A Dove's Tale

Chapter 138

Gilbert was such a liar.

As much as he hated lying—and I had only to recall the first night I met him to remind myself of that—he was also a master of manipulation, and misleading others was part of that. He could speak only the truth but twist his words in just the right way so the hearer reached the wrong conclusions. Add to that his mastery of knowing his target and considering all external variables, and he was essentially an evil version of Chevalier.

Which was one of those false conclusions he wanted me to believe, along with the idea that Chevalier was handing expatriated Obsidianites in Rhodolite over to him for punishment.

He'd only mentioned the woman who tried to poison me, but it had been easy to assume she wasn't the only person, because I already knew there were others. And, to be fair, he probably believed what he implied about Chevalier being too soft to dole out appropriate punishment to a woman.

Of course, I'd learned by now not to take Gilbert at face value, and while Chevalier wouldn't tell me all the details of his daily political wheelings and dealings, he would answer my questions and correct any misperceptions. And he'd decided it was safe to tell me more about the threat I'd faced just a few short days ago.

A lot more.

Yes, he handed that noblewoman over to Gilbert for punishment, along with the handful of others he, his brothers, and Sariel discovered harboring similar intentions toward me. There were, in total, five active plots to kill me, all instigated by expatriated Obsidianites who all received instructions via crates of what was supposed to be fine Obsidianite wine imