Chapter b131 /b

    bChapter /bb131 /b

    ra’s POV

    “F–flogged to death?”

    Theard Gorden’s voice crack, his body trembling as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

    “No… NO! You can’t! Please, I’m telling the truth! My King, I’m loyal to you. You have to save me!” His words were a desperate pleadb, /bbbut /bbthe /bbpanic /bin his eyes spoke louder.

    “Silence,” Lance’s voice sliced through the tension.

    He then turned toward Andre, exhaling a sharp breath. “Andre, I get it. You’re furious. But there’s no need to punish this man. He’s just btrying /bto share his side of things…”

    “Your Majesty, with all due respect,” Andre snapped, not backing down. “This man is lying. He’s spinning a web of lies for a payoff, that’s all. bMy /bfather’s death? It wasn’t anything but a consequence of his vices.”

    “I know,” Lance said, a grimace shing on his face, but he wasn’t ready to surrender yet. “But-”

    “And did you promise him something for his testimony?” Andre interrupted again, a biting edge to his words.

    Lance frowned, offended by the question. His gaze darkened, and after a long pause, he muttered, “Yes. I promised him some reward for his braveryb./bb” /b

    “See?” Andre’s words were sharp. “He’s in this for the money. This whole thing is a scam. And I say we punish him. Hard. Let’s teach the rest of them a lesson–don’t lie to the King.”

    I could feel the room tightening with the weight of Andre’s anger. The murmurs around us were quiet, but the unease was palpable.

    Lance’s expression darkened, and the tension between them crackled in the air.

    “Gorden.” Lance’s voice was colder now, almost mocking.

    Gorden flinched, shaking even more. “Y–Yes… My King?”

    “Do you swear, on iyour /isoul, that everything you’ve said about Alpha Thorne and Gamma ra is true?” Lance’s tone was full of icy contempt.

    The man shuddered, his voice faltering. “S–swear? Yeah, I can swear…”

    “How do you respond ito /iAndre’s usations?” Lance asked, his eyes narrowing.

    Gorden looked lost, his face contorting in confusion. He just stared at the floor, speechless.

    Then it happened. He wet himself. A small, foul odor spread across the room as everyone’s gaze dropped to the wet stain growing on the floor.

    The room collectively recoiled.

    “…Eww.”

    Someone muttered, others followed, their noses crinkling in disgust.

    Kimberly’s sneer was as sharp as a knife. “My King, please. Can we just drag this clown out of here? It’s obvious now that bhe’s /bbjust /bbtrying /bbto /bbget /bbyour /bmoney. He knows nothing about General Danton’s death.”

    Lance exhaled, a long, weary sigh escaping him.

    “Guards,” hemanded with a flick of his wrist.

    b11:06 /bbWed/bb, /bb30 /bbJul /bGO

    Chapter b131 /b

    Several soldiers moved forward, their boots clicking on the floor as they surrounded Gorden. They lifted bhim /bbup/bb, /bhis bbody /bfrom fisettes

    “Drag him to the Central Square and flog him fifty times,” Lance ordered, his voire hollow. “Let the world see what happens to those wtus ke tan

    “Yes, my King!”

    The soldiers grunted as they pulled Gorden away. He was barely conscious as they dragged disgusting trail behind him, staining the floor.

    I him, like some animal headed to bughter/b. His bnanti /bka a

    “Ugh.”

    Kimberly covered her nose, rolling her eyes dramatically. “This room smells like piss. Someone clean it up.”

    Lance snapped his fingers. A few maids rushed in, cleaning the floor and opening the windows.

    “Well, that was something,” Thorne said, crossing his arms, the faintest amusement in his voice. “Can we call it quits here?”

    “I think so…” Lance muttered.

    But his eyes turned to Thorne and ra, and a strange weight settled in the room. “But I might need to send a few guards to your roomb, /bAlpha bThome /bfor safety reasons.”

    “Are you spying on us?” ra’s voice was cold, her temper rising.

