"Well?" Weston finally said after a moment of silence. He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, an expected look on his face.

A single order was all he needed. It took four words and one command for Weston to move.

'Bring her to me,' was all that Weston needed to hear. He could have Lydia Claymore brought here, kicking and screaming. Though, he was certain Duke Claymore would be heavily disappointed.

In terms of wealth and status, the Fitzcharles was technically below the Claymores. But the Fitzcharles name has been around for centuries, for they were one of the founding families of Pure-Breds. It was a name as old as time, much like the Luxtons.

"I'll speak to Grandmother," Elias responded in a bored, aloof voice.

Weston blinked. These weren't the four words he expected.

"Shouldn't we bring Lydia Claymore back to the castle?" Weston asked. "So that she can properly confirm that Matriarch Dorothy was the old woman that Lydia saw."

"There's no need," Elias responded in a crude tone.

Elias rose to his full height. His smile had disappeared, and his face was stone cold. What little humor residing in his eyes had fully disappeared. He was not happy with the news.

"But why?" Weston asked. "Don't tell me you believe in that crazy woman's words, Your Majesty?"

Elias didn't want to. He knew a day like this was bound to happen. Adeline's true identity would be revealed. But before then, he was hoping for her to impress the council.

It was a shame that they had to quickly speed up like this.

"Lydia's circumstances have happened to Adeline as well," Elias snipped.

Weston had to pause. He was surprised by this. Matriarch Dorothy rarely left her magician tower in the back end of the castle. It was difficult to believe she had left not just once, but twice. And in three days? What exactly was going on?

"Your Majesty," Weston addressed. "There are simply too many coincidences between Lydia Claymore and Adeline Rose. Their parents are great friends, yet their child's birthdays are less than a day apart? That, and the fact that both women were born at home, under the care of private doctors and nurses?"

Easton instantly nodded in agreement. "My resources tell me that those doctors and nurses suddenly retired a week after helping Mrs. Claymore and Princess Addison give birth. Then, they were never heard from ever again."

Elias already knew this much. He had personally watched the exchange between the two families that night. The Roses and Claymores paid the doctors and nurses a hefty sum of money before transferring them overseas and then banning their entry back into the country. "You don't have to worry about the coincidences," Elias stated. "I already know."

Easton was confused. "Know what…?"

"Don't worry about it," Elias vaguely repeated.

"You shouldn't just say to not worry about it—" Weston hesitated when Elias shot him a dark glower. A chill went down his spine.

His Majesty did not enjoy being challenged. He especially hated people that questioned his authority.

Weston bowed his head and clamped his mouth shut.

Wordlessly, the King brushed past him and stormed towards the door. But then, he paused.

"Go and bring me the Marden bodyguard named Asher. I want him unconscious."

Before either of the twins could respond, Elias slammed the doors shut. Both twins were startled by his abrupt anger. It was unlike His Majesty to get provoked.

"Did we piss him off?" Easton asked.

Weston frowned at Easton's vulgar word choices. They were aristocrats since birth. The style of their language was always elegant and old-fashioned. It was unexpected of Easton to behave like a human with their modern slang and blunt words.

"Most likely," Weston said.

The twins glanced at each other and then back at the bottle of deer blood. What was wrong with it? Deer blood was highly prized for its exquisite taste. It was His Majesty's favorite selection of animal, whereas other Pure-Breds had other choices. Though, none was as crude as the King of the North, who was rumored to drink the blood of willing, young maidens.

"Could this have triggered it?" Easton asked, whilst approaching the bottle of blood.

The bottle even had a fancy label of a wine company on it, but it was just a disguise.

Although drinking human blood was outlawed a century ago, there were still Pure-Breds who drank it, as long as there was a contract in place. Other races of Vampires did not have the same luxury, for they were allowed blood pills and nothing more.

If they were caught drinking blood, it would be a hefty crime. The Pure-Breds needed it for their bloodline had not been muddled with humans, thus, they had the primal instincts as the first descendants of Vampires that solely drank human blood.

"I doubt it," Weston curtly said. "His Majesty enjoys this bottle the most. It's fresh and has been chilled to the exact temperature of His Majesty's preferences."

Easton frowned. He settled the bottle back down and let out a small sigh. "What are we going to do with Lady Claymore?"

Weston shrugged. He had let the woman go home after she was visibly shaken up by the incident. He suspected why. The fairy tale of the Golden Rose was not the most pleasant story. It spoke of a woman that was practically a sacrificial lamb for men. Most women of the modern era ruled the story as inappropriate and foolish. For a human like Lydia Claymore, she was offended by the idea of being the Golden Rose.

"We'll do whatever His Majesty and the council deems fit," Weston said.

"But aren't we the council…?" Easton said. "Well, at least half of it."

Weston pressed his lips together. The council of Wraith was a small handful of people. It included the twins who were a representative of the Fitzcharles family, Duke Claymore, Matriarch Dorothy, and other people who had a major role in this empire.

There was an entirely different council governing the entire continent. There were only four people a part of it, which included the Head of the royal family of the West, East, North, and South. For Wraith, the Empire in the West, it would be His Majesty, Elias Luxton.

"As long as Marshal Brentwood doesn't catch wind of this, we'll be fine," Weston said. "Since he is in charge of the military, he would want Lydia Claymore's identity to be revealed."

Easton slowly nodded. Marshal Brentwood would support Lydia Claymore since her father was the largest manufacturer of weapons in the country. It would be an inevitable relationship.

"But why are we treating this as if His Majesty is being forced to choose between Lady Claymore and Princess Adeline?" Easton asked.

Weston raised his brows. Surely, his brother didn't think this would be a smooth-sailing battle, right?

"What do you expect?" Weston said. "Obviously, there will be a conflict. If not, why do you think His Majesty looks unhappy?"

Easton's lips parted. He supposed his older brother was right… But His Majesty always had the country's best interest in mind. Wouldn't he prioritize the right choices over the wrong? Without a doubt, His Majesty would pick the Golden Rose. It was an easy deal. What was there to argue about?

"You seem confused," Weston mused. He slipped an arm around his younger brother and guided him out of the room.

"Of course I am," Easton muttered. "Why would there be a conflict? Princess Adeline will just have to step down if Lady Claymore is the Golden Rose. It's as simple as that." magic

Weston rolled his eyes. "You seem to forget your own beliefs."

"His Majesty will put the country first," Easton stated. "Sure, he might be infatuated with Princess Adeline, but he wouldn't choose her just because she amuses him. It's not like she can teach him love and compassion."

Weston supposed his younger brother was right. "True, but do you think Adeline will let her spot be taken away so easily? Especially after her arrangement was publicly announced tonight."

"That was rash of His Majesty," Easton mumbled. Even though he had the King's best interest in mind, it was difficult to deny this truth. "He should've consulted with us first and delayed the announcement."

"I tried to warn him out of it at the dining hall, but he ignored my suggestion," Weston growled. "Claiming what grounds do I have to choose his wife?"

"Well, he was right—"

"Still, it was a selfish move," Weston said. "I was only trying to help him, but he was more focused on entertaining his mundane life."

Easton wryly smiled. "It's not a selfish move to put his interest first. It's been a while since that has happened."

Weston let out a small sigh. His younger brother was right for once. The King had always cared about the country. He had sacrificed his time and energy to improve it to the glorious and prosperous nation it was today. Now, none of the other Empires dared to look down on Wraith.

But what if, this time, the King had to sacrifice his best interest for the sake of Wraith? What will he do then?

"We don't have all night to stand here," Weston finally said. "We have a command to carry out."