Chapter 70
Adi’s gaze remained fixed on Yuls, her expression heavy with apprehension. Plans were rarely immune to the chaos of chance, but the gravity etched into the Duke’s features suggested something far more catastrophic than a mere complication.
“What sort of trouble has arisen?” she asked.
“Word has reached us that you murdered Luigi,” he replied.
Adi blinked, her voice laced with genuine confusion. “Forgive me, but who exactly is Luigi?”
It was a logical defense—one could hardly be expected to recognize a victim they hadn’t actually harmed. Adi knew her own innocence; she had remained by the Duke’s side throughout the interval.
“Marquis Luigi Francopan,” Yuls explained, raking a hand through his hair. “He stands third in the line of succession for the crown.”
When Adi’s face remained a blank slate of ignorance, Yuls elaborated on the man’s history. “He is the offspring of the late King who passed before his time. Luigi inherited his title as a boy, placing him right behind the Crown Prince and Princess in rank. He is also my kin—a cousin. Though he spent his youth in Ionad, he has been a nomad since the current King’s coronation, moving between foreign borders. He claims he stays away to avoid assassins, only appearing in the capital once or twice a year.”
Luigi had not intended to visit Pallesa. However, as instability rocked the capital of Thuringen, he had apparently fled. Logic dictated he should have sought refuge in Ionad, yet he had detoured here. From his position in Thuringen, the sea route to Pallesa was far more efficient than the overland trek to the capital. Given the ongoing festivities, he likely planned to enjoy the local celebrations before continuing his journey. It had proven to be a fatal miscalculation.
“Luigi traveled with a protector from Ionad,” Yuls continued. “That knight is reportedly a close associate of Lev Zid.”
The political climate among the Ionad knights was currently volatile. The humiliation of the opening day’s duel between Lev Zid and Roy Gallardo still festered. While the local Pallesa knights moved through high society with confidence, the Ionad contingent was marginalized and powerless on foreign soil. They were desperate for leverage to reclaim their standing.
Still, the idea of a Pallesa knight orchestrating the death of a royal Marquis was unthinkable. Despite their rivalries, every man involved served under the unified banner of the Dalkatyr Knights Order.
“I am told Lev Zid was present at the scene of the murder,” Yuls said. “He supposedly identified the fleeing killer by shouting your name for everyone to hear.”
It was a setup. A calculated move by a hidden hand.
“Adrian Grimaldi, the world now names you the assassin,” Yuls stated.
Adi met his gaze in silence.
“Or, more accurately, that is the narrative Pallesa will embrace.”
By shouting his name so publicly, Lev Zid had essentially issued a formal indictment. It was a bizarre betrayal; the Grimaldi family itself was branding their own heir a killer. Considering Lev Zid and Adi were milk brothers, his failure to shield her—and his active role in her ruin—defied all reason.
“Many will doubt the story,” Yuls added. “Plenty of people can testify that you never left this place. There are too many witnesses for the truth to be entirely hidden.”
“But they will stay silent,” Adi countered, her voice low. “It is far more convenient for everyone if I am the one to blame.”
She was being offered up as a sacrificial pawn. And the architect of this scheme was obvious.
“Yes,” Yuls agreed.
“I see how it is,” Adi whispered.
The culprit could be none other than Spencer Grimaldi.
“What is it that you understand?” Yuls pressed.
“You are free to abandon me, Your Excellency. I am a liability.”
“Do you have no intention of calling in your favor?” he asked.
Adi had considered it. He had promised her any wish, and in this moment, Duke Woodpecker was the only force capable of shielding her from the coming storm.
“If you don’t use it now, when will you?”
Yet, distrust held her back. Promises were fragile things, easily discarded when the cost became too high. Would the Duke truly honor his word if it meant damaging his own position?
Adi’s mouth opened, a plea for survival hovering on her tongue. She felt the urge to throw herself at his mercy, to beg for her life in the most humiliating of ways if it meant safety. But before she could speak, Yuls closed the distance between them and tilted her chin upward.
