Free Web NovelChapter 131: Chapter 131
"Did you have any trouble getting inside?" Jayran asked the woman standing by his closed bedroom door, his voice low and composed.
Evelin shook her head, her eyes slightly downcast in the manner she often adopted when she was uncertain whether to speak freely.
"No, Your Highness. I told the guards that I was one of the girls Madam Gina sent to you."
Madam Gina was the owner of the brothel where Evelin worked. It also happened to be the one Jayran frequented most, and the place where the two had first become acquainted.
He could still recall the night they met as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. He had gone there seeking a night of pleasure, something to drown out the endless monotony of court life.
Madam Gina had handpicked Evelin for him, with that sly, knowing smile of hers. "Only the best for the Prince of Lamora," she had said.
At the time, Jayran hadn’t thought much of it. But that night had proved different.
Evelin was not like the others he had been offered before. Beneath her carefully practiced charm and demure smiles, there was a quiet, razor-sharp intelligence that she masked behind an air of innocence.
She played the part of the guileless courtesan well, but Jayran had seen the flicker of calculation in her eyes the moment she entered the room.
In that sense, they were alike. Both had learned to conceal parts of themselves behind carefully crafted façades. She, the submissive woman who catered to the whims of powerful men, and he, the unassuming fourth prince overshadowed by his elder brothers.
Jayran had always found it amusing how invisible he was at court. Everyone looked past him, seeing only the idle, womanizing prince.
Yet, that invisibility made him dangerous.
Whenever he set his mind to something—plots, schemes, small acts of manipulation—he was always the last person anyone suspected.
But there was a danger in wearing a mask for too long.
The longer one wore them, the harder it became to differentiate which parts are real and which ones are just an act.
Evelin broke the silence, her voice hesitant. "I’m afraid the guards might start recognizing me if I come too often. They may begin to suspect something."
If anyone started asking too many questions, they might discover that Evelin was far more than the simple courtesan she pretended to be.
Jayran circled the room until he stood directly in front of her. His gaze was piercing as he spoke.
"Evelin, has there ever been a promise I made to you that I did not keep?"
She didn’t answer immediately, only shook her head after a moment’s pause.
Money had driven Evelin to the brothel, like so many others.
Her father, who had been reckless with money and addicted to gambling, had left her family drowning in debt after his death. With no other options and no one to turn to, Evelin had taken the only path open to a poor street girl with little education and fading prospects.
But unlike others who pitied or condemned her, Jayran saw value beyond her profession.
He saw a resourceful mind, an adaptable woman capable of moving unnoticed through the shadows of society. In her, he saw someone who could slip past suspicion, gather information and uncover secrets all while remaining in plain sight.
Her beauty only made her work easier.
Men spoke too freely in the company of women they believed were powerless, especially when they were half-drunk with lust and wine. And by the time any of them began to suspect the truth, Evelin was long gone, leaving no trace behind.
It was a dangerous game she played, but Jayran compensated her handsomely for it.
"Then believe me now when I say that nothing will happen to you," he assured her quietly. "Do you have what I asked for?"
Evelin nodded and reached for the hidden compartment sewn inside her cloak. From it, she produced a folded piece of parchment and handed it to him.
"Perhaps we should find a different place for our meetings. This one is growing too risky." She said.
Jayran acknowledged the suggestion with a slow nod as he took the letter from her hand. "Was it difficult to get?" he asked, breaking the wax seal and unfolding the parchment.
"It was no different from the other jobs you’ve sent me on," she replied, though her lips curled in distaste. "Though the customer this time was something else entirely."
By that, she meant that she absolutely abhorred that customer.
Jayran’s mouth twitched, the faintest hint of amusement in his expression. Evelin’s politeness often persisted even when there was no one around to pretend in front of.
His smile deepened as his eyes scanned the contents of the letter. It was a correspondence that one of his informants had intercepted.
Evelin’s task had been to retrieve it discreetly and deliver it to him without raising suspicion.
The parchment contained precisely what he had hoped for: clues pointing to the movements of the eastern rebellion. While names had been carefully omitted to avoid incrimination, the letter hinted heavily at the location of their most recent encampment. That single detail was enough to shift the balance of his plans.
Elated was too mild a word for what he felt.
Jayran’s grin broadened as he folded the parchment again and slipped it into his pocket. With a rare moment of impulse, he wrapped an arm around Evelin’s waist and drew her close, pressing a fleeting kiss to the corner of her mouth.
"This," he murmured, his voice low with satisfaction, "is why you are my favorite."
He was still smiling when the door suddenly opened.
Azul stepped in, stopping short when he saw Jayran and Evelin standing far too close to each other.
"Your Highness," Evelin said quickly, stepping back and bowing her head.
Azul’s expression was one of faint recognition mixed with surprise. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her face.
"I know you," Azul said at last. He wasn’t sure if he actually knew her but he was certain that he had seen her before. He never forgot a face.
Then it clicked. She was the woman he saw Jayran feeding from the day they made their wager.
Jayran cut him off before he could say another word.
"You can go now," he said to Evelin, his voice calm but firm.
She obeyed without hesitation, gliding toward the door and slipping out as silently as she had entered, leaving the princes alone in a room that suddenly felt small for the two of them.
Azul watched her go, his expression unreadable.
The moment the door clicked shut behind Evelin, he turned sharply to face his brother.
"Father will not be pleased when he learns that you’re bringing prostitutes into the palace again," Azul said flatly, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.
"What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him," Jayran replied coolly. "Besides, he has to care enough to find out."
Azul’s eyes narrowed. "Who is she, Jayran? And what is she doing here?" His voice was calm, but there was a noticeable edge beneath it.
Jayran’s lips curved into a devious smirk.
"Do you seriously not recognize a man in love when you see one? Evelin and I have fallen madly, hopelessly in love," he said. "You just happened to walk in on us discussing our plans to elope. And when I finally secure half of your wealth, we’ll retire to a vast estate by the countryside with golden fields and we will have a gaggle of children." Jayran said, his face the absolute picture of sincerity even though everything out of his mouth was a lie.
Azul stared at him, utterly unimpressed. "You can’t be serious."
Jayran only shrugged, feigning indifference. "Believe what you want."
He made to brush past his brother, but Azul moved swiftly, stepping into his path.
For a heartbeat, the air shifted.
Jayran’s playful smile vanished as if someone had snuffed out a flame. His eyes darkened, voice dropping low and dangerous. "Move."
One simple word, said with so much authority that it could have anyone else stumbling back.
But not Azul. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"You won’t win, Jayran," Azul said, his jaw tightening. "So do yourself a favor and rid your head of whatever reckless plan you’re brewing."
He held Jayran’s gaze a moment longer, searching for a hint of something that could tell him more. Then he finally stepped aside, letting Jayran pass.
Outside the room, Evelin had only gotten a few paces ahead when two guards stepped into her path, their spears crossing to block her way.
Her stomach dropped and panic clawed up her throat.
For an instant, she thought they had been discovered, that she had been discovered.
Jayran was a prince; he could charm, threaten, or talk his way out of anything. But her? She was a nobody. A brothel girl in silk she did not own, in a place she did not belong.
Before the fear could fully take hold, Jayran’s arm slipped around her rigid shoulders, his presence steady and commanding.
"Is there a problem here?" he asked, his tone edged with something sharp.
Whatever the guards saw in his eyes was enough. They immediately straightened, lowering their weapons and stepping aside without another word.
