Chapter 6
Andrew's voice was steady, impossible to tell if he was angry or pleased, but I could feel the pressure building up, like the calm before a storm.
"Yes," I said quietly.
I answered with my head down.
"Ferdinand's dead, and Tom cut his losses to survive. I miscalculated," I said.
Andrew put his pen back in the holder and looked up at me.
There was no anger or disappointment in those eyes, just a calm so deep it felt bottomless.
"No," Andrew said, shaking his head with a sly, unsettling smile.
He continued, "You didn't get it wrong.
"I sent someone to kill Ferdinand."
I jerked my head up, looking at him like I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.
"What did you just say?" I blurted out.
"I said," Andrew replied.
Andrew came right up to me, his voice cold, but there was a twisted pleasure in it.
He said, "Ferdinand's death is where everything really begins.
"General Nelson, the real show is just getting started."
Andrew walked right up to me.
His shadow swallowed me whole.
There was a thrill in his beautiful eyes, almost cruel, something I couldn't quite read.
He spoke with a hint of a smile. "General Nelson, tell me. Which is more believable, a treasury official who took his own life out of guilt, or one who was beaten into a confession?"
I didn't answer.
My mind was spinning, trying to grasp the deeper meaning behind his words.
He didn't need my answer.
He just kept talking, not waiting for my response.
Andrew said, "If Ferdinand were still alive and hauled before the Supreme Court, even if he confessed under duress, Tom could just claim it was forced, that the whole thing was a frame-up.
"He'd have a hundred tricks up his sleeve to clear his name.
"But a dead Ferdinand changes everything."
His fingertips brushed lightly against my shoulder plate.
The icy touch made me freeze.
Andrew said, "Once he's dead, he can't defend himself.
"That suicide note becomes his final testimony.
"Tom can say it's a fake, but who can actually prove it?
"Now everyone will believe Tom killed Ferdinand to silence him, drove him to his death.
"He panicked. He was afraid Ferdinand would rat him out."
I realized it.
I saw it all.
This was a trap.
It was a ruthless plot, crafted from the very beginning just for Tom.
The ledger I brought back was never really about incriminating Tom.
It was meant to push Ferdinand over the edge.
It would give Ferdinand's death the perfect excuse.
The ledger went missing.
Ferdinand realized he'd been exposed and was about to be abandoned.
He was either going to get taken out by Tom, or end up in my hands.
Either way, he was a goner.
So his "suicide out of guilt" made sense.
Andrew had everyone's motives figured out and twisted to his advantage.
Not even me or Tom escaped his scheming.
I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I forced the words out, "That suicide note...
"Was that your doing too, Your Highness?"
Andrew replied, flashing a mischievous grin, like a kid who'd just gotten away with something, "Of course.
"I've got tons of famous paintings stashed away. Copying the handwriting of a treasury official is quite easy.
"I even slipped in a tiny flaw in the suicide note, something only Tom would ever notice.
"He'll think some pro forger left it on purpose, just to pin the blame on him.
"He'll investigate.
"The more he digs, the deeper he'll fall into the trap I've laid for him.
"He'll find that every clue points right at him.
"That taste of being utterly unable to defend himself is going to be exquisite."
I stared at him, a chill racing up from my feet all the way to the top of my head.
He wasn't some lunatic.
He was a snake, lurking in the darkness, plotting every step, always ready to deliver a deadly strike to his enemies.
I was the most venomous fang he sent out to strike, his deadliest weapon against his enemies.
"So... what happens now?" I asked, my voice trailing off.
"Now?" Andrew repeated, turning around.
He turned around and walked back to his desk.
"Now, this is only the second act," Andrew said, a hint of anticipation in his voice.
He picked up a sheet of calligraphy paper and wrote: [Mist Hall.]
Andrew said, "Ferdinand's dead, but Tom will definitely send someone to track down the wealth he hid.
"In this world, the people who know a man best are either his enemies or his lover.
"Ferdinand had a mistress.
"She's the star at Mist Hall, Lizzie Carr."
Andrew slid the paper over to me.
He said, "She's not your average girl.
"Ferdinand stashed a lot of things with her, stuff he couldn't risk keeping at his place.
"I want you to find her.
"Get to her before Tom's men do, and get her to tell you where the stash is.
"Once you've got what she's hiding, kill her."
He uttered those last words with a chilling nonchalance, as if they meant nothing at all.
It was like he was merely crushing an ant beneath his heel.
My heart sank even further.
I couldn't believe that he wanted me to kill a helpless girl.
"What's the matter?" Andrew said, his tone laced with mockery.
His eyes seemed to pierce right through me.
"Our mighty general's gone soft, huh?" he sneered.
He gave a chilling laugh.
Andrew warned, "Hayden, remember this.
"When you're working for me, you'd better keep all those unnecessary emotions locked away.
"Your mercy will only get you killed, and take the Nelson family down with you.
"That woman knows way too much.
"Keeping her alive is a risk for us.
"The dead are the only ones who can keep a secret forever."
I clenched my fists.
My nails dug deep into my palms.
I couldn't argue.
It was because he was right.
In a life-or-death struggle like this, even a moment of weakness could mean total defeat.
"I will obey," I forced out through gritted teeth.
The words barely made it past my clenched jaw.
"Good," Andrew said with a satisfied nod.
He pulled out a piece of premium emerald and tossed it to me.
Andrew said, "Give this to the owner of Mist Hall.
"She'll take you to see Lizzie.
"Remember, you don't have much time.
"Tom won't wait around."
I took the emerald and turned to leave.
I couldn't stand to stay here for another second.
This place was suffocating me.
"Wait," Andrew's voice came from behind me.
I stopped, but didn't turn around.
Andrew said in an unhurried tone, "General Nelson, it's not appropriate to go to Mist Hall dressed like that.
"Change your clothes before you head out.
"Don't reveal your identity.
"If word gets out that my 'sweetheart' is lingering in places like Mist Hall...
"I'll be angry."
His voice was laced with both mockery and menace.
I didn't answer. I hurried out of the Crown Prince's Palace.
The sunlight outside was harsh.
I paused at the palace gates, looking back at that glittering prison.
My heart felt frozen.