Free Web NovelChapter 68: Customer With Deep Pockets
The System buzzed.
[Core Objective Continues: Main Quest Triggered;The Crown Prince’s Arrival. Prepare for it.]
[Quest Objective: Attend the Capital’s Autumn Gala and secure the Imperial Crown Contract.]
[Potential reward: Unlocks access to the Capital’s hidden trade routes.]
Evelina always felt like when she accomplished certain objectives properly, the rewards were usually higher than she was told.
And currently, this reward was incredibly useful. The hidden trade routes would allow her to bypass the military checkpoints controlled by Isabella’s camp entirely, and in large, she would be able to conduct many of her operations more smoothly than she did not.
Evelina smiled softly, the paper crisp between her fingers, "Prepare the carriage. We leave for the Capital in two days."
The news of the imperial decree spread through the Alvarez Estate like wildfire. By afternoon, it had reached the grand training grounds.
Ace stood in the center of the courtyard, his chest bare, sweat glistening against his scarred skin as he swung his broadsword into a wooden dummy. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
With a savage roar, he brought the heavy blade down, splintering the thick wood into absolute dust.
"Your Grace!" an attendant shouted, running into the yard with a pale face. "The Duchess... the Duchess has just ordered her carriage to be prepared. She has accepted the Crown Prince’s decree. She is going to the Capital to sit at His Highness’s right hand."
Ace froze. The tip of his broadsword dug into the dirt.
Elian, the universally adored crown prince was a man known for his charms, silver tongue and elegance, things that did not exist in the brutal nature of the Alvarez name.
The thought of Evelina sitting beside that fox, sent a wave of raw discomfort through Ace’s veins. It was a tingly jealousy that completely overlooked the political danger of the situation.
He slammed his sword into the weapon rack, grabbed his tunic, and strode toward the main estate with storm clouds in his eyes.
...
Ace strode through the grand corridors of the manor, his heavy boots clicking loudly against the stone floors. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
He didn’t even bother to wash the grime or sweat from his skin, nor did he fasten the buttons of his dark tunic completely.
The frantic servants scattered at the mere sight of his face, diving into doorways to avoid the dark aura radiating off their Duke.
By the time Ace reached the doors of Evelina’s private study, his breathing was deep and ragged.
One soft knock and then the man threw the heavy doors open, letting them slam against the inner walls with a sharp bang that caused Henderson to jump backward in terror nearby.
In contrast to the chaos outside, the room was entirely peaceful.
Evelina was sitting gracefully behind her desk, a feathered pen resting lightly between her fingers as she reviewed some documents.
She didn’t look up immediately as if she had already known who her visitor was, just by the sound of his arrival. She merely turned a page, her calm demeanor acting like an unbreakable shield against his storm.
"Leave us," Ace commanded, his voice making Henderson scramble out of the room without a single second glance.
The door clicked shut, and the silence in the room stretched tense.
Ace closed the distance in three long strides, his large shadow instantly falling over her desk and blocking out the afternoon light.
He leaned forward, placing his palm flat against the dark wood, "You are going to the Capital?"
Evelina finally dipped her pen into the ink, her green eyes lifting to meet his blazing gaze, "The Crown Prince has requested my presence to secure the empire’s textile distribution. I believe you were in the hall when your own council explained that we currently hold a monopoly. It is only natural that the buyer comes to negotiate."
"Elian is not just a buyer!" Ace snarled, his fingers curling against the wood until his knuckles turned white, "He is a wolf, Evelina. You have lived in the comfort of the North for so long that you don’t know how the Capital works. Elian has his teeth in velvet and poetry, but he is a dangerous man."
Evelina set her pen down with a small movement. She stood up, and stepped out from behind her desk.
She stood directly in front of him, looking up into his furious face with an unbothered expression.
"Every powerful man is a wolf, Your Grace," she replied smoothly as if she was plainly stating a fox, "I have dealt with plenty of the kind who wanted to skin me alive for a single coin. The Crown Prince is no different."
"He is different," Ace pressed, stepping closer until the heat from his bare chest practically brushed against her shoulders.
He couldn’t control the protective and deeply territorial instinct rearing its head inside him. The monster was threatening to spill out completely.
He reached out, his calloused hand coming down firmly on her shoulder, his fingers gripping the fabric of her dress, "He explicitly asked you to sit at his right hand. Do you know what that means? He doesn’t just mean business, Evelina. I will not allow you to walk into his trap."
The touch was possessive and it sent a familiar jolt straight down Evelina’s spine, threatening to crack the resolve she had spent the last few days rebuilding.
Her heart gave a sharp thud against her ribs, but she didn’t let a single flicker of emotion touch her face.
She raised her own hand, letting her slender fingers wrap around his thick wrist.
She simply peeled his hand off her shoulder, lifting his weight away from her body.
"The Crown Prince is a customer with deep pockets, Your Grace. And that’s all I care about right now," Evelina said as she dropped his hand back to his side, "I’m not going to mix emotions with profit. You should learn how to do that as well.’’
Ace flinched, his hand dropping as if her skin had burned him. The distance in her eyes was maddening to him.
