Chapter 101

Chapter 101 – Arondight Sword (2)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

“An Arondight sword…” Raphael’s eyes immediately lit with interest. “The famous blades that never lose their edge? I’ve heard only the craftsmen of Laurent know the secret to forging them.”

Despite the heavy meal, he leaned over with another sort of hunger. Mentioning such a sword to a swordsman was like putting catnip before a cat.

“Oh, of course you would know about it,” Arjen said, running his fingers through his blond hair. “It’s just a trinket, but I acquired one to try to make amends to my brother-in-law, and win your favor. But it was heavy, so I just left it in the back of the carriage. Would you like to have a look at it?”

Raphael hardly needed to answer. If he had been mounted on a horse, he would already have been out of the saddle. But he still paused and glanced at Annette as if to ask permission to abandon her at the table.

“I hope you will like it,” she answered with a smile. “Will you go see it now?”

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Raphael shot up out of his seat, as if he would knock the chair over.

“My love, would you mind showing him his gift?” Arjen asked, pleased to have caught Raphael’s interest. “I’m sure you would enjoy examining it together. I’m a politician, not a swordsman, so I would have little to contribute.”

“Of course. Have a few minutes alone with your sister,” Claire replied, rising from her chair and kissing the top of her husband’s head in passing. Raphael was right on her heels, throttling his impatience.

That left the two Bavarias alone at the table, and Annette neatly folded her napkin and looked at her brother, sitting up straight.

“What’s so important that you wanted to get Raphael out of the way?”

“My sister is clever,” he said, smiling broadly as he tapped his temple. “You noticed.”

And then for a moment, his fingers drummed the table, as he had always done when he was turning something over in his mind.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be at your wedding,” he said suddenly, as if he had come to a decision. “I wanted to come.”

“It’s all right,” Annette said, waving her hand automatically, but her expression had hardened, and her pink eyes darkened. “Something happened, didn’t it? That’s why neither you or Claire could come.”

“Yes. There was a military commander that was killed, and I was only told that they were investigating. But the truth is…they suspected me. So I couldn’t go back to Deltium. If I had left under those circumstances, it would have ruined everything.”

He said it casually, shrugging, but Annette’s heart skipped a beat. Arjen would always be at a disadvantage in the Empire because he was a foreigner. But for him to be accused of murdering a high-ranking member of the military! It must have been an incredibly precarious situation.

“Who could have done something like that?” she asked. “Can you think of anyone?”

“More than I can count,” Arjen replied seriously. “That’s why it took me so long to get a handle on things.”

He was a foreign-born Prime Minister who had been a thorn in many sides. And despite the support of Claire’s family, the number of people who wanted him to drown would have rivaled the stars in the night sky. At first, he thought it had been a conspiracy hatched by one of his political enemies, but it hadn’t taken him long to get to the truth.

As he explained, Annette listened intently. His sweet sister. She had always been such a lovely girl, and the image of the child she had been lingered in his mind long after he left for the Empire. To Arjen, she was still that innocent girl, who needed his protection.

But the Annette before him now had changed a great deal. There was keen intelligence in her eyes and her soft lips were set firmly with determination.

It gave him satisfaction. They shared the same blood.

“Annette.”

Purple eyes, so much like their father’s gazed at Annette, and Arjen’s smile faded. His question was serious.

“How much do you trust your husband?”