Marriage Alliance With The Lycan Monarch-Chapter 49: The Assailants

Sloane Altherin.

I kept repeating that name in my head over and over again. She was the only one I could think of, the only one who I knew for certain had something to do with this.

The Dowager.

My mother-in-law might be involved too, I couldn’t forget her glares that day at the ball, but there were so many, coming from every angle. It could be the entire empire had it coming for me.

But if they were, then the attack wouldn’t have been like this. I narrowed my eyes. The way Talia was mauled and suspended to the wall, not completely dead but barely alive. The culprit was trying to make a statement.

Not many who are hostile toward their monarch’s human bride will have time for that. They’d have gone for a full kill, but this culprit targeted my handmaids.

Drevon had explained to me earlier that Osha was incapacitated to keep her from shifting. I, on the other hand, coincidentally found my way to where they were, and I wasn’t attacked until I saw them.

It was almost as if they wanted that to happen and instill just enough terror in me.

My teeth clenched, and my hands balled into fists. How dare they play with their lives? If they wanted me, then they should’ve just attacked me in my room.

They made Talia and Osha suffer.

It was a well-planned psychological attack.

My stepsister, Fiona, used tricks like this once. Not as brutal, but it was impactful. She made sure each time her friends came to visit at the estate, I would serve them tea.

Fiona would talk about me, my ugly hair, how skinny I was, and worst of all, about my mother. They laughed about it and spoke of the whore she was, how she seduced the Archduke.

To make it far more chaotic, Fiona would ask me to sit with them and share their biscuits on my plate as if I begged for it.

Because of that... I knew how psychological this attack was. They wanted to break me first.

"The Dowager has given a name. It seems the House Vale was indeed responsible for the attack. Your insight was quick as always, my liege."

I raised my head, but I couldn’t see anything aside from shadows. The bed drapes are covered for my privacy. Drevon had called his Beta to discuss something.

I should have been sleeping, but I couldn’t. My sleep has been short for a while now, because the haunting image of that day kept coming forth like a plague. Just two hours of sleep and lying on my bed was enough for me.

"We also matched the blood from the Lycans; they indeed are members of the Vale family."

House Vale. One of the houses that supports the crown, a part of Drevon’s court. However, what I couldn’t understand was why the Dowager gave the name of the culprit.

Drevon hasn’t said anything; he was silent as if thinking through the information.

"My liege?"

"Then my judgment of this was ideal. House Vale has been charged with treason already," Drevon replied.

House Vale had paid for their crime?

I should be overjoyed by that information, but I wasn’t.

"You think they weren’t the ones involved?" Garrick asked.

I moved my eyes back to Drevon’s shadow, observing.

"Too much of a perfect situation, don’t you think? The House I eradicated turned out to be the ones responsible for the attack on my wife. But the Dowager—she may not have mentioned it, but the thought of a house under her influence acting without her verdict must have troubled her. In a way, she’s just as desperate to find the culprit and uproot the offenders to steady her power. I see no reason for her to lie."

I placed a hand under my chin. That sounds...reasonable. I see the reason why the Dowager was so wholeheartedly involved in catching my assailants.

If there was one thing that Beloria and Valkanor shared, even though they were two different kinds—it was the lust for power.

"Then House Vale was truly involved, then?" Garrick asked.

"Possibly."

It wasn’t far-fetched that one of the noble houses supporting the crown was involved in the attack, after all, they were amongst the people who would have the most ulterior motive against me.

But why did I get the feeling they didn’t act alone?

This method was far too planned, or maybe I was just overthinking it. This treason wouldn’t have been so detailed. I had a feeling someone acted as their enforcer, someone who wanted to bring me down, not just physically but mentally, someone who knew about me.

I have never met the houses in person—they knew only about me as the human bride. And there’s the Dowager; she didn’t seem to be involved. novelbuddy-cσ๓

Sloane. I thought darkly, it had to be her.

I chewed on my nails. If she were the enforcer, then I was right to suspect her.

"What about the handmaid?"

My heartbeat spiked at Drevon’s question.

"There are treatments that can be tried. It’s going to be difficult, as you know she’s human."

"Do what you can for her, exhaust everything if you have to."

My eyes softened at Drevon’s instructions.

"My liege," Garrick began in a far too serious tone. "Prince Damon is back. Is there anything you want to do about it?"

Prince Damon? Prince? It must be Drevon’s brother. I read Drevon wasn’t an only child; he had two younger siblings, but there was no information about them.

"You of all people should know that coming back was not just a coincidence," Garrick uttered.

"So far, he’s quiet. He’s wise to be."

"Maybe...but there is a rumor going around, whispering everywhere and catching far too much attention," Garrick said in a shifty tone.

"I don’t pay attention to squealing rats in my castle walls."

Garrick cleared his throat. "Pardon me, my liege. But they say he was summoned back by his supporters. This could be troublesome."

"Supporters?" Drevon snickered like it was highly unlikely. "And who are those?"

"Unknown for now. But it’s what the rest of the rumor says that worries me. They say he’s come back to challenge your position."

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