The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 113

Maddock spoke softer when he continued explaining, "Lady Luisa and Heros Pas were assassinated for what your late father deemed to be treason, which many couldn't imagine how. Rosalie was never a royal aid or anything close in the first place. That decision did not help with the tension with the lycans at all. The untimely death of Heros Pas, one of the most prominent lycan officials, was one of the strongest propaganda used by their kind to instigate hate and encourage the wolves and lycans to kill us." Pellethia refuted, "Rosalie was closer than a royal aid. She was practically family. My father did what any ally would have done - avenge her death. As for Lady Luisa, wasn't she a close family friend of yours, Maddock?" "She was, though I don't see how that's relevant."

"You both went to the same schools, took very similar courses, and went to the same events. Before she met Heros, you'd be her companion in many social events."

Maddock cleared his throat and uttered, "You're suggesting that I was in love with her, Your Majesty?"

"Were you?" Pellethia looked him dead in the eye, as if daring him to blink.

Maddock simpered before he murmured, "That was a long time ago."

"Are you saying you both were no longer friends at the time of executing the plan to get rid of her and her mate?"

The last part made Maddock stiffen slightly. "We weren't as close as we once were. That's all I can say about it."

Pellethia glanced at the folder again, before she questioned, "When my father asked for someone to take lead for this particular task, I understand that you volunteered?" "I did."

Pellethia continued, "And you expect me to believe that your initiative had nothing to do with wanting to help Luisa escape?"

Maddock considered his options, and since Pellethia didn't have the Empress's Authority to choke the truth out of him, and anyone who was involved in the task had passed on, Maddock chose to say, "I delivered what was asked of me. The...task increased in its scope when we discovered the presence of two children. Never mentioning the infants...was a precaution taken to make sure that the late emperor didn't have to abdicate the throne for cold-blooded murder."

Despite the uneasiness in her chest, Pellethia remained composed when she asked, "So, the twins were killed after their parents?"

"That is my understanding, Your Majesty."

"You didn't see the children being killed?"

"No. My assignment was the parents. The twins were a separate task on their own because their governess took them away as soon as Luisa and Heros heard rumors about our plan. The search team took months before they were able to track down the governess, and ended her along with the children she took."

Octavia questioned, "Luisa sent her children away WITHOUT going with them herself?"

"Yes," Maddock asserts innocently, "And it's quite clever if you think about it. It would've been easier to replace her children if she were with them since we were already hunting her down. To keep her children safe, to give them the best chance of survival, she had the governess take them away."

Pellethia continued questioning in disbelief, "How was Heros even okay with that? He didn't do anything to keep Luisa safe, even if it meant temporarily separating her from their children?"

"I am not privy to what went on in the lycan's head, Your Majesty. All I know is that they were going to leave together on the night we found them in one of the Lybarth holiday estates, almost done packing when we knocked on the door." Pellethia continued studying Maddock as she asked, "And what were their reactions when they saw you and the two vigils you brought?"

Maddock remained unperturbed when he replied, "They begged and pleaded. Luisa was in tears, asking me to let them go for old time's sake. But I gave the signal for the vigils to fire the beta-keratin arrows. We retrieved their bodies and returned."

Duica then asked, "How did you know that there was a child if there weren't any there to begin with?"

Maddock was surprised that a vigil spoke without being asked, and locked eyes with him in a disapproving manner, as if waiting for an apology for what he saw as discourtesy.

His wait backfired when Pellethia prompted, "Did you not hear the question or are you buying time to come up with something to cover a lie, Maddock?"

Maddock's shocked eyes returned to the empress before he spoke, "I'm simply surprised that he spoke without permission, Your Majesty.”

"If Duica and Dominic are in this room joining the discussion, they have been given permission to speak whenever they deem fit. Now, answer the question."

He tried his best to mask his discontentment when he answered effortlessly, "There were pacifiers and some of the infant's clothes were left behind."

Dominic then asked, "And how did you know there were twins? Those could belong to one child."

"Not if there were two sets of items that had each child's name on it," Maddock's sights returned to Pellethia when he continued with the names, “Audax and Saxum."

