Chapter 8: With Power in Hand, Why Not Claim the Throne?
“Help! Someone! Anyone!” Phils’ voice echoed through the room, high-pitched and desperate. And yet… there was a musical quality to her cries, a sweetness that belied her terror.
Kailun found it strangely alluring.
“Why… why isn’t anyone coming?” Her voice was hoarse from screaming.
She stared up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. It was only then that she understood why he had been smiling.
“Why?” he echoed, his fingers toying with the buttons of her blouse.
He had continued to touch her as she screamed, enjoying the feel of her skin against his, the way her body trembled beneath his hands.
He gave her breast a playful squeeze. “Because, my dear, naive Phils,” he murmured, “you are currently trapped within a soundproof barrier, courtesy of a very useful Soundproof Scroll. Surely, a clever girl like you knows how they work?”
“But… how?” she gasped, pain momentarily forgotten.
She was still clinging to the singular pronoun. “How?” not “How did you know?”
He had to give her credit. Even in this compromising position, she was still trying to salvage some semblance of control.
“It’s quite simple, really. Princess Hilna told me all about it.”
“Impossible!” Her eyes widened, a flicker of doubt momentarily eroding her composure.
This plan had been their secret. Theirs alone. If Kailun knew, then…
No. It couldn’t be. Hilna would never betray her.
Hilna needed to eliminate the Kates. And Phils… she craved power. Their goals were aligned.
“You’re lying! Hilna would never betray me!”
Kailun had to hand it to her. She was a tenacious little thing. Almost a shame to waste her on such a… mundane plan.
“If not Hilna, then how do you suppose I came across this… information?” he asked mildly, his fingers tracing the delicate line of her jaw. “Accuse me of assault. Have me imprisoned. Murder my mother and make it look like an accident. Then, with the Kate family in disarray, strike at our businesses, crippling us financially. Am I correct so far?”
Phils trembled, a cold fear gripping her heart.
How did he know? It was impossible!
He was no longer the clueless, incompetent fool she thought he was. He was… dangerous.
She had miscalculated.
And Hilna… Hilna was waiting outside, oblivious to the fact that her precious plan had gone horribly awry, thanks to the Soundproof Scroll.
“You win,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She spread her arms out on the desk, offering herself up to him like a sacrificial lamb. Her voice, however, held a steely undercurrent. “Do what you will.”
She wasn’t giving up, not entirely. She would use her body as her weapon.
She’d seen the way he looked at her.
If she could tempt him, distract him, just long enough…
It was a risky gambit. But if she succeeded…
When Hilna finally stormed in, she’d find them like this. And then…
She drew in a shaky breath, trying to quell the fear that threatened to consume her.
Think of it as being bitten by a dog, Phils, she told herself. You can do this.
“While I appreciate the offer,” Kailun said, a predatory gleam in his eyes, “I’d much rather savor this moment. Tell me, Phils… your family’s estate… it borders mine, doesn’t it? Would you be terribly upset if I were to… say… annex your lands? Perhaps eliminate a few… pests? Your parents and your dear grandfather, for example.”
He stroked her cheek, his voice soft and conversational, as if discussing the weather.
“You’re a monster!” she spat, her voice raw with terror.
“Oh, please. Don’t play the victim. If I hadn’t uncovered your little plot, I imagine you and your dear princess would be doing the exact same thing to my family, wouldn’t you? Murdering my loved ones, seizing my family’s wealth… Am I wrong, Lady Phils?”
Tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry! Please… don’t hurt my family! They had nothing to do with this! I beg you!”
Family. Her one weakness.
Kailun knew, from his past life, that Phils, for all her intelligence and ambition, was fiercely protective of her family. It was an endearing quality… in another life.
He glanced at the door, calculating how much time they had left.
“There is… one way you can redeem yourself,” he said slowly. “You can be my eyes and ears within the princess’s circle. And…” a cruel smile spread across his lips, “if the opportunity arises… you will help me… dispose of her. Perhaps… deliver her to my bedchamber. What do you say, Phils? Can you do that?”
She shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face. Betraying Hilna would be suicide.
Kailun sighed. “You’re a smart girl, Phils. Let me ask you this: The king is dying. The kingdom is on the brink of chaos. Who is best suited to rule?”
“Princess Hilna?” she whispered, her voice small and lost.
He chuckled, gently pinching her cheek. “No, you silly girl. The strongest contender is the sole heir to the Kate family. Kailun Kate. In other words… me.”
Phils stared at him, her mind reeling.
“???”
“!!!”
