Dragged Into Another World By The Obsessive Villain

The carriage rattled softly as it rolled along the winding path back to the palace. The faint glow of the moons seeped through the curtains, bathing the interior in silvery light. Elara sat across from Caspian, the weight of the day's events pressing down on her like a physical burden. She folded her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers together as she stared out the window.

The Queen had been declared the winner of the second day of Valtren's Bounty Hunt. That turn of events was exactly as it was written in the novel, so it hadn't surprised Elara any. That, at least, was welcome. Because nowhere in the books did it ever mention a Centaur breaking into the hunting grounds and attacking any of the contestants. And it didn't escape Elara's notice that particular change happened after the change of the king declaring the women should participate, as well.

Someone had lured that Centaur into the hunting ground to distract Caspian and the knights around Elara. And that same someone had paid off Lady Olivia's knight to either carry out taking her life or to make it look as if he wanted to take her life. At the moment, the only people who benefitted from that were the two people continuously asking Caspian to stay after the Hunt.

Elara's gaze shifted to Caspian, who sat with his arms crossed, his sharp features etched with an expression of quiet thoughtfulness. His sword rested against the side of the carriage, a reminder of the chaos they had narrowly escaped earlier. For a moment, she hesitated, unsure if she should voice the thoughts swirling in her mind. But the silence between them stretched too long, and the words finally spilled out.

"Caspian," she began, her voice low, "doesn't it strike you as odd that the Queen keeps trying to find ways to keep you in the capital?"

His eyes flicked to hers, sharp and assessing. "Odd? Yes. Unexpected? No."

Elara tilted her head, frowning. "Why not?"

"They've been looking for excuses to keep me here since I took over Chirondale in this loop," he said simply, shrugging. "I figure they must be nervous. I was behaving oddly in my attempts to pull you from your world, so they must have thought I was planning a coup or something of the sort. Naturally, they'd want to keep me close. I've been putting it off this whole time but now that they have me here, they'll do everything they can to keep me in their line of sight."

Elara leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. "But why? Why now, in this loop? Lyanna and King Alaric were always wary of you. There was no move you could've made that would make them pay more attention to you because they were doing that enough already. Why so much effort to keep you here? If it's political, wouldn't it make more sense to have you governing Chirondale—ensuring stability in the region? I mean, yes they're jealous of Chirondale, but Chirondale's prosperity shines a positive light on all of Isyndor. If the Grand Duke is absent too long, it could create problems." Elara tapped her chin. "Lyanna would never let Chirondale fall. Not before she got her hands on it. I think...I think there's something I must be missing..."

Caspian's lips pressed into a thin line. He leaned back against the cushioned seat; his hand had strayed over to his sword, fingers tapping idly on the hilt of it as he considered her words. "Chirondale's borders are stable right now, Lyanna knows this. There's no more perfect time to keep me in the capital than right now. My brother has also long wished to have Chancellor Kyran join his council since he rose to the throne. Kyran's choice to work for me is a sore wound on my brother's pride that has never healed. Then, there's you, the new variable. I suspect that Lyanna and my brother would wish to keep me here for three reasons: to bind me and remind me of my place while keeping an eye on me, to give my brother enough time to try to seduce Kyran with all the gold he can muster from the treasury until he joins his side, and thirdly, to keep the Otherworlder in the capital until her power manifests."

Right. The whole power thing was somewhere in the back of her mind.

Caspian leaned toward her, and now their faces were so close Elara held her breath. "It hasn't escaped my notice that this attempt on your life was made with a blade, Elara. It's obvious that Lyanna had some hand in this attempt, but she's the queen. If she'd really wanted to kill you, she could have had the kitchen staff slip widow's kiss into your food or drinks. When you bathe, she could have the maids sneak past Crisseda and place shadecreeper into your bathwater so it could seep into your skin. There's a reason it had to be by blade. The only conclusion I can make is that she has learned of the attempts on your life on our way to the capital and had the knight act so that, when he succeeded, we would believe it was the attackers who have been pursuing you all this time. Her only mistake, though, is that the knight did not have the brand of the pretenders donning the mark of the Sons of Lyrel." He leaned back. "It's not a surprise she didn't know that. Kyran made sure to burn the bodies of the attackers to keep it as quiet as possible."

Elara leaned back now, too, digesting his words. She hadn't been thinking about that part of things so in depth. She'd mostly been processing Lyanna's odd behaviors and her link to everything that had happened today. The carriage rattled softly, a constant reminder of the path they traveled, but her focus was fixed entirely on him.

"For her, either way it went would be a win-win. If you died, I'd have to stay for the investigation and the trial. If you were maimed, I'd have to stay for the investigation, the trial, and we'd have to stay for the length of your recovery. And if you were unharmed, we'd have to stay for the investigation and possible trial."