The word 'Saxum' was a dreaded thing to hear. Pellethia then asked in a softer tone because she was too afraid of the answer, "Where were the children found?"

"The team reported it was in a nursing home where the governess later sought shelter and employment."

Octavia asked with even more suspicion, "Why is it that you speak as if you cannot assure us about what truly happened to the children, that what you know is merely from an orally-given report? What was the evidence showing that the twins ended in the gruesome way that you're suggesting?" "Unfortunately, technology wasn't with us at that time, Your Majesty, so I can't provide any pictures to prove what I'm saying. If necessary, I'll happily provide a deposition to replace those redacted pages."

After a long moment of silence, Pellthia spoke calmly, "That would be helpful. We'll ask our lawyer to contact you for the session within the next three days."

The empress stood, signaling Maddock's cue to leave. He stood with a smile and said, "I look forward to it, Your Majesties. I shall take my leave now. Thank you for your time."

He stepped out, and the moment the door shut behind him, Duica felt that it was his duty to say, "Your Majesties, I'm not saying that whatever that Maddock was a lie but not everything may be the truth." Pellethia murmured, "I agree. We're taking whatever he said with a grain of salt."

Octavia complained, "Or a pot of it. The downside of digging up the past is that there is no one else to verify or debunk his facts."

Dominic, being encouraged to speak aloud when Duica did it, said, "The facts about the late Lady seemed rather unbelievable if you asked me. Did anyone see the way he spoke when he described the assasination?" Duica replayed Maddock's expression and said, "He showed no sadness or remorse. It's odd."

Dominic continued, "Even if he had moved on from the Lady, which I doubt seeing how his voice softened when he spoke about their past, there would be some kind of emotion when you talk about killing an old friend or a past lover. There has to be some anger, at least. Or jealousy Or loss. Guilt, even. The fact that his face remained straight is very concerning."

Pellethia felt angry and helpless that she didn't have an Authority like past rulers to just extract the truth out of Maddock, and started wondering whether the Forest of Oderem would be so kind as to curse whoever lied to those it gifted its protection marks to. She doubted it. Nothing in history recorded such a thing ever happened.

Octavia suggested, "With time, I'm sure the truth will reveal itself. For now, let's just wait for the deposition while we send word to the lycans about this pen you retrieved, and we'll notify all twenty-six of you once we get an update."

The vigils got the cue to leave, so they bowed and left, leaving the rulers alone. Pellethia went straight to the point with her wife, "Sometimes, I wonder if what Aunt Lucy said is true - that I have the Authority but it's not...awakened." Octavia felt her earlier disappointment, which was why she spoke in a way to close the discussion for Pellethia to fully express how she was feeling in private. As Octavia continued stroking her shoulders, the consort tried to assure her as best as she could, "Well, she was never wrong, was she?"

The rhetorical question made Pellethia smile as she said, "I keep wondering how she manages that. Never being wrong. Not about dad. Not about me."

Octavia's hand went to Pellethia's cheek, before she gently lifted up her face for their eyes to lock. Her emerald eyes were a sight that would make Octavia melt in happiness every single time, even after being together for so long. As her thumb stroked Pellethia's smooth cheek, she muttered, "Lucy saw something in you when she was Rosalie. She still sees something in you now. Perhaps it's time to see yourself through her lenses, Pelly. Remember what she said the other day? About you being not any less extraordinary without that power?" A soft smile graced Pellethia's features, and she reached out to stroke Octavia's hand as she whispered gratefully, "Thank you, my love."

Octavia pressed a kiss in her hair before pulling her out of her seat because it was time for their short nap, but not before sending a photo of the pen to Lucianne first.

###

At her end, Lucianne forwarded the message to the ministers, alliance members and Greg. Greg studied the pen after reading about the vigils report on...nothing. That was what the report was on - absolutely nothing. As he mumbled to himself on how the bad weather cursed the already less-than-competent bloodsuckers, he found his ranting come to a stop when he saw the familiar carving of a planet near the tip of the fountain pen.

He sat up and stared at it for another few more moments before he murmured, "You traitor."

He didn't even run things through with Lucianne before he linked his top four in an anger-suppressed growl, 'Locate Neptune. Now!'