CHAPTER 235: A HOME FOR ME

Gabriel stormed out of the chamber, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. As he stepped into the main hall, his eyes fell upon his mother. Queen Mabel stood with quiet authority, overseeing the interrogation of Lester and several palace servants. Katelyn lingered nearby, watching her mother.

"Your Majesty, I’ve reviewed the palace CCTV footage," Lester reported, bowing his head low. "She entered today. We also discovered a servant’s body in the backyard near the quarters. I accept full responsibility for my negligence."

Mabel’s expression turned cold. "Lester, your apology does not erase the fact that a spy, one with assassin-level skill, breached the palace. You failed in your duty. She could have killed Amelie."

"I understand, Your Majesty. I’m fully aware of the consequences. I accept whatever punishment you deem fit," Lester replied, still keeping his gaze lowered.

"Show me the CCTV footage," Gabriel interjected, stepping forward. "Then you can take your punishment. Something isn’t right here. The palace should be impenetrable, no outsider could have slipped in without help. Someone from the inside assisted her."

Mabel’s sharp gaze shifted to Gabriel, her eyes narrowing slightly. Katelyn tensed, worried her mother might turn her wrath toward Gabriel instead.

Lester remained silent, awaiting the Queen’s next command.

"I oversee the inner palace," Mabel finally said, her tone softening in a way that felt offbeat. "I’ll decide how to handle this matter. As for you, Gabriel, you shouldn’t leave Amelie alone. She must be shaken after everything that’s happened."

Gabriel frowned slightly at the unexpected gentleness in her voice. Her concern for Amelie felt... too fake instead of warm.

’Something’s wrong with her,’ Valko muttered in the back of his mind.

’I agree. She’s showing too much concern for Amelie. It’s unnatural,’ Gabriel thought, his eyes narrowing as he studied his mother more closely.

There was something brewing beneath her calm exterior. Maybe an evil scheme or plan. He could feel it in his bones.

But it was tough to guess. For now, the most suitable thing was to leave for San Ravendale.

He quietly went upstairs while kept thinking what was in his mother’s mind.

~~~~~

Zilia sat quietly in the room that had been assigned to Idris during his temporary stay, her hand gently resting on his head in a protective gesture.

"Sister," Idris murmured, breaking the silence, "how did we get caught? I thought no one knew I was here... but that terrifying man still found out. He even blackmailed Prince Casaio after abducting his beta."

Zilia’s brows creased with worry as she softly replied, "I don’t know."

Her voice was tinged with unease. Riley was dead now. She had once seemed like a kind woman... but Luke had used her, just as he always used people. That was the kind of man he was.

"What’s going to happen now?" Idris asked, tilting his head to look up at her. "Will we have to leave this place forever?"

"I’m not sure," Zilia said gently, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "Prince Casaio will let us know soon."

"I don’t want to go back, Sister. I like it here," Idris whispered, his voice barely above a breath. "Here everyone is so warm... They don’t try to control me."

Zilia’s heart ached at his words. She gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I know, Idris," she murmured. "But we don’t belong here. You know the kind of work I was involved into. Even if we long for a quiet life, we can’t stay. This is our fate. We can’t let others suffer because of us. It’s safer if we leave this place... forever."

She smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

’When Casaio meets Luke at the border,’ she thought silently, ’I’ll disappear with Idris. He doesn’t deserve to be bound to someone like me. I know my leaving will hurt him, but it’s the only way. One day, he’ll find someone worthy of the life he’s meant to live. Someone better than me.’

"But they don’t see us as wrong," Idris said softly, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. "Even Sister Amelie sees us as good people."

Zilia’s lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile. "I know, Idris. And I’ll always be grateful for that... But kindness doesn’t erase danger we may bring in the future."

She took a deep breath and added, "I can give you a better life somewhere else. No, we won’t return to the place we ran from, but we do need to go somewhere far, where no one knows us. A quiet, isolated place. We can build something peaceful there... something safe."

Idris studied her face for a long moment, seeing past her calm facade, the sorrow, the guilt, and the weight of choices she never spoke about. He saw the pain of a sister trying to protect him from a past that still haunted both of them.

And so, without protest, he simply nodded.

"Wherever Sister Zilia believes is right place for us, I will follow her. As long as we are together, it will be a home for me," Idris stated with a small smile.

Zilia smiled and ran her hand over his hair. "Thank you, my sweet little brother," she said, hugging him tightly.

~~~~

"Don’t you think it’s odd, Karmen?" Amelie murmured. "That Riley managed to enter the palace posing as a servant? What if someone inside helped her?"

Karmen gave a slight nod. "The interrogation has already begun. If someone from here was involved, the truth will come out soon."

She glanced at Amelie before adding, "Gabriel must be getting scolded by His Majesty right about now."

Amelie’s face dropped at the mention. The thought settled heavily on her chest. Gabriel was facing consequences, again, because of her. That all-too-familiar feeling returned, gnawing at her: the sense of being weak, a burden others had to protect.

Why did it always come down to someone else getting hurt for her? Why couldn’t she be stronger? Amelie fidgeted with her fingers, feeling anxious.