The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 300: Leaking Out Information

Chapter 300: Leaking Out Information

Mineah couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched Ezme and Atlas leave the throne room. Even though she wasn’t really involved in whatever it was that was happening between the two, she couldn’t help but feel invested to see what would happen in their journey as a couple.

"It’s quite surreal that we’re seeing people being wed left right and center these past few days, isn’t it?" she casually remarked as she leaned into her throne. "It almost feels like time is passing too quickly."

"So it would seem," Nikolai nonchalantly remarked, his hand landing on hers as they talked. "It’s almost like it was only yesterday that I was taking care of Ezme, and now she’s talking about getting married to someone that she only just met."

"Hey, that kind of scenario happens to a lot of people," Mineah pointed out with a chuckle. "It happened to my sister too, remember?"

"Weddings like that can be a hit or miss, Mine," he sighed. "I just only hope that things will work out for Ezme like it did with your sister. Most of the time, spontaneous weddings like that can be disastrous."

"I’m sure it’ll all work out," Mineah reassured him as she gently squeezed his hand. "Atlas is a good man."

Besides, what she had read from the man’s thoughts was proof enough of his noble intentions. While still muddied by the confusion of how fast everything was happening, she could tell that there was genuine affection between the two. She could only hope that it would be allowed to develop and blossom at the right time.

"Ah, is now a bad time?"

Mineah raised a brow as she heard a familiar voice enter the throne room. Looking down, she was surprised to see Dahlia asking for their attention.

"Dahlia?" Nikolai asked. "Is there a problem?"

Dahlia pursed her lips before she replied, "Uhm... Would you two like to join Zoran and me for some tea right now?"

Mineah quickly looked at her husband, their gazes meeting as they both unanimously came to a decision without even talking about it.

"We’d love to," Mineah agreed for the two of them.

"Thank you, Your Majesties," Dahlia sincerely bowed. "We’ll be at the garden then."

Dahlia then promptly left, leaving Mineah and Nikolai to stew in their thoughts.

"What do you think that’s for?" Nikolai asked.

"We’ll know later, I’m sure," Mineah chuckled. "It’s not healthy to just read everyone’s thoughts, you know?"

"That, it is," he chuckled. "So, shall we then?"

With a nod, the two royals stood up and quickly made their way to the garden. Without much of a fuss, they both made their way to the one tea table there, and sure enough they spotted Dahlia and Zoran already seated in their own respective chairs.

"Your Majesties," Dahlia eagerly greeted them. "Please, have a seat."

"We’re happy to have you two as well," Mineah greeted the two as she and Nikolai took to their respective seats. Spotting a cup in front of her, she took a sip of her tea before she added, "Though if I may ask, what brought this on?"

"Well, we’d like to ask you two about something," Dahlia began, her fingers fidgeting as she spoke. "It’s about... well..."

"It’s about my intentions of wanting to be wed with Dahlia."

Both Mineah and Nikolai shared a proverbial surprised look as they stared at Zoran, the man’s conviction apparent in his tone as he asserted his intentions.

"Zoran, you didn’t have to," Dahlia weakly muttered.

"Dahlia, it’s my wish to be with you," Zoran insisted, his hand squeezing Dahlia’s as he spoke. "It’s only fair that I be the one to say my request."

Mineah looked to Nikolai, her husband clearly in thought before he spoke. "I see... You do know that you’re still a liability in this palace, right?"

"I know that very well, which is why I wanted to bring this up now," Zoran explained. He then took a deep breath before he continued, "I want to speed up the process of extracting my freedom from Devon."

"All in an effort to help you wed Dahlia, I’m sure," Nikolai scoffed. "Very well, but that’s assuming that we know exactly where he is so we can kill him without a fuss..."

Nikolai’s voice knowingly trailed off, his tone suggesting for Zoran to make his case. Meanwhile, Mineah could only watch as it all unfolded with her tea and snacks right in front of her.

"If you’re asking if I know my way through Devon’s palace, then rest assured that I’ve memorized it completely," Zoran stated. "And as for any valuable ancient books, I know where they are as well."

"So you know what I want then," Nikolai curiously remarked. "Very well. What do you propose?"

Zoran took a deep breath before he replied, "I can give you a detailed map of Devon’s palace complete with any secret tunnels, trapdoors, and magical chambers that I can remember. I will also tell you about anything that Devon might be planning in an attempt at his life." His face went serious as he added, "He’s expecting you all to try and infiltrate his palace. I can tell you where all of his potential traps are, and I can tell you exactly where he might be hiding."

Nikolai hummed in clear approval of Zoran’s offer. Still, he was clearly skeptical as he questioned, "And if this is a trap?"

"Then you can kill me right here and now," Zoran firmly declared. "I won’t risk my life leaking out information like this if I wasn’t sure I won’t get caught."

A beat passed as Nikolai thought things through. Eventually, he nodded as he addressed Zoran. "Very well. I want that map done as soon as you can. From there, we can start planning our assault."

From her seat, Mineah smiled as the agreement in front of her solidified. It would seem that progress was being made at last. Turning her gaze to Dahlia, she gave her a reassuring nod for all the future events to come. She could only hope that things turn out well for her if not as her Queen, then at least as her friend.