The Lycan King's Puppet-Chapter 112: Interrogation

She disappeared the moment the carriage stopped. It was hopeless to expect her wait behind - she wouldn’t, he feared, even if he asked.

"Where’s..." Andon’s voice trailed off.

Even Andon noticed.

They exchanged glances ever so briefly before walking towards the entrance doors.

His uncle stood there with Aunt Adisa and Eliza. And someone else.

Garelle.

What was she doing here?

"Your Grace." His uncle clasped his hand, winking subtly. "Running this place has given me midnight back pains."

"Are you sure? I should think that it’s the constant ramming into young maids that causes such a... discomfort." He said, only to the hearing of his uncle.

His uncle’s face paled instantly.

Whta was wrong with him? Why had he said such a thing?

But he felt no remorse, only the need to lash out in whatever way possible.

He’d never felt that way before.

"You must excuse me." He said, planting a peck on Aunt Adisa’s face and Eliza’s before leaving.

A nod to Garelle was his only acknowledgement. And that was good enough - he hadn’t asked her to stay. Being in his presence for days without end won’t make him love her.

Nothing would, a voice in his head whispered.

Footsteps followed quietly behind him. It wasn’t Andon - he knew the sound of Andon’s steady footfalls.

He glanced over his shoulder. The guards parted behind him to reveal the woman he had just been thinking about.

"Welcome back to the Capital, Your Grace."

He nodded. "My thanks, Lady Plumette for such kind words." He managed a small smile - the best he had.

"You plan to avoid me, don’t you?"

He met her gaze, stunned slightly by her immaculate observation.

"What makes you say that?"

She waved her hand in the air, brushing it off.

"It’s a common thing among arranged marriages. But, despite my family’s failings, I want us to be friends at least."

He stopped walking altogether, letting the full weight of his gaze fall on her.

"I don’t plan on avoiding you, Miss Plumette."

She stepped closer, close enough for him to smell the fragrance she used in her bath.

"I don’t want to marry you either. We make sacrifices for bloodlines, don’t we?"

She sounded wiser than her age - different from most women he knew.

"A very blunt way of putting it, Miss Plumette."

She glanced at the guards behind him. "Were you in a hurry?"

The urge to say ’yes’ was too strong to be ignored. But then, his guilt weighed him down for the brief way he had acknowledged his bride-to-be.

Because she wasn’t the woman he wanted?

"No. I can spare you some time."

She smiled slowly.

"I was so sure you were going to claim you were busy."

Yeren ran a hand through his hair, unable to hide the grin that cracked up his face.

She was good, he thought to himself.

"I’m not trying to seduce, Your Grace. You have no reason to believe me, but I only want to talk with you." Leaning closer, she added, "So, I can know early enough if I should start making preparations to jump out the window of my tower."

She chuckled, but he didn’t. He didn’t find it amusing - women actually ended their lives because of marital failure after throwing away their chances at love.

"Shall we talk in the study?" He extended his hand to her.

It was already late in the evening - he didn’t have to talk to her longer than he was supposed to.

They began walking to the study. They passed the stairs to Claire’s tower.

He hadn’t even realized when he started referring to it as her tower - he just did.

Was she sleeping? He doubted it.

They reached the study and the guards closed the door after them.

"May I?" She indicated the seat across the table.

"Go ahead, my lady." He sat down as well.

"What do you want to talk about?"

She crossed her legs underneath her dress.

"I want to talk about us. I want to make an arrangement that would suit both of us."

He leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh. "And what would that be?"

"Would you want us to share a room?"

"No." The answer came out quicker than he expected.

She blinked at first, masking her shocked expression instantly.

"I should have expected that. After all, your parents did not share chambers from what I’ve heard."

He nodded.

"And does that suit you?"

She nodded.

"And her. We should talk about her."

The air in the room suddenly became harsh.

"Who?"

"Miss Stenly, of course. I know you have... inappropriate dealings with her."

"What are you trying to say, Garelle?"

She lowered her eyes.

"I won’t stop you from seeing her - of course, you are the King and answer to no one. But I would like to ask one thing of you."

Why was she beating around the bush so much?

"And what is that?"

She cleared her throat. "She must not carry your child - I don’t want my offspring to contend with bastards for their rightful inheritance." She paused to catch her breath. "And if she must, it should be after I have birthed an heir for the crown."

He could only stare at her.

The thought of Claire having his child had never crossed his mind. But now that it did, it was possible that she was carrying at that very moment.

"I don’t understand the direction of your thoughts, Garelle. She is merely my Cupbearer."

Her brows twitched. "I know that. She is a very honourable woman from what I’ve seen."

He pursed his lips.

"How often will you come to my bed?"

What? Women never asked their prospective husbands such questions.

"This is not proper-"

"I will not cower away from my responsibility, Yeren, if I may call you that. We are to be man and wife, so I need to know what you plan to do with me after are vows will be said."

"I will come to your bed whenever you invite me." He nearly choked on the words. The idea of making love to her didn’t repulse him in the slightest - but it also didn’t make his pulse spike.

"And if I never invite you?"

The question took him off guard.

"You will spark my curiosity. Do you care for wine?"

She shook her head curtly.

"Just your curiosity?"

"I respect women very much, Garelle. I won’t force myself into your bed for the sole aim of procuring an heir. You’re not a breeding mare. I would rather talk to you about it."

She tapped her fingers on the table.

"How comfortable are you about talking about such things?"

His mind narrowed down to his failed conversations with Claire and he shook his head.

"Horrendous."

She chuckled.

"So how do you intend to talk about it?"

"The words will come when the situation calls for it."

"And will the visits to my bedchamber stop when you have a healthy heir?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It depends on what awaits me in your bedchamber."

She coloured at his response.

"You must think I am out of sorts - intercepting you to ask you incredulous questions when you just returned from travel."

He rubbed his eyes.

"I do think you are out of sorts."

"And you look tired."

He was tired. Not just physically.

"Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"

She glanced up at the ceiling as she thought about it.

"Do you intend to mark me?"

He tapped the table, mirroring her previous movement.

Mark her? He had always evaded the thought each time, but now she confronted him with it, what was he to say?

"I can’t make any promises, we don’t decide these things."

"Have you marked someone else?"

Almost.

"No."

She pressed her lips together as she sighed.

"Do you find me attractive?"

Yeren let out a strangled cough.

"Your questions are very intriguing, Miss Plumette."

She grinned, revealing a perfect set of teeth.

"I want to have a good bearing, that’s all."

"As a matter of fact, I do find you attractive."

She nodded. "And how would you feel if I take on a lover?"

He tilted his head. "A woman wants what she wants - although I doubt you’d want a lover after me."

A deep blush stained her cheeks.

"That’s quite the admission, Your Grace."

He nodded, hoping she had finished her interrogation. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Is that all?’

She stood up, prompting him to stand as well.

"I’m in love with someone else."

He blinked. That wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.

"And has this person made any claims on you?"

She let out a dry laugh. "I wish. He doesn’t even know I have become smitten with him as it is."

Was it someone he knew?

"I completely understand."

"As I understand if you have any designs on Miss Stenly, Your Grace."

Why did she keep mentioning Miss Stenly?

"Shall I show you out?"

Just then, the door opened. Andon walked in, the top cusp of his shirt loose.

"Your Grace... and Lady Plumette."

Yeren couldn’t help but notice the blush that stained her cheeks.

Was it Andon?