His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 66

Zender wiped his blade in the dark cloak of the man lying at his feet, looking up and down the alley where he had dragged the body. The b***d quashing from the man’s open neck was already forming a puddle on the dirty ground, soaking into his black clothes and veiled face. The eyes – the only visible part of him – were forever frozen in a look of surprise.

“Get rid of the body,” he ordered as he rose to his feet. He looked at the two people standing half-hidden in the shadows, one of them nodding quickly. Davin stepped forward, crouching next to the body before throwing it over his shoulder with a grunt. “Strip his clothes and burn them. And mess up his face so it’s not easily recognized. Dump him somewhere far.”

“Yes, brother,” Davin said readily. “I’ve got it.”

“Do you need any help? He looks heavy. You know you can’t be seen.” Elene’s quiet voice stopped her brother just as he was about to leave.

Davin sighed with annoyance, adjusting the corpse on his shoulder.

“I can handle it, E. Just do your part.” Davin grumbled, striding to the end of the alley before disappearing from view. Elene slowly turned to face Zen.

“If you are done coddling him, let’s go. We should be there first,” Zender said coldly, watching her as she pulled at the black cloth wrapped around her head. To minimize anyone spotting them and lower the chances of another of those Shadows attacking them from behind, they had decided to start dressing like them when they were out in the city – black tight-fitting clothes that allowed easier movement, and a dark cloth wrapped tightly around the head, leaving only the eyes visible. It had been hard to breathe at first and definitely stuffy in the weather that kept getting warmer, but ever since they started doing it, their encounters with others decreased.

It seemed most of the Shadows stayed out of each other’s way until their mission was forcing them to work together, so even if they were spotted, the others kept their distance and minded their own business. He had learned their signs and greetings from watching them for a while, so now if someone tried to communicate with him from a distant roof or if they ended up on the same street, he knew how to react. He hadn’t heard any of them speak so far, which was a good thing since he suspected that people like them could catch on to his accent.

“Let’s go,” Elene murmured, adjusting the cloth Over her nose.

Zen took the lead, running to one of the nearby houses where there were enough crevices to be used as grips for climbing and the windowsills could support their weight. He hoisted himself up, gripping uneven bricks and running his fingers over the wall to replace better hooks. By the time he reached the roof, Elene had climbed to the second floor, so he moved back to make space for her. For all her aloof behavior, she was much better than Davin in everything she did, despite the two of them receiving the same training.

Elene finally landed on the top, swiftly getting to her feet. The two of them tiptoed soundlessly across the rooftop, jumping onto the next one.

Making their way to the restaurant as silently as possible, they had to stop a few times when they noticed a person walking outside or looking out of their window.

When they finally landed on the rooftop of Raena’s restaurant, Zen locked his eyes on the building attached to it. It was too late for the restaurant to be open, but there were noises coming from its neighbor – a strange mix of laughter, pleasure, and pain. He stepped onto the brothel’s roof, careful with its tiles since the workers hadn’t changed them when they renovated the place. Moving to the side facing the back alley, he crouched down and grabbed on the edge. He leaned over to look at the room that was located just below his position, inspecting it for any movement. When he was sure it was empty, he pulled himself back up, turned around, and slid off the roof. Hanging from his hands, he stepped on the windowsill, using his foot to push the window open.

Once the window was open, he swayed back and jumped inside, landing in a crouch. His hand flew to the dagger on his waist as he gave the room another look, but aside from a bed, a double-winged cupboard across from it and a small table with a chair in the corner, there was nothing and no one inside.

A soft thud told him Elene had followed inside and as he turned, she was just getting to her feet.

They barely had time to exchange a look before the sound of voices made them turn toward the door.

They moved together, with him stepping behind the door while she flattened herself against the wall behind the cupboard.

The door opened slightly, letting in some of the light the person outside was carrying.

“l apologize for the delay, Your Highness, but I can assure you Holland will be with you in no time. He is just freshening up!” a woman said in a sweet voice. “Would you like me to keep you company while you wait?”

“No,” a deep male voice replied, and the light flickered for a second. “Give me ten minutes to prepare and then you can send him up.”

“Of course, Your Highness! Please enjoy your stay and don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything else you’d like to have!” the woman said before walking away.

For a moment, everything was quiet, then the floor creaked as the man stepped inside the room, carrying the light with him. Zen slid his hands over the door, pushing it closed. The tall newcomer jumped in surprise as the lock clicked in place, turning around and pulling out a dagger. Despite his height and threatening stance, his face was one of a nervous man who wanted to be anywhere but in that room.

Zen took a step forward, crossing into the circle of light and raising his hands to show he was not armed- he had slipped his dagger back into its place the moment he recognized the man. The second prince of the Etrobian Empire stared at him with a tense expression before slowly lowering his weapon.

“What’s with the disquise?” Rissen frowned.

