#Chapter 42 - A Plan Set in Motion

Xavier’s POV

It was in the early morning hours that Adrian informed me of one of my scouts returning to the castle. I got ready as soon as I could and went to meet them there.

Upon arriving, however, I saw only one of them had returned. I sent two of them.

“Apologies, my Lord. Devin stayed behind to follow a supposed lead of prince Adam’s presence in the Royal City. While they’re nothing more than rumors, the townsfolk have been riled up about the possibility of a vampire noble roaming freely at Douglas’s estate.”

“Quite the risky move to leave your own behind in enemy territory,” I raised an inquisitive brow. “There’s a reason I sent you two together. I can’t risk either of you falling into their hands.”

I’ve lost too many men already…

He fisted his hand over his heart. “Yes, my Lord, I understand. However, Devin insisted that I be the one to deliver the information to you. Plus we had a small window frame to act before anyone got suspicious of us.”

I nodded my head. “Well, I applaud you and Devin for your initiative to investigate the rumors. Confirming Adam’s presence in the Royal City would solidify their terrible alliance.”

“It would also explain how Douglas was able to expand his borders so quickly once he ascended the throne. Even with those that stayed behind, his army was never large enough to cover the resources of keeping other cities in line.” Adrian added.

“I also especially want to get justice for poor Mia. Eloise seems to think that Adam was the true mastermind behind cursing my mother and I’m inclined to believe her. I hope to bring Mia’s family closure.” I spoke.

Adrian and the scout lowered their heads in a brief moment of silence.

“Is there anything else we need to cover before this meeting is adjourned?” I asked.

The scout raised his hand like he was a little boy in school. “My Lord, there is one other thing I would like to share.”

“Devin and I were supposed to meet a contact from the city of Caspian to exchange valuable information against Douglas. Unfortunately, it’s been a few days since I’ve heard from them, and I—”

It was then that a servant barged into the room unexpectedly. He was out of breath.

“Forgive me, my Lord, but I come bearing an urgent message from Captain Oliver of Caspian!” The servant held out his shaky hand and gave me the letter.

Upon expecting its contents, I could feel the heat of anger rise to my cheeks as I clenched the paper in my hands.

“My Lord, is everything alright?” Adrian asked in a calm voice.

“Captain Oliver needs an emergency evacuation. Vampires have taken over Caspian!” I roared.

—––––

Eloise’s POV

“Lady Eloise! Can you hear me?!” Mia yells frantically through the mirror.

“Yes! Yes! Keep your voice down!” I scold. “What are you doing in the Realm of Wandering Souls, Mia?”

“Is that where I am?” Mia calms down a little bit. “Well, that explains the feeling of being so lost and not at peace…”

People in the Realm of Wandering Souls are often those who died feeling that they didn’t live a truly fulfilling life. A lot of them carry so much regret that they’re never able to truly pass away and move on to the Afterworld.

I wonder what Mia regrets…

A lot of the people in the Realm of Wandering Souls hope that witches like me contact them. Usually, if someone in the realm of the living carries out their final wishes, they’ll get to move on peacefully.

However, in some cases, their final wishes are too evil for anyone to want to carry out. So, they’re cursed to roam a place of purgatory for the rest of their existence.

Or at least until someone evil enough comes along and actually fulfills their wishes.

“Mia, is there something that I can—”

“I’m so sorry for everything, Lady Eloise!” Mia blurts out. “I let blind hatred get the better of me and acted out someone else’s horrible deeds! I should’ve never listened to him…”

I softened my expression. As much as I wanted to be mad at her for almost getting me kicked out of the Leonard family and messing up my plans, I couldn’t hold a grudge like that.

Instead, I wanted to get to the bottom of who even orchestrated the plan in the first place.

“Mia… Can you tell me who ordered you to curse Belinda and frame me?”

Mia shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve tried to talk to so many people about what happened and to clear my conscience. But anytime I tried to say his name, it would never come out.”

“Can you at least tell me if they’re a—”

“Lady Eloise!” Mia was starting to fade away. “I don’t know what’s happening!”

“Mia! Mia! What’s going on? Where are you going?” I yell into the mirror.

Just as Mia’s soul fades away, she yells out broken-up words. “Leonard… danger… kidnap… poison…!”

I looked up at Mona who was sitting behind the mirror so Mia couldn’t see her. “What happened to Mia?”

Mona shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly can’t tell you. I don’t have a direct connection to the Realm of Wandering Souls, so I really can’t say for sure where she went or what happened.”

“She was trying to warn me about something… Someone in the Leonard family is in danger! She mentioned poison and kidnapping, and…”

I let out a heavy sigh. “How am I supposed to warn Xavier about this? I can’t just tell him that I’ve been talking to a magic mirror but he needs to know that someone in his family is in danger!”

If I try to say anything about it, he’ll just think I’m lying. But if something does actually happen, he’ll probably blame it on me again…

“It’s best not to worry about it anyway,” Mona explains. “It probably doesn’t actually mean anything.”

“Mona, I can’t just sit back and not take this seriously! Even if I’m supposed to get rid of Xavier, I still need to convince him that I care about his family…”

Even though it probably sounded like I didn’t care, I actually did care. I also cared for Belinda to an extent, despite how cruel and mean she’s been towards me since I married Xavier.

And if the rest of Noah was possibly in danger, I couldn’t let anything happen to them either. They’re innocent in all of this.

“But if you’re really worried about something happening, the best you can do is keep practicing your defensive magic and to prepare. You’ll always figure out something, Eloise.” Mona smiled at me and yawned.

I simply nodded my head and waved Mona goodbye as she went back into the mirror to rest.

The best I could do was maybe try to convince Xavier to stay home with me… But how in the hell am I going to convince him?

As I was walking towards the study, I started to think about what could possibly entice him to stay. A date night? No… He barely does dates, let alone have any time for them.

A lightbulb went off in my head.

I conjured a small flame in my hand for a few seconds to heat up my hand. Then, I pressed my hand to my forehead. This should give the illusion that I’m sick! Then, I can simply ask him to stay home to take care of me.

Just as I was feeling confident in a plan I made up so hastily, I saw a servant run past me with great speed. They were heading in the direction of Xavier’s study and I felt my stomach start to turn.

I picked up my pace and quickly followed. I watched as they practically barged through his door to deliver an urgent message.

My heart sank to the floor as soon as I heard Xavier roar out in anger.

“Captain Oliver is in need of an emergency evacuation. Vampires have taken over Caspian!” Xavier yelled.

I didn’t know much about Caspian aside from how it was supposed to be neutral territory, despite the city being mostly comprised of werewolves. However, because the Vampire Kingdom bordered the city, it came as no surprise that the vampires have decided to strike the town.

But why?

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Xavier clear his throat. I looked up as our eyes landed on each other.

“Eloise? Is everything alright?” Xavier’s demeanor completely changed. “Come inside.”