The Traitor of Inlustris

XLI

"King Oskar has a mistress?" I blurted out.

The men nodded, eyeing her from afar. A couple other men followed her steps as she disappeared into an unknown hall, prompting the disappointment in every male within a five mile radius.

"She's a sight," one of the businessmen commented. "I don't blame the king one bit."

"What about Queen Margaret?"

The matter was baffling. A king falling prey to the temptations of lust, and thus committing adultery. If the queen had any idea, she would be mortified and even worse, embarrassed. Everyone would know her as the queen that wasn't enough for her king. Even though it should be about how the king couldn't keep it in his pants and disregarded his lawful wife.

"She probably doesn't know of her husband's endeavors. Too busy knitting to even know what's under her nose," the same man said, earning him laughs all around.

I started laughing. "Oh, then she knows."

Everyone stopped laughing. The men stared at me, frowns settling into their foreheads. Even Bachus frowned in disbelief. The Bleeders coughed or cleared their throats, trying to pass the moment and forget about it.

"Why would you say that, pretty miss?" One man inquired.

"Knitting." I shrugged, picking up an empty shot glass. "You shouldn't concern yourselves about it. You wouldn't understand."

Royal women were a sneaky breed. They pretended to be the image they were supposed to be, but they almost always had something up their sleeves. Some even had their arms deep in dirty business that not even their husbands knew about.

Mother used to tell me stories.

When a queen ruled alone, then it was difficult to maintain that double life. A sole queen needed to rule the land as if they were a king. I didn't have the time to busy myself in clandestine businesses when I had to be at the forefront.

However, when a queen had a king, he had control of the power. A queen was meant for appearances only. Although they could be involved, as a queen should be, it was more so for simple acts, such as events, press conferences, or visitations. A king was meant to be dealing all the cards on the deck while the queen only held on to a few.

That was why some queens played a different game behind the king's back.

If only I could get my hands dirty like those queens and find everything I needed in one go. I could defeat the kingdoms before the war got too out of hand. Tensions were rising, and I knew those idiots were planning to get back at me.

I needed to get out of there and find something. I couldn't be useless.

I slammed the shot glass back on the counter and turned to Herc. "Is there a restroom?" Everyone around me eyed me cautiously, but Herc pointed at me to follow him. I didn't bother saying anything else to the boss or his business partners. I was sure they had much to worry about with King Rasmus' insigne.

"Why, that was something," someone said, before erupting in guffaws. Bachus joined in with them as the Bleeders chuckled. Their laughs muffled as Herc walked me to the other side of the tavern.

We stopped at a giant door with a restroom sign above. Herc pointed to it, and I smiled in gratitude, even though I knew I wasn't going to be using it for what it was intended for.

"Before you go," Herc said. I stopped and turned to him. "Promise me that when you are done here, you will come find us right over there with Bachus. Understood?" Those brown orbs stared into mine as if he was trying to convince me into going through with his promise.

"Understood." I smiled before slamming the restroom door shut behind me.

The toilet stared at me defiantly, covered in feces and urine. It was better to urinate in a bush than there. I moved to my reflection in the mirror, cracked and jagged due to the missing pieces. I bit my lip before looking back at the door.

I needed to find that mistress.

Pressing my ear into the door, I heard all the men cheering or yelling at each other all around. I couldn't hear if Herc was anywhere close, so I opened the door and slipped through. I hadn't caught sight of Herc, so I made a beeline to the hall where the mistress had sauntered into.

Perhaps King Oskar was somewhere in that hall. Seeing the unpleasant tavern around would suggest otherwise, but some men would go through great lengths to achieve their lustful fantasies.

What if he was there instead of his palace?

I smirked before slowly walking closer to the hall, ducking behind men and avoiding getting alcohol on me. I didn't know if any of the Bleeders saw me sneaking away, but the thought was unimportant in comparison to catching King Oskar in the act of adultery.

Although that might not be a mental picture I would like to have, I also needed proof of his act to use against him. Magic was quite useful in times like these.

I made it into the hallway without anyone stopping me. The hall wasn't long, but it was darker than the tavern. Only a few lanterns hung on the wall, shining a dim light.

The floorboards creaked under my weight. I winced, but kept moving forward. Whispers filled the air as I crept about, trying to step as lightly as possible. I perked my ears trying to figure out where it was. With a wave of my finger, I prepared my photograph spell. My right eye adjusted to the lighting as if it were the lens of a camera. I sucked in a breath and saw a door come to view.

The door was left ajar. I squatted beside it, and peered inside. Before registering the scene in front of me, I waved my finger to take a photograph before the moment passed.

When I disarmed my spell, my eyebrows furrowed at the sight in front of me. King Oskar wasn't there with his mistress. Instead his mistress spoke to a group of gentlemen dressed in fancy black suits and dark purple ties.

"He's been illegally drafting soldiers from another land," the mistress said.

"Unbelievable," a man said, shaking his head. "What land?"

"Terra Venuste, sir."

I narrowed my eyes. Terra Venuste was where Prince Mahli came from. His kingdom, The Allicere, was the poorest in their land, mirroring how Solennes Jubar was in Caeleste, but by a thousand. However, Terra Venuste itself was struggling all around. Their monarchy was crumbling over their lack of capital and proper leadership. They had no money to keep their land going nor the rulers to care for their land.

"I bet they striked a deal to pay them for volunteers."

"Yes, sir," the mistress continued. "King Oskar confessed he lied to Terra Venuste by sending in their people. They are basically sacrifices. They are all going to die in the front lines by our own hands."

Our own hands?

I leaned in closer trying to decipher who they were. The mistress moved to the center, blocking the view from the suited gentlemen. I was about to move again when a hand covered my mouth, pushing my head back against a hard shoulder.

Oh, Gracious.