Free Web NovelChapter 163: Waiting for Answers
{Third Person}
Zarek’s tone carried a warning, but of course, Julia ignored it completely.
"Alexander almost died tonight," she said to him, more like a reminder to call back his lost conscience.
But his next response came quickly and too coldly. "He isn’t dead. Yet."
Julia looked at him as though she no longer recognized the man standing before her. "Can you listen to yourself?"
Zarek looked away, but unfortunately, that only made things worse.
For years, Julia had watched his obsession with Alexander consume him. Every setback became Alexander’s fault. Every success was measured against Alexander’s failures.
It had reached the point where she no longer knew whether Zarek even realized how much hatred he carried inside him.
Unable to hold back her emotions anymore, she said to him, "You need help."
The words landed harder than she intended.
Slowly, Zarek turned back toward her with a light frown slowly making an appearance on his face. "What did you just say?"
"I said you need help." Julia held his gaze and stated, "You are too obsessed with destroying your own brother."
The room fell into a dangerous silence. And Zarek’s hands slowly clenched into fists at the same time.
"Stop."
His voice had dropped lower and rougher, but Julia was too angry to care.
"You blame him for everything."
"Stop."
"And now, you just tried to kill him."
Zarek’s breathing deepened. "I said stop!"
Julia took another step forward and continued, "And believe me, if this has everything to do with you, I swear I won’t protect you this time."
The threat hung heavily in the air between them, making Zarek look genuinely alarmed.
Julia noticed it immediately and felt that she had finally gotten through to his rock conscience, so she made a confident statement.
"If I have to tell the King what I know, I will."
Something snapped inside Zarek’s head. And the change was so sudden that it startled even Julia.
One moment, Zarek was standing several feet away, but the next, he was right in front of her. And immediately, his hand shot out and closed around her throat.
Julia gasped. The force sent her stumbling backwards until her back struck the wall.
For a moment, she could only stare at him, watching as his eyes changed. His wolf was dangerously close to the surface.
Months of resentment, frustration, fear, and anger had finally boiled over. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Then keep your mouth shut." Zarek’s words came out as a low growl.
Julia felt genuine fear crawl down her spine. It wasn’t even because of the hand around her neck or the strength pinning her in place. But because she had never seen him like this before.
This was not the calculating prince who always had a plan. This was a man losing control.
For one terrible moment, she truly wondered whether he would hurt her.
The realization seemed to reach Zarek at the same time. Then something shifted in his eyes.
The rage wavered, then awareness returned.
He really looked at Julia, and saw the fear in her eyes, his hand wrapped around her throat, and at what he was doing to her.
The shock that crossed his face was immediate. His grip loosened, and a second later, he released her completely.
Julia stumbled away from him, coughing violently as she pressed a hand against her neck. She put as much distance between them as possible, her breathing uneven.
Neither of them spoke or moved as the room descended into silence.
Zarek stared down at his hand as though it belonged to someone else. Julia stared at him from across the room, unable to hide the hurt and disbelief in her eyes.
---
Back in Amara’s bedroom, the atmosphere remained tense despite the mage’s calm demeanour.
Mrs. Woods stood beside the bed, her eyes fixed on Amara’s unconscious form. The revelation that poison had been circulating through the young woman’s body for weeks had left her deeply shaken.
After a long silence, she finally turned to Barron.
"My Lord, should we inform His Majesty about this as well?"
Barron understood exactly what she meant.
Alexander’s poisoning had already thrown the palace into turmoil. If King Sebastian learned that Amara had also been poisoned, there was no telling what conclusions he might draw.
After considering it briefly, Barron shook his head. "No."
Mrs. Woods looked surprised at his response. It wasn’t what she was expecting.
"For now, that decision belongs to Alexander." Barron glanced toward Amara and added, "When he wakes up, he can decide what should be reported and what should remain private."
Then, his expression hardened slightly. "At the moment, our priority is helping her."
Mrs. Woods nodded reluctantly.
Barron then turned his attention back to the mage and inquired, "What about the poison?"
