Would a lie that cruel have frightened Noel enough to make him give up on returning to Winslow Castle? Chase could only regret that his prediction had been wrong.

Still occupied with thoughts of Noel, he turned a corner in the long corridor. He had just reached the office deep within the Imperial Palace when his aide, Cailus, spotted him and hurriedly bowed.

“Your Majesty.”

Chase acknowledged the greeting with a vague flick of his hand and kept walking. Cailus promptly stepped ahead to open the office door, and Chase went in.

His attention was still entirely on Noel.

More than anything, a terrible fear was eating away at him: if he let Noel return to Winslow Castle now, Noel might vanish from his side forever, just as he had three years ago.

For Noel’s sake, then, Chase first needed to get rid of everything troublesome that displeased him. He did not want to allow even the possibility of Noel being exposed to danger.

For such unpleasant work...

Chapter 33

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