𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄. chapter forty-four; The Eyes Of A Mad King " He sees you as a threat because you are a threat. "
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FINDING MARY WAS rather easy. The woman had run towards Sebastian the moment she saw him, stumbling over her words in urgency, explaining she'd been looking for him; her speech faltered when she spotted Elspeth framed by two guards.
But Elspeth had been smart. Because as much as it pained her and lit up an anger in her stomach; Elspeth knew Mary had unresolved feelings for the king's bastard.
And this was exactly how the truth came out. One reassuring expression from Sebastian, a few words in a gentle tone, and his genuine concern pulled every detail of the story out of Mary.
"You hired a mercenary to kidnap Catherine?"
Elspeth stood with a stony expression as Mary spoke with Sebastian, the former looking rather frazzled as she recounted the story.
"I didn't mean for it to go that far. But yes," Mary said, "Now, to get out of it, I have to pin the crime on someone else."
"What did you expect the man to do?" Elspeth questioned.
"Steal the hidden stash of money," Mary supplied weakly.
"And he would. . . what? Politely ask Catherine where she stored it?" Elspeth almost scoffed, "That is not the work mercenaries do, Mary. They're swords for hire. Any means necessary is the code they live by."
Mary chewed the inside of her cheek.
"And now, pinning the crime on someone else. . ?" Elspeth said, shaking her head.
"You'd really do that?" Sebastian said, looking at Mary, "You'd send an innocent to their death?"
"I don't know what I'm capable of anymore, to be frank," Mary argued, "But there is one possibility. For months I've been trying to figure out which of Catherine's men participated in the massacre of my countrymen at the brothel. Some time ago, I paid a servant to track down one of the prostitutes who escaped to find some descriptions of the men involved. According to the prostitute, one of the men had a scar on his left cheek from brow to chin."
"Lots of men have scars."
"He also badly burned his hands after the massacre."
"This isn't justice," Sebastian said, "It's solving your problems with the blood of another. I know how this goes. . ."
The man faltered for a moment.
"That's why you were looking for me," He realized softly.
Elspeth was reeling. She had little clue of how Mary knew what had conspired in the woods that night so long ago; and was attempting to settle the rise of jealousy when she assumed Sebastian had told her of it.
