Moonlight Ball - Chapter 120

Alas, the bottom of the swamp of sweet delusion was very shallow.

“Ridiculous!”

While the king roared in anger, Elena looked dispirited. It’s not it, she thought. It was strange in the first place. She looked too healthy for someone who was supposed to have morning sickness. Did the body change according to the soul? Although Rosemary was fussy, she was quite healthy, but Iris Elaine always looked delicate to the touch.

She had heard that female magicians often avoided getting pregnant due to the demands of their craft. And with her delicate constitution, Elena wasn’t sure if Iris could handle the rigors of childbirth.

Sidrain collapsed into his chair, his mind racing with worry. Why was she so busy all the time? Did she dislike him? If only she would tell him what was wrong, he was sure he could fix it.

But his right-hand man was no help. Sidrain couldn’t even find the words to tell her to leave, so he just waved his hand dismissively. He was going crazy trying to figure out what was going on, and he knew he needed to find a way to get to the bottom of it before it drove him completely mad.

Sidrain’s heart raced at the slightest change, even though he knew it couldn’t be what he hoped it was. Each disappointment only made the road to his goal seem longer and more difficult.

As Elena sighed and left the king’s office, she was startled as someone grabbed her wrist around the corner of the hallway.

“Clarence?” Elena said in surprise.

“Come here,” he replied, his expression stern as he pulled her to his side and began walking quickly. This was unusual behavior for Clarence, who was usually kind and gentle and always kept pace with her.

He took Elena to a deserted area and pressed her up against a wall, trapping her in his embrace. She narrowed her eyes at the sudden rough treatment, not used to having things like this happen to her. Normally, she would have fought back, confident that anyone who dared to manhandle her would get their just share of beating. But this was her husband, whom she loved, and so she held back, wondering what was going on.

“Clarence,” Elena warned him in a low voice, her bad mood making her sharp. But it seemed that Clarence was in a bad mood as well.

“How long are you going to treat me like an idiot?” he demanded, cutting straight to the chase.

“What?” Elena was taken aback. What was going on with him? Why was he saying these things? A vicious gleam shone in Elena’s eyes as she tried to understand his husband.

“What are you scheming with His Highness? What’s going on with Her Highness?” Clarence demanded, his eyes blazing with anger.

Elena sighed. The princess of the magic tower was not suited for a double life. To be honest, she was not well-suited for the royal social circle at all. She was a delicate yet strong woman, with a sense of freedom about her. Even Elena wasn’t sure if she could adapt to a life where she was bound by corsets and norms. She would do her best to help, but she knew that there was no guarantee that her needs and Iris Elaine’s happiness would align. The king needed to capture the heart of the princess of the magic tower, but he seemed to be going about it all wrong.

“El, look at me!” Clarence growled, his grip on Elena’s arm tight with concern. He was terrified that his wife was getting involved in something dangerous.

Elena looked up at her kind husband, who had always loved her, and kissed him on the chin. “I can’t say,” she told him softly.

“You can’t say?” Clarence’s anger was clear in his voice.

Elena smiled apologetically at him. “Yes. This is classified, Clarence. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything.”

“I am the Minister of State for this country, El,” Clarence reminded her sternly.

“The Minister of State is not above the King,” Elena pointed out.

“But for you, I have priority. Because I am your husband. Am I wrong?” Clarence’s voice was laced with determination.

Elena realized that the situation was more complicated than she had thought. She had been keeping her husband in the dark about her actions, and while he might have had an inkling of what was going on, he had pretended not to know. But it wasn’t because he was incompetent. On the contrary, Clarence was a very capable person. In a world full of sneaky conspirators, he confronted them head-on with his competence, rather than stooping to their level. That was how competent he was.

Now, Clarence was being stubborn. He was a man who normally wouldn’t interfere with public duties, but he was clearly anxious and probably felt that Elena was in danger.

“If I tell you,” Elena began, raising her hand to caress her husband’s cheek. “His Highness will kill me with Testalia. Do you still wish to hear?”

Clarence’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe that the king had threatened his wife, his one and only love, behind his back.

“I’ll go ask him myself,” he declared, letting go of Elena’s arm and turning towards the king’s office.

But instead of walking away, Clarence held out his hand to Elena, his gesture respectful and gentle. These were hands that had never hurt her.

“Let us go, my lady,” he said, his voice full of fury but his touch gentle.

Elena took his hand, knowing that he was not angry with her. Clarence never got angry with her, no matter the circumstances. He always brushed away her mistakes with a laugh and a smile. He was angry with the king.

“Clarence, I love you,” Elena whispered.

Clarence stopped and turned around.

Clarence stopped and turned to face her, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “I love you too,” he said, his kind nature returning.