"A proposal?" Josef didn’t know if he would laugh at the mere thought of a woman saying stuff like this in front of him. If these were said by another woman — or another man, he would have beheaded them asking no questions.
But those words came from Ava. His lips lifted into a sly smirk. "Do tell."
The two hours were up and instead of hearing her say that she wanted to stay with him, he heard her say something about a proposal. How entertaining. He expected her not to give up but to actually counter him with a proposal, knowing she wouldn’t win against him was simply... too fun!
"I can solve the crime," Ava said with confidence. "I will find whoever it is that killed the Prince."
"Huh?" Josef blinked and didn’t say a word for a few seconds. Then he burst out into a puddle of laughter. What was she saying? Solve the crime?
What crime?
There was no crime.
The Prince is dead, and he framed Alexandra to get to her.
"You want to... catch the killer?" he asked. He wanted to make sure that he heard her clearly.
"Yes."Of course, her serious expression was enough to convince her.
"I gave you two options."
"You didn’t give me one," Ava said without batting an eyelid. Of course, this immediately made him wonder if she didn’t understand what he told her earlier. Was it possible that she — No. That’s impossible. His woman is smart enough to understand that.
"So, you are going to reveal the identity of the criminal?"
"Yes." Once again, confidence laced her tone.
"And if you can’t?"
"You can do whatever you want," Ava said.
"Oh?" Josef lifted his eyebrow. Then he smiled. "Alright. You have twenty-four hours to find the culprit and prove it. Though I must warn you. I am not a very forgiving person. Once you fail to prove that Alexandra isn’t the criminal, she will die. By decapitation."
Ava gulped yet she didn’t look panic. In fact, she looked calm and collected— too calm.
Josef doesn’t like it.
"Then I will be on my way."
"Hold on..."
"What?" Ava asked.
"I forgot to tell you. I am not informing the King about this matter so... you are on your own." He expected her to cower in fear. He expected her to realize that what she said was wrong. Josef smiled as he waited for her to say anything.
He smiled at the thought of her apologizing for what she did.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, Ava smiled back.
"I expected as much." Her lips lifted into a beautiful smile before she left the room. Once alone, Josef squinted at the now closed door.
"Come," he said in a low voice.
"My lord," Johnson knelled behind him.
"What is she up to?" he asked.
"I— "
"Nevermind. I want to know about Damon and his movements."
"He isn’t doing a thing."
"Not a thing?" How is that possible? Alexandra and Damon West grew up together. From the information that he has, the man actually saved Alexandra when she was younger. "What of the others?"
"Nothing."
"Not even the hot-headed Christoff?"
"Not even him."
"Strange." Josef snorted. But what can they do?
Damon West’s downfall is inevitable.
"Follow her," Josef smiled.
"Understood."
....
"You came back?" Damon looked at Ava, surprised apparent on his face. "I— "
"I know what you are thinking, but we don’t have much time. We’re able to gather witnesses?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Then... "
"Were you able to convince him?" fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm
Ava nodded.
"Let’s go see the Monarch," Ava said.
"What about Alexandra?"
"She’s alive, but she’s suffering." Ava sighed. "Though... I must warn you. After this, I am going directly to the Arena. You are on your own."
Damon nodded at her.
"Are you certain he is going to follow you?"
"He will."
"The Duke is one of the hardest people to kill. I doubt that— "
Ava smiled. "Why do you think these people didn’t want to leave this place?" she asked. "It’s because they fear what’s out there. Once they leave this place, everything about them will be erased. Their entire past — even their names will be forgotten. I am not sure a powerful person would do something like that. He could, of course, follow me out, but... by then he will surely forget about the reason he left this place." To put it simply, it wasn’t worth it.
Ava was just trying to take advantage of the problem that she had in this place and that is the fact that you will forget everything that happened inside The Pits once you leave. It is akin to starting a new life.
Damon looked at her, his eyes full of doubt, and he wasn’t even trying to hide that. He let out a deep sigh.
"You don’t understand," Damon said. "The Duke is powerful and influential inside this place. He could easily give you a hard time inside that place until you submit to his demands."
Ava nodded. Wasn’t she here to gain experience?
How could she experience something without putting herself in danger?
"I am prepared to take the risks," Ava said. "Though... the grimoire — " she stopped talking when Damon threw a large ring towards her.
"It’s inside the ring. Put it in one of your fingers."
Though the ring was too large for her finger, she didn’t hesitate and wore it. Slowly, the ring became smaller until it perfectly fit her pointer finger. Then its thick exterior morphed into a thin, elegant ring that looked like a snake with its head acting like its center stone.
"This is beautiful," Ava said. "It needs my blood, right?"
Damon nodded.
"I am going to leave and prepare for tomorrow."
Ava smiled, but her eyes were already on the ring. Without hesitation, she bit her finger and let a drop of her blood land on the head of the snake ring.
Then, almost immediately, her gaze turned blurry.
Then a voice echoed inside her head, "You are here," it was a voice of a man. Deep and cold and full of authority. "Welcome..." the man’s voice added. "We have been waiting for you."
....
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