The King’s expression transformed in an instant. Ice-cold dread crawled up his spine. He immediately stood up and said to Ryanna, “You go and investigate other matters. I’ll take care of this.” The King offered no further explanation but hastened from the room.
Ryanna watched her father’s urgent departure, questions multiplying in her mind. Who exactly was the woman confined in that building?
Over the years, Ryanna had observed the strange dynamics between her father and that mysterious woman. She had once harbored suspicions that the woman might be someone her father kept hidden away for personal pleasure.
But as time passed, she realized the truth lay elsewhere. Her father never lingered with that mysterious woman—ten minutes at most—and these fleeting encounters occurred barely a handful of times throughout the year.
Such sparse attention hardly fit the pattern of a passionate affair or kept mistress; this much Ryanna knew with certainty. Having glimpsed the underbelly of royal politics, she recognized the telltale signs of various entanglements.
But who was this woman? The puzzle deepened—her father’s guarded concern mirrored by Katelyn’s sudden interest. If today’s strange occurrences bore Katelyn’s invisible signature, this mysterious woman must be a piece on the grand chessboard of power.
For Katelyn to focus on someone hidden within palace grounds—such calculated risk suggested a prize worth the danger. Wolves didn’t hunt without purpose.
Ryanna drew breath through tightened lungs. She offered silent prayers that her intuition had led her down false paths. Should her suspicions crystallize into truth, the consequences could be disastrous. Vincent’s power had swelled like floodwaters, threatening to drown the once-mighty influence of the Yata royal family. This served as a dire warning.
Yet they lacked the means to curb Vincent’s influence and had to depend on him still. This demonstrated Vincent’s importance. Though Ryanna wished to believe otherwise, she couldn’t deny that Vincent’s devotion to Katelyn ran soul-deep. If the Yata royal family found themselves at odds with Katelyn, Vincent would undoubtedly stand with her.
Ryanna’s delicate eyebrows knit together as she released a weary sigh, praying that Katelyn played no part in these events.
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Setting aside her concerns, she rose and departed to initiate an investigation into Annie’s incident.
Meanwhile, the King arrived directly at the yard where the woman was held.
The soldiers, seeing the King’s arrival, immediately stood at attention and respectfully greeted him. “Your Majesty!”
The King brushed past them and strode purposefully into the building. He swung open the main door and ascended to the second floor, scanning the area to ensure solitude before continuing to the third floor.
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