumped from one hand-crafted sculpture to the next until they were brought to the throne room. Alexander brought his hand around her waist and guided the two of them inside. She kept her eyes low on the ground until they stood in front of the raised platform. The low hum of whispers and chatter filled the space.

Evelyn began to feel a bit self-conscious when she felt the so-subtle weight of everyone’s eyes on her.

Positioned just a few feet away was Gregory along with the Queen and a handful of other officials. And, low behold, trying to keep herself tucked away in the far-off corner was Caroline.

Alexander addressed the group.

“Your Majesties,” he greeted with a polite bow.

“Kingston,” the King’s voice was filled with biting irritation. “And here I was hoping that the rumors flying around were nothing but hot air.”

Alexander raised a single brow. “Afraid not.”

The Queen Luna spoke out with a baffled tone. “But why? Why on earth would you put on such an act if none of it was true?”

“I had to make those responsible for my assassination attempt convinced that they had at least maimed me badly enough to where I wasn't worth keeping tabs on,” he explained. “It gave me time to operate under any possible suspicion.”

Evelyn dared to lift her gaze up to glance about the group. The Queen seemed somewhat understanding of his explanation, the King, however, looked utterly peeved at the fact that he couldn’t find a reasonable way to fault Alexander for his actions.

Evelyn let her eyes wander back over to Caroline to find the older woman looking just as annoyed as the King. It came as no surprise that she would be upset. Her son was still in prison for his crimes and in the end, Alexander ultimately walked away without a scratch.

“Still,” Gregory bit out. “It does seem rather excessive to go on with such an act for that amount of time.”

“It was a sacrifice that I was willing to make, especially when it yielded the results I was looking for in the end,” he said.

It didn’t take long for the attention to be shifted to Evelyn. She kept her head leveled on her shoulders and braced herself.

“And you, Mrs. Kingston, care to explain why now you’re the one wearing Alexander’s old mask?” the King questioned.

She clenched her jaw and offered a weak smile. “Of course, Your Majesty. You see, much like my husband, I too have recently become a victim of a failed assassination attempt,” she said.

Everyone watched with curious eyes as Evelyn removed the mask and revealed the mean-looking scars underneath. They all let out some form of a gasp or shudder.

“Oh my God,” the Queen whispered. “You poor girl. Who would do such a thing?”

“Unfortunately, Your Majesty, it happens to be the people who are closest to us that tend to cause the most damage,” she answered.

Evelyn soon felt the warm touch of Alexander’s hand return to the small of her back.

“I’m more than pleased to report to the court, here and now, that we’ve already launched into a full-out investigation. Those who are responsible will not be getting away with it.”

Once more Evelyn’s eyes flickered to the far side of the room where Caroline was trying to make herself appear small. Alexander turned his head and spotted the woman instantly.

“Hello, Caroline.”