When fate plays its hand

Icarus felt uneasy about the plan. Regardless of whether the Hell Monarch cared about his wife or not, this approach would never reveal anything useful. Not only was it pointless, it also carried significant risk.

“Mr. Stellwyn, I still believe this isn’t a good idea. They will suspect we are behind this,” said Icarus as he shook his head.

“What’s wrong with that?” Leroy’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of anger in his expression. “I want him to suspect us. If he truly wants war, this gives him a perfect excuse to ruin the negotiations and go straight to battle. If he doesn’t want war, he’ll pretend not to know and secretly rescue her. Either way, we’ll know his true intentions.”

“The problem is that it may start a war. Grand Princess Lisandra has said she wants to avoid war between the two kingdoms,” Icarus said carefully.

“That foolish woman is just like Liam, soft–hearted and indecisive,” Leroy scoffed, pulling out an edict from his robes and handing it to Icarus. “Take a look at this. This is the king’s true will.”

Under the dim light in the restroom, Icarus opened the edict, his brow furrowing as he read. Having served at court for years, he recognized the handwriting instantly. Edmund’s orders were clear. He demanded harsh terms, and if Starhaven didn’t agree, they were to leave immediately and formally declare war.

Icarus understood now. Edmund had originally wanted war, but had been persuaded by Lisandra to hold off.

If this edict was genuine…

Icarus‘ eyes widened. “So, you’re not really testing the Hell Monarch. You mean to capture Carissa.”

Testing the Hell Monarch was just an excuse. Edmund wanted war. Capturing Carissa was the equivalent of returning the favor–just like how Aurora had kidnapped Arthur and humiliated him.

Westhaven would use the same tactic to make the Sullivan family’s army at Victory Pass retreat.

“Mr. Stellwyn, this still isn’t a good idea. After capturing Carissa, we can’t just take her back to Conce

carus protested. NôvelDrama.Org © content.

11

Leroy’s eyes flashed coldly as he smirked. “Once we have her, we’ll send her to the back courtyard of Hartstone Estate. Someone there will take care of the rest. And you’ll have assistance as well, so don’t worry.”

“Hartstone Estate?” Icarus‘ eyes widened as realization hit

The man Leroy had insisted on bringing along was most likely from Hartstone Estate. That man had arrived at Concord Lodge yesterday and disappeared shortly after.

So, no matter how the Hell Monarch and Carissa acted tonight, Leroy had already made up his mind to kidnap her. The preparations had been made, and Leroy hadn’t told Icarus until now to prevent him from letting Lisandra know.

“Since it’s His Majesty’s command, I will follow through,” Icarus said.

Hearing his agreement, Leroy whispered a few more words in his ear.

Icarus nodded. “Understood.”

As they left the restroom, they saw Galen standing under a tree in the distance, waiting. He had been waiting for. some time and almost called out to them, but had vaguely heard them speaking in Westic, which he couldn’t understand. So, he assumed everything was fine and decided not to approach.

Back at the palace banquet, Rafael and Carissa had already figured out what was going on as soon as Leroy and

Icarus left for the restroom.

Among the many suspicions they had the night before, one seemed the most plausible: Leroy, who was eager for war, might abduct Carissa to use as leverage against Wyatt and the others at Victory Pass.

The negotiations were just a cover. Once they captured Carissa, they would move quickly. After taking her, Leroy would cause a disturbance.

So, at today’s banquet, Rafael and Carissa kept their distance, deliberately appearing indifferent to each other. Rafael also took the opportunity to intimidate Leroy, showing that he wasn’t afraid of war–if anything, he was eager for it.

The goal was to ensure that tomorrow’s negotiations would go smoothly without Leroy interfering.

The plan seemed solid. Leroy had shown signs of doubt and caution, but if he pressed on with his actions, it would be clear that he wasn’t the only one who wanted a war–Edmund wanted it too.

So, Lisandra hadn’t actually succeeded in persuading Edmund. Instead, he had been playing her for a fool.