Elara slumped against the carriage seat. "And we still haven't figured out who was trying to kill me using the Sons of Lyrel as a cover, and now this." She shook her head. 

"We're meeting their leader tonight, so we should know more soon."

Elara ears perked up at that. "That's news to me. When did Kyran arrange it?"

"The time was set this morning and confirmed this afternoon as we were leaving."

"Ah, that's what the two of you were talking about."

"Do you know much about the leader of the Sons of Lyrel? Was anything written in the books?"

Elara thought for a moment. "Mmm...not that I remember. Not about the leader, at least. They're pretty mysterious. The forum only says the group becomes an assassination guild during the third book, which takes place in three years. They end up killing ten nobles, seemingly at random, and they're able to get into all the most protected spots in Isyndor. From your castle in Chirondale to the Imperial Palace. The only hint the author ever gave about any of the members and the leader was that the Sons of Lyrel were all former kids who grew up in the slums. But there are hundreds of kids in the slums, unfortunately, so that doesn't really narrow down the search."

Caspian, whose arms were crossed, tapped his finger rhythmically against his forearm. "Did it ever mention which slum they grew up in?"

"Oh, yes, briefly...I'm pretty sure...um...damn, I can't remember right off the bat, but I wrote it down in the journal you bought me when I first got here. It's back at the palace. I'll look for it when we get back."

And after that, the carriage ride was blissfully, comfortably silent.

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The moon hung high in the night sky, its pale light bathing the palace grounds in an eerie glow. Inside the chambers, Elara paced nervously, her footsteps muffled by the thick rug beneath her. Caspian stood near the window, his sword strapped to his side, his gaze fixed on the flicker of torchlight below as the Imperial Guards patrolled the perimeter. Chancellor Kyran sat at the desk at the far corner of the room, quietly sharpening a dagger, his movements precise and methodical.

"They're really not even trying to be subtle," Elara muttered, gesturing to the guards outside. The same guards had been taking turns walking back and forth underneath their window for the past hour now. They never strayed further than a few feet away before they turned back, their eyes flickering over their window.

Caspian turned his head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You're quick to catch on."

"Even if I wasn't paying attention, I'd still be able to see what they're doing," she shot back, crossing her arms. "So, how exactly are we supposed to get out of here without the guards noticing?"

"It's not a difficulty for Kyran and me," Caspian said simply, pushing off the windowsill. He adjusted the strap of his sword and moved toward her. "You, on the other hand, will need to hold on tight."

Elara blinked. "Wait. Hold on to what?"

Before she could protest, Caspian closed the distance between them, his hands settling at her waist. The sudden contact made her breath hitch, and she froze as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground.

"Vaulting over the walls is the quickest and quietest way out," Caspian explained, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "I'll carry you."

Elara sputtered, half embarrassed and half indignant. "You can't just—! What if we fall?"

"We won't," he said firmly. His arms shifted, securing her against his chest with practiced ease. Her hands fluttered around his shoulders. "I've done this before."

Kyran snorted softly from his place at the desk. "I'm sure that's comforting for her, Your Grace."

"It's not," Elara muttered, glaring at Kyran before looking back at Caspian. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

Caspian didn't waste another second. With a nod to Kyran, who followed closely behind, he approached the window. Elara clenched her fists against his cloak, trying not to think about how high up they were as Caspian effortlessly leaped onto the windowsill. The cool night air rushed past her face as he launched them into the open air, his movements impossibly smooth.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding in her chest. "This is insane," she hissed.

Caspian landed silently on the wall, his balance impeccable, before leaping down to the other side. His boots hit the ground with barely a sound, and he straightened, still holding her securely. "You can open your eyes now."

Elara cracked one eye open, then the other, relief washing over her as she realized they were safely on the ground. "Next time, let's just walk."

"Can't make any promises," Caspian said, setting her down gently. "Come on."

Kyran landed beside them moments later, as silent as a shadow. The three of them moved quickly and quietly through the palace grounds, sticking to the darker paths where the torchlight didn't reach. They were able to evade the guards pretty easily, and when they reached the meeting point—a secluded grove hidden deep within the palace's outer gardens—Elara's nerves were already stretched thin.

The grove was eerily quiet, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth and withering flowers. A figure stood waiting for them near the center, shrouded in a dark cloak. The mask covering their face gleamed faintly in the moonlight, featureless and smooth save for intricate carvings along its edges. Elara couldn't even make out the color of their hair beneath the hood.

Caspian stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "You're the leader of the Sons of Lyrel?" he asked, his tone low and measured.

The figure inclined their head. When they spoke, their voice was muffled by the mask but unmistakably feminine. "I am."

Elara blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected the leader of the infamous Sons of Lyrel to be a woman. Not that it mattered—it just added another layer to the already convoluted situation.