CHAPTER 251: 251. HOW TO CATCH A VILLAIN.

Two days later.

"Mother! Father!" Neriah cried out at the sight of her parents standing in the King’s private drawing room.

The eyes of the queen of Avelah were instantly filled with tears as she saw her child. By the goddess she looked much better than the last time they saw her.

Her father was no different as he held on to her hand, smiling while fighting back hot tears.

Their joy knew no bounds at that moment because for one, no matter how much the Tragonian king and queen said they believed Neriah had no hand in the disappearance of the crown prince, it was hard to believe in their words. They had feared that one day the Tragonians would seek revenge for the death of their son and a war between the two nations would be inevitable.

Yet, like the greatest of magic, by a stroke of miracle, the prince who was assumed dead, was standing right behind their daughter... His wife.

Queen Erra was the first to withdraw her hand from Neriah and walk up to Barak, with her head bowed before him, she spoke.

"I am truly grateful you are alive and well, Your Highness." she said and her husband King Gerald also stepped forward.

"You must have suffered far beyond our comprehension, it is really a great joy of ours that you are back to your people. And in such good health." King Gerald added.

Barak smiled, casting a quick glance at his wife who now stood behind her parents. "It is all thanks to my wife that I am back in good health." He said, causing a smile to rise onto Neriah’s face.

With her head still bowed, Queen Erra spoke again. "I shamefully beg of you, Your Highness, that even though her actions against you deserve punishment, that you will temper justice with mercy," the expression on Neriah’s face slowly faded into guilt as she heard her mother pleading for mercy on her behalf.

A year ago, she wouldn’t have cared for her mother asking forgiveness for her wrongdoings, but things had changed since then.

Meeting Barak, marrying him, coming to Trago, learning to love him... things had happened and all these things had taught her how foolishly she had lived her life before.

Now she knew what guilt and remorse were.

Now she knew why Barak had been mad at her when she felt no remorse back then in Avelah when her father had bowed his head asking for mercy on her behalf.

She knew better now.

"If anyone is to blame for her misconduct it would be I as her mother who failed to teach my child properly. So I—"

"Please, Your Majesty," Barak took the queen’s hand in his own. "How can I make a queen beg?" Neriah looked up at him as he spoke, "Besides, you are the mother of my wife, therefore you are my mother and I will lose my neck before I see my mother beg for any reason." His words once again reminded her of what a remarkable man he was. She had married the best, no doubt.

"The matter between my wife and I has been settled, I assure you this. And I hold no grudge against her, so you can rest easy and please lift your head when you talk to your child."

Queen Erra did as she was requested to and when she met his gaze, she saw no lie, no malice, no doubt... She could tell, his words were not empty and it felt like a heavy weight was lifted from her heart. She could breathe easy again.

"You are indeed a great man, Prince Barak of Trago," King Gerald said, "And I am certain, one day... A great King."

***

"I will lure Lyle out."

Seated round a long table were the king and queen of Trago, the King and Queen of Avelah, the Crown prince and his wife, the second prince, and commander Regina Alnar.

And all eyes in the room turned towards Neriah who had made such a bold declaration.

The topic of how to capture the conniving prince of The Niles was what they had gathered to discuss, and after all the pleasantries were exchanged, before anyone could go deeply into the topic, Neriah spoke up.

"What?" Barak who sat next to her said.

"Sister-in-law, that does not sound like a safe option." Raknar said.

"His Highness is right. Prince Barak is a fierce warrior but was defeated by him, how much more you who is with child?"

"I am not saying I will draw my sword against him, I will only lure him out."

"Neriah you—"

"Barak was ambushed, that was why Lyle was ever able to get him. But this time we shall be the ones laying a trap for him. Not the other way around."

Barak shook his head objectingly. "Neriah putting you out there will be too dangerous and—"

"I already lured him out once, I can do it again. I assure you Lyle still does not want to believe I have fallen in love with you. In his eyes, I was merely bewitched temporarily and I still love him. Even that night you saw it for yourself, he thinks he still has me wrapped in the palm of his hands. All he wanted was to—" she paused and stared at Barak for a second before completing her sentence, "—was to lay with me."

The room went silent for a moment and all eyes shifted between Barak and his wife.

"Neriah, my dear," Rakavi finally spoke up. "The only reason I believe you could pull that off was because at that moment, you had lost your husband, you were out of your mind and you were ready to do anything to get revenge. At that point, your goal was to get revenge and die. Your pain was what pushed you to deceive Lyle, right now, your husband is right beside you, I do not think you have anything that will serve as a push. You might not be able to pull it off lije—"

"Mother, I am the same person who schemed to deceive the whole world by claiming I was forcefully claimed and demanding the head of an innocent man so I could be with a man I believed I was infatuated with..."

"Is that something to brag about," Queen Erra’s eyes widened.

"I haven’t changed since then mother, I am still that cunning witch that seduced a knight and asked for his head in return. I have only gotten wiser, and I have learned right from wrong." Her eyes dropped as she said those words, reminiscing on all her days of mischief.

"If I could act so flawlessly for a man whom I had known for just two weeks..." her eyes shot up again. This time, with courage, boldness, and something dark... Something that threatened death upon any who crossed her.

"What then do you think I would not be able to do when it concerns the man I am actually in love with? My husband, the father of my unborn child. There is nothing I will not do to remain by his side and much more I will do to destroy the bastard who made me grieve for months and made him suffer."

At her sudden declaration in front of everyone, Barak’s eyes glittered with so much love. His brown skin flushed as her words replayed in his ears. He was once again reminded that indeed she had not been joking when she declared her love for him. She meant it.

How then could he not love her?

How could he not want to be with her for the rest of his life.

Neriah’s parents on the other hand could not believe that this was their very same daughter from a year ago.

The same one who had run away from this very man she now claimed to be so madly in love with. The same girl who saw the Tragonians as barbarians not worthy of lacing her boots more or less receiving her remorse.

That same girl was now declaring her love for the man with such unwavering fierceness.

Her hand reached for his on the table. "You once told me Barak, that love should be bold and fearless, not hiding away in the dark and backed by lies and endless fear..." Indeed he remembered telling her those things on that fateful night they had met. "So allow me to do this, my love. I want to be bold for you."

"Why?" He was tempted to ask.

"Because I love you." she declared without a second’s thought.

"Alright then... I can never win against you." She smiled but then he added, "But he prepared to lose to me soon."

"Huh?"

He simply cast a single glance at her stomach and then turned his smiling face from her.

"Then it is settled, my wife will draw out the bastard. And then we end him."