CHAPTER 43 A NETTLING NIECE
Annika waited.
Her back was straight and her ankles were crossed as she sat primly in the solar. She looked as composed and untouchable as ever.
However, her lifelong maid and friend, Clara, could tell the duchess was stressed and nervous just by looking at the two shadowed lines running down her forehead toward her nose. As the duchess aged, her face betrayed more of her true reactions, as it took very little to deepen the lines caused by often used emotions.
“How has the search for Likon been going?” Annika asked softly while raising her teacup to her lips.
“According to the duke, Kraken says he has been able to pick up his scent down in the tunnels. However, when they followed the trail, they only found a dead end. Kraken speculates that the tunnel was blocked off, and there is no telling how far it goes on the other side either.”
Annika raised an eyebrow. “Who is it that built the tunnels in the first place, and how long have they been there?”
“Lady Elena says the tunnels had been there when she married her husband. The baron allegedly had them built in the years prior to the Tri-War as a precaution in the event of eventual conflict in Vessa.
Annika turned her chin toward her maid. “That is a massive undertaking for a mere baron. Was he bankrupt after?”
“No. The duke showed me the records of their financial situation that he had obtained during Lady Elena’s interrogation, and it seemed as though they had someone assisting them with the costs …”
Annika’s finger tapped once against her fine porcelain cup before she set it down. “If it weren’t for the fact that Baron Souros knew his wife was a witch and didn’t begrudge her the fact, I’d suspect Duke Icarus. If not him, one of the other powerful courtiers here at the time. I’d wonder about Lord Milo Miller’s father, but I’m sure Milo would’ve reported anything suspicious like that …”
The duchess’s gaze grew distant as she cast her mind back. Then she reached up to touch her forehead with a small smile on her face.
“You know … given the general loyalty of the king’s current court, I find it hard to believe that anyone would willingly omit the knowledge of these tunnels underneath Vessa. Other than Duke Icarus, I can think of one other possibility that would make everything all the more … interesting.”
Clara’s blue eyes sharpened knowingly. “You think your brother funded it?”
Annika looked to her maid. “If it had been Phillip, and they were discovered, he could’ve blamed the baron. If they needed to hide an army or offer an escape to the king, he’d claim the credit. However, I’m skeptical, given that the plan is a little too smart for him, and those tunnels would’ve taken years to build. Maybe my father or—”
“Your grandfather could’ve done it. Was he alive during Baron Souros’s time? The baron was a good deal older than Lady Elena from what I’ve gleaned.”
Annika tried to count back to when her grandfather, Georgio Piereva, had still been alive … He was the last member of the master spy family, and he had conceded to teach his granddaughter his legacy, as she was the only one to possess the skill set for the trade.
Georgio had died two years before Annika had been sent to wed her first husband, having retired from his work three years before that when Annika had been twenty-one …
With how extensive the tunnels were, it would’ve taken decades to accomplish …
“It very well could have been him. Though he was meticulous about hiding his activities, there would have still been suspicious amounts of money being moved, and the only remaining family members in the Piereva family would’ve been able to access those documents. However, there is a chance that the age of the deal made it so that whoever inherited the title wouldn’t have noticed. Particularly if the tunnels had been finished prior to my father, or John, or Phillip taking over …”
Annika paused, her gut fluttering with the sense that she was on the right track.
“If it had been my grandfather, he would’ve built those tunnels for the sake of sneaking around better, but that begs the question of why he would have made the deal with Baron Souros to begin with. Why him?”
“Assuming you are right that the anonymous backer was in fact the Piereva family, then that means there were two other people who would’ve known about the tunnels.”
Nodding slowly, Annika opened her mouth to respond, when a knock on the solar door cut her off.
“Your Grace, Mrs. Levin has arrived to meet with you.”
The duchess looked to Clara, and the two shared a meaningful look.
Unfortunately, it seemed the reunion between Annika and her niece was not going to be a warm one.
Caroline Levin sat across from Annika, her furious emotions barely concealed.
Her dark eyes remained fixed on the wall opposite the one Clara stood against, her light brown hair half swept back in a style that had been popular nearly ten years prior, which was about the similar age and style of her dark yellow dress.
