Chapter 21 The Garden Argument
Didier was pacing like a caged animal under the rose bushes, absolutely fuming.
The dead leaves kept crunching under his boots, but he didn't care.
He was losing his goddamn mind.Standing right across from him was Lysandra, looking way too calm for someone whose life was supposedly in danger.
She was just staring at a white rose, totally ignoring how worked up he was.
"You're being too naive, Lysandra. It's annoying," Didier snapped, his voice low but loud enough to show he was right on the edge of a tantrum.
Lysandra didn't even flinch. She just picked at a leaf. "Why? Because Lady Ilse actually helped me? She got soaked in sour wine and didn't even complain. How is that a crime?"
Didier let out a harsh, ugly laugh. "It's a scam! A total performance! Ilse de Varannes doesn't do charity. She's playing a long game, trying to make you drop your guard so she can destroy you later. I've known that toxic family since we were kids.
They'll smile to your face and then stab you the second you turn around."
"Or maybe you're just terrified," Lysandra cut him off.
Didier froze. His eyes narrowed, looking at her like she'd just slapped him. "What did you say?"
"You're terrified that you're wrong about her," Lysandra said, finally looking up, her voice dropping the polite act. "You're mad because she's not acting like the monster you want her to be. You can't control her narrative anymore, and it's freaking you out."
"Enough!" Didier practically yelled.
A couple of maids trimming the bushes nearby jumped, quickly bowing and scrambling away before they got caught in the crossfire.
"I am trying to keep you from getting ruined," Didier hissed, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles popped. "You have a good heart, Lysandra, but you're blind. If you can't see the knife she's holding, then I have to watch your back for you."
Lysandra didn't look scared. She just looked incredibly tired of his constant whining. He'd given this exact same speech a hundred times, and every time she tried to point out that Ilse wasn't doing anything wrong, he just got more paranoid and controlling.
"You only see enemies everywhere, Your Highness," she said quietly.
She walked over and shoved the white rose right into his hands. Didier just stood there, then accept it, paralyzed, as she turned on her heel and marched away, leaving him alone under the stupid trees.
He wanted to scream. He was right, he knew he was right! Ilse was a master manipulator. But every time he tried to protect Lysandra, she just pulled further away. Frustrated, Didier squeezed the rose in his fist, ripping the petals into a messy, crushed mush.
Then, loud, heavy boots came sprinting down the stone path. A palace guard literally skidded into the dirt, sweating and totally pale.
"Your Highness!" the guard wheezed, hitting the ground. "Emergency message from the main gate! The Grand General, Duke Claus d'Alen?on... he's here. He just entered the courtyard and demands an immediate audience regarding some classified military documents the Holy Order lost!"
Didier blinked. Lost documents?
The anger about Lysandra and Ilse evaporated, replaced by a sudden wave of panic. If Claus was throwing a fit about missing military files, this wasn't some petty noble gossip anymore. This was high treason territory.
He threw the ruined rose onto the dirt. "Claus? Why the hell is he here early?"
Didier started booking it out of the garden, but as he reached the terrace steps, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. High up on the stone balcony, a tall silhouette in a dark military cloak was standing there, staring down.
Claus d'Alen?on.
He wasn't looking at Didier. He was staring out toward the outer palacegates, looking like a grim reaper waiting for someone to make a fatal mistake.