Dragged Into Another World By The Obsessive Villain

King Alaric leaned back in his chair carefully, taking great care to avoid agitating his shoulder. "You say they came for your intended, too?" His gaze landed on Elara, his face an indecipherable mask. "Strange. Why would the Anti-Royal faction attack an ordinary woman? An Otherworlder she may be, but she has not awakened to her power yet and in some cases, Otherworlders never discover their powers. Moreover, she has no royal blood in her. Yet, she was attacked." 

The king sat for a moment, lost in his thoughts. It was Lyanna who spoke up. "Do you mean to hand over the investigation regarding Lady Olivia's knight to someone else, then? Surely, you can't be thinking of handling both investigations by yourself. The men who attacked today shot the king, as such this investigation must take priority."

"Of course, Your Majesty. I plan on passing the investigation regarding Lady Olivia's knight to Chancellor Kyran. He's as good as I am if not better, and I'm sure I can trust him with this matter. I trust you are not opposed."

Elara saw a muscle in the Queen's cheek twitch, but the woman only smiled as beautifully as a blooming flower and said, "Of course. We will be quite glad to have Chancellor Kyran get to the bottom of things. I'm sure he will do so quickly."

Caspian turned his attention back to the king. "Do I have your permission to handle the investigation into today's events, brother?"

For a while, the king said nothing, he just sat there, deliberating. And then, slowly, he nodded his head. "Very well," he relented, his voice measured. "You have my permission, Caspian. If it's you, I'm sure I don't have to remind you to be thorough. The security of the crown and Isyndor depends on how quick you can bring all of these people and their crimes to light. Let me know what you need as soon as you need it and it will be provided."

Caspian inclined his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I won't fail you."

King Alaric gestured dismissively, his movements slow, likely to avoid further aggravating his injury. "See to it that this mess is handled swiftly. If they were bold enough to strike during Valtren's Bounty Hunt, who knows what they might attempt next?"

"Yes, brother."

Lyanna's eyes flicked between the two men, a faint smile curving her lips. She creeped Elara out more in the flesh than she did in the books. While she was reading the novels, she thought Lyanna's cold-blooded nature was pretty cool and charming, but in real life, it was just eerie. What kind of person could just smile like that without it ever reaching their eyes? It was just weird.

"And what of Lady Elara?" she asked, her tone casual, almost languid. "Surely her safety must also be taken into account. After all, it seems she's become quite the target."

Caspian's posture stiffened imperceptibly, but his voice remained calm. "Lady Elara will remain under my protection, as she has since her arrival in Isyndor. However, you make a good point. It seems there's not a person in the world who doesn't have it out for my intended. I plan to call more knights from Isyndor to join us in the capital to watch out for her safety, as I will be busy with these investigations. My knights are some of the best in Isyndor, I'll feel more at ease with them standing guard over her."

"How attentive you've become, dear brother-in-law," Lyanna said, the edge of a laugh in her voice. "I only hope your vigilance proves equal to your confidence."

Elara shifted uneasily at the Queen's pointed words but kept her gaze focused on the floor, unwilling to draw attention to herself. She could feel the tension crackling in the air like a storm about to break. It was always like this whenever the Queen was around. Even the King, as uncomfortable as he made her, wasn't half as bad. Lyanna's every word was a test of boundaries, of knowledge. Constantly gauging whether or not the person before her was an accomplice or an enemy because she damn sure didn't believe in having friends.

Luckily, King Alaric raised a hand, silencing any further remarks. "Enough. Grand Duke, you have my blessing to proceed as you see fit. But I will remind you—discretion is key. The court will already be panicked enough when news of what happened today spreads, so investigate things quietly. Make as little noise as you can."

"Understood."

The king dismissed them with a flick of his hand, and Caspian turned sharply, grabbing Elara's hand and pulling her behind him. As they left the royal pavilion, the weight of the conversation hanging heavy in the air, Elara couldn't help but notice how incredibly large, warm, and rough Caspian's hand was.

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The suns were beginning to dip behind the horizon by the time hey returned to their quarters. Elara walked alongside Caspian, her thoughts a tangled mess. The King's permission was a step forward, but the complexities of the situation only seemed to grow with each passing moment.

Caspian pushed open the door to their chambers. Elara followed closely behind, her mind so filled with everything that had happened today, that she was dizzy with the knowledge of it all. She took a seat on the plush, high-backed chair by the fireplace, watching as Caspian set his sword carefully on the table and poured himself a glass of water.

He took a slow sip before turning to her. "We'll need to move quickly," he said. "If these attacks were done by the same person who has been targeting you since we left Chirondale—and I believe they may be—it's only a matter of time before they try again. To attack a place with so many noble lords and ladies just goes to show how desperate they've become to get you out of the way."

Elara nodded, her fingers absently tracing the embroidery on her gown. "So, you think they're connected, too? The attacks on the way here and the one by the Anti-Royal faction today?"