During the silence between them, Annika took the time to try to control her own emotions.
She was staring at one of her few remaining blood relatives.
The daughter of her brother Charles, or Charlie, as she had affectionately called him …
He had been one of the only decent Piereva men in the family, and his death had been horrible to endure.
And there sat his daughter.
She looked a great deal like her mother, Janelle, in the shape of her eyes, mouth, and nose, but the sloping and width of her face … was Charlie’s. The large knuckles on her fingers were also Charlie’s …
Annika cleared her throat. Incredibly, her emotions were getting the best of her.
“Mrs. Levin,” she started, hoping that once she started speaking, she’d be able to stifle her feelings better. “I thank you for coming to meet me. It has been too long since I’ve seen you.”
Caroline’s eyelids fluttered downward. “It is an honor to share tea with you, Your Grace.”
The response was wooden.
Raising an eyebrow, Annika decided to see if a direct attack could shake some honesty from her niece.
“I heard you were quite intent on debasing me to your king. I take it your mother’s misguided anger toward me has only thrived since I last saw her.”
Caroline’s eyes snapped to Annika’s relaxed face, her expression contorting with fury.
“You dare say such things about my mother when we’ve only discovered more and more of your despicable dealings the deeper we dig?”
The duchess tilted her head, nonplussed. “Which dealings are you referring to?”
“Your investment in brothels is well-known,” Caroline bit back instantly.
“Of course. Their improved states have bettered many unfortunate lives, so I’m unsure how they are seen as ‘despicable.’”
“You use them to gather information!”
“Information that is freely given and then shared with the Daxarian king to better serve and protect his kingdom. Again, I fail to see how this is as untoward as you believe it to be.”
“You dare sit there guiltless?! Have you no remorse for getting my father killed?!” Caroline was on her feet, tears already in her eyes as she bore down on her aunt.
“Your father came to see me in Daxaria regularly so that I could help support you and your mother. He had to visit me in person because if I simply sent the funds, not only would that have been more suspicious, but our older brother, Phillip, would have taken them. Your former king decided to use this information to blackmail me and, subsequently, the king of Daxaria. My part in this is that my future husband at the time volunteered to go bring you, your father, and your mother to safety. Sadly, the king had Charlie killed before we could do anything. I then kept you and your mother safe in Daxaria until the Daxarian king negotiated with the Troivackian court to not enforce that your mother remarry and instead be left with the remaining Piereva title and wealth. It was the only exception to the inheritance law at that time, and it happened because of my influence. So, tell me. What grave and terrible thing did I do?”
Annika held her niece’s gaze levelly.
“Y-You didn’t even cry when my father died!” Caroline flung out passionately.
“I did, actually. However, given that at the time my priority was caring for you and your mother, in addition to the fact that war was days away, all of which prevented me from showing my emotions openly.”
A bite entered Annika’s voice then, one that was unlike her. Though it did succeed in conveying that she did in fact have feelings regarding that dark time …
Caroline shook her head, tears spilling over her cheeks. “I don’t believe you! You have informants everywhere! You-You’re known as the Dragon, and everyone is afraid of you for good reason.”
“Who is afraid of me?” Annika asked softly. There was a subtle, dangerous glint in the duchess’s eyes that Caroline, despite her emotional state, noticed.
“Everyone who knows you as the Dragon!”
“Oh? And what type of characters are the people who fear this person called the Dragon?”
“Lowlifes! Slave traders! People who-who—”
“People who, if you were alone in an alley with, you’d want to be afraid of you, because Gods know what would happen if it were the other way around, yes?” Annika asked lightly, though a very ominous aura seemed to fill the air around her.
Caroline paled and her hands began to shake. “You’ve killed people.”
Annika lifted her chin gracefully. “I don’t know about that. Though I am curious about what makes you think you know everything about me and my dealings, since we haven’t spoken since you were a babe in your mother’s arms. For all the support I offered your mother, for everything I did for your family, your determination to see me as the villain is quite narrow-minded and dangerous in and of itself.”
“Are you trying to frighten me?” Caroline’s voice dropped to a hush, though her eyes showed she was anything but fearful.
“Hardly. I’m merely defending myself and giving you a warning.”
