Free Web NovelChapter 171: Chapter 171
Ragnar gritted his teeth in irritation and for a second he contemplated sending Jayran back on his way. But as much as he didn’t want to entertain his brother’s mischief, there was something else he wanted more. He wanted to know how Jayran had learned about the rebels’ camp location and how he had gotten his hands on that letter to begin with.
He wouldn’t get any answers if he simply sent him away now. Which was why Ragnar did what he did next.
He clenched his jaw and inclined his head, gesturing for Jayran to follow after him.
" I believe you will have no trouble finding the exit afterwards. Given that the last time you were here, you somehow found your way into my private study." Ragnar said tersely. He gave Jayran one last stern look before returning his attention to the direction he was headed. Casilo followed without even being told.
Soon after, Jayran noticed Casilo trailing after them from a short distance away and he narrowed his eyes.
"Now, that’s no way to speak to guests." Jayran said, clicking his tongue in a sound of disapproval.
" You are more like an itch that refuses to go away." Ragnar groused. He had more choice words to say to Jayran but ultimately decided not to.
Jayran was somewhat like Azul in the way that he also liked to rile people up. But while Jayran’s way was more playful and done solely for his own amusement, Azul’s was far more nefarious in comparison.
Ragnar, at first, had wanted to lead them towards his study but halfway there he changed his mind and took them to the library instead.
Jayran glance at the vaulted ceiling and the rows of tall bookshelves with a blank look on his face, tracing the wall frescos with his eyes.
" I feel like you are trying to tell me something by bringing me here?" He quirked an amused brow. Then his gaze landed on Casilo again who had stationed himself by the double doors and his lips thinned.
" I wasn’t." Ragnar said, turning away. " But if I was, it would be to spend more of your time picking up books and less time inside brothels."
Jayran hummed flippantly and when he finally spoke, he didn’t sound the least bit offended.
"Just because you managed to convince someone to marry you doesn’t give you the right to Judge me. My goals in life have never included marriage. I only plan to stay rich enough to enjoy life’s gifts and if one of those happen to be prostitutes," Jayran tilted his head slightly, a smile unfurling on his face, " then who am I to refuse?"
Ragnar scoffed as he walked away from Jayran to head towards a table that sat a few paces away. When he got there he gestured to one of the empty chairs. "Sit."
One word. It wasn’t a request.
"Why? You haven’t offered me anything to eat or drink, not even a place to relax after the long journey I had coming here. You truly are a terrible host."
A journey that Ragnar never asked him to go on.
Ragnar gave him an unimpressed look, lips pressed into a thin line.
"I only reserve that treatment for actual guests and you are not one of them. So have a seat if you are done complaining, I have a few questions to ask you."
" Straight to an interrogation. Why am I not surprised?" Jayran said but he still took the seat offered to him. He ran his fingers through his hair that had been left tousled from the whipping winds as he rode from the capital on horseback.
They sat facing each other, and Ragnar’s stoic expression barely faltered.
" How did you get your hands on that letter you sent to me?" Ragnar asked. He wasn’t going to waste any time or beat around the bush. He planned to be as direct as possible.
Jayran’s lips curved into a sly grin as he contemplated his response. Then he rested his arms on top of the table and leaned in slightly.
" Would you believe me if said a prostitute gave it to me?" Jayran said, eyes sparkling with barely suppressed laughter.
A muscle ticked in Ragnar’s jaw but that was the extent of the reaction he offered.
"A prostitute just happened to hand you a letter from the leader of the rebellion." Ragnar said, trying to reiterate what he just heard. The skepticism in his voice was loud and unmistakable.
It sounded so farfetched even to his own ears but then he remembered who he was currently speaking to. Jayran was someone who could so easily lie through his teeth with a straight face.
" Not just any prostitute. That one is very special to me." Jayran added unhelpfully, with that same sly grin on his face.
That smile alone made Ragnar regard him even more cautiously. He wasn’t sure if his brother was being serious or not.
Then before he could ask another question, he watched Jayran’s gaze dart over to where Casilo was still standing by the closed doors.
" Is there a reason you let your second in command play the role of a glorified house guard? It’s a bit demeaning for a man at his station."
Ragnar leaned back on his chair. " Is that why you rode all the way over here? To question me on how I treat Lady Taryn’s nephew?"
Jayran met Ragnar’s gaze once more and the sly grin that played on his lips moments ago slowly morphed into a sneer.
" I couldn’t care less if you have him scrubbing your floors. I just don’t want him hoovering when we are trying to have a serious conversation."
" Having a serious conversation? Was that what we were doing just now?"
" Tell him to wait outside." Jayran said, and this time there was no lightness in his voice. He sounded more serious than Ragnar had ever heard him.
Ragnar still wasn’t fazed.
Jayran glanced back at Casilo, and said, "You understand, don’t you, Mr Minovo? And try to smile on your way out or someone might just mistake you for a wall ornament."
"Casilo isn’t going anywhere." Ragnar said immediately before his brother could mutter another word.
Jayran glared. "There is something I want to tell you and I assure you that it’s better if less people that hear about it."
No one else spoke for a tense moment and Jayran didn’t look like he was going to back down from this.
Ragnar let out a resigned sigh. Then his gaze moved over to Casilo and they seemed to share a silent conversation with only a single look.
The only reason he allowed Jayran in here was to get answers from him and if his only request was for Casilo to not be in the room while they spoke then he would acquiesce to it.
A second after Ragnar gave the silent order, Casilo turned and walked out of the library without a backwards glance.
" My, you have him so well trained." Jayran said snidely. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Ragnar narrowed his eyes. " Talk."
"I thought I already was." Jayran said. Then he leaned closer again. " You asked your question, now let me ask an even better one. How much do you despise my mother?" freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Ragnar’s expression barely shifted but something flashed in his eyes. It was there one second and gone the next. He didn’t give an answer, not with words but that little change he let slip was answer enough for Jayran.
"It’s alright if you do. You won’t be the only one I assure you." Jayran said. "My mother and I recently got into an argument because of you. She somehow found out about my wager and that I have chosen to support your claim to the throne and she was livid to say the least. No doubt it had something to do with that rat Azul. She ordered me to stop immediately and offer my support to Hairan instead."
There was a short pause before Jayran continued. " The problem is if I go ahead and do that, I would lose the wager. It’s as good as me laying on my back and accepting defeat. And I don’t like losing, least of all to my twin brother."
Ragnar kept his tone calm and composed when he spoke. "Like I said the last time you trespassed into my home, I want nothing to do with your wager. That is between you and Azul."
Jayran’s expression darkened. "I’m afraid that’s no longer an option. This might have started as just a random wager but Azul has gone and made it personal. But I can’t be too upset about it though. Thanks to what he did, winning against him will now be far more satisfying and I plan to take more than just half of what he owns. And as for my dearest mother, I believe someone ought to push her down to our level once in a while."
As he spoke, Jayran reached into his pocket and pulled out something small. He twisted it from side to side and when Ragnar finally got a good look at what it was, his body froze.