The mage folded his arms as he considered his answer. "The poison is dangerous."
Neither Barron nor Mrs. Woods liked the sound of that, but fortunately, the mage continued. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"But it is slow-acting."
Immediately, both of them looked at him expectantly.
"The effects have not fully manifested yet."
Mrs. Woods released a breath she had not realized she was holding.
"That is why Lady Amara appears relatively healthy despite carrying it for so long," the mage concluded.
Barron frowned. "So her life is not in immediate danger?"
"No."
The answer brought visible relief to the room.
"Provided the poison continues progressing at its current rate, we have time."
Mrs. Woods pressed a hand against her chest as some of the tension left her face. Barron felt much the same.
The poison was alarming. Very alarming. But at least it was not about to kill her tonight. Unfortunately, another problem remained.
"What about the drug?"
The mage looked at him and asked, "The aphrodisiac?"
"Yes." Barron nodded as his expression slowly darkened. "Can something be prepared to counter its effects?"
The mage fell silent. For several moments, he considered the question carefully before finally shaking his head.
"No."
Mrs. Woods immediately became anxious again while Barron’s brows furrowed. "No?"
The mage sighed. "The necessary herbs are not available." Then seeing their confusion, he elaborated.
"Our delegation did not bring those ingredients with us to your Kingdom."
The answer disappointed Barron and Mrs. Woods in the room. But then, the mage seemed to remember something and therefore shifted his gaze from one worried person to the other.
"There may be another solution."
Immediately, Barron straightened. "What is it?" He inquired, ready to get anything done to help Amara find relieve.
The mage looked toward Amara and announced to them, "Elder Mage Seraphina can inscribe a mind-calming rune."
Mrs. Woods blinked. "A rune?"
The mage nodded. "It will not remove the drug."
The hope on their faces dimmed slightly. However, he quickly continued, "But it can greatly suppress the mental and emotional effects."
Barron’s eyes lit up. Mrs. Woods looked relieved as well.
"It should help her maintain clarity until the drug naturally leaves her system," the mage finished.
This time, neither Barron nor Mrs. Woods tried to hide their relief. Compared to everything else that had happened tonight, this sounded almost miraculous.
"I will speak with Elder Mage Seraphina immediately," the mage said before excusing himself.
As the door closed behind him, Mrs. Woods moved closer to the bed and gently adjusted Amara’s blanket. Then her eyes softened.
"Poor child."
Barron remained silent. For reasons he could not entirely explain, he found himself agreeing.
Too much had happened to Amara in too short a time. And now there was yet another mystery surrounding her.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the residence, the situation surrounding Alexander had finally stabilized.
His bedroom no longer resembled the frantic treatment chamber it had been earlier.
The mages had completed the most urgent phase of their work, and the atmosphere had become noticeably calmer.
After identifying and neutralizing the poison affecting him, Elder Mage Seraphina had personally administered the appropriate antidote.
A healing pill had followed shortly afterwards, and to ensure nothing harmful remained within his system, she had performed a powerful purification spell designed to cleanse foreign substances from the body.
The treatment had been exhausting, but effective.
Although Alexander remained unconscious, the alarming symptoms that had frightened everyone earlier had disappeared.
The unhealthy paleness had left his face. The dryness and discolouration around his lips were gone.
Even his breathing had become steady and natural once more.
The rest of the younger mages had finally been dismissed to rest after receiving Seraphina’s approval. Now only a handful remained.
Among them was Jasper.
He stood quietly near the window, keeping watch over the room while the last traces of magical energy gradually faded from the air.
Every now and then, his gaze shifted toward Alexander. The sight before him was reassuring.
For the first time since the banquet, Alexander no longer looked like a man on the verge of death.
Still, Jasper did not allow himself to relax completely. Too many questions remained unanswered.
Someone had attempted to manipulate events at the banquet.
The Alpha Prince had been poisoned. The political bride wasn’t looking okay either. And neither mystery had been solved.
As the night deepened outside the residence, the entire palace remained trapped in a state of uncertainty, waiting for answers that had yet to come.
