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It wasn’t super rare for Pater to drink in front of me, but it definitely didn’t happen often. Upon closer inspection, he looked like he’d already had a few drinks. I chose to sit up, assuming this conversation was about to take a turn as he knocked the bourbon back in one go.
He placed the glass back down and folded his hands in front of himself. “It has come to my attention that Bennett is a dirty little sleuth.”
I had half a second to think of a response before Pater noticed I was doing everything in my power not to freak the hell out. If I defended Bennett, I would be exposed. But if I immediately supported Pater’s opinion, he would know something was up.
Shit, shit, shit!
“What do you mean?” I mastered a curious look on my face, deciding to simply play it dumb.
He nodded, as if I said the correct thing. “Bennett is not the same boy he used to be all those years ago, and I feared he may have changed during his time away from Veladis. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.”
I gave him a look that showed I was surprised, but not shocked, trying to stay in as neutral ground as possible.
“Bennett is trying to overthrow me before it’s his time to step up to the throne. I’ve discovered that during his time away he has been planning an attack against me, and I have an idea that he’s not alone.”
I could only assume he was referring to Vesper, but how the hell did he come to this conclusion?
“I had my suspicions when he came back from your trip to Vicinus, and of his true intentions in returning to Veladis, so I had him followed by the same spies I use to gather tips on the Red Bones. I’m afraid Bennett has been up to something truly horrifying.”
“What?” I said with anticipation. “Is he a part of the Red Bones?”
I knew that wasn’t true, but I had to play along.
He nodded again. “It’s certainly possible.” He poured another glass of bourbon. “My spies have reported to me that he has been visiting the dungeons frequently, and they’ve overheard his plans of creating an army. He has influenced the fugitives down there to rally behind him and is planning a way to free them so he can attack our castle. There are thieves, rapists, and murderers down there, Rhia. If Bennett finds a way to free them, our whole kingdom could be doomed.”
My jaw dropped. Pater would assume it had to do with the shock of finding out about Bennett’s treason, but in reality, it was over the fact of how easily he could make a lie seem like it was the factual truth. He was so good at manipulation that if I didn’t know the truth and hadn’t seen it for myself, I probably would’ve believed him. How many times had Pater pulled this in the past? Had he lied to me like this before?
He knocked back the glass of bourbon. “My own son betrayed me, just like his mother.” He continued on, the alcohol clearly taking effect on him now, “My wife wanted to do the same thing, she wanted to take my throne from me and give it to someone else.” He growled with anger, throwing his glass at the wall. I flinched as it shattered to the floor. “She said I should be working with the other kingdoms, when there was absolutely no need for that. When I found out she had been communicating with another kingdom, trying to help their court rise to power, I knew that she had officially committed treason against me and the kingdom of Veladis.” His breathing became heavy and sweat began to bead on his brow. “However, because I still loved her, I wanted to save her from the humiliation of being hanged, so I poisoned her. I gave her a peaceful death. It was a noble act, really, even when she didn’t deserve it.”
My mouth went dry, and my head spun at the king’s confession. My throat burned as I stared at the man who killed the queen, who caused Bennett to break and took away the one advocate for women in the guard, squashing Stella’s dream and many others.
I couldn’t believe I let myself look up to this man, that I loved him like he was my own father. Our whole relationship was built on lies and there was no way for me to tell the difference between what was true and what was not.
All I felt was a pounding anger that flowed through me, scorching hot, demanding to be unleashed on the man in front me. However, I forced the tears back. I could not let them fall. Right here and right now would need to be the best performance I’d ever done. When I was out of this office I would mourn. When I was out of this office I would scream. When I was out of this office, I would plan my revenge. But right now I was in the office, so all I could do was pray to the stars that I’d be alive to walk out of it.
He stood up from his desk, walking around it to stand in front of me. “This is where you come in. Thankfully, we both have a common enemy now. Bennett. I’ve seen the way you bicker at each other, and knowing what he did to you as children, it should be enough incentive for you to despise him.”
Pater had no idea of the friendship that had blossomed between Bennett and I this past month, and I needed to keep it that way. The sooner he found out about our relationship, the sooner he would lose my trust. I needed him to think I was on his side, for Bennett’s sake.
I prayed to the stars that Pater couldn’t hear any tremors in my voice as I put on the show of my life. “I’m not surprised to learn about Bennett, knowing his character and how he treats others. I was just hoping he had changed while he was away, for everyone’s sake. When it comes to the queen and her betrayal, I guess it’s safe to say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” The words tasted wrong in my mouth.
“Yes, I completely agree, it’s very disappointing and needs to be dealt with soon, before catastrophe occurs.”
I nodded as if I agreed.
“I can keep a watch on him, I’ll even get him out of the city if I need to,” I said, thinking maybe I could help him get back to Vesper where it was safe for him.
He shook his head, pacing back and forth behind his desk. “That’s simply not enough. Your next assignment as my assassin is to get rid of my son—indefinitely. I need you to kill Bennett, and soon.”
