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Maven's Pov
Mare walks towards the door and look to Mal.
"Aren't you coming?" She asks.
"I'll be joining you later on. We don't want them to suspect anything." Mal says.
"Okay then." She says then turns to me waiting.
"You're allowed to go by yourself Mare. I trust you." I say.
She looks at me with shock.
"I'm allowed to walk by myself and you trust me?" She asks in surprise.
"Yes Mare. Now be good and do what you're supposed to do." I respond.
She leave the room and closes the door behind her. I wait until I hear her footsteps move farther from the door. When she's far enough I turn back to Mal.
"Now that she's gone, let's have a talk shall we. What's your true intentions in all of this?" I ask him.
He smiles.
"You really waste no time, you are king for a reason. You're pretty smart your highness. I tell you what, let's make a deal, I'll tell you what you want to know and you tell me what I want to know. I'm sure you'll be very interested in what I know." He says.
He's trying to make a deal? With me? He really is a bold one. But I like his confidence. If anything, I can always deal with him if he pulls any tricks.
"Deal." I say.
"Great. So let me start off by saying this, I know what really happened. I know that Prince Tiberias didn't really kill the late king on his own free will." He says.
I stare at him surprised, I keep my composure though. How would he know a thing like that?
"And how do you know that?" I ask.
"I once heard Mare say it to you a long while ago. I knew that oh so perfect prince wouldn't have the guts to kill his father for the throne." He responds.
"So if you knew all this time why would you keep quiet? What are you planning?" I ask suspiciously.
He chuckles. He really is lighthearted even when his life is on the line, and we both know his life is on the line right now. I'll be able to kill him before he could think of fighting back, even if he is skilled.
"Simple, I just want to help. I was not looking forward to Prince Tiberias becoming king. He only cares about this order we have. Everyone thought he was so perfect. I personally found that boring. He wouldn't even care about some of the Silvers. He thinks he would be such an amazing king but I know otherwise. Also if he would've married Evangeline, that would be double trouble and I would always stay on the bottom stuck with meaningless tasks. She doesn't really like me and the feeling is mutual. What can I say, I don't cower in fear in front of her like others do." He replies.
Interesting, he doesn't like Cal or Evangeline. Not too many people dislike Cal. But his statement is not really convincing.
"So you're telling me that you just kept what you knew a secret, knowing doing so would mean he couldn't be on the throne? It's hard to believe that a minor dislike for him would move you to keep such a thing a secret. Tell me truly why." I say.
He sighs and gives me another smile, this one though not as cheerful. This one is more somber than happy and carefree.
"You really are clever your highness. If I'm being completely honest, I can't stand that damn prince. He once fought against me for training. He burned me really badly and he was praised for it. Whereas I, I was scolded by my house. How dare I let the prince harm me like that? I was supposed to either win or at least lose with no injuries. I was burned to the point where I couldn't move my arm. He said no apology. He just said to me if I planned on carrying my family's name with dignity, I had to get better. He walked away with his head held high as I held my burned arm. A prince like that shouldn't be king. He embarrassed and degraded me and I never heard the end of it from my house. They never let me forget that fight." He says.
For a second his carefree attitude disappeared and turned into one of hatred. He slowly puts his hand on his arm, clutching it as if he still feels the burn.
It's amazing though. I remember that fight clearly. The Silk that went against Cal that day was nowhere near as skilled as he is today. Honestly I think he could beat the Samos siblings in a fight right now. He is brutal in a fight, as Silks are known for. For him to be the young Silk that was defeated by Cal is surprising.
"I remember that fight. I was there because father wanted to show me what a real prince is like. I did not know that was you. My father was very happy that day. He went on praising him as once again I stayed in his shadow. I never heard of the Silk who was beaten by him again. I remember watching you get up and walking away as you held your arm. I saw the burn before you covered it. That was a terrible burn, one even healers would have some difficulty with. I must say though you have improved a great amount in your fighting. It's almost hard to believe that Silk was you." I respond.
"It took the healer some time to heal the burn. It was extremely painful. Afterwards I stayed out of view for a bit and trained a lot so my house could stop reminding me about that fight. I became a guard a bit before Mare became a maid, wanting to show to him that I was much stronger now, but he didn't recognize me. I even went up to him and introduced myself, giving my full name. He still didn't remember me. He just looked at me and told me to go send some servants to him. It was infuriating. Was I that below him that he couldn't even remember humiliating and burning me? As the new guy, and a young one at that, my tasks were basically the same tasks as the maids thanks to him. Evangeline ran into me once and was mad when I didn't want to go get her another drink. I told her I am a guard not a servant. That's when we began to have as mutual dislike for one another. I wouldn't be such a low ranking guard if it wasn't for him." He says.
There's so much anger and hatred in his once carefree voice. He really hates Cal. It's very interesting to see someone have such a burning hatred for him.
"So when you found out what happened, you didn't really care because you hated him. Makes sense. But why support me?" I say.
"You're the one who convinced your father to give me the job as a guard. You also got rid of the prince. And I'm sure that you had to fight against him plenty of times and lost. If anything you have the most hatred for him. So that's how I know you wouldn't be like him as a king." He responds.
