Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 663: There Is No "Us"

"What is the meaning of this, Lord Karle?" Elena questioned him sternly after the Fae pulled her into a secluded and darkened corner of the palace where no one could stumble upon them easily.

She glanced down at her arm still held in his grasp and lord Karle noticed his mistake and quickly let go. He cleared his throat, tucking his hand behind his back and said, "Sorry for that, I just wanted to talk to you alone, away from the peering eyes in the palace. I wanted to make sure no one followed you, after all, the walls have ears in Astaria."

Elena frowned, "And why would anyone follow me?"

Karle answered, "I heard rumors that my nephew Aldric has his own network of spies and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has one on you."

At once, Elena straightened up, her head lifted high as she said, "Well, thanks for your concern, but I can sure you that prince Aldric would not spy on me."

"And what makes you so confident that he wouldn’t spy on you?" Karle asked, his brows drawn together as he looked her straight in the eyes.

Elena sighed, beginning to find the conversation annoying. Karle was beginning to poke his nose into her affair and she did not like it one bit. The last thing she needed was a former high lord having it out for her and disrupting her plans.

"I have my own ways and I hold it that this is the end of this conversation." Elena told him firmly and turned to leave only for Karle to say after her,

"Does one of those ways involve holding him under a spell?" He smirked knowingly.

Elena froze on the spot with her back turned to him, the blood draining from her face. She could have heard wrong. No, she refused to believe it.

At once, Elena slowly turned around, meeting Karle’s gaze.

She rasped, "What?"

Karle’s grin widened, confident in his newfound knowledge and the satisfaction of having leverage over Elena.

Truth be told, Lord Karle liked Elena, not just because she was a strong female, but because she was from a political family and she could be of use to him in the long run. He was no longer interested in being the high lord, Aldric could have it. He wanted a position as one of king Oberon’s ministers and he knew that Elena could make that happen with the influence of her family.

So he had been making moves on her, and hinting at his interest in her, but none of it was reciprocated. It wasn’t until lately that it dawned on Karle that Elena was interested in prince Aldric and it pissed him off greatly. Elena was from a powerful family, which meant she could have a choice of any male she wanted and she did what? Wanted Aldric instead?

Perhaps, as much as this move was beneficial to Karle, he was also doing this out of spite because she rejected him. Elena was smart and he must benefit from whatever elaborate plan she must have made, whether he ended up with her or not.

"You have Aldric under your control, right?" He accused her.

"What nonsense are you blabbering right now?" Elena pretended not to know what he was talking about, her expression stoic and unyielding.

But inwardly, a wave of turmoil washed over Elena and she was panicking inside. How had Karle known of her plan?

Islinda.

Fury filled Elena and her hands balled into a fist. She really had to get rid of that human once and for once. Islinda was readily becoming like a parasite that was beginning to get on her nerves.

Elena has studied the former winter high lord and while the male supposedly behaved like a fool, the truth remained, he was smart, cunning and a good actor. To be honest, she still had no idea why Aldric was keeping him around because the Fae was like a ticking time bomb.

He must have heard Islinda accusing her of putting Aldric under a spell and put two and two together. Aldric’s behavior was not that different, except she stuck to his side all the time and only those close to the dark Fae prince would notice it was strange. People like Islinda. Andre. And Karle.

Yet even in the face of accusation, Elena boldly said to him. "You must be drunk right now, I suggest you go put your head down and rest. Perhaps after that, you will be able to think correctly."

"Is that so?" Karle smiled, although it didn’t touch his eyes. He noticed the subtle insult in Elena’s words and as the proud Fae he was, it pissed him off. Who does the bitch think she is?

"It’s just a humble advice." Elena said with a fake smile. She then exhaled, looking around to notice no one was within hearing reach so far.

She said, "I really have no time for this, Lord Karle. Perhaps the next time there is an opportunity, we’d talk over drinks. Not just now. I’m too busy to listen to the words of a drunk Fae." She saluted him mockingly and turned to leave.

"Perhaps then, I can summon the council and we can look into the matter." Karle threatened, a satisfying smile crossing his features when he noticed the way she tensed on the spot.

"Fuck." Elena cursed under her breath. She had tried to downplay Karle’s accusation and make it seem like she wasn’t scared, but he doesn’t seem to be falling for it.

Elena looked at him from over her shoulder and spat, "Do whatever you want."

She attempted to take another step when he reminded her. "Do you even know the consequences of manipulating and influencing royalty with dark magic? Not to mention, a high Fae dabbling in dark art?" Karle was amused with the situation, imagining the turmoil that must be flashing across her expression right now.

For a few minutes, Elena stood still with her eyes closed, thinking of how to handle this situation and only one solution came to mind.

Elena slowly turned around, her body rigid. "What do you want, lord Karle?" She finally asked him.

A triumphant smile crossed Karle’s features. Finally, it was time to discuss business. He then walked over to her and said, "I want in on your plan." He demanded.

Elena tilted her head, asking arrogantly, "And what exactly do you think it’s my plan?"

Karle laughed, not finding her questioning game hilarious. His expression turned grave and he said seriously, "You have my nephew Aldric under your control. That is a feat no one has ever come to achieve and yet you managed to. I don’t know what your intentions are, but I want my position and possibly Aldric out of the way."

Karle hinted that he wanted Aldric dead and waited for a while for Elena’s reaction and when she didn’t seem shocked by his request, he became emboldened.

"With Aldric under your control, it would be a lot easier for us to murder him. Isn’t that what you want or is there any other motive for controlling him. Don’t tell me..." His eyes narrowed suspiciously, "that you feel something for him? That is not the case, right?"

"You are right. My true intention is to kill Aldric as well." Elena announced and saw the way the smile grew on Karle’s expression. To think that the Fae would be delighted with his only nephew’s death.

"In that case, our motives align perfectly." Lord Karle was over the moon.

With Aldric out of the way, the opportunities were endless. Not only would he recover his high lord position, with Elena’s influence, he could finally meet king Oberon one on one and get into his good graces.

From then on, the other ministers from Astaria would not look down on him, calling him the small lord of a poor court. He could practically taste it on his tongue, success was right at his fingertips..

At that moment, Karle got an influx of inspiration, of the many ways they murder Aldric and began to say. "Now that we are together in this, we have to think of the manner Aldric has to die. Perhaps we should make everything look so natural such that nobody suspects a thing. As much as Aldric is a thorn on everyone’s side, it is said that king Oberon still harbors a bit of affection for —"

Lord Karle was busy talking and did not see Elena coming at all. In one swift move, Elena had plunged the iron dagger into Karle’s chest at once.

" Y-you -! " He stared at her wide-eyed.

Karle had always thought of how he was going to die, but he never thought it would be in the hands of a female, especially one that betrayed him.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no us in my plan." Elena said without an ounce of emotion, twisting the dagger deeper than it was already.

Lord Karle attempted to talk but all he did was spit mouthful of blood instead and in no time, his eyes turned glassy and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Fuck.

Elena cursed under her breath, realizing she had a body to hide before someone stumbled upon it. Unfortunately, this was a dent on her plan and she had to move fast, before someone realized she murdered the former high lord. It was time to push forward her plans.