Revenge of the Duchess

Chapter 26

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

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Princess Medea, all dolled up, was carrying a tray of tea. Her smile would have blinded many men, but Jason felt nothing but disgust and unease at the woman before him. If he married her, he felt like she would stab him in the back the moment he let his guard down.

"Your Highness," Princess Medea said in a low, throaty voice. "I thought you must be tired from all your busy work. Won't you have a cup of tea? I promise, no salt this time." She teased, her red lips curling up.

Had Jason not been pissed off or wary of Medea, his mind would have easily allowed the magic to wash over him. He clenched his hands, letting his fingernails dig deep into the skin and almost drawing blood. The momentary pain helped to flush the wooziness from his mind.

Jason resisted the urge to flip the tray of tea over. It was the woman before him who had given the orders to hurt Piper. It would take a while to gather all the evidence, but Jason knew that the Colchis princess was the one who gave the order.

No, he had to be patient, he reminded himself.

"Thank you for your concern, Princess Medea." Jason said politely but firmly. "Unfortunately, I have some matters to attend to. I would also like to remind you that it is not appropriate for anyone to walk in without an appointment."

"Oh, I apologize, I didn't know that. The guards let me come up when I said I was bringing tea." Her eyelashes fluttered, giving a forlorn look.

A wolf in sheep's clothing. In other words, she probably used fascination magic on them. Even now she was using it, a flash of confusion and anger in Medea's eyes when she realized Jason was resisting the magic.

"Frank," he ordered. "Exchange those guards immediately, and escort Princess Medea back to her quarters. I appreciate the thought of tea, Your Highness, but the candidacy rules must be kept."

Before Medea could say or do anything else, Jason swept out of the office after giving Frank a stern look.

Frank immediately ushered Medea out. The Colchis princess looked angry, but Jason was in no mood for further politeness.

As Jason walked away, he heard the sound of footsteps following him. Despite Frank's best efforts, Frank could not dare to lay a single finger on a foreign nation's princess to prevent her from following.

Jason rounded the corner where he was out of sight before dodging behind a particular tapestry. Part of his inheritance as a main royal family member was the knowledge of the various secret passages in the castle. In their childhood, Thalia and he had explored every inch of the secret tunnels, hallways, and doors, which had been useful in escaping attacks from various assassins.

By the time, Princess Medea had arrived in the same hallway with an exasperated Frank behind her, Jason was already moving through a narrow passageway to Piper's quarters. He had manipulated the princess' living arrangements so Piper would live where there were secret passages connected. It would be easy to use in case she ever needed to escape.

Minutes later, Jason emerged, brushing off any dust that had landed on his clothes. But Piper was not in her quarters.

"She's with Sir Leo in the infirmary," her lady-in-waiting explained.

Sir Leo, the knight, was a good friend of his from childhood, and Jason entrusted Leo to protect Piper. The fact that he was also severely hurt made Jason angry as well. Leo had put his life on the line to protect Piper with the best of his abilities.