His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 58

“It’s safe,” the middle-aged woman who had been tasting Raena’s food for the last few weeks announced, stepping away from the table and wiping her mouth with a napkin. Raena nodded in gratitude. It still felt strange to have someone taste everything she drank or ate, and every time she watched her taster chew on the food or sip on a drink, Raena held her breath, expecting her to start foaming at the mouth. Every time she didn’t, Raena sighed in relief, telling herself she was a coward.

Why would her life be more important than that woman’s?

“That’s all. You may go,” Raena said and the woman quickly left Raena’s office. Raena had decided to have her breakfast in there, too nervous to pretend to be sweet and cheerful in front of the maids as they served her. Raena glanced at Elene standing by her desk, then lowered her eyes to the papers resting by her plate. “You can sit down,”

Raena said, using her left hand to pick one of the papers she was reading through for the hundredth time while her right grabbed the fork. She didn’t have much of an appetite, but after receiving a firm scolding from Kara once she finally woke up for more than ten minutes, she had decided to get back to her normal eating schedule, if only for appearances’ sake.

Elene slid onto one of the sofas, keeping her eyes on the door as if expecting somebody to barge in and scold her for sitting in her mistress’s presence. The door remained firmly shut and silence reigned the room, broken only by the sound of cutlery hitting porcelain and the paper rustling as Raena turned the next page.

It was all in order- all the documents for the divorce were present, clearly written and signed.

She knew that since she had read them a hundred times, but she still felt uneasy. Ever since she came to this world, her ‘marriage’ was a formality, a background setting that didn’t really matter, while Kassian was a husband in name only – like a coworker you constantly share shifts with, but don’t even know the last name of. Yet lately it felt surprisingly real. Once those documents reached the Emperor, she would be out of here, out of the North Palace, out of the third prince’s residence.

The game would be over. That had been the plan from the start, so why was she feeling slightly disappointed?

What should have been more concerning was that once the divorce was official, she’d probably have to move into her room in the restaurant and hire more guards. She didn’t plan to stay long in the capital, only until Kara was better and the deeds for the restaurant were handled. Without Kassian’s protection and after invoking his wrath, because there was no way he was going to take this lying down, she’d be vulnerable. It wouldn’t take long for the Empress to send someone after her.

A knock came on the door and Raena looked up from the papers. Sighing, she folded them carefully, putting them away. It was barely seven in the morning and she had told the servants not to disturb her, so who could bother her now? She sincerely hoped it wasn’t Kassian coming again.

She was sure he was going to storm into the North Palace soon enough, but she hadn’t even submitted the documents yet.

“Yes?” she said loud enough for them to hear her and a moment later, Zen slipped inside, closing the door with a soft click. His eyes moved from her to Elene and back to her before he strode to the desk.

“Good morning!” he said, taking a seat at the armrest of the sofa across the desk, just like he usually did. Raena leaned back in her chair, picking up her cup and bringing it to her l!ps. She had tried waiting for his report last night but must have dozed off because she woke up in her own bed when she clearly remembered falling asleep at her desk. It must have been Zen who moved her. “You look better today. Did you have a good sleep?”

“No. I had a nightmare and I got up at the break of dawn,” she sighed, putting the cup down. She couldn’t really remember her dream, but the feeling of regret and sadness stuck with her long after she woke up. And knowing that today would be full of drama didn’t really help to cheer her up. “Did you do what I asked?”

“Yes.” Zen nodded, his face turning serious. “I delivered the letter to your brother personally. He was very eager to open it and even made me wait until he read it. I think he planned to give me a reply, but then he told me to just tell you he’ll be here in the morning.” Raena nodded, staring at her half-empty plate. “I also met with Marden and he gave me the report when I told him the secret message.’

“Did he?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She could imagine Marden’s expression when Zen asked him for it. They had agreed not to share the information he acquired with anyone else apart from the two of them, so it must have been a shock to hear Zen repeat their secret message. Raena wished she could have warned him beforehand, but with her current predicament, she had no choice but to put him on the spot. With everything moving so quickly and her time of getting out of this mess nearing, she needed to confirm a few things. Most importantly, she needed to confirm who she could really trust.

