Augustin’s POV
took the journal from Juno’s hands, my eyes scanning the page she pointed to. My eyes scanned the handwritten words, each line hitting me. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
“This… this can’t be right,” I said finally, looking up at Juno with disbelief etched. “This has to be some kind of trap Helena set for my mother.”
Juno watched me with concern in her eyes. “What do you mean
“Think about it,” I continued, gesturing with the journal. “The letter was anonymous. Anyone could have written it. Helena was clearly unstable, we’ve seen that from her other writings. What if this is just another one of her delusions?” My thoughts spinning wildly. “She held a position in the Elder Council while my mother didn’t. That created a power imbalance that Helena could easily exploit.”
I stopped pacing, turning to face Juno directly. “My father allowed the Montalvo seat to remain vacant. That decision made the Holbrooke family the most powerful on the council.” The pieces were falling into place in my mind, creating a picture 1 didn’t want to see. “What if the council united against my mother? What if they targeted her? Helena clearly hated her for having what she wanted, my father’s name, his children, his legacy.”
Juno watched me with worried eyes as I continued my frantic analysis.
“Power struggles are never clean,” I muttered, clenching my fist. “Whether someone is guilty or innocent, evidence can always be found if you’re determined enough to look for it. Helena had resources, connections, and a pathological obsession with my father. This whole thing could be an elaborate scheme she crafted to frame my mother and finally get what she wanted–revenge.”
Juno stood and crossed the room to me, her touch on my hand gentle but grounding. “Augustin, we need to be careful. We
should examine all the documents and hide any evidence we find.” Her voice dropped lower. “Bryloch and Adryx are loyal, but if they discover their fathers were murdered… they might seek revenge. Their loyalty to you could be tested in ways we
never imagined. We need to handle this delicately.”
Her words snapped me into action. Without another word, I rushed out of the room and down the stairs, my mind focused on one goal: finding any communications between Helena and my mother.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, Bryloch looked up from Helena’s diary, his expression concerned.
“Everything alright, Augustin?” he asked, holding up Helena’s journal. “You seem… tense. Did you find something
troubling?”
I forced a smile, masking my inner turmoil. “Just wanted to check if there was any correspondence between Helena and my mother,” I said casually. “Nothing important. Helena mentions some conversations that might shed light on their relationship.”
Bryloch nodded, seemingly accepting my explanation, and returned his attention to the diary. woman was something else,” he commented, shaking his head as he continued reading The way she talks about your father, it’s beyond
obsession. It’s like she created an entire fantasy world.”
Juno joined me moments later, and together we began searching through the documents we’d brought, We worked in silence, both understanding the gravity of what we might find.
1/2
Chapter 169
At lunch, we gathered around the table, carefully keeping our expressions neutral as we discussed Helena’s journals.
“This woman was obsessed,” I said, forcing a laugh as I picked at my food. “The way she writes about my father is almost comical. You’d think he was some kind of god the way she descebes him.”
“Delusional is more like it,‘ Adryx added, unaware of the tension between Juno and me. She genuinely believed she was the love of his life. I’ve never seen such self–deception.”
“It’s sad, really,” Juno contributed, maintaining our charade. “To live your entire life devoted to someone who clearly didn’t return your feelings. What a waste.”
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Visitor
That’s going to be a painful conversation.
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