The Lycan King's Puppet-Chapter 97: Break In

Why did it feel like they weren’t just talking about the regular sword and sheath he knew?

The way they jerked apart like two children who’d been gossiping about something they weren’t supposed to know only added to his suspicion.

"I was just explaining the technicalities of wielding a sword to her." Andon said, recovering before her.

The glint in Andon’s eyes told him that he wasn’t speaking the truth - or the whole truth at least. Something was amiss

He stomped his muddy boots as much as he could before going inside.

His clothes had dried almost immediately due to his intense body heat.

Claire was still shivering, but he wasn’t going to offer warmth anymore - Andon would be more efficient in that regard.

He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, but the sleep just wouldn’t come.

Every time he’d glance at her, she’d be watching him, her eyes lingering on his breeches every once in a while.

If she kept looking at him like a mare in heat...

Somehow during the intense silence and choking tension, he fell asleep.

When he awoke, they were preparing to move.

"We need to stop for food as it is." Andon was telling the carriage rider.

After a brief meal, they continued on their journey.

Their party arrived at Glenwood late in the afternoon.

Nothing made him happier than leaving the suffocating four walls of the carriage.

His butler, Arian and the head chamber maid stood at the entrance to receive them. Their faces lit up with joy as they watched him approach.

"Your Grace." They said at the same time, the former bowing and the latter skirting a curtsey befitting her status.

Andon and Claire came up behind him, both deep in conversation.

From what he could hear, she was mesmerized by the gardens and well-kept lawns that lined the grounds.

"Lord Andon." Arian clasped hands with Andon.

"This face is new." Arian turned on Claire, stretching out his hand as he usually did with women.

"This is Miss Stenly, the King’s." Andon introduced.

Yeren didn’t miss the glance that Arian and Olenna exchanged.

They were both grey-haired, but they never missed a detail when it came to him.

"Miss Stenly? That name rings a bell." Arian took her slender ungloved hand in his.

Olenna beamed at her, creases forming at the sides of her eyes.

"My father was Harrick Stenly."

"Harrick, the man with impeccable integrity? Please accept my condolences no matter how late - I’m honoured to meet his offspring."

Yeren wanted to roll his eyes.

"I’ll leave you all to make your proper introductions. I must retire." He nodded at them and entered the house.

It was just as he remembered - home.

The polished marble floor in the hallways held nostalgic memories for him.

He barely ever visited this place since his father’s death. And in those brief visits, he avoided certain parts of the manor.

Why in the world had he decided that this was the best place for a vacation?

All his recent decisions felt questionable because of a certain woman.

Despite himself, he found himself going towards the study. The study was his father’s favourite place in the whole Kingdom. Every nook and cranny was marked by his father’s wisdom.

Faint laughter echoed through the hallway.

Her laughter.

His guards took a formation at the door while two of them entered with him.

As soon as he entered, he knew something was amiss.

There was a knock on the door.

The guards opened it and ushered Arian inside.

"I was hoping to warm you, Your Grace, but since you are already here, there is no need."

Yeren looked between him and the study that was in complete disarray.

Shambles was a better word.

He clenched his fists without realising it.

"What happened here?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Someone broke in the previous night. The watch guards spotted the man when he was escaping - and they weren’t able to track his scent. From my inspection, nothing was taken... it seems-"

Yeren rushed over to the table and inspected the drawers.

Knife and claw marks were visible on each of the drawers.

Arian came behind him, pausing a good distance away.

"I went through them myself and know for certain that it was untouched."

"How do you know for certain?" Yeren asked, opening the first drawer and peeking at its contents.

It contained sealed scrolls tied with a string and an old inkwell that belonged to his father.

"When exactly did the guards notice the said thief?"

"Shall I call the lead Watchman to recount the tale for you? I have a very poor memory these days and I have always been terrible at quoting people."

Yeren nodded. "Fetch him, then."

Arian sketched a small bow and left.

He turned back to the drawers and crouched. Not once had he gone through their content - so there was no way of knowing if anything was amiss.

Sniffing the claw marks was pointless - the person left no scent trail behind. What a clever fool.

Why were there so many sealed scrolls and letters there? Did his father not read them?

He picked one and broke the seal, rolling it open to view the content.

It was from Harrick Stenly, advising the late King to flee the Capital for a while. Yeren blinked. Why would anyone ask his fearsome father to run away?

The other letters were about misallocated coins in the Crown’s treasury - some from Lord Stenly and others from Lord Bronan.

Misallocated coins and a plea to flee? There had to be a connection between the two letters.

Since he’d come into power, he had handed the matters of the treasury to Malric but still insisted on always balancing the inventories.

What was missing?

He opened the next drawer, although it required a lot of force before it creaked open.

He was on his knees at this point, pouring through each letter there.

Among them were the letters addressed to him, accusing Lord Stenly of treason against the Crown and a plea for his death sentence. At that time, his coronation had been yet to take place because of his father’s passing. He’d read those letters sparingly at the time, doing exactly as the council directed him.

Another letter caught his eye. It was the declaration of Stenly’s daughter as an unsuitable heir to the title. He had written back to them, asking them to overlook the matter, but his suggestion had only caused a fierce protest.

Arian returned with the lead Watchman just then.

Yeren glanced up, shoving the unsealed scrolls back into the drawers.

He needed to talk to Andon. His First man was the only one he could trust with such matters.

"Your Grace." The lead Watchman sketched a rough bow, his eyes cast to the ground.

"Tell me exactly what happened. Spare no details."

The man drew in a deep breath and exhaled shakily.

"I and two other guards were on duty until midnight. After us, I assigned three other men to take our positions. By midnight, the other two men scaled the battlements one last time before retiring to their beds. I had to wait for them to return before going to bed as well." The man paused to gulp, his brows drawn together as if he was deep in thought.

"I waited for a while and none of the assigned Watchmen arrived. Alarmed, I went down to the gates to look for them. They were lying on the ground, unconscious, Your Grace. Immediately I realized that, I sounded the alarm, waking the whole manor. Fire torches were lit everywhere as all the watchmen and guards gathered. One of the watchmen spotted someone jumping out from the balcony of the study and alerted the rest of us..." He glanced at Yeren briefly.

"Unfortunately, we weren’t able to catch him. He fled through the south gates. I sent men to track him but he has no scent."

Yeren glanced around the library, all the while processing the man’s story.

"Did the thief take anything with him? A scroll or a letter, perhaps?"

The man glanced at the ceiling. "He was with a small bag, if I’m not mistaken. It could be, Your Grace."

No scent.

No one came to mind, but the person was sent. Nobody in their right mind would go on such a mission by themselves.

"That would be all. Thank you for your discretion in the matter."

The man bowed and left the room quietly.

Arian turned to him, his face wrinkled with worry.

"This is why I should’ve warned you. I would advise that you spend as little time here as possible."

The door opened, ushering Andon inside.

"I’ve seen Miss Stenly to her chambers... at the east wing - which is far away enough from you." Then looking between them, he asked, "Is something amiss?"

Andon glanced around the disheveled room, his mouth falling open.

He didn’t need to be told, the mess spoke volumes.

"Has the culprit been identified?"

Yeren shook his head.

"No. But something important was taken from my father’s drawers. I have reason to believe it was a letter."

Andon turned to Arian. "Leave us."

Arian nodded hesitantly and left them alone.

"I think my father was killed, Andon."