Dark Conspiracy (II)

Alan seemed like every other normal nobleman. He worked with the councilmen of the king. His active participation in the affairs of the kingdom, made him unsuspicious. However, deep in his heart, he detested the kingdom of Darkshire.

Only a few people knew of his animosity towards Maximilian, but not of his desires to kill him.

To Alan, the king was a threat that needed to be swept off from existing in the kingdom. His hatred had begun since over a decade, and it had graduated into something more sinister.

He was crazy, yet the king was crazier, and it aggravated him. He wished to make the king come to a level where he would crawl and beg for his mercy, yet that seemed presently unrealistic, maybe time would tell.

Furthermore, he gritted his teeth.

He needed that Belium to get to Maximilian. It was a poison more effective than anything he had ever seen, since his operation in the black market. The witches were of no use, as they couldn't devise something that would harm the king even, after a series of trials.

Each poison he maneuvered into the king's drink was utterly useless. It even seemed to make Maximilian stronger. He would have tried voodoo, but the damned king never took of his mask…not even for once.

His raging thoughts were put to hold when a knock appeared on the door.

"Come in," he uttered aggressively.

Slowly, the door was pushed open. A man seemingly in his forties stepped into the dimly lit room. His attire seemed to have contrasted the Duke's whole atmosphere, as he was wearing the uniform belonging to the guards in the royal castle of Darkshire.

The man's eyes seemed to light up, seeing the Duke, however, he could tell he wasn't in a good mood from the Duke's demeanor.

Alan's eyes instantly narrowed at the person who had come to interrupt him. A smirk then appeared on his face on seeing who it was.

"Good evening, your grace." He greeted him, prostrating respectfully.

"Come forward, Theodore." Ordered the Duke with a motion of his fingers and the man hastily approached him.

The Duke's eyes shone with curiosity. This was his man, who he had sent to the royal castle as a spy to get information, disguising as a guard. Pity that the king of Darkshire couldn't even figure it out.

Seeing the man's presence, he was sure he had brought back information as always.

"Tell me, Theodore, with the way you look all messy and sweaty, what news have you brought for me?"

The man hastily began, "I have good news, Milord. It was so sudden that I had left the castle rushing to meet you."

Alan's head tilted, "Speak! It better be as you have said."

The man then continued, "It about the King your grace…he–".

"The king?" Inquired Alan, with narrowed his. Hearing the name of the person who he had been trying to eliminate made him blood boil, "I wonder what he must have done this time." 

"The King has married a wife, your grace. A young Princess from another kingdom." the spy finally revealed.

For a moment, Alan paused, trying to reminisce on what his spy just uttered. The next second, he shot the man a death glare, that would have certainly sliced him to pieces if it had been a knife.

"Are you attempting to play with my intelligence, Theodore?" Alan asked roughly, increasing the glare in his eyes.

The spy's eyes widened in horror, "N-no, y-your grace, h-how could I try to do such a thing?"

"If you weren't my beloved spy, I would have separated your head from your useless body this instance.".

Alancaster was annoyed by the fact that his spy had come to spew an unrealistic nonsense, far from what he was expecting to hear.

The spy quickly denied the Duke's accusations,"No, no, I swear, Your Grace. The King of Darkshire has really married a wife, and she is a Princess."

Alan considered the spy's words momentarily. He had worked with Theodore for five years and the man had never once uttered a lie. But telling him that the king was suddenly married, seemed unbelievable.

He knew Maximilian Blackthorn. He was a damned Celibate. Someone who was not normal...he wasn't attracted to females.

He knew how the king despised the idea of marriage, so how could he then have gotten married all of a sudden?

"Your Grace, please believe me, I'm saying the truth." Cried the spy.

"Are you sure of what you are saying, Theodore?" 

"Yes, Your Grace." He nodded vigorously.

Alan felt a sudden switch in emotion. From anger to suspicion. He wasn't completely sure if his spy knew what he was saying, but if it was really true, it meant the king was up to something.

"How did you know about this, Theodore?" He questioned with a piercing look.

"I saw them with my own eyes, Your Grace. I saw how the king carried the female on his shoulder. She seemed unconscious and was wearing a wedding dress."

"I also heard the servants in the castle talking about the lady being a princess." 

"Anything else?" 

"No, Milord." He shook his head vigorously.

"You may leave, Theodore." The Duke waved him off with his hands. However, the man lingered for a while, making Alan realize what he wanted.

He then took out three silver coins from his pouch, throwing it at him. "Leave now, Theodore. Lest you want your absence to be noticed."

The spy greedily got hold of the coins, he thanked the Duke before leaving the room.

Seeing Theodore leave, Alan got up from his chair pacing around the room.

His jaw clenched, thinking about the king's sudden marriage. He snarled, "Who knew you would decide to get married, you bastard? I should have known you had numerous schemes up your sleeves."

Alan's lips twisted as he devised on what to do next. The next court meeting was in three days, and he would just have to be present, even though he had to abandon his important plans.

It would be a sight behold, finding out the reality of the king's marriage, and most importantly, seeing the bride he had picked.

He had just been trying a way to get rid of the king, but had ended getting a more intriguing news about him. 

'How contrasting!', he thought.

"I can't wait to see how this little show unravels. Let's see what you intend on doing with your plans, Maximilian." Said Alan, a smirk appeared on his face, anticipating on what would happen in the next three days.