Failed Plot
Unknown POV;
Lilith was either too strong a woman or Sheila hadn’t done a proper job. That poison was one that could take out ten strong men and the best part of it, was it had no cure, yet for some reason, she was still alive, although unconscious.
In my short time alive, I knew never to think that something was impossible. After all, who would’ve thought that my brother would end up as the king when he was the youngest of us, or that my father would die just as he had? So when I heard that the doctor had said that she wasn’t going to live, I decided that it wasn’t enough. She had to be completely finished.
When Sheila told me that she had done the job, I told her to leave. It was better that way. After all, she was the only one who knew that I was responsible for it.
She didn’t want to leave, but I promised her that I was going to bring her back when I became the king, something I had no intention of doing. She had served her purpose and that was it. I was going to give her a small reward for her help, but the woman who would sit by my side was Maya. I couldn’t weaken my hold by taking an Omega and one who knew so many of my secrets.
I sat down, smiling as I expected the bad news to spread throughout the mansion any minute from now. Instead, there was nothing and I wondered why they hadn’t found out.
There was a small knock on my door and I guessed they had come to deliver the news, especially to me. Perhaps he didn’t want any other person to hear at the moment. After all, her illness was still kept a secret from others outside the mansion. Something I had intended to reveal to the members of the council, but thought there was no need since she was going to die anyway.
“Come in,” I said, dropping the glass of wine I had been holding on the table.
I heard the sound of the door opening and then shutting and turned around to see who it was.
“Maya?”
My brows knitted in confusion as she was the last person I expected to see. After I had told her what to do, telling her that it was to get Adams to notice her, I had told her to never see me privately as it would spark rumors, especially after that incident.
She had no idea the plans I had for her or that I loved her, but I made peace with the fact that she would come to love me soon.
She called my name and I chuckled softly. It’s been years since I last heard my name from her.
“Why are you here, Lady Crane?”
“You seem to be celebrating something. Is there a special occasion?” Her eyes darted to the bottle of wine and my eyes followed her.
I was indeed celebrating. I was celebrating the beginning of the end of Adams, but she didn’t have to know that.
The plan was that Adams was going to fall apart after his wife’s death and that would give me ample time to dethrone him. It was a simple and effective plan. While he was busy mourning his wife, I would be busy with his dethronement.
“No, actually, I’ve been worried. I just needed a glass of wine to think clearly.”
She grabbed the bottle and looked at the name on the label. She chuckled, dropping the bottle back on the table. “Interesting that you need a celebratory wine to think.”
“Why are you here?” I said after a long silence. Had she figured out something or what? If anything, she should be thanking me as I was aware that her likeness to the queen was fake. She hated the Queen and wanted what was the Queen’s.
“Did you do it?”
“Do what? Be more specific?” I plopped onto the sofa and tapped the space beside me. “Come sit.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. Did you poison her?”
“You mean Her Highness?” my head popped up as I glanced at her, studying her expression. “Why would you even think of such? Do you think I’m that evil? C’mon! Maya!”
“I don’t know what to think. I just want to be sure that it’s not you, that you’re not doing it because of me or something. You know, I don’t even know why you’ve been helping me.”
I grabbed the glass of wine and downed it in a single shot and stared at her. “You really want to know?”
She nodded and I sighed. “Very well. The thing is that I love you very much, Maya, and I know that you love someone else, but I can’t bear to see you unhappy. I only want to help you fulfill your dreams as it’s going to make you happy.”
She looked like she was about to say something, but stopped short. “Thank you,” she muttered quietly.
I nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m no killer and I certainly wouldn’t kill my own brother’s wife.”
She stood up, and I watched her retreating figure as she walked out of the room.
“I will have you,” I said, just as she shut the door. “Just you wait.”
I heard commotions and what sounded like a woman screaming shortly after she left. I opened my door and darted towards the source of the noise to see Maya being grabbed by some guards. Ronan, the beta, was with the guards, and he seemed to be saying something.
“What is going on here? And why are you dragging her like that!” I barked, shooting Ronan a glare. We never saw eye to eye.
“It’s none of your business, this is Alpha’s order.”
“How dare you talk to me like that!” I jabbed a finger at him.
“She’s being taken for questioning in connection with the Queen’s poisoning.”
“Is the Queen dead?”
I realized my slip-up too late until he raised a brow at me.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
“Do you want her to be?”
“No! Definitely not! I’ve been praying to the goddess day and night for her healing. But this is not right. Lady Crane is a guest to this mansion and taking her, just like that, is going to bring some trouble. You know whose daughter she is.”
Ronan muttered something incomprehensible and then nudged the guards to take her away before turning to me.
“Thanks for your concern, I’ll relay them to the Alpha.” He began to walk away, and I stood there, watching the woman I loved being held in chains and unable to do anything.
“I’ll be on my way, Lady Crane!” I shouted after them, hoping she would have heard me.
There were tears in her eyes and it broke my heart. The thing was that I had no idea how to help her. I couldn’t speak to Adams without raising suspicion, especially given our history.
The only thing I could think of was to inform her father. He was the only one who could help her. Nathaniel Crane was known to never joke with his children and Maya told me that it took a lot of pleading with him before she could stay in the mansion.
I dashed to my room and dressed quickly and in a few minutes’ time, I was on my way to the Crane’s family mansion. It was the second-biggest house in the kingdom, after our family’s mansion, and Nathaniel was an influential member of the council.
“I’m here to see Nathaniel.”
“You have to wait as he …”
“Goddamit! It’s important right now! It’s about Lady Crane!”
The guard looked like he was about to say something else before a baritone voice startled us both.
“Did you just say it’s about my daughter? You’re one of the Gregory brothers.”
It was Nathaniel himself and given how he looked, with his lips coated with fragments of the meal he was eating and a spoon in his hand, I figured out that he had heard about his daughter and that was why he had rushed out.
“Yes sir.” I began to introduce myself and then narrated everything that had happened.
“Bosco! Get the car,” he yelled, throwing the spoon aside and wiping his mouth with his palm as he hurriedly walked down the steps.
“Let’s go.”
Bosco must’ve understood the urgency considering the way he drove speedily to the mansion, making us reach there in record time.
“Where is the king?” Nathaniel yelled as soon as he entered the main house.
Meanwhile, I had already slipped away. I didn’t want anyone, especially Adams, to find out that I had gone to call Nathaniel.
“Brother.”
I spun around, just before I got to my room, to see our other brother, an unrecognizable expression on his face.
“What is it?” I frowned.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”
“What is it?” I was becoming angrier by the minute and wanted him to go straight to the point.
“The Queen has woken up.”