15 Carefully designed plot

Darkness spread its veil on the kingdom and soon stars twinkled in the sky. A half-moon was smiling brightly as it spread its light allowing the people to see in the dark. It was colder than usual and this was just the first phase of the night. Lady Odalis pulled her shawl closer to keep herself warm as she and her husband rode back home on the carriage.

They were done with the soiree and as always they had pretended to be a happy and good pair in front of everyone, not allowing anybody to doubt their already dead relationship. While the Duke had gone around speaking to the other Dukes and Ministers about political and other matters that were beneficial to him, Lady Odalis had found herself surrounded by a group of other aristocratic ladies who did nothing but gossip about others who were not present in the soiree.

Lady Odalis was an introvert. She never spoke much and only replied when she was asked a question or at times when her opinions mattered. Else, she would just stay mum and keep her thoughts to herself. But that did not mean she was dumb. Contrarily, she was way more intelligent than most of the aristocratic nobles gathered there. She was observant and smart and she had a knack for making accurate conclusions.

Regretfully, nobody knew about her capabilities which according to her was a blessing. She could do things she wanted to do without being discovered. The entire time, Lady Odalis had put on a gentle smile as she listened to the other women chatter and when the time came for them to leave after dinner, she took her leave with her husband.

Now, they were heading back home and they still had another small village to cross before they could reach the mainland where their house was situated. It would take another hour or so for them to reach home. If not the Duke they had visited that day held a higher status in the kingdom compared to Duke Zale, the man would not even have stepped into his house. He loathed traveling the most and preferred staying in his mansion while he cooked up plans that would bring him benefits.

Lady Odalis stared outside the window as the carriage traveled on the outskirts of the vast jungle before they entered the village. Fortunately, the window had a glass pane that could help them see the outside world without having to suffer the effect of the chilly winds. Otherwise, both the husband and wife would have had to stay seated in a completely closed carriage, making it extremely awkward especially for Lady Odalis who hated her husband the most.

The woman was busy looking at the trees that flew past them that she did not notice the Duke's wicked grin on his face. He was reminiscing the talk he had just had with one of the aristocrats and his smile widened. Though the old man had visited the other Duke's house out of respect, he also had other motives in mind. He wanted to spread the news of his daughter staying in the castle and let everybody know about the possible alliance between the king and her daughter.

The man had been discreet in his attempts trying to appear less boisterous. He had been waiting for someone to ask him about his children and when they finally did, he let the news slip out slowly. Donning an innocent face, he had let the news spread while his mind was filled with glee. He basked upon the look of shock the other nobles had on their face when they heard about his daughter and his face lit up all the more. Now, nobody would dare to think about getting their daughters married to the royal family in his daughter's presence.

This was the first step towards his carefully designed plot and if everything went accordingly, it was not long before he had the control in his hands. The power-hungry man was lost in his vicious plan, but his eyes were still focusing on everything outside the carriage. His thoughts snapped when he suddenly saw someone walk by him slowly. 'Why did the person feel familiar?' The man wondered and lifted the glass pane to take another look.

Just as he did so, a gust of cold wind brushed past him and made him shiver. Even Lady Odalis who was sitting far away from him trembled due to the cold and turned to stare at the man with a questioning gaze which the Duke ignored completely. He was focused more on the man he had seen on the streets but by the time he looked out of the window, the man had vanished. Only then did the Duke realize that they were crossing the village of Soren which was nothing but trivial in his eyes. Presuming it be his illusion, he did not stop the carriage and resumed towards his house.

The Duke was not a man who entertained people who were of lower status than him. So, he did not even get off the carriage to check for the familiar man in a village which was filled with not many aristocratic members. The man pulled down the glass pane and leaned back in his seat before he closed his eyes. He could feel the look his wife was giving him and he was in no mood to answer her. The woman was as insignificant as a fly and he did not give care about her.

After traveling for some more time, the couple finally reached the mansion and separated at the entrance to go to their respective chambers to retire for the night. But the entire night, the Duke could not stop thinking about the man he had seen in the village, and his mind kept hinting to him that the man was no ordinary. But the problem was, he could not tell who the man was and this made him have a restless sleep.

Meanwhile, the man in the village smiled mysteriously as he crossed the houses one by one. He had seen the Duke's meager attempts at trying to find him when he had walked past by their carriage. The Duke was not wrong when he had assumed the man to be familiar because it was none other than the young king, Alastair Drayce himself whom he was quite closely acquainted. The man was on a mission and he had to find the green-eyed beauty to get the answers he needed. Although he had sent out orders for his men to search for the girl, he knew that only he would be able to locate her. So, he had come to the village personally to find her.