“And what if the eldest boy starts asking questions and wishes to see his father’s last moments?”
Dalatteya’s lips thinned. “If it happens, we’ll handle it.”
Warrehn shook his head. So many things made sense now. All these years, he had wondered why Dalatteya had decided to kill him when he had started asking questions about the circumstances around his father’s death. Why had she been scared of a child? But this finally made it make sense. Warrehn had been the only one besides a three-year-old Eri who could access this video, which was undeniable proof of Dalatteya’s guilt—even if it was of a different crime than the one Warrehn had expected.
It didn’t matter. This footage would be enough to get her locked up for all the things she had done.
Warrehn inserted a holochip into the terminal, and pressed Copy.
Chapter 24
Warrehn had considered doing it publicly at first. There was a certain degree of satisfaction in having the bitch arrested in a public setting, in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses, and have her flawless public image ruined.
But he was loath to air their dirty laundry in front of the court. Loath to have to show everyone his father’s last moments, the way he had been desecrated even after his death. It didn’t matter that the clone had likely been dead for decades now; the fact that Dalatteya had temporarily given Emyr’s mind a new body to torture information out of him was… It turned Warrehn’s stomach. His father had hardly been perfect, but even he didn’t deserve that fate. No one did.
So he sent messages to all the relevant people to come to his office.
Eridan was the first to arrive. “What’s happening, War?” he said, brushing his telepathic presence against his in a mental hug. “Your message was confusing.”
Warrehn had been vague on purpose when he’d messaged Eridan. He didn’t want anything to leak prematurely—he didn’t trust people at the High Hronthar—but his brother deserved to be present as the woman who had murdered their parents and who was responsible for the attack on them was finally arrested for her crimes.
“I found proof,” he said.
Eridan’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Warrehn nodded, but before either of them could say anything, the door opened and Fariz announced the Lord Chancellor’s arrival. Ksar walked in, accompanied by two law enforcement officials.
“Thanks for coming,” Warrehn said. He wouldn’t have taken offense if Ksar had declined handling this case: he knew Ksar was leaving for a long-awaited vacation with his husband later that day. Being involved in such a messy case was probably the last thing he needed before his departure. Strictly speaking, Ksar was a little overqualified for this—any high-ranking official of the Ministry would have sufficed—but Warrehn wanted to be sure that the Ministry official in charge of the case wasn’t in Dalatteya’s pocket. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Ksar was the Lord Chancellor of the planet and a future king of the Second Grand Clan; there wasn’t a man more powerful on the planet outside of Idhron. He certainly wasn’t in anyone’s pocket, and he had proven to be an ally in the past.
“I have only an hour at most,” Ksar said, nodding in answer to Eridan’s greeting before his silver eyes focused on Warrehn. “Are you certain you want to do it? It will be messy and unpleasant for everyone involved once the news spreads.”
Warrehn gave a curt nod. Regardless of the upcoming scandal, he couldn’t let his parents’ murderer continue to walk free.
The door open and Dalatteya entered—followed by Samir.
His heart beating faster, Warrehn snapped his gaze away, knowing that if he met Samir’s eyes, he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else and think rationally. He was distracted already, his body acutely aware of Samir’s every movement.
Don’t be a fool. He’s Dalatteya’s son. The son of the woman you’re getting arrested. Even if he doesn’t hate you now, he will, in a very short time.
“What is the meaning of this?” Dalatteya said coldly. “I’m not a servant to be summoned without any explanation.” A flicker of confusion and wariness appeared in her eyes once she noticed the presence of the law enforcement officials and Ksar. “Your Royal Highness,” she said with a graceful bow. “I wasn’t aware you called on us.”
“It’s not a social visit,” Warrehn said. “Sit. All of you.”
When everyone sat down, Warrehn said, looking at Dalatteya, “The Lord Chancellor is here in the capacity of a Ministry official to record and file the charges against you, as is procedure. I could have gone to the Council with this, but I know you have a lot of support there and I don’t trust them to carry out justice.”
Not a single muscle moved on Dalatteya’s face, but her telepathic presence coiled tightly, emanating anxiety. “I have no idea what you mean.”