Conquering His Cold Heart
Chapter 445 - 445: Alone

"Your Majesty! Stop this madness, please! I'm begging you!" Jerome placed himself between Everard and the open door and pleaded to the King.

"Argh!" Everard grumbled and looked up at the ceiling, frustrated by how Jerome was being so restrictive.

"Will you just leave me alone? At least at night? Don't you have to go back to your wife and your children?" he shouted in agitation.

Jerome was still adamant about not letting Everard go out of the castle for a night stroll, not when he knew that Everard's ulterior motive was to look for Ruby, that also on his own, that too after getting challenged by Alpha Regulus just yesterday night.

"I am simply worried about your safety, Your Majesty. That's all." He looked at Everard with a worried look on his face and suggested once again, "If you take your guards along with you, then I will happily return home. But I simply cannot let you leave on your own."

"I just…" Everard let out a sigh in an irritated manner and gritted his teeth. "I need some time alone. I need to clear my mind or else I'm afraid that I might spiral back to how I was not too long ago. What if I seek comfort in alcohol again? You don't want to see the alcoholic me again, do you?"

"Of course, not!" Jerome frowned.

"Exactly!" Everard clapped his hands as if to prove his point and said, "To avoid that, I need to breathe some fresh air. I NEED to cool my mind."

"Alright…" Jerome sighed in a defeated manner.

"Okay." Everard knitted his brows slightly and waited for Jerome to step away from his path.

However, Jerome turned around and then said while taking the lead, "I am coming with you then."

"ALONE!" Everard suddenly screamed at Jerome. "I SAID I WANT TO BE ALONE! A-L-O-N-E! ALONE!"

Although Jerome was slightly startled by that sudden outburst of the King, he pretended not to hear Everard's desire to be alone. He simply stopped on his track and then said, "I will stay ten steps behind you."

He even gestured for Everard to walk ahead of him and asked in quite a serious tone, "Let's go. Shall we?"

Everard was really furious at Jerome for disregarding his wish. Just like what Jerome had deduced, Everard did wish to go out on his own in the hopes of finding out any clues about Ruby.

Since his soldiers couldn't provide him with a single piece of useful information about her, he wanted to take it upon himself to carry the investigation further.

As she didn't come to him even after ordering her on the full moon night, he was afraid that something bad might have happened to her. So, in order to make sure that she was doing okay, he had to find her.

He wanted to investigate on his own because if Ruby was still around in the capital, he didn't want to alarm her by sending several squads of soldiers after her as if she was some culprit.

Also, if she was deliberately running away from him, he wanted to be the one to persuade her into coming back to the castle. Making the soldiers forcefully bring her back was the last thing he wanted to do.

And Jerome trying to tag along with him was ruining his plan.

"You know what?" Everard glared at Jerome with his glowing red eyes and said in a low growling voice, "I don't want to go for a walk anymore. You can go ahead and take the stroll on my behalf."

After saying that, he instantly went back to his chamber and slammed the door with such force that a huge crack appeared across the door.

Through that crack, Jerome watched Everard furiously heading towards his bedchamber. Although he had angered Everard, he sighed in relief because he achieved what he wanted.

So, he walked down the corridor while mumbling to himself, "I will have to ask someone to fix that door. I guess I can do that tomorrow. For now, I think I should listen to the King and go home."

And on his way out, he ordered the King's Guards to be more vigilant about the surrounding. He warned them not to let Everard go out alone.

Everard, on the other hand, was already planning his escape. He already knew that his guards also wouldn't allow him to leave the castle without them. Thus, he was planning his secret escape.

He first went to his changing room and rummaged around his wardrobe to find something subtle to wear. He settled for a less flashy version of his suit and boots before going to the bathroom.

He slowly opened the bathroom window and looked outside. Just like what he had expected, he could see the guards standing close to the windows of his bed chamber. And he could also sense the presence of a few of the guards outside, in the corridor.

'I think I can easily tackle them and run for it. But I don't want to unnecessarily hurt them,' Everard thought to himself.

After pondering for some time, he came up with a plan.

'What if I call them all and then order them to do something? Maybe I can ask them to… hunt down a deer for me?'

Everard clicked his tongue and shook his head as if he himself disagreed with his plan. 'I need to think of a better plan.'

While Everard was still busy trying to figure out his escape plan, Jerome was already outside the castle. He was heading toward his mansion that was nearby when he came across a familiar scent.

He slightly furrowed his brows and looked around with his sharp wolf eyes to see where that scent was coming from. His gaze came to a halt when he saw someone quickly hiding behind a huge tree trunk.

Jerome then slowly began approaching that tree while asking in a polite and soft tone, "I know you are there. Why don't you come out?"