“What’s with the mask?” Zen asked back. Rissen snorted, slipping the black mask off. Zen pulled the cloth covering his mouth and nose, revealing his face. Elene stepped out of her hiding and the prince jumped in surprise again, almost dropping the candle.

“By the gods! Makea noise first, will you!” he hissed at her, receiving a cold, uninterested look in reply. “What was so urgent you had to call for a meeting? It’s very unlike you to take such a risk.”

“I need you to do something for me,” Zen said calmly, ignoring the grimace Rissen made. “It has to happen quickly, before the Anniversary Celebration of the Empire next month.”

“What is it?” Rissen asked, his shoulders tensing in anticipation.

“I need you to kidnap someone and keep them safe before I collect them.”

“Who?” Rissen frowned.

“Raena Magrath.”

Silence filled the room as Rissen’s face switched from confused to thoughtful to angry.

Finally, he raised his chin in defiance, meeting Zen’s eyes.

“That’s impossible!” he said finally. “My mother wants her dead for all the stunts she pulled and I don’t think you can change her mind. Besides, we have already agreed on the terms of our arrangement, so you can’t just go on changing them as you please. Even if we are to agree with it, how do you expect us to get her out of his residence? She has more people watching her than the damn emperor!”

“You seem to be confused,” Zen said with a smile, his eyes stopping on Elene. She nodded, her hand moving behind her back while Zen’s attention returned to the prince.” This is not a request.

Without me, you don’t have the support you have right now. Without me, you don’t have anyone to do the dirty work for you. Without me, your brothers will eventually put you in a hole so deep, you won’t see sunlight ever again. I vowed to kill all of your cursed family, but because you’re a bastard like me and you can be useful, I didn’t mind letting you rule this crumbling Empire of yours. Still, that can change in an instant.”

Elene stepped behind Rissen, her blade pressing against his throat. He froze in panic, face paling in an instant. Raising his hands in surrender, he glanced down at the blade before looking at Zen again.

“You will get Raena Magrath out of that place, unharmed, or I swear to you that when I step into the Imperial Palace to kill your family, you and your mother will die along with them.” Zen stepped toward him, smiling. “Do we have an understanding, Your Highness?”

“Yes! Fine!” Rissen said in a small, trembling voice. “I’ll arrange it!”

“That’s more like it.” Zen smiled wider, patting him hard on the shoulder. Elene pulled her knife away, releasing the prince. Rissen glared at her, rubbing his neck even though there wasn’t even a nick left on it. “ls everything ready for the Anniversary Celebration BalI?”

“Yes, almost” Rissen replied, his voice quieter and more reserved than before. “It’s going to be… Madam Lydia’s restaurant is catering it again, so they will take the fall. Kassian will shortly follow, so even if you don’t kill him at the ball, he won’t live long enough to enjoy his luck. Just make sure to kill Yulien, he needs to die that night at the hands of the rebels and this will all end there.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Just make sure you do your job so we can part ways as friends,” Zen said, pulling the cloth over his face. “It’s almost time to..”

A hesitant knock came from the door, and all three of them turned to look at it. Someone sighed on the other side, then knocked again.

“Your Highness, are you ready? May I come in?” a soft voice asked.

“One minute!” Rissen replied gingerly, mouthing Get out!’ .Elene moved first, climbing on the windowsill and disappearing into the darkness above while Zen lingered, glancing back at the prince, who was just undressing. Elene was waiting for him on the roof, crouching down so as not to be spotted. Shortly after Zen secured himself on the roof, the room below filled with the voices of the prince and his companion, hushed and excited, only to be replaced with m***s and words of affirmation a couple of minutes later.

Zen gave Elene a sign to get going, but she didn’t move, her eyes dark and concerned.

“That sounded awfully confident back there,” she whispered. “Are you really that sure it’s going to work?”

“Everything we have been through since we were children was to take the throne of Craidal from that old raping bastard,” Zen said just as quietly.

“Now to do that, we need to bring the Empire down or put it in the hands of someone who can’t oppose us. It has to work.”

“And Raena?”

“Raena is mine,” he said, his voice sharper than intended. “The plan stays the same.”

“She won’t take it well if you kill them all. She hates violence and even though she says she’ll get divorced and leave this place, she doesn’t actually look like she wants to. She cares about these people.”

Zen pursed his lips, staring at the dark wall of the back alley.

“She’ll get over it. She won’t have a choice, anyway.” He heard steps and turned, noticing that Elene was slowly walking away from him.

“So you plan to turn into the same bastard as your father, huh?” she asked with her back to him. “I bet your mother would be so proud.”

Zen gritted his teeth, his hand going for his dagger on instinct. He stopped himself before he did something stupid, trying to calm down. He needed her, he needed her brother. They were the last family he had left, even if they didn’t share b***d. He couldn’t kill them.

“Soon Madam Lydia will be a traitor and her staying here will mean certain death. There will be no one left to protect her,” he said instead. “Her fate intertwined with ours that night at the slave market and she will have no choice but to pick our side.”