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Chapter 76
After Amethyst left, Alexcent let out a sigh of relief and put down his pen. She’d stared at him for such a long time.
“Dammit…!” he said softly.
Regarding Aran Bank, that had been a mistake. But then again, had it really?
Amethyst didn’t say Aran Bank was his. But she was right. While it was legal, it wasn’t an honourable place. It wasn’t dangerous for him and he didn’t have to worry, even if the notorious Fidorun Bank found out Aran Bank was actually his…
Alexcent shook his head. He didn’t want to worry about that either. “I hope you can just move on and forget about it,” he whispered to the place Amethyst had been standing at.
It was this side of her personality that always made him wonder. He’d already seen too much of it. No matter, someone had to be silenced.
“Pon!” Alexcent called out loudly.
Soon, the butler entered the office and waited expectantly.
“Send Jen in,” Alexcent said.
“Yes, Master,” Pon replied with a bow and left.
Alexcent didn’t have to wait long for Jen to arrive in his office.
“You sent for me, Sir?” Jen said.
“Did you slit his throat?”
“Yes, just as you said. I made it look like a simple accident.”
“Good,” Alexcent said sternly, “I hope he’s naturally disposed of.”
“Of course,” Jen said with a dip of the head, “No one suspected any foul play.”
It was the night before. After Alexcent left Amethyst’s bedroom, he had summoned Jen to his office.
“Bring me his head, now!” His cold voice rang throughout the silent night.
“Beg your pardon, Sir, who? Do you mean… Dajal?” Jen hesitantly asked.
“Whose else? Your own? Are you going to bring me your head? That will suffice as well.”
Jen hurriedly replied before the duke got any ideas, “No! No, no Sir… No that, it’s just… Didn’t Lady Amethyst say she’d spare him? I thought Your Imperial Highness gave permission to let him go?”
“Take care of him,” Alexcent said coldly.
That was that. The duke couldn’t simply let him go that easily.
“And how should I do it, Sir?” Jen asked.
Alexcent traced his finger over his desk, slowly and calmly, “It is a shame to just kill him… But there is no other choice. Make so that if his body is later discovered, it should seem like an accident. She mustn’t suspect anything.”
“Right. Understood, Sir.”
Alexcent’s only regret was that he couldn’t kill Dajal with his own two hands. He would just have to be satisfied with this. There was still a bruise on Amethyst’s neck from the incident. It made his blood boil that he couldn’t squeeze Dajal’s neck until it was bruised as well, and then simply tear his head off his shoulders.
Jen closed his eyes against the seething wrath once again bubbling within, “Your Excellency, please take it easy.”
“Get your ass out of here, if you’re going to talk to me like that, Jen!” Alexcent furiously roared. There was no room for negotiation, his decision was final.
“Sir?” Jen said, tilting his head in confusion. “What’s happening?”
“What do you mean? Wring his neck! Now!” Alexcent bellowed.
Jen flinched, more to placate Alexcent’s fury than anything else. “Your Excellency, please… Lady Amethyst is not feeling well. If she sees you like this she will pass out.” If he didn’t calm this royalty down before the mistress came in, Jen feared the duke would snap his neck in front of everyone.
As he stood there before the duke, it dawned on Jen that he probably shouldn’t have listened to Alexcent in the first place.
A few days before Dajal’s confession of his crime, Alexcent had known of his wife’s little mission. He discovered it through his loyal servant, Jen.
That day, a noise of surprise escaped Alexcent as he finished rummaging Jen’s mountain of papers. He found a note in a gap between the documents that were being approved…
“Your Excellency, what are you doing?” Jen asked.
Alexcent’s forehead creased with an unnamed emotion as he picked up the paper and unfolded it. The moment his eyes scanned over the words, he jumped up from his seat, leaving Jen to sit there looking at him in confusion. He made for the door, the note clutched tightly in his hand, but he didn’t get far.
Jen grabbed him from behind and held him. “Sir! Please wait! Just a second!”
Alexcent fought against him furiously, “How dare you say that! How dare you say that after what I’ve just read!”
“But this… This is Lady Amethyst’s decision!”
“What?” Alexcent seethed, still trying to wrest himself from Jen’s hold. “This is madness!”
“Sir,” Jen said stubbornly, “the authority over the internal affairs of the duke’s mansion is strictly Lady Amethyst’s.”
Alexcent bristled. “Are you… She’s wearing a maid’s uniform! Or were you unaware?”
“But—” Jen started to protest but flinched away from Alexcent’s violent anger.
“Get out of my…!”
“For what? What are you going to say?” Jen stood before the furious duke.
“I’m going there, I’m going there right now!” Alexcent tried to push past Jen.
Jen stopped him with equal obstinacy. “Going there to say what? This maid is my lady, my wife?”
Alexcent’s mouth formed as if to say something but it came out as a simple, “What?” instead.
“Or are you going to nit-pick over why Lady Amethyst can’t call you her man and husband?”
Alexcent, who was beginning to calm, suddenly flared up again. “What the hell is this!”
Jen could see he’d touched a nerve. “If you aren’t going there to do any of the above, leave her be, Sir. Lady Amethyst isn’t asking for help. If you go there in this state, she, not you, will be disregarded and disobeyed by her subordinates.”
“Who would dare to disregard the wife of a duke!”
Jen raised his hands to placate the fuming royalty. “They’re not disregarding her now… They’re taking care of her. It’s all in her hands, her power, of how this situation will pan out. And depending on the outcome of the said situation, the maids and servants might do their best to ignore her. So, I implore you, Your Excellency, please wait.” He reasoned with his raging master.
Alexcent gritted his teeth, biting back the fresh fury. “What if she gets hurt—”
“You’ve sent out the Shadows, did you not? If something were to happen, like today, they’ll inform you.” Jen lowered his voice, trying to calm the situation. “Now please, focus on the approval of those documents.”
Just as things seemed to be settling, and the angry flush was receding from the duke’s cheeks, came the news that Dajal was teaching her himself. It was all Jen could do to stop Alexcent from storming straight past him out the room.
He flung himself forward and grabbed Alexcent’s pants. “Please! Your Excellency!”