    “No, of course not,” Lance chuckled, but there was an edge to it. “It’s just a temporary measure. I’ll have the guards leave once things quiet down bagain /b“This is to protect you,” he added, his grin widening. “You can’t shift in the city, and General Danton just died… It’s a turbulent time. You understandb, /bdon’t you?”

    It was a pile of lies, and we both knew it. Lance didn’t trust us, not one bit. But he couldn’t prove our involvement, either.

    But the guards were his way of keeping us under watch–closer than we’d like.

    ra’s jaw tightened. She was weighing her options, torn between agreeing or refusing. If she said no, Lance would get suspicious. If she said yes, they would lose their freedom.

    She finally spokei, /iher voice forced calm. “Fine. We’ll ept the guards.”

    “Good,” Lance said, though his eyes glinted with something darker. “I’ll make sure they’re there for your safety.”

    Kimberly smiled a little too brightly as she stepped forward. “Let me handle itb, /bmy King.” She gave Lance ba /bnod, then turned to Thorne and ra. “I’ll make sure they get back safely. You can leave the rest to me.”

    Lance didn’t argue. He didn’t care anymore. His mind was already elsewhere.

    Once they were back in their room, ra mmed the door shut behind her, her chest heaving as she turned to Thorne. “Does Lance seem… off to you?”

    iThorne /iraised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “You mean how he barely even questioned us? Softened his approach?”

    “Yeah,” ra said, pacing. “It’s like he knows we’re involved, but he still pulled back… It doesn’t make sense.”

    Thorne shrugged, but there was something in his eyes. “Maybe… just maybe, he’s covering for you. Feels like he’s protecti

    ra stared at him. “Do you think he’s in love with me?”

    “Ha!” Thorne grinned, leaning back against the door. “Maybe. But it’s more likely he’s just trying to get into your headb./bb” /b

    She bit her lip, thinking. “I don’t trust him. But if he’s ying some kind of game with me…”

    “Then it’s time for us to make out move.” Thorne’s voice was low, steady. “We need to bide our time and wait for the right moment.”

    ra gave him a worried nced. “And then? What’s the n?”

    Thorne’s smirk grew. “I already have something in mind. But we need Jory.”

    ra frowned. “How are we supposed to reach him? There are soldiers everywhere.”

    Thorne’s face softened, and he stepped closer. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Leave that to me.”

    Then, with a wicked grin, he added, “But first, let’s take a nap.”

    ra raised an eyebrow, confused. “A nap? In the middle of all this?”

    “I didn’t get enough sleep earlier,” Thorne teased, his grin widening. “Join me.”

    She giggled. Despite everything, his presence always calmed her.

    When they woke up, the sun had set. ra stretched, reaching for themp beside her. But before she could sit up, Thorne pulled her back into the bed, wrapping his arms around her. His warm body pressed against hers as he kissed her neck.

    Her breath caught, a shiver of excitement rushing through her. “S–stop… we need to get up.”

    But Thorne just smirked, his hands teasing at her waist. “Says who?”

    Just as their moment deepened, there was a knock at the door.

    “Damn it.” Thorne’s curse was low and frustrated.

    ra jumped out of bed, grinning despite herself. “We’re never going to get any peace.”

    It was Kimberly, standing at the door with a wicked smile on her face.

    “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” Kimberly said with an innocent nced at ra’s messy hair.

    ra raised an eyebrow, trying to y it cool. “Nope. You’re good. Why are you here?”

    “Room service,” Kimberly answered, raising her voice for the guards to hear. “From now on, Alpha Thorne’s meals will be delivered to his room.”

    The guards responded in unison, “Yes, Lady Kimberly!”

    Kimberly pushed past them, bringing in a cart piled high with food.

    ra smirked, eyeing the setup. “Room service, huh? Looks like we’re really locked down.”

    “Not necessarily.” Kimberly gave her a yful wink. “I brought you a surprise.”

    The servant removed his mask.

    “Jory?” ra gasped.

    And just like that, the surprise had arrived.