Their lips met with a sudden, jarring force. It wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was a hungry, demanding invasion that left her breathless. Adi’s eyes remained wide in shock as he deepened the contact. When he finally opened his eyes to look at her, she tried to recoil, but his hand moved to the back of her head, holding her firmly but without malice.
The kiss stretched on until Adi, desperate for air, shoved against his chest. Yuls finally broke away, his expression entirely composed as he used his thumb to brush the moisture from her lips.
“There. I believe you now have two wishes at your disposal.”
Adi stared at him, stunned. His motivations were becoming increasingly clear: he was fascinated by her. Perhaps it began with the curse, but his interest had clearly evolved into something more personal.
“Speak,” he commanded. “Ask me to protect you.”
“Please… save me,” she whispered.
“Tell me you want to be kept safe, without a scratch.”
“Keep me safe,” she repeated. “Without injury.”
“Consider it done.” Yuls offered a thin, satisfied smirk. “Though my strategy might differ from whatever you’re imagining, Guard.”
He reached out to stroke her hair with surprising tenderness, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. While Adi stood paralyzed by the gesture, Yuls turned toward the door.
He swung it open to find his head chamberlain waiting, with Bert and Roy standing just behind him.
“Where is Billy?” the Duke demanded.
“I shall locate him at once,” the chamberlain replied.
“Hurry him along. I need him to secure a woman’s wardrobe immediately.”
The chamberlain blinked in confusion. “Pardon me?”
“A lady’s attire,” Yuls clarified. “A gown, a corset, and a wig.”
The Duke glanced back at Adi. Her hair was a strikingly pale blonde, a common trait in the North but far too distinctive for a fugitive.
“Not blonde,” he corrected himself. “Something unremarkable. A brown wig will do.”
Finding a brown wig would be far more difficult than a golden one, but the Duke’s orders were absolute. The men exchanged worried looks.
“Your Excellency,” one ventured, “is your plan truly to…”
“Pallesa is hunting for a man,” Yuls interrupted. “Not a lady.”
It was a bold gamble. Despite Adi’s delicate features, she was a grown adult, not a child whose gender could be easily masked.
“She will pass unnoticed,” Yuls insisted.
The knights were skeptical. In theory, it sounded plausible, but the reality of a grown man in a dress was usually far more conspicuous.
“Roy, find Joel and bring Billy here,” Yuls ordered.
“At once, Your Excellency.”
“Bert, Gavin. Find Ivan. Tell him I need a corpse—blonde, roughly the same height as Adrian.”
Regardless of the Count’s public stance, this assassination wouldn’t be swept under the rug without a body. A sacrifice was required to satisfy the crown. The King likely knew Adi was innocent, but if the Grimaldi family offered up their son’s death as an apology, the matter could be settled quietly. Luigi had been a thorn in the side of the royal family anyway.
The Count had undoubtedly already picked out a body to act as Adi’s double. But the Count’s double would be male. Yuls, knowing the truth of Adi’s identity, needed a different solution to ensure she remained in his custody.
“Find one with wavy hair,” Yuls added. “Longer is fine; we can trim it to match.”
Gavin and Bert nodded, but Yuls paused, lowering his voice so Adi couldn’t overhear.
“Make sure the body is female.”
The two knights froze. “Sir?”
“I want a woman’s corpse,” Yuls repeated firmly.
The silence that followed was heavy. The request was baffling—unless the Duke knew something they didn’t. Bert glanced toward the corner of the room where Adi stood in the shadows. He looked back at Yuls, his face twisting as a realization began to dawn on him.
He looked at Gavin, and the same shock was mirrored in his comrade’s eyes.
“We understand, Your Excellency,” Bert managed to say.
The Duke wasn’t just hiding a fugitive. He was revealing a secret. If Adi Grimaldi needed a female double to fake her death, then Adi Grimaldi was a woman.
The implications were staggering. It meant the gender of the Grimaldi heir had been a lie since the very beginning. It meant the tragedy of the family was not what it seemed.
The girl, Adrina Grimaldi, hadn’t been the one who died years ago.
It had been the son.
