The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Find Those Filthy Verners

Alexander Perryl, real name unknown, age unknown.

He was the son of a fallen aristocratic family, who luckily became a knight under the Order of Thistle. Due to his complicated background, he could not be Arlan’s official guardian knight, but in fact, he was the leader of the dark forces secretly run by Arlan.. He was a trained knight and his swordsmanship skills were only slightly worse than his captain, but rather than his fighting prowess, his strongest weapon was his talent in intelligence-gathering.

Calculative, sensitive and with a good understanding of people, in addition to his leadership skills and strong loyalty, Alexander was the best person to deal with the prince’s dirty work, actions that would earn severe criticism were they to surface in the light.

The Crown Prince’s dark force was an intelligence-gathering organization solely working under his orders, and it had nothing to do with the King of Griven or the kingdom.

The skeletons in a noble family’s closet, treasonous attempts, dealings with the underground gangs, problems that would later endanger the royal family, Arlan would quickly nip them off at the bud through the help of his dark forces.

The span of the Crown Prince’s intelligence network, nobody but Arlan and Alexander exactly knew, but their reach not only covered the important places within the kingdom, but also those beyond their borders who could pose a threat to the peace of Griven.

Once Arlan and Alexander were left alone in the study, the large man bowed to him.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Alexander placed a stack of papers in front of the prince.

"Your Highness, this is the result of my investigation. These are the potential smuggling routes and the families that were highly likely to be bribed. I dispatched our men to monitor them for suspicious actions.

"As for the case of human trafficking within the capital, this is the list of nobles supporting them. Those on the first page are the ones directly involved in the business, while those on the next page are the patrons and clients who bought slaves from them. The inventory of collected evidence is listed in the last page."

Arlan silently looked through the list. "We cannot disclose these to the royal court as some of the people here are relatives of generals and ministers. We need to handle them in a way that won’t hurt the kingdom." A light smirk painted on Arlan’s lips, "I like it when I have to take care of them in my way."

Alexander was well-aware of his liege’s way of doing things—and he could not deny he preferred this efficient ’cleansing operation’ rather than prolonging things in the royal court.

"Also, the news of His Majesty not being well has somehow spread, and some ambitious people are stirring to take advantage of it."

Arlan threw the document inside a locked drawer of his desk. "Let them jump around some more and clean them up in one move."

"About our planted spies among Duke Wimark’s men, they are unable to learn core secrets from their group. Those in the most trusted circle are all tight-lipped and loyal to His Grace. However, we have our men following them. It seems like Duke Wimark is being careful and has yet to make a move."

"He is guarding against us. My brother-in-law is most loyal to my father. He will always do what the King says, and intelligence about Verner family’s whereabouts is being strictly controlled from reaching me," the prince chuckled. "Those filthy Verners, you must find them first. Add more manpower in the North. Put locating them as your top priority."

"I have received your orders, Your Highness. The moment we find them, I will bring them to their knees."

After half an hour, Alexander left Arlan’s study. Just like Lucas, he also glanced at Oriana who happened to be standing on the side of the grand staircase near the clock. His dark eyes stared at her for a while before he departed.

’Is this my illusion, or every man who works for that brat looks at me like this as if I have done something wrong?’

—--

About an hour before dusk, Oriana was summoned by Roman. It was time for Arlan to get ready for the night’s ball.

"You have to accompany His Highness as you are his personal aide. This should be your first time attending a ball," the butler said matter-of-factly.

Oriana nodded. The short training with the Ahrens did not mention anything about attending balls, so she was completely clueless about how to act in social events.

"There will be a troop of escort knights, a coachman, a footman, and three attendants accompanying him. However, as you are the primary attendant, His Highness will only bring you and his knights inside the Count’s main mansion.