The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 61: Old Wound

Chapter 61: Old Wound

Alaric’s eyebrows knitted in a deep frown.

"Why did you leave your post? You are supposed to stay with Eve in the manor."

He sounded displeased. He was also upset with Sera because she never reported about Eve getting sick.

"My Lord, forgive me. But this matter is urgent. It is also related to your wife, Eve." Sera simply glanced at Caleb, signaling him to leave. She just wanted to talk to Alaric alone.

But Caleb just lifted his eyebrow, curious about what she was going to say.

"What happened to my wife? Is she alright?" Alaric’s tone softened when he mentioned her name. His concern for her was visible in his eyes.

"I wish to speak with you alone, my Lord," Sera insisted, not answering Alaric’s query.

"Leave us for a moment," Alaric said to Caleb.

Caleb pouted his lips before he left. ’Am I not trustworthy in Sera’s eyes?’ He lamented inwardly.

"Speak now." Alaric looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

Sera’s gaze fell on the flowers in his hand. ’Did he buy those for his unfaithful wife? Tsk. She doesn’t deserve this.’

"My Lord, I discovered something about Her Highness. The truth is she has been deceiving you!" Sera declared to him.

Alaric was taken aback for a moment. Then his expression turned grim.

"What do you mean she has been deceiving me?" he asked her, a hint of dangerous warning evident in his gray orbs.

Staring into his eyes, Sera revealed what she discovered. "Princess Eve is not mute! She can speak very well."

Alaric furrowed his eyebrow. "Are you certain about that?"

"I have no reason to lie, my Lord. I swear to you... with my life, I’m telling the truth. Even if you punish me, I won’t take back my words. I heard her voice personally."

Sera spoke with certainty. She knew what she saw.

Meanwhile, Alaric fell silent for a moment. He gazed down at the flowers in his hand. Then he gripped the jade hairpin tightly, his expression indecipherable.

’There are still a lot of things I don’t know about my wife. The cause of her scars. The reason why the Queen tried to frame her. The unfair treatment she received from the royal family. And now... I found out she’s not mute.’

Taking a deep sigh, Alaric tried to see things from Eve’s perspective. After what he discovered about his wife, he believed there was more to the story than met the eye.

"I guess she has a reason for pretending to be mute," Alaric said after his long silence. Part of him was glad to hear that Eve was not mute.

’I hope she will open up to me in the near future. I need to work hard so that she can confide in me willingly. I want to hear her voice.’ Alaric thought to himself with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Sera clenched her fists after seeing Alaric’s nonchalant reaction. She was expecting him to get mad for this deception. But why was he so calm and not affected by it?

"Is that all you want to say? If there is none, then I have to go. I still need to buy her a dress for tonight’s banquet. Go back to the Stormholt Manor." Alaric planned to dismiss her as he was in a hurry.

"My Lord, forgive me for saying this... but your wife had been unfaithful to you. She is having an affair with Commander Ravenmoor, the Duke’s son."

Her next words made Alaric freeze in his spot. Though not surprised, he was triggered to recall that night when he discovered their affair with his own eyes. Sera had just opened his old wound.

His world seemed to stop and his heart was shattered once again. But he didn’t let those emotions be visible on his face.

Failing to see the reaction she wanted to see from Alaric, Sera continued telling him the details.

"Two weeks ago, Princess Eve snuck out of the manor. I followed her secretly. I saw them meeting in an Inn. She just returned the next day and even pretended she was sick."

"My Lord, don’t let her fool you. She doesn’t deserve you. You should divorce–"

Sera wasn’t able to finish her words as Alaric grabbed her by her neck, shoving her to the wall.

Anger surged up in his heart and he lost control. He gripped her neck tightly using only his one arm. Murderous intent could be seen in his seething eyes.

Caleb, who was waiting for them on the sidewalk, witnessed this scene. Oblivious about the cause of Alaric’s violent behavior, he sprinted toward them to stop his general.

"General Alaric! What’s going on here? Let her go!" Caleb held his arm that was strangling Sera.

With Caleb’s interference, Alaric finally released Sera. Without saying a word, he turned around and left, not looking back.

Meanwhile, Sera coughed, gasping for air. She couldn’t believe that Alaric had tried to strangle her.

’Is he taking out his anger on me?’ She mused to herself, her eyes following his retreating figure.

Meanwhile, Caleb tried to support Sera to stand up. But she just hit his hand, not wanting to be touched by Caleb.

"What have you done? Why did you anger our general?" Caleb asked, looking at her helplessly.

Sera shot Caleb a cold sharp glare. "I just told him the truth! His wife is having an affair with her brother-in-law, Gavin Ravenmoor!"

"What?! Are you sure? Do you have proof!" Caleb exclaimed.

"Of course, I have proof! Otherwise, I wouldn’t tell him anything! I saw them with my own eyes!" Sera spat back at him.

Caleb arched his eyebrow with intrigue. "What have you seen?"

"I saw them entering the Inn together!"

Caleb rubbed his chin, still looking at Sera. "Really? I mean... Have you seen them kissing or making out? Have you seen them naked in bed together?"

Sera was about to respond when suddenly her words were caught in her throat. No! She didn’t see any of those.

"Do I have to see those things to conclude about her affair? Isn’t it obvious? The two of them met secretly at midnight in an Inn!"

Caleb blinked in amusement as he listened to Sera. "I thought you had concrete proof."

He shook his head in disappointment. "You only saw them together. No kissing? No making out? How did you conclude they were having an affair? What if they are just having a secret meeting."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"You are missing my point here, Caleb!" Sera raised her voice, annoyed by Caleb.

"No. You were the one who is missing the point here. Princess Eve has been framed once. They said she eloped with her secret lover. But the truth is she was attacked by the bandits." Caleb explained his reason.

"Are you saying that I am framing Princess Eve?! Do you think I would lie to Alaric?" Sera had the urge to punch Caleb.

Sensing the danger in Sera’s glare, Caleb stepped back. "No. That’s not what I mean. My point is... don’t jump to conclusions without concrete evidence."

Caleb took a deep sigh. "Alaric is looking forward to seeing his wife. This was supposed to be a heartwarming reunion between the husband and wife. But now, look at what you’ve done. You just ruined everything!"

Sera gritted her teeth as she looked at him with disbelief. ’Why am I at fault? I’m not the one who deceived Alaric.’