“Yes. But there was a situation.” Zen nodded, looking up to meet her eyes. “l was on my way home when someone attacked me.”

Raena’s eyes widened, studying his face with surprise. This was the first time he admitted to being spotted when sneaking in or out. Even with her, they always managed to shake off their tail.

“And?” Raena nudged.

“I’m sorry, but I had to destroy the report,” Zen said, staring into her eyes without blinking. “I wasn’t sure if they wouldn’t corner me this time, so I didn’t want to risk it. I know it must have been important since you sent me out to get it for you, but I figured it was more important for it not to fall into somebody else’s hands.”

“Do you know what was inside?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“No. I didn’t think you’d want me to open it,” Zen replied without hesitation, his stormy gray eyes watching her curiously. “Did I do something wrong? Should | have read it before destroying it?”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Raena bit her l!p. Was it possible that they were after the report itself? Or maybe Marden found out something big and they wanted to make sure it didn’t get out? Or was it because…

She looked back at Zen, who raised an eyebrow in question. He could have read what was in the report and burned it. He could have made up this supposed attacker, so he could have an excuse. Or he could be telling the truth and someone might have figured she and Marden had a lot of valuable information on their hands.

“There is something else you should know about” Zen spoke, taking her out of her thoughts.

She nodded for him to continue, shifting nervously in her seat. “Four nights ago, somebody broke into the restaurant. They went directly to your office. Davin was sleeping there on the couch, so he saw them snooping around in search of something.”

“ls he alright?” Raena frowned. “He is not dead, is he? l can’t handle any more deaths at this point.”

“No, no, he is fine!” Zen said, raising his hands in a gesture to calm her down. “He ran out of the room before they spotted him and alerted the guards you keep on the premises. They went after the intruders and got into a fight, but apart from minor injuries and light damage on the place, nobody was badly hurt. The intruders got away, though.”

‘Damn it!’Raena thought, closing her eyes. This was too much of a coincidence. Four nights ago was the Queen’s birthday. The same night, Kara was punished.

“Has Marden faced any trouble four nights ago?” she asked, her mind trying to quiet down the questions that were swirling inside her head.

“He didn’t mention anything like that.” Zen shook his head. “But he did say that the restaurant’s number of visitors is rapidly dropping after the break-in since everybody thinks you’re involved in some shady business.”

“Damn it!” Raena sighed. “Why do bad things always come in bundles?” She leaned her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples. She had to take care of the divorce documents first and deal with the backlash. Once that was solved, she needed to get to the restaurant and figure out a way to bring people back in.

A knock came on the door and Elene got up from her seat, striding to it. She exchanged a few words with the person outside, then returned to Raena’s side.

“Your brother is here,” she announced. “I told them to escort him to the garden as you instructed.”

Raena nodded, slowly getting to her feet. With Kara resting and her not being able to leave the North Palace, it was difficult to control everything.

The restaurant had to wait for now, but that didn’t mean there was nothing she could do.

“Zen, I need you to run an errand for me,” she said, moving her attention to the silver-haired man who was still sitting on the same spot, tapping with his finger on his thigh. “Go to my room and you’ll find a bundle of sketches under my pillow. Bring them to Marden and tell him to find a painter who can work fast and has no issue with nudity.” Zen gave her a puzzled look as he got to his feet. “Don’t ask, just do it. Also, tell Marden to arrange a meeting with all the shop owners on Ruby Street a week from now. I’ll make sure to attend.”

Raena raised her hands and rubbed her eyes as hard as she could while Elene opened the door for her. She wasn’t in the mood for crying today, but to gain her brother’s sympathy and unwavering support, she might need to shed a tear or two. Elene was watching her with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“What?” Raena frowned.

“Nothing,” Elene mumbled, falling a step behind her. “Just.. don’t let your guard down.”

“What do you…” Raena started, turning to look at Elene in confusion when they reached the back door leading toward the garden. An attendant was standing there already and quickly opened it for them.

Raena took a deep breath to prepare herself, making a distraught expression as Ramor finally spotted her. He looked worried and angry, but when he noticed her quivering l!p and teary eyes, his expression changed. Giving her a look full of pity, he opened his arms and Raena threw herself into his embrace, burying her face in his chest.