Demon Prince's Forsaken Bride-Chapter 63: A Deeper Conspiracy (1)

Suddenly, she frowned as she seemed to have thought of something, ’’His Highness only stripped the man for a brief moment yet you were able to spot all these clues...’’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’’What clues?" Lareina looked up at her.

Astra was stunned and eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned on her, ’’There was no handkerchief,’’ she mumbled.

Astra suddenly understood that even Azrael was aware of the fact that there was no such solid evidence but he still played along and threatened that maid in a way that she confessed her crimes in a moment of panic. The entire play, however, was two man orchestration from the beginning to the end. And everyone got played by Lareina and Azrael.

"My Lady, when did you figure out that the maid is the real culprit since there was no evidence there?"

’’The innkeeper is too-simple minded to plot this entire matter and the maid was too calm to not have anything to do with it.’’

When Lareina said that, Astra realized that before the maid was asked to step out, nobody had sensed her presence. When she walked forward, she suddenly started crying and expressing her grief. If that was the beginning point of Lareina’s suspicion, then everything that happened after that, from the bowl of broth to the maid’s close connection with the man was like a confirmation to the doubt. However, it would have been difficult to get to the truth without real evidence hence this entire setup.

’’Your Highness!" Astra pushed herself to her feet when she heard the sound of movements from the other side of the bath.

However, after a few shuffling noises, the man did not step out, ’’You are dismissed.’’

Astra left the room without further questions.

And after a while, Azrael stepped out of the bath. The man had draped a plain robe around himself that revealed his pectoral muscles and strong legs. His hair was damp and water trickled down his eyelashes as he tilted his head to the side.

Even from a distance, Lareina could smell the sweet fragrance lingering in there. She doubtfully stepped past him and entered the bath but all the jars of fragrances, soaps and oils that Astra had arranged for were empty.

After a while when she walked out, her face was darker than the bottom of a pot.

’’You seem to have complaints?" Azrael sat on a chair, chin propped on his fist as he watched her.

Lareina’s face twitched a little but she promptly looked away from the man and gazed at the window. It was almost the first crack of dawn. Suddenly, tiredness seeped into her and she settled on the bed.

However, suddenly, she remembered something and turned around. The bloodstains on sheets seemed to have disappeared in thin air.

Azrael noticed her movements and his eyes lowered slightly, "It won’t happen again.’’

Lareina had just laid down on the bed when she heard him, ’’Your Highness, a gentleman must not back out on his words.’’

There was silence on the other side.

She shifted in her position and turned towards him, ’’I gave you the chance to kill me but you did not do it so in the future, my life is not yours to take. If you renege on your words, then you’d be no longer a gentleman.’’

Azrael’s face which was initially enshrouded in solemnity suddenly revealed a rare trace of mirth, ’’What makes you think I am a gentleman now?" he asked it like she had cracked a joke.

Lareina frowned. When she did not mean things, he would take them seriously and when she was sincere about her words, they would become a joke to him.

’’Humans or demons, I have seen worse ones with heinous intentions and a darkened heart. You are way better,’’ Lareina sighed. Perhaps it was the drowsiness that was settling over her, but she could not help herself from saying these words.

If Azrael was not a demon prince and she was not a human princess and this marriage did not exist, then maybe they could have been good friends after a chance encounter.

"Your Highness!"

Azrael seemed to be lost in his thoughts when Lareina spoke up again, this time, her eyes were opened wide.

’’Hmm?"

’’What about that maid?" She asked.

’’What about her?" Azrael arched a brow.

’’Are you going to let her go?" Lareina suddenly sat up on the bed as injected with a fresh bout of chicken blood, ’’In front of the people, we barely touched the surface of this case but in reality, both of us know that this case is not that simple.’’

Azrael remained silent.

’’All we know is that she killed the local guide but why? From what we have surmised, the man treated her well so what made her kill him and how did she manage to drag him out, unnoticed by everyone before throwing him inside the well? It means she had an accomplice, who probably can be the person who was singing earlier,’’ The more Lareina spoke, the further she felt like a huge piece was missing from the puzzle they had put together, ’’I have a hunch that she must know something. You cannot wait for her to be sent to the officials.’’

There was a patterned knock on the door.

Lareina noticed Azrael tapping his chair twice before Rune stepped inside and dropped to his knees.

’’I am incompetent. The woman pretended to be unconscious and then she stabbed her heart and died when I managed to take her away from the officials,’’ he declared with a ’I deserve to die for this mistake’ face.

Lareina leaned back on the bed. It seemed like Azrael had also considered the things that she was concerned about but with that maid dead, they had no leads left to get to the bottom of this affair.

After Rune left, Azrael also stood up, ’’Don’t concern yourself with these things.’’

He had barely taken a step before he turned to look at her.