The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 375

NARRATOR

"Francis!" the housekeeper exclaimed, cutting off her conversation with the gardener mid-sentence.

The young man dismounted in a single leap, his face drawn and his hair disheveled from the wind.

"Come with me," he said, almost in a whisper, gripping her arm and dragging her inside the castle.

Once inside her first-floor chamber, she slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Speak, Francis. What happened?"

Her son began pacing in circles, running his hand through his hair over and over, his nerves on edge.

"The Duke knows he’s being robbed at the southern borders. He discovered the smuggling of goods and… and… I think he also knows about the plagues. I don’t know how much detail he has, but he found something."

"How did he find out? Be more specific!" she snapped, grabbing his shoulders to stop his frantic pacing.

"I don’t know for sure, damn it!" Francis shoved her hands away. "It all happened so fast."

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed, stepping closer. "Francis, focus. Details!"

"We were with my sister… Arthur wanted to conduct a surprise inspection. You know how obsessed he is with securing his position as general. And then… Alexia saw that idiot Álvaro."

Mrs. Prescott paled.

"What?" she murmured, bringing her hands to her mouth. "That wretched man…"

"Yeah, him. He was pretending to be a laborer. You know how loyal he is to the Duke—once she recognized him, they had him arrested. But… but others escaped."

"This can’t be!" The woman stepped back, her erratic gaze darting around the room as if searching for an escape.

"The Duke hasn’t returned!" she exclaimed, her tone more frantic than ever.

Francis took a deep breath, struggling to steady himself.

"I saw the carriage, Mother. There’s something else—that idiot Duchess was returning alone. Since when did she grow a backbone?" he growled, filled with hatred.

Mrs. Prescott shot him a withering glare.

"What did you do to provoke her? Now more than ever, we have to keep a low profile."

"Nothing! I just… she was about to listen to Wallace’s prim and proper daughter. I think she went to the prison. He had sent a note, but I couldn’t retrieve it."

Mrs. Prescott’s face twisted into sheer panic.

"Francis, that’s the first thing you should have told me!" she yelled, clutching her head. "If that butler put the pieces together, we’re ruined!"

Francis tried to calm her, but the words stuck in his throat.

"Mother, relax. That woman has no credibility. No one will listen to her…"

They froze in silence.

Mrs. Prescott turned toward the door, horror etched on her face. Had they come to arrest her already?

"Mrs. Prescott, are you there? I need to ask you some questions about the ledger," came the voice of that old maid the Duchess had brought from the countryside.

The current nanny of Lavinia… That’s it! Lavinia.

One daughter for another. A bargaining chip, in case Alexia was taken.

"Hide in the bathroom and wait for my signal," she whispered hurriedly, her mind working fast on an improvised plan.

Francis grabbed the heavy ceramic figurine from the mantel and concealed himself behind the partially open bathroom door, waiting for his moment to strike.

Mrs. Prescott smoothed down her skirt, straightened her posture, and tried to regain her composure.

Only the slight tremor in her fingers as she touched the doorknob betrayed her true state of mind.

"Come in, let’s discuss your concerns here," she invited the old woman, who stepped inside, trusting, unaware that she had just entered the lair of a viper.

The housekeeper peeked into the hallway, ensuring no one else was around before quietly closing and locking the door behind her.

With no witnesses, a crime scene was about to unfold.