I clench my fist as the memories of the times I fought against Cal flood my thoughts. I never won. No matter what I tried, I always lost. It was frustrating and demeaning. He would always give me a smile and say "better luck next time Mavey". I hated it.
Mal isn't wrong when he says I would not be a king like him. He had the aggravating ability to make someone feel less of themselves. He was born with the idea fed to him that he was the most important person out there. Him being king would have been a headache. I am much better than him.
"Now it's my turn to ask you, what's your plan? Keeping Mare in your room, having her speak against the Scarlet Guard, drying her hair, giving her your royal pin. I know you must have a reason for doing such things, so what's all that about?" He asks, snapping me out of my memories.
It's my turn to smirk this time.
"I want her as my queen. Cal always did have her heart but this time I'll have her. He never really loved her, as he would put the crown above her without a second thought. I truly love and want her. With her as my queen, I'll be able to end all this rebellion and maybe actually end this divide between everyone. If Reds and Silvers can get along a bit better then my rule will be much easier. Not to mention it will be a taunting blow to Cal and his beliefs. He loses the girl, the crown, and his beloved structure. As for giving Mare my royal pin, it will make Evangeline very upset. Granted it will prevent anyone from bothering Mare as she walks but it will also infuriate Evangeline. Two benefits in one action. Mare will learn about the pin and it will show her that she means a lot to me." I say.
"Mare as queen huh? Now that would be interesting and much better than Evangeline. I guess that's why you need to prove that Evangeline had something to do with this assassination attempt. Once she is out of the way then Mare is free to become queen. Pardon the question though but don't you think Mare will turn down the offer?" He replies.
"That is a possibility. She has done it before. But this time I'm going to win her heart and make sure she can't even consider telling me no. No threats or lies, just capturing her heart. I realized with Mare, she doesn't do anything if her heart isn't in it. Threatening her barely works unless you threaten something she loves. That's why I plan to win her heart then she'll marry me willingly." I say.
His smirk is once again present on his face.
"So do you know what she was doing when she asked you to dry her hair?" He asks.
"Of course. She's testing the waters. She thinks I'm lying so she's trying to see how I really feel. She's seeing where she really stands. I'll allow it if it helps bring her closer to me. She still doesn't realize I'm always one step ahead of her. She's just giving me more chances to gain her affections." I respond.
"I'd like to help you with this if you don't mind." He says.
He's straightforward and daring. Maybe he can be of more use than I originally planned.
"What can you do for me?" I ask leaning forward.
"Well Mare seems to be a bit more comfortable around me than she is with others. A few convincing words and pieces of advice may help her to choose you. Also I'm one person who you'll know is completely loyal to you. I'll do everything I can to help make sure you stay king." He replies.
Completely loyal huh? It's true there's no one I can truly trust here. Most people just want the crown and others just want a "more fit" king. They think I'm too young and inexperienced to rule. Having one person truly loyal will help me. And a skilled Silk such as him would be very useful.
"What is it you want in return?" I ask.
"Well I get to see Evangeline and the prince fall so I'm already enjoying this plan. I would like a change in my rank though when this is all over. I'm tired of being viewed so lowly by my superiors and fellow guards." He responds.
"Does being head of the guards sound appropriate for you?" I ask with a smirk.
His eyes glow with devilish mirth. I'm quite fond of this guard at the moment. He is a great addition to my plan.
"That would be amazing. Imagine their faces when I become their superior." He says with a fiendish grin.
"Help make sure my plan goes smoothly and the position is all yours. But let's make this clear, you try to go against me or make a move out of line with Mare and I'll kill you before you can even blink. If you want to live and see those who you hate fall, you must be fully loyal to me." I say.
He gets down to one knee, puts his arm across his chest and bows his head.
"I swear to be eternally and completely loyal to you. Long live King Maven, the rightful king of Norta." He says.
Good. Things may go a bit easier now. With him as Mare's guard, he'll be able to watch and protect Mare. It'll also let her feel like she has a friend here. If she feels more comfortable then she'll be more willing to accept my offer.
"I want you to continue being Mare's personal guard. When she's here alone, you'll be guarding the door. I'll even allow you to enter at times to speak with her to keep her company when I can't. Make sure things go the way I want it when she's with the Samos siblings. Is that clear?" I say.
He lifts his head up.
"Yes your highness. You don't have to worry by the way, I wouldn't flirt with Mare, I'm not looking for a partner. I'm very happy being single and free to do what I want. I'll watch Mare and make sure everything goes the way you want it." He responds.
"Good. Now get going to her. Who knows how much longer she can go by herself with them. She's probably ready to fight right about now." I say.
He chuckles and stands up.
"That's very true. She seems to be a feisty one. I hope she does try fighting honestly. If Evangeline attacks her I get to beat her down in a fight since I'm supposed to protect Mare. King's order." He says.
"Don't kill her, I promised Mare I'll leave that for her. Now go." I respond.
He leaves my room laughing.
I must say I'm very surprised at what just happened. I never thought that he would support my plan. I'll keep a close eye on though just in case.
Let's see how this turns out. Hopefully this make things go quicker for me.