Chapter 174
Augustin’s POV
I nodded and embraced her.
Mother sobbed in my arms, and I could imagine the pain she had endured. She had no choice but to act. Helena wouldn’t back down, and I had read that woman’s diary, I knew how pathologically corrupt she was inside. Her death was a good thing. One less threat to my family, to our future.
‘Please don’t let Delta Clarke and his men suffer,” Mother begged, her voice breaking. “They believed they were protecting our family from a crazy woman. They were loyal to us, to you. They don’t deserve punishment for their loyalty.”
I soothed her, gently patting her back, promising to keep her secret.
*I won’t let anyone touch them,” I assured her. “Their loyalty will be rewarded, not punished.”
Mother ended our embrace and looked into my eyes, confirming what I had just said. “What about Juno?” she asked worriedly. “She likes to investigate things. She notices details others miss. Has she… does she know?”
I shook my head, taking her trembling hands in mine. “Juno was the first one to discover this, I told her, watching fear flash through her eyes. “But she hid the evidence from everyone except me. She protected your secret because she knew it would hurt you, me, and our family.”
Tears of relief streamed freely down Mother’s face. “I’m so grateful she protected me,” she whispered. “After everything, after how I treated her initially… she still protected me. She’s truly worthy of being your Luna, Augustin.”
Berry, can you come to my mother’s room? I linked to Juno, continuing to comfort Mother as we waited. We need you here.
I’m on my way, came her immediate response.
A knock sounded at the door. Mother broke our embrace, wiping away her tears as Juno entered.
Mother looked from me to Juno, then suddenly dropped to her knees before Juno, with clasped hands and raw emotion, she pleaded, “Please don’t expose me. I had no choice. They would execute me for treason. Please, I beg you.”
Juno immediately rushed to her, embracing her. Kneeling beside my mother, Juno assured her, “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll destroy all evidence and never mention it again. No one needs to know what happened. You were protecting your family, just as I would protect mine.”
I was glad it was Juno who found the evidence. I didn’t think Bryloch/or Adryx would want to hurt my mother, but their mothers might have different opinions. I watched as Juno held my kneeling, crying mother, showing the compassion and strength that made me fall in love with her.
This secret had burdened Mother for so long, living in fear, controlled by the psychopathic Helena. I hoped this was truly the end of it, and while I felt relieved, we still had unsolved mysteries.
Who was working against my family? The entire elder council? Certain members of the council? Chris? Or Helena’s illegitimate child?
I now knew Kieran had been innocent all along. I needed to find a way to ease tensions and sign a treaty with Fireland to avoid more problems. Then there was the issue of Kieran being Juno’s fated mate. Though she had rejected him, he still held too much hope. Even if Kieran respected and accepted the rejection, he would still blame me for his loss.
I watched Juno comfort my mother. Later, we left Mother’s room together and returned to our bedroom.
Juno immediately began examining documents. “We need to destroy all evidence pointing to the discord between Helena and your mother, Helena’s blackmail, the letter to Fireland, and any communication regarding this letter,” she said efficiently, sorting through papers with remarkable focus. “I suggest
we burn these documents in the bathroom.”
I frowned. “Why not use the fireplace in the common room? It would be faster.”
*Someone might walk into the common room and find us burning documents,” Juno explained patiently. “The staff, your brother, anyone could come in unannounced. But if we burn them bit by bit in the bathroom until everything is gone, no one will notice.”
I nodded, understanding her logic. “That makes sense. You’re always thinking three steps ahead.”
1/2
Chapter 174
What’s our next move?” Jung asked, organizing the papers into piles with methodical precision.
After we destroy the evidence of my mother’s secret,” I replied thoughtfully, “we need to carefully observe everyone on the elder emnell and Investioita. them. I’ll also look for Chris. I doubt he can help, but I need him to know I’m not hunting him. That we might even have common interests no
1 continued, ‘We need to investigate and find Helena’s child. Meanwhile, we must prepare for the competition that begins in two weeks. While dealing with these issues, we should finalize our outfits for the ball and prepare for the competition to maintain normalcy on the surface. We can’t let anyone suspect we’re investigating anything unusual.*
Juno nodded in agreement. “Helena may have led us to a dead end regarding the pending rebellion, but her death has revealed many things that were previously hidden. This new knowledge will help us make decisions moving forward. We’re closer to the truth than we were before.”
We spent two hours examining the files, separating evidence against my mother from other documents. I took responsibility for burning these files in the bathroom, one by one.
Given Juno’s condition, I couldn’t let her handle this task. The smell of burning paper and potential smoke wasn’t good for her or our baby. I wanted her and our baby to be healthy and well. She meant too much to me, and she knew it, so she respected my decision and didn’t interfere, though I could tell she I wanted to help.
I sat by the bathroom window with a metal trash can, methodically burning the documents one by one.
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