"Possibly," Caspian admitted, setting his glass down. "But it's hard to say anything just yet. It's just a feeling. I'll get to the bottom of it, though, this I promise you. And Kyran will surely get to the bottom of who was behind the knight's folly, as well."

"Oh! Speaking of Kyran, do you remember when you were asking me about where the Sons of Lyrel came from, and I said I'd written it down somewhere but couldn't remember?" When he nodded, she went on, "Well, I found it. The Sons of Lyrel are orphans from the slums of Reevesdale. The story on the author's forum says that ten children, all who grew up in the slums of Reevesdale, eating scraps and garbage to get by, one day happen upon a noble who asks them to gather information for him. They do the job, and the noble grants them enough gold for them to start their own guild. They bring in other children from the slums to help them, too, and the rest is history, as they say."

Caspian eyebrows rose. "Reevesdale?"

Elara nodded. "Yes. I forgot about it until I was reading the information I'd written down, but Chancellor Kyran's brother is the Count of Reevesdale, right? His family owns Corenvale Square." Elara leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper, and Caspian leaned toward her so as to hear her better. "Remember how I said the Sons of Lyrel kill a bunch of nobles in the third book? Well, the first noble they kill is Kyran's brother, the Count. It was a big deal when it happened because Kyran's niece and nephew are too young to inherit the countdom, so Kyran has to. And then—" She cut herself off. "Well..."

And then Kyran is killed due to Lyanna's schemes and the entire countdom falls into the royal family's hands.

A heavy silence settled between them. Caspian's expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he processed her words. "That complicates things," he muttered. "As ill suited for the position of Count as his brother may be, the current Count of Reevesdale is still Kyran's brother. And after surviving on a battlefield together for five years, Kyran is my brother. As such, I can't just let his death slide." He looked over at her. "Do you know who contracted the Sons of Lyrel to kill him?

Elara shook her head. "That's never touched on in the novel. They just go on a killing spree and kill several nobles, all who have seemingly nothing to do with each other. The Count of Reevesdale was there first victim, then a duke, a marchioness, a baron and his wife, a marquis and his son, and...someone else who I'm missing, I think..."

Caspian's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'll tell Kyran what you've told me, and have him keep a look out."

Elara hesitated before adding, "Listen, Caspian, I've been thinking...I think I'd like to talk with the leader of the Sons of Lyrel myself. One on one. Before you protest, think about it. You're saying you want to call more knights from Chirondale here to protect me, but that's not good for the territory. While you're away, as many knights as possible need to remain to protect the borders. If you bring more here just to protect me and something goes wrong, who will protect Chirondale? So, I think I want to talk to the leader of the Sons of Lyrel and ask if she'll protect me instead."

Caspian's gaze narrowed. "Elara, I understand what you're getting at, but there's no way that woman would ever agree to it." He blew out a large sigh. "I agree that taking more knights out of Chirondale isn't the wisest choice, but I believe relying on an organization that will soon become contracted killers is even less wise."

Elara grinned, a hint of mischief shining in her eyes. "You don't have to worry about any of that, Caspian. She'll agree to help me."

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "And how do you figure that?"

"Because I have something I know for a fact she wants." She looked him straight in the eye, unflinching. "I'm not asking for permission, Caspian, I'm telling you what I'm doing and asking for you to trust me."

Caspian watched her for a long moment, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. Finally, he blew out a sigh and asked, "Fine. Fine, do as you like. But you will take both Edris and Chirovan with you when you go, and if anything goes wrong or even looks like it might go wrong, they will pull you out immediately."

She nodded, her smile stretching across her face so wide, it was a wonder her face didn't split in two. "Of course."

Caspian shook his head at her enthusiasm, a faint, reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the weight of their conversation. "You really are something else."

Elara tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her gaze. "Is that a compliment or a polite insult?"

"A compliment," he said firmly, the soft edge of warmth in his tone catching her off guard. "Though, I can't say I understand how you manage to stay so... unwavering in all of this. Most people would have broken under the pressure by now."

Her grin faltered, replaced by a look of genuine surprise. She toyed with the hem of her sleeve, unsure how to respond. "I guess... I don't really have a choice," she admitted after a moment. "If I let myself fall apart, then what? Will it bring me back home? Will it bring you and the people of Chirondale a better ending or stop all the attempts that have been made on me?" She shook her head. "No, nothing will change if I break and if that's true, I'd prefer to stay strong. Whether I win or fall flat on my face and ass, at least I can say I never let myself break."

His expression softened further, the glint of steel in his silver eyes replaced with something more tender. "When I heard your voice among all the others all those lives ago, I thought you must be mad. The sole voice rooting wholeheartedly for a man who was becoming a monster; a man who was slipping further and further from humanity with each passing second. But the more I listened, the more I realized just what kind of person you were." His far away gaze foucsed on her again. "Just like now. The more I watch your actions and your words, the more I realize you're the most extraordinary person I've ever met."