The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 117: Take Responsibility

Chapter 117: Take Responsibility

Mineah woke up early that morning, only to be surprised by the sudden entrance of Zaila and Krisha into her chamber.

"Milady!" Krish exclaimed, her voice filled with worry.

Concerned, Mineah furrowed her brows and asked, "What’s wrong? Where’s Dani?"

"Dani... She didn’t return last night," Zaila anxiously informed her. "We waited for her throughout the night, but..."

Mineah’s eyes widened in alarm. Quickly, she changed into a more presentable dress with the help of Zaila and Krisha before taking stock of the situation.

"What about the Chancellor?" she inquired.

"We haven’t had a chance to ask him yet, Milady," Zaila answered. "We came straight to you as soon as we woke up and realized Dani hadn’t returned yet this morning."

"Their lives are currently intertwined, so I’m sure the Chancellor won’t let anything happen to her," Mineah calmly pointed out in an effort to reassure her maidens. On top of that, she mentally tugged at the danger link spell that she had on all of her shadow maidens through the help of Wizard Lurio. She would be the first to know if Dani was in trouble, and looking at it now... "I don’t sense any danger to her life at the moment as well."

It was safe to say that nothing too pressing was happening. Still, Dani’s disappearance was concerning. As such, once she was properly dressed, Mineah hurriedly made her way out of the Amaranth Palace accompanied by Krisha and Zalia. While she didn’t sense any danger, she still couldn’t shake off her worry for Dani.

"What if they simply drank too much and ended up sleeping in a tavern instead?" Zaila voiced out her thoughts as they all rushed towards Chancellor Abel’s residence. It took them some time to reach the complex within Corvus Palace, and the moment they arrived, it almost took their all not to simply barge their way inside.

"Is the Chancellor even in his room?" Mineah wondered before her eyes settled on the first servant that crossed their path. "You, inform the Chancellor of my presence immediately. Tell him I need to see him right away."

Mineah inwardly sighed as she waited for the servant to return. She was more than welcome to wait in silence when another addition to the scene introduced herself.

"Your Majesty?"

Hearing the Queen Mother’s voice, Mineah promptly turned to greet the older woman. "Queen Mother," she hummed, quickly sporting a smile on her face despite being taken aback by her sudden arrival.

"This is a sudden visit for you. Is there something important which requires you to see Abel at this hour?" the Queen Mother asked. "I was on my way to see Nikolai, but then I noticed you rushing your way here, so I thought I should find out what’s going on."

Eyes partly widening in understanding, Mineah was about to answer when the servant she had sent to fetch Abel returned with an awkward expression on her face. "Your Majesty... Chancellor Abel is currently in his bedroom," the servant relayed. "He seems to have gotten drunk and is still in a deep slumber."

"But my vassal accompanied him last night, and she has not returned to my residence," Mineah explained with a frown. "I’m worried, so I need to speak with him about her."

"Come then," the Queen Mother interrupted, having seemingly taken control of the situation "Follow me."

Nodding, Mineah quickly trailed behind the older woman who seemed to know every corner of the residence and navigate it with ease. Then again, she remembered that Abel and Lord Fritz were like a son to her, so it shouldn’t be surprising that she walked around the place like it was her own home.

Soon enough, they barged into a bedroom that Mineah could only assume belonged to Chancellor Abel. As they walked in, Mineah’s eyes widened in shock. She glanced at Zaila and Krisha, whose jaws also dropped at the scene before them.

"Abel! You... what is this?!" the Queen Mother shouted. wasted no time in approaching Abel and delivered a forceful hit to his bare chest. "Wake up, you drunkard!"

Meanwhile, Mineah gestured to Zaila and Krisha to attend to Dani, who currently lay on the same bed as Abel.

"Dani!" Zaila called out, trying to rouse her.

Mineah pursed her lips as her frown deepened. She could only stare as Dani sat up on the bed, her eyes still closed as if she was seemingly unaffected by the chaos happening around her.

"Zaila, please bring me some water..." Dani groaned, her hand on her head as she swayed. "I feel like my head’s about to explode. We should prepare for the morni-"

"Dani! Oh my goodness! Open your eyes and see for yourself the mess you’re in right now!" Zaila hissed. "What on earth have you done?!"

As if a switch finally flipped in her head, Dani swiftly opened her eyes, her face quickly draining of all color the moment she looked around. Her gaze then landed on Abel, the man appearing just as bewildered as she was.

With widening eyes, Dani murmured in horror, "My dress..."

She was currently wearing a man’s tunic. Only a tunic and nothing else underneath it. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Abel. "You!" she hissed. "What did you do to me?!"

Abel blinked at the outburst, unable to form any words.

"I... Nothin-"

"How dare you to behave so vulgarly with Her Majesty’s ladies-in-waiting!" the Queen Mother chastised with a firm and authoritative tone. "You must take responsibility for your actions, Abel! Take her as your wife!"

Dani’s face paled as she looked at their Queen who currently maintained a blank expression.

"Queen Mother, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this," Mineah tried to reason. "I mean, I know I know Dani well, and she would never--"

"This mess is not a matter to be taken lightly, unfortunately. "Abel holds the esteemed position of Chancellor in this kingdom, and thus has a reputation to protect," the Queen Mother rebutted, her voice resolute.

"I’m sure that by now, everyone in his residence already knows that he was with Lady Dani. Rumors might have already spread, and if you wish to protect your vassal’s chastity as a woman, this is the only way. These two should take responsibility for their reckless behavior!"

Amidst all this, Abel suddenly responded, "I will marry her according to Ebodian tradition then. After that, I’ll perform the Coupling Rites as dictated by Valcrez law."

Dani’s eyes widened as she gasped at him. "No!"

And there she saw it: a smirk forming on his devious face as he answered, "Yes, Lady Dani... You should have seen this coming after everything that happened between us last night." He smugly scoffed, "You yourself declared that any man would fall for you including me. And now, here we are..."

Dani shook her head in denial. What was this man saying? This couldn’t be happening. She felt as if the air was being sucked out of the room, suffocating her... But before she could refute his words, a memory resurfaced in her mind.

’Hah! That Rosela is a bitch. Even I’m far better than her in every way! The only advantage she has against me is her height! She’s tall, and I’m... not! Other than that, she doesn’t hold a candle against me. Knowing that any man should fall for me... Even you, Chancellor!’