Chapter 234

Chapter 234

Was this the cost of resting? Lila stared at the pile of documents.

This is insane.

When would she be done with this? She pressed her fingers to her forehead, feeling a headache draw nearer. She didn’t have the courage to start working on it, so she’d just examined it. But then…

“Hm? What is this?”

A document had caught her eye. It had the seal of the Empire Royal Family on it.

“Enrique Ahibalt,” she read aloud.

She could remember the terrible relationship she’d had with the Emperor. Thankfully, Lacias had cut it short and she hadn’t had to see him in a while.

The prisoner I saw before I left…he must have had a connection with Enrique.

Was that what this was about?

“Why is it in my office?”

It should go to Lacias. If it had been delivered incorrectly…

“The Emperor sent it to me.” Lila quickly pried open the letter and began to read. Her eyes widened.

He’s going to get rid of the prisoner that the Wipere family made with him?

At first, she thought it was a sweet deal. And then she spotted the message underneath.

But in return, she thought, reading silently, I should come into the palace to meet Enrique without telling anyone.

The letter didn’t say what they’d be doing to get rid of the terrible contract. Just that she was to meet him. The way Lila saw it, considering she’d left because of that prisoner, it wasn’t a bad offer.

“But without telling anyone.”

If something happened to her when she went in alone, she wouldn’t be able to ask for help because no one would know where she’d gone.

Lila pondered for a moment, then rose to her feet and headed for Lacias’s office.

It’s too risky to go alone. Enrique wouldn’t know if I told Lacias, anyway.

That was where Enrique had gone wrong. If she’d been Ms. Marshmell, of the past, she might’ve gone without really thinking about it. But Lila was different. She was more thoughtful, and less likely to be easily swayed by such suggestion.

“Lacias,” she said,

“Lila!”

Lacias was in his office. His eyes widened as she walked in. And then he grinned.

“What is it?” he wanted to know. “You came to me first.”

He hurried over and pulled her into a hug, then kissed her forehead and pulled back, gazing deep into her eyes. Lila frowned at him. “How come you’re so happy to see me when you already saw me this morning?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You just make me so happy; I could die.”

“Don’t die,” she half-joked, proceeding to sit on the sofa. Lacias took the seat next her, looking as excited as a dog next to his owner and rolled his eyes as though checking to see if he could sit any closer.

“Did you get any letter from the Emperor, by any chance? Or any message…”

Lacias examined her questionably. Like she was trying to check.

“Why are you curious about that?” Lacias mumbled, caressing her cheek like he’d guessed. He said it aloud, like he wanted her to hear it.

“Tell me what it is,” he added. “Or else I might have a weird misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Maybe my wife being attracted to another man—that kind of misunderstanding?”

“Such nonsense.”

“I’m asking you to help me not misunderstand.” Lacias smiled, but she detected a hint of suspicion and aggression beneath his expression.

“Well,” she said, “it’s because of this. It came to me.”

Lila took out the letter with Enrique Ahibalt’s seal on it.

At the sight of it, Lacias’s features morphed into a deep scowl. He took the letter from Lila’s hand. “What is it?”

“I brought it so you can see it yourself.”

He took his time perusing the letter, and his lip curled. “How dare he.”

“I brought it just in case, I think that was the right choice.”

“Mhm,” he grunted. “It was.”

“So…I wanted to talk about this letter—wait, what are you doing?”

Lila’s eyes widened with surprise and turned into terror. Lacias was ripping the letter to shreds.

Destroying anything from the Emperor was considered a felony. Destroying a letter with the Emperor’s seal on it? That was unthinkable.

“What?” Lacias asked calmly, like he couldn’t sense the gravity of his actions. Anyone who saw him would assume he was just ripping ordinary paper.

“You’re just…ripping up the Emperor’s letter! What if someone sees it?”

“Who cares if someone sees it? You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I don’t want to give him even the slightest reason.”

“That wasn’t a message from the Emperor,” he replied. “Just an animal who’s coming after my woman.”

Lacias looked as determined as she was worried, panting in annoyance like this was the most unbelievable thing in the world.

Thank goodness no one was around, she thought.

Lila tried to steady her pounding heart. She wasn’t fond of Enrique Ahibalt, either. Besides, if it happened in Wipere house, then there was a good chance it would be buried quietly.

“Be careful. You’ll have many people to protect from now on.”

“People to protect?”

“A lot. You’re not alone anymore.”

Lila knew how to get Lacias to calm down. Sure enough, at her words, he got an excited look on his face.

“You have me and Hir as well,” she told him.

“That’s true,” he said. “I have to protect my wife and son.”

“Mhm. So you have to be careful all the time.”

“Okay.” Lacias nodded, looking a lot calmer than he’d been a moment ago. Lila smiled, feeling an odd sense of superiority at the knowledge that she could control this man however she wanted.

“What are you going to do?” she wanted to know.

That was why she’d come here, to share the details and ask for his opinion.

“Thanks for asking for my opinion,” he replied. “It hurt me when you tried to take on everything by yourself. It also didn’t feel like you needed me.”

“That’s not it. I did it to be more helpful.”

“Well, that’s water under the bridge. I’m quite happy today.” Lacias shrugged, turning a piece of the letter he’d just ripped. “Of course, we can’t put you in any danger.”

“Danger?”

“Going to the Emperor alone.”

“I thought it wasn’t a bad idea?”

“That’s why I said that first.” Lacias tapped on Lila’s cheek, looking as though he could read her thoughts. “I’ll never allow it, so don’t even think about it.”

He said it jokingly, but there was some seriousness to his words.

Lila nodded. “What’s a good way, then?”

“Should it be an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?”

“Hmm?” Lila responded, confused.

Lacias smiled and took out a piece of paper. “Watch.”

Confidently and without hesitation, he began writing down.  Lila leaned against his broad shoulders, reading as he wrote, and her eyes widened.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Why not?”

Lila took her head off his shoulder in horror. Lacias licked his lips.

“But,” she said, “this is too…”

Much like making fun of him, she wanted to say. Would an emperor of an Empire fall for this?

What Lacias had written down was same thing Lila had received in the Emperor’s letter. But the receiver had been changed to Enrique Ahibalt instead.