Chapter 21 - To Care or Not to Care?

Eloise’s POV



After Xavier left, I got out of bed and took a quick shower before getting dressed. I was worried about having to face him once he got back from his meeting. Especially since I had kicked him in the chest.



I worked so hard to get close to him! I hope I didn’t mess things up too badly.



I thought of different ways I would apologize and waited nervously all day but Xavier didn't return at all that night. It made me extremely uneasy and I had hoped I would be able to sleep it off until the next morning.



Instead, I ended up staying up all night because of how anxious I felt.



My feelings of worry only got worse when Nora came to the room with a letter.



“My Lady, I have something for you from your family.”



“A letter?”



Nora nodded her head. “A messenger was sent and told me to deliver it to you urgently. I don’t know what it says but the way the messenger looked at me… it might not be good.”



I opened the letter and began to read it. “Eloise, I hope that this letter finds you as quickly as possible. Douglas has discovered your marriage to the Alpha Lord, Xavier. Now, our home–YOUR home–is in grave danger.”



When we made our alliance with Douglas official, one of the rules we agreed to was to not have any contact with anyone from the Leonard family. We weren’t even allowed to set foot on Leonard territory because he knew it would start an early war.



But because I married Xavier, Douglas saw it as a direct attempt at resisting him and his authority.



Because of this, the Douglas family had assembled an army and were prepared to attack the Wisdom castle—though only as a warning.



"A warning?!" I scoffed. "He'll kill them!"



The attack was set to happen in 3 days and my family urged me to seek Xavier's help since the Leonards were the only ones who could actually stand up against Douglas.



I was worried about my family's safety but the problem was trying to convince Xavier to help.



Apart from coins and potions, there wasn't anything the Wisdoms could offer the Leonards. Especially since I could barely use my magic and I wasn't strong enough to go against Douglas myself.



I could only pray that Xavier would hear my plea and send troops to aid the Wisdom family.



Without another moment to spare, I rushed out of the room and raced for Xavier’s study. When I got there, I knocked on the door lightly.



"Whoever it is, please go away. I am in no mood to see anyone right now. There is still a meeting in progress." Xavier’s voice commanded from the other side.



I rolled my eyes. Instead of listening to his words, I pushed through the door anyway.



"Eloise?"



"My Lord." I bowed. "I'm sure you already know why I'm here."



Adrian and a few of the generals bowed to me. The others who didn't only looked at me in disgust. It was easy to see who was willing to aid my family and who wasn't.



I decided to waste no time. "Lord Xavier, please. You must send troops to the Witches Land. The Wisdoms—no, my family," I emphasized, "is in great danger.”



“I’m aware. The purpose of this entire meeting–that you’ve now interrupted–was to go over our options on the matter.”



“Options?” I scoffed. “Douglas says his attack is only a 'warning', but I don't believe that for a second. I know he’ll kill them and you know that, too! They need your help!"



Xavier raised a brow at me. "I must? These men are not yours to command last time I checked, Eloise."



I blinked in disbelief. "But I'm your wife. By extension, they are your family!"



Xavier sneered. "They are nothing to me, Eloise. Our marriage has ensured that I would not attack the Wisdoms but nothing obligates me to help them either."



He paused for a moment before he added something else. "I also do not trust you completely. Nor the situation at hand. This could be an ambush for all I know. I will not be taking that risk and lowering defenses for my territories."



“But–”



“Do you remember the promises you made to me about wealth and power? I was guaranteed those things as per your word. I don’t remember making a promise to help your family.”



I wanted to yell at him.



I wanted to punch him in the damn face.



I bit my tongue.



No, you just won't do anything because it won't benefit you… I thought to myself.



That’s when I got an idea. I took a step closer to the table Xavier and his generals stood at. My eyebrows knitted together as I analyzed the map that was laid out in front of them.



After a few moments, I finally spoke up. "Even if you don't trust me, in the eyes of the public, our marriage is seen as an alliance between the Leonards and the Wisdoms. If your family stands idly by while their 'allies' are being attacked, not only will it look like you've broken the agreement but it will also damage your reputation."



Xavier simply shrugged his shoulders. "On the contrary—I don’t actually care much about my reputation nor what people have to say about me."



I rolled my eyes and pointed at the map. "Okay then. Well, you see the positioning of Witches Land. Being in the middle of the Lowell continent means that my family are the only ones that separate you and Douglas. Whether you like it or not, we protect you and your people from him."



I paused before continuing. "If you help the Wisdoms fight back Douglas's invasion, not only will the Wisdoms be more inclined to help the Leonards but that means that central Lowell will be under your control. If you let Douglas take Witches Land, that means he'll only pose more of a threat to you and your family."



Xavier looked up at his generals who were stunned silent. Some of them nodded in agreement with my words. Others crossed their arms and looked disapprovingly.



He looked back at me, though he gave me no definitive answer.





I let out an irritated sigh as a frown tugged my lips down. I walked out of the room and was filled with disappointment.



He knows I’m right, damn it!



————



Xavier’s POV



I observed Eloise as she left. I didn't expect her to be so resourceful for someone who was just a pawn. Not only that, her words and arguments made sense.



Taking over the central part of Lowell would be an absolute blow to Douglas's family and it would absolutely be beneficial to me. An added bonus was having the help of the Wisdoms but if I was honest, I didn't care about their help at all.



However, I would've absolutely loved to have seen the Wisdom and Douglas families rip each other to shreds. Especially since they were once allies and acted together.



I knew that if the Wisdoms put up a fight, that meant both families would have exhausted their resources and would be weak afterward.



That would make it an easy war for us at that point.



Despite that… I felt uncomfortable when I saw how sad Eloise got. I felt uncomfortable with not helping her family.



Looking back at my generals, I knew that I needed to be the one to make the final decision.



I needed to make a choice.