“Hey love,” the unknown caller greeted, her voice smooth and seductive.‘Hey love?’ Dario thought to himself. Who would greet him in such a manner? He tried to guess who it was, his brows furrowed deep in confusion and slight irritation but he couldn’t recognize the voice. ‘Delilah?’ a voice in his head suggested since Delilah is the only one he knew was capable of this. ‘No,’ he disagreed with his thoughts. ‘This ain’t Delilah.”“Who is this, please?” he asked politely. “It’s me, Your Majesty,” she replied, making moaning sounds. At this point, irritation was evident on Dario’s face. “Don’t you have a name??” he asked, his tone firm and laced with irritation.“It’s me, Claire. King Tunde’s daughter.”“Hello, Claire,” Dario greeted with a neutral tone, rolling his eyes inwardly. “I wanted to say congratulations on your big win,” her voice dripped with seduction. “Oh my god, you were perfect out there! I watched the entire event,” she squealed and continued, “You truly are a remar

Dario sat on his throne, staring at Claire who stood before him with his expression unreadable. “Now, tell me about this very sensitive allegation you have placed on your father.” Claire rolled her eyes inwardly. “Why don’t you believe me, though?” she asked, her brows knitted in a frown. “Why should I believe you? You could be saying this to play mind games on me. You want me to believe I can trust you and believe that you care enough to betray your father for me.” Dario seemed nonchalant and unbothered, but a part of him needed to get to the bottom of this. ‘King Tunde wants me dead??’ he asked himself in confusion. ‘How could someone who I did a favor and is also an ally, want me dead?’ Claire smiled sheepishly, playing with a loose strand of her hair. “Well, you’re right about the part where you said I want you to believe you can trust me and that I care enough for you, but you’re wrong about the rest.” Dario’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Claire’s face, trying to

Later in the evening, Dario slowly walked to and fro in his room as he received a call from Claire. His expression was serious with fury burning in his eyes. Her voice was soft and urgent as she spoke. “I overheard my father making new plans so I thought to inform you for your safety,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.She had to whisper so her father or anyone else doesn’t hear anything she says to Dario. She knew that if her father heard her, she would be dead before the next day. “He’s planning on hiring assassins from the northern tribes. And trust me… “ she paused to peep outside her door to be sure no one was listening. “Trust me, they are ruthless and won’t stop until they have completed their mission,” she said, her tone laced with worry. She loved this. She loved that Dario was interested in a call with her. ‘Another step forward,’ she thought to herself. Dario kept her for the sake of gathering and providing him as much information as he would need. “Thank yo

“For what reason did Prince Damian bribe and threaten my maid to poison my meal?” Dario pondered. “I don’t even know or have a relationship with this man.” The following morning, when it was bright, Dario had an agent to make research on Prince Damian from Hudson Kingdom. Dario never really knew him nor did he know how he looked. Though he had heard about him maybe once or twice. After a short while, the agent returned to the mansion. And he made his way to the throne room to meet Dario. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” he bowed. “I have been able to get some information about Prince Damian.”Dario looked up from the newspapers in his hands and nodded, prompting the agent to keep talking. “He is the eldest son of King Samuel of the Hudson Kingdom, and has a reputation for always causing drama and stirring problems. He is very ambitious and fiercely competitive.”“Okay?” Dario asked. He was not satisfied with these answers because none of them connected to why Damian would want to poiso

The room fell into stunned silence, broken only by the sharp intake of breaths. Dario’s expression was hardened instantly as he rushed out of the council chamber.Dario was just talking about how he knew that war was coming, just for this to happen in between the meeting. Dario was accompanied by a few generals and soldiers to the eastern borders to see for themselves and inspect its effect.As they approached, they saw the smoke that filled the air and could hear the cries of people. The smell of burning houses and debris filled the air too.“Who could be responsible for this?!” General Marcus yelled in rage as he took in the sight before him. This was not just a small explosion.Medical officials of the empire and fire fighters and soldiers had already arrived at the affected areas to calm the storm. The medical officials moved swiftly, tending to the injured, the firefighters putting out the fire and the soldiers helping the civilians to safety.Dario’s heart clenched as he took