The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 96: Disobedience

Chapter 96: Disobedience

Nikolai anxiously paced back and forth near the exit of Amaranth Palace, waiting for Eva to come out. His face clouded with anger and frustration, he took deep breaths trying to calm himself down.

Eva was testing his patience. He had explicitly given strict orders that no one should dare to hypnotize or compel his wife, and yet this woman had the audacity to disregard his command!

Good thing Mine was resistant to hypnotism and compulsion but what if she wasn’t? Then Eva or others would see her as a weak human and an easy target for manipulation and compel her whenever they wanted. The mere possibility of this infuriated him to no bounds.

[Are you going to punish Lady Eva, Your Majesty? Regardless, I have already showered her with my poop. I basically emptied my stomach on her! Also, I have an idea, Your Majesty! May I share it with you?!]

[Fine, speak...] Nikolai replied to Nik.

[Instead of punishing Lady Eva, why don’t we let it go for now? After all, the Queen is resistant to hypnotism and compulsion. Maybe we can use this to our advantage. Let Her Majesty pretend to be affected. That way, we’ll find out what our enemies have been cooking against us!] Nik suggested.

Nikolai halted his pacing and released a frustrated sigh.

[What do you think about your pet’s suggestion, Mine?] Nikolai asked through the bond as he knew Nik connected her too.

Nikolai knew it was a good suggestion as he couldn’t deny the logic behind it, but his annoyance towards Eva made him want to punish her somehow.

[Yes, Nik has a good point. Don’t punish Eva yet. I feel pretending to be compelled like Nik suggested will allow us to gather more information. Let’s do that and see how things turn out,] Mineah replied.

Nikolai still remained skeptical as he detested the idea of someone exploiting his wife and taking advantage of her... Or worse, trying to manipulate her against her will.

[This should be fun, Your Majesty. We can use Her Majesty’s ability to our advantage now. This way we can also find out if they are planning to use her against you. Ah, I almost forgot, thank you for the protection you gave me, Your Majesty. Lady Eva almost snapped my head with her glare alone,] Nik added.

Mineah chuckled as she said, [Let’s do what Nik suggested. Now, I’m even more convinced that Nik is really the best raven out there, hence why you chose it. It’s very cunning, just like you.]

[Master... You do know that I can hear you right? But I’ll take it as a compliment. It’s better to be cunning than naive. Naivety often leads to failure and even death...] Nik scoffed.

Mineah’s laughter continued which somehow pacified Nikolai’s anger towards Exordium Eva.

[Your Majesty, the members of the Rossi Clan are approaching the palace’s exit...] Nik informed, reminding Nikolai that he had to make a decision soon. He had to decide whether to follow Nik’s suggestion or confront Eva and publicly punish her and make an example out of her.

Nikolai closed his eyes and said, [Very well, since it’s a two-to-one vote, we’ll do as Nik suggested. But Mine, please make sure you keep me informed of any attempts to hypnotize or compel you. I want to know every detail.

[I will Lai... Don’t worry too much about me. I will tell you everything, down to the smallest of details,] Mineah reassured him.

Nikolai opened his eyes the moment he felt Eva’s presence, a smirk forming on his lips when he saw her. It looked like Nik really went all the way with his revenge. He was struggling to contain his laughter.

"What happened to you, Lady Eva?!" Nikolai asked, feigning innocence as his eyes fell upon her disheveled appearance.

Eva forced a smile and bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty," she greeted, her voice strained.

Nikolai wrinkled his nose and couldn’t help but comment, "It seems that it’s not snowflakes that have landed on you. Also, what is that foul smell?" He snorted, covering his nose, in exaggerating his disgust.

"That raven!" Eva glared and pointed accusingly at Nik, who was flying towards them.

Nik comfortably perched on Nikolai’s shoulder, not bothering about her scream. Nikolai glanced at it and dramatically said, "What? Did you really do this Nik? How could you poop so much on Lady Eva?!"

Eva’s anger flared, her face turning even redder as she gritted her teeth. "That raven, Your Majesty, should be punished! How dare it show such audacity!"

Taking a breath she continued, "A mere raven disrespecting an Exordium Royal Council?! This is absolutely unacceptable. Please, Your Majesty! Do something. That raven must be killed!"

Nikolai’s expression turned colder as he sternly responded, "Nik is the raven I gifted to my Queen, to serve as her protector. Nik is not an ordinary raven; it possesses exceptional senses and abilities which is why I picked him. My raven told me that it sensed something wrong while you were talking to my wife, so it only did its job of protecting her. It believes that you were attempting to hypnotize and compel my wife. Is this true, Lady Eva?"

"No! I didn’t Your Majesty," Eva quickly defended herself.

Nikolai nodded, his expression cold as he warned, "That’s good to hear because I made it very clear that no one is allowed to hypnotize nor compel my wife. Anyone who disobeys this order will answer directly to me..."

"I will make sure to take note of it, Your Majesty," Eva commented with a poker smile.

"Good. Ensure that the members of your Clan understand the gravity of my order. It is crucial that everyone, including my Queen’s ladies-in-waiting and the people in her circle, are aware of this prohibition. Let me emphasize that any disobedience will be regarded as treason," Nikolai stated firmly, his face devoid of emotion.

Eva’s face paled, and she bowed down whispering, "I understand, Your Majesty..."