Although it was alreadyte February and the weather had warmed considerably, sitting by the entrance with no shelter still felt a bit chilly.


    The small guardhouse at the entrance of Concord Lodge was avable for their use. Inside, there was a brazier for heating water. Seeing that Violet wasn''t dressed warmly enough, Carissa led her into the guardhouse to sit and drink coffee. "You don''t need to stay with me tonight," Carissa said as she poured the coffee. "I''ll be fine here."


    Violet blew on the dark liquid''s surface. "It''s no trouble. I''ll stay with you. It''s a good chance to let ire and the others rest. I''ll keep an eye on things."


    ire and the others were watching theings and goings of the Westhaven people, observing where they went and who they interacted with.


    Lisandra and the officials didn''t leave Concord Lodge much, but there were plenty of others in the group. With all the information Barrett and Zoey had gathered, if there really was another hidden n, Yuvan''s people might still try to make contact with Westhaven. "By the way, I overheard Jacob when I left." Violet nced at Carissa. "He said that Prince Rafael ns to visit the Ministry of Justice tomorrow to see Barrett."


    Carissa nodded. "I know."


    "Is it necessary for him to meet Barrett? He should have already said everything he knows."


    "He hasn''t mentioned the route Aurora ns to use when she escapes."


    "Is that important? She''s not getting away. She nned the route, not Yuvan. Asking about that now seems unnecessary."


    Carissa tapped Violet yfully on the forehead, smiling. "Raf just needs an excuse to talk to Barrett again and see if he can uncover anything useful. At least we''ll know who he''s dealing with. This person is hiding too well-if they slip up only at the end of negotiations, it''ll be toote to act."


    Violet understood at once. "You''re right. Three days of talks and no mistakes yet. It''s time to think of another way."


    At the Ministry of Justice, Barrett didn''t expect the Hell Monarch toe looking for him personally. When he heard that a Ministry of Justice official, Lonnie, hade to fetch him, he stood there stunned for a moment. Then, he asked somewhat stiffly, "Why would he being to see me?"


    "His Highness didn''t say. He just asked me to bring you. You should go quickly. Don''t keep him waiting," Lonnie replied.


    Barrett didn''t know why, but a sense of unease settled in his chest. "Was it just him? Were there any other officials? Was Mr. Lloyd present?"


    "No, it was only His Highness," Lonnie replied.


    Barrett nodded absent-mindedly, but didn''t get up. "What about the matter I asked Mr. Lloyd to investigate? Did he look into it? What did he find?" Lonnie''s expression didn''t change. "I''m not sure what you had Mr. Lloyd investigate."


    Seeing the man''s indifferent attitude, Barrett didn''t press further. He stood and followed Lonnie.


    Before entering the side hall, Barrett took a deep breath. Then, he walked inside with heavy steps.


    When he was the Crown Guard


    Even then, he had felt inferior in thetter''s presence. Now, in his current sorry state, imprisoned and in


    despair, that sense of inferiority only


    grew.


    He didn''t know if Rafael would purposely make things difficult for him, but what did it matter? In his position now, he was already someone to be looked down upon. Upon entering the side hall, Barrett saw Rafael.


    The prince looked every bit the regal


    figure as he sat in a carved,


    round-backed chair. His posture was straight, unwavering. For some reason, the sight of the Hell


    Monarch''s strong and dignified form made Barrett recall a moment from the past-when he had returned from Victory Pass and gone to


    Grace Mansion to see Carissa,


    telling her he intended to marry


    Aurora as his rightful wife.


    At that time, she had sat just like this on a chair. However, she looked far more slender and fragile. The memory stirred something in his heart, a mix of emotions tooplex to name.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    He collected himself, cleared his throat, and approached to bow. "Greetings, Your Highness."


    Rafael nced up. "Sit."


    Barrett froze for a moment.


    Sit? He was being asked to sit? Wasn''t he about to be questioned? Even if it wasn''t an intentional slight, considering his status as a criminal, just being allowed to stand and respond was already an act of


    mercy. ge


    And yet, here he was being told to sit.


    Rafael looked up at him and frowned. "Sit down. I have questions for you. There''s no need for these formalities."


    Barrett blinked, then quietly sat across from the Hell Monarch.