14 Happy couple to the world

After sending the secret message, Odalis went back to sit on her bed. The mattress was too hard just like a rock and some days she had found it difficult to sleep on it. If not for the fact that she would be exhausted with the entire day's work, she would not have had a good sleep even one day.

Odalis opened the window slightly to allow the wind to blow inside the suffocating room. She released her black hair that was tightly bound in a beautiful braid and allowed it to dance along with the wind, while her eyes stared at the horizon. It was past afternoon and she could clearly see the sun slowly inching towards the west. Though the scenery from her chambers was beautiful, she was in no mood to appreciate it. Her mind was filled with other pressing things.

Odalis was worried about her son. She did not know where he was and how he was nor was she able to detect him using her powers. Someone was blocking her from reaching him and she knew that her wicked husband must have used a witch to cast a location hider spell. If not, given her powers, she could have easily tracked her son long ago.

A lone tear slipped past her eyes and by the time it reached half her cheek, it had dried. She missed her son dearly and wanted to so badly hug him. But who knew where he was, how he was?

However, she was sure that he was alive as the bracelet she had with her had not broken yet. It was a special bracelet that let her track the safety of her son. Although it could not sense if her son was injured or not, it would immediately indicate if her son was no more. She had made it herself and kept it with her to assure herself every day. The day the bracelet broke, it meant that her son was no more. It was her only hope that kept her fighting against the wicked Duke and his family.

Odalis waited for some time when the fire in the hearth flickered loudly gaining her attention before it died down completely. The woman sighed in relief. The message she had sent had reached the person safely and she did not have anything to worry about. This was a trick not many people knew about. Even many powerful witches did not know how to do it and those who knew about it had kept it a secret.

Odalis stood up and pressed on her skirt to remove the creases before she stepped out of the chambers. She tied her hair in an elegant bun and adorned it with ruby hair clips that matched her dress. She had to attend a soiree at one of the Minister's houses and her husband had ordered her to accompany him and to be on her best behavior. The lady picked up a shawl and draped it around her to protect herself from the cold as the night approached. Nights in the kingdom of Oryn during winter were harsh and one would freeze to death if they were not adequately clothed.

Odalis walked towards the study only to meet Killian on the way. It was the young man's duty to bow before her, but the man just walked away haughtily without giving her another glance. To him, she was as invisible as air. Odalis too was not expecting any sort of respect from him and walked towards her husband who at that moment, had just come out of the study.

Odalis took a deep breath before she plastered a smile on her face and hooked her hand with her husband's. The couple then exited the mansion together and approached the carriage. To the outside world, the Duke and his wife were a happy couple and it would always remain that way even if they had to pretend forever.

Meanwhile, the secret message she had sent had reached the person and the man smiled seeing the information in it. His lips curled up in mockery thinking how foolish the old Duke and his son were. They had no idea that their plan was already foiled and the person they had put their full hopes on was returning home the next day carrying defeat on her shoulders.

Alastair did not keep the parchment with him and burnt it completely, not leaving any ash in the process. His two trusted men, who were with him in the court when the king had received the message, saw the action but did not comment a thing or show any sort of expression. They had been long accustomed to this and even knew that their king was not ordinary. His skills were beyond this world and they had witnessed them since childhood. So, by now that had become immune to it.

Kenneth and Cyrus waited for the king to speak. They had come to discuss an important matter related to the bandits in the forest when they were interrupted. A parchment had popped up in the fireplace in the court hall gaining the three men's attention. Thye did not have to guess who sent it. Lady Odalis was the only one who knew the trick among the people they knew and she was working for the king in secret. So, the two men could only stop and wait until the king was done reading the message. The king chuckled lightly and stared straight ahead, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "Kenneth, what do you think will happen when Lady Eleanor reaches home tomorrow?"

"The old Duke and his son will be heartbroken," Kenneth answered immediately. He had long known about the Lady's plans and her intentions in coming to the castle. So, he did not pity her for the failure of her plans. But instead, found it to be hilarious to think that anybody could even think about plotting against the King, let alone succeed in it. It was impossible to trick the young king. The man had a knack for finding out people's ploys and twisting them in such a way that the one who planned it would end up being a sore loser.

"Wouldn't that be a wonderful sight to watch? What do you say, Cyrus?"

"Definitely, my Lord."

"Hmm. Let the Duke rejoice now. His time is about to end soon and then the family will only cry until their death. They don't know the power of the woman in their house. That reminds me. Kenneth, how is Calix?"

"He is safe my Lord. The boy is learning the art of fighting and in a few months, he would have mastered it completely."

"That is good to hear. The boy has capabilities. Let him explore them more before he is appointed as a knight." Alastair said, his eyes shining in mirth. He wondered how the Duke would react to not finding his son at the place where he had hidden him. But he was more interested in knowing how Lady Odalis would react to finding out the truth. She did not have any idea about it and he was waiting for the day when everything would come out in the open.

Alastair knew how miserable the woman was feeling and how much she missed her son. But it was not time for them to meet yet. He had plans for them and he would not allow them to thwart them just because of their overflowing emotions. No. Lady Odalis was a powerful pawn in the game of chess he was playing. She had to remain the way she was right now to destroy the Duke's family and he would make sure of it.