Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 248

CASSANDRA

I was certain that I would never forget the look on Ms. Benn’s face when I’d threatened her and alluded that her daughter’s condition could easily worsen if I stopped offering help.

The head housekeeper’s already fair complexion blanched so white she looked like a ghost. Her lower lip trembled and her icy blue eyes widened so large that they appeared like they could fall out of her skull.

Though her terrible expression haunted my thoughts, I didn’t regret that I’d done something awful like this. Given the chance, I would have done it over and over again, but still, I some part of me did feel sorry for Ms. Benn. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if someone had threatened me with Finnick’s life.

But, I did what had to be done. I was powerless in this castle, in this entire country, even. Without nasty ploys and fierce cunning. I wouldn’t get any closer to getting out of here and returning to my homeland with Erika and my son.

After our discussion, Ms. Benn left the room at once, her cheeks flushed and her movements swift. As she walked away, I felt a strange sense of empowerment. I was stronger than I thought, and I needed to carry this strength with me as much as possible.

I could survive Yurene. I just needed to be brave.

***

Luckily for me, Ms. Benn accomplished her mission excellently despite her unwillingness. She worked like a skillful spy. getting close to Ronald’s tower residence with plausible excuses. She caused no fuss at all and did everything with her usual calmness.

When she arrived at my chamber one night to report her findings, she seemed surprisingly disoriented. Her expression was a mixture of horrified, confused, and strained. I’d asked her to take a seat, and when I realized she was shaking, I carefully guided her to the table.

Finnick and Erika were fast asleep, so I led her to the far side of the room to give us some privacy, and once we were certain our conversation could be conducted without interruption, Ms. Benn began to speak.

“I grew close with a few maids who didn’t serve Helene or Ronald directly,” she began, her heavily accented voice timid. “Ones who worked in the residence, but didn’t report to them. Though I don’t want to belittle them or make light of their efforts, their jobs are relatively unimportant and boring. They were more than eager to converse with me since they don’t often get the chance to talk to others.”

I nodded thoughtfully.

to speak with someone who works for the king directly,” she continued, and she ran a hand

hers, one that only appeared when she

light conversation about the goings-on in the palace, I began to pry,” Ms. Benn said quietly. “It didn’t take much for them to speak. They told me that Helene hadn’t left her chamber in days. One of the maids told me that no one is allowed

in surprise. This situation was far more date than I’d suspected. Helene, locked in a

perhaps being prevented

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Chapter 248

she truly ill? Or being held

wanted to

hear quarrels within the sounds from Helene or roars from Ronald. At night, they would hear the door bumping and the stomps in none of them were allowed to approach. None of them

shook my head

+5

or fighting could be heard anymore,” Ms. Benn reported and her eyebrows knitted together. “Two days ago, one of Helene’s maids was summoned to the lady’s room. By whom, they didn’t know, but that didn’t matter.. After an hour or so, the maid returned to the servant’s quarters without saying a word. Despite it being a bit strange, the others didn’t pay much attention to her. It wasn’t until they went back to the maid’s room that night that they found her lying on the bed, with a knife in her stomach. She… took

slightly as I tried to understand what she’d just told me.

my head swam

as if she’d witnessed the gruesome display herself. “Yes. She killed herself. Since then… all of the maids have been horrified. Some believe the knife was given by Lady Helene and that she enchanted it with some kind of sorcery. Others think the maid had an affair

moment, my eyes wide and my heart

news.

many acts of magic and violence. What if

she looked?” I wondered, and when Ms. Benn frowned in confusion, I clarified my statement.

nodded. When she described the appearance of the maid,

Alana, the maid who had accompanied us

spy. But did she take her theory too far? Had she killed the girl out of

the