Chapter 50
Ruby paced the length of her bedroom, her heart pounding so hard she felt like she was having a heart attack. She had been the one to plant the seed in Lara’s mind. She had whispered in the girl’s ear, using the young woman’s deep hatred for werewolves as leverage to get her to play her bidding. She had played it perfectly, manipulating the situation and positioning herself so that even if Derek found out about the plot, she would be completely exonerated.
But now, the walls were closing in. She didn’t know what had happened in the last few hours. She didn’t know if Lara had cracked under the pressure of the dungeon, if the girl had mentioned her name, or spoken about their secret conversations out of fear of the King. This hadn’t gone according to plan at all. Ruby was lost, and she hated the feeling of being out of control. She had barely slept a wink last night, staying on high alert for any summons from Derek.
She walked over to the window and looked out across the estate grounds. The rising sun bathed everything in soft golden light, the way she had always admired. Many times she had stood here, gazing at the beautiful lawns and grand buildings, telling herself that one day all of it would be hers. But today, the view brought her no comfort. Today, she felt damned.
She forced herself to open her mind-link again, desperate to know if Derek was trying to reach her, but nothing happened. The link remained empty and silent. She needed to find out what was happening. She couldn’t just sit here and leave everything to fate.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Ruby spun around too quickly; she nearly tripped. She could hear the blood roaring in her ears.
“Who is it?” she asked, her voice pitching high.
“It is me, Miss Ruby,” a servant’s voice called through the door.
Ruby’s stomach dropped. This was it. The King had surely sent someone to fetch her.
“Co-come in,” she stuttered, collapsing into a nearby armchair as she tried to compose her features.
The door creaked open slowly, and two of her maids entered. One carried a breakfast tray, while the other held a crystal jug of water. They both bowed to Ruby.
“Good morning, Miss Ruby,” they greeted in unison.
Ruby was so not in the mood to reply to their greetings.
“Miss Ruby,” the first maid said, dipping into another low curtsy. “Here is your breakfast. His Grace instructed that you eat and take your medicine for the fever. He said that if your temperature does not break soon, Dr Adah will be sent to examine you p>
Ruby’s racing heart slowed just a fraction. Okay. This didn’t sound like bad news. If Lara had said anything damning, Derek wouldn’t be sending maids with breakfast and medical concerns. He would have sent guards with silver shackles.
“Set it on the table,” Ruby said, biting her thumbnail as she watched them scrambling to set the table. She waited a beat, then forced a casual tone. “I heard the culprit who poisoned the Queen has been found p>
The maids, always eager for a bit of palace gossip, exchanged a quick look. The first maid sighed heavily. “Yes, Miss Ruby. It was Lara Gardens, the herb supplier p>
“Oh, that quiet little lady?” Ruby feigned a gasp of shock. “How could she possibly do such a horrific thing p>
“She claimed she wanted the Queen dead because she wasn’t worthy of blessing the farmers’ crops,” the first maid replied.
Ruby had planted that exact idea and many others in Lara’s head, but she kept her face perfectly shocked. “What? But how did she manage to access the control room and clear the security footage? Surely she had an insider helping her p>
“Indeed,” the second maid chimed in, leaning closer. “Milo, one of the Royal Gammas, was her mate. Apparently, she convinced him about her plans, and he helped her wipe the evidence away to protect her p>
“She also confessed to slipping sleeping herbs into Gamma Connor’s meal that night, making him oversleep,” the first added. “And she made sure the Queen’s personal maid ate something to upset her stomach. They planned the whole thing so carefully p>
Ruby knew every detail. She had told Lara how to lure the Queen away from the palace, made Lara convince her mate, Milo to make his human friend to get Kira’s best friend’s number for the SMS spoofing. She had been the one creating the distractions, ensuring the coast was clear for Lara and Milo to do their thing without raising suspicion. She had used them both like puppets.
“So, Milo was the only insider who helped her?” Ruby asked, keeping her voice light. “She didn’t mention any other names? No one else was involved p>
The maids exchanged another look, this one more sombre, and Ruby’s heart thudded harder.
“The poor thing refused to mention Milo’s name, even when the Gammas used the silver on her,” the first maid finally said. “It was Milo who finally broke and confessed that he was the one who helped her. But… the guards found Lara dead in her cell this morning. She took her own life p>
Ruby gasped, her hand flying to her chest as her heart lurched violently. Then, slowly, sweet relief settled over her. If Lara was dead, the case was closed. The dead didn’t speak, and that fool Milo had never even known Ruby existed in this equation.
Good riddance.
Ruby almost squealed with excitement, but she quickly composed herself, arranging her face into an expression of shocked sorrow. “Oh, goddess,” she murmured, shaking her head. “How could she waste her life in such a way? She was such a fine young woman p>
She waved the maids away, feigning a sudden bout of devastation. “Go on, leave me. I… I need a moment p>
The moment the door closed behind them, Ruby burst into laughter. She laughed and laughed until tears filled her eyes. Fate was truly on her side. The plan hadn’t gone as expected, but the outcome was far better than she could have hoped. She would lay low for now, watch that wolfless runt, catalogue every weakness. Next time, when she hit, she wouldn’t miss.
But for now, this was definitely something worth celebrating.