Caroline frowned and blinked, but before she could make another accusation, the duchess continued, “It is one thing to hold a grudge against me, but if you are endangering anyone I care for, you will be declaring yourself an enemy of mine. I have done nothing but wish to be of help to you, my niece, but if you spit on my face and strike another of my loved ones, I will not let the matter be.” The icy edge in Annika’s tone made Caroline swallow, but the duchess wasn’t through with her yet. “I’m well aware your husband is at the king’s side, saying all manner of things he devoutly believes because you have convinced him. I’m also well aware that since his trip to Daxaria, the king came to know my family and formed his own opinions. Since then, Mr. Levin’s relationship with His Majesty has never been the same.”
Caroline took a shuddering breath. “This is a threat, not a warning.”
“This is not a threat. Unless, say, you knew something about some tunnels that were recently discovered, and perhaps, also knew something about my adopted son, who is missing.”
Caroline wasn’t quick enough hiding her reaction. She flinched.
She must not have been anticipating Annika’s blunt approach …
The duchess rose from her seat, making Caroline stumble back a step.
Clara turned and glided toward the solar door.
The lock rattled shut.
Annika slowly rounded the table and stared down at the young woman. When she stood nearly nose to nose with Caroline, she allowed some of her genuine emotion to shine through while her niece floundered upon realizing she was blocked in with no means of running.
“I-I-I’ll report you to my husband, and he will—”
“Caroline,” Annika cut her off, her eyes were filled with sadness, but the set of her mouth was firm. “You may not believe me, but I do love you.”
The young woman opened her mouth as though she were about to start spewing accusations again but didn’t get the chance, as Annika raised her hand and touched it to Caroline’ damp cheek, making the younger woman tremble.
“I will do my best to protect you from the king if you did know about the tunnels, and I will even be open to forgiving you for taking part in abducting Likon, depending what state he returns in. However, if you want my help, then you will tell me everything. Otherwise, your treasonous actions will face the full wrath of not only Troivack but also Daxaria, and you and your husband will both suffer.”
Someone started pounding on the closed solar door, making Caroline jump, but Annika and Clara remained as steady as ever.
“What will it be, Caroline?”
With her hands trembling at her sides and slowly closing into fists, Caroline spat on Annika’s skirts.
“Go to hell, Dragon.”
Silence filled the air, and Caroline’s shaking worsened.
“Your father would be disappointed in you.” Annika spoke quietly, and yet the words had Caroline hunching over as though they were a punch to her gut. “You should’ve protected your daughter from what is now to come. Caroline, do you know what is next? The Troivackian Jigsaw method may be discussed for both you and your husband.”
“H-H-His Majesty will believe—”
“King Brendan Devark is now the brother-in-law to my daughter and will not risk a war with Daxaria when he needs their help. I understand you have not been aware of what has been happening in the castle, as your husband has been moving you around in an effort to protect you, but that is your current position.”
Annika turned, proceeded to move away from her niece toward the exit while giving a nod to Clara, who unlocked the door. By the next breath, it swung open to reveal Mr. Levin, who was panting and ghostly white.
Annika regarded him with her previous mask of coolness once again affixed.
“Good day, Mr. Levin. I believe you may wish to sit with your wife while I report to your king what I have just discovered.”
The assistant’s lip curled, but when he saw his wife’s tearful state, concern overtook his face.
“I want you to know”—Annika lowered her voice to a whisper—“I gave her the opportunity to confess the information willingly. I was more than ready to offer any assistance I could to protect your family. She has quite literally spit on that offer, and so you now have until I reach His Majesty’s office door to settle this matter between you two.”
The duchess then swept out of the room with Clara bowing her head and following behind her mistress without another look back.
Things had not gone as well as they’d hope.
Annika wouldn’t admit that seeing her niece’s ire and how accurate her guess had been about the Piereva house’s involvement with the tunnels wounded her deeply.
It was a sickening, wretched feeling to have to doom her brother’s one and only child …
The duchess did her best to push such thoughts aside, however, as she reminded herself that Likon was still being held captive somewhere, and she would see him home safely no matter what. Even if another corner of her heart writhed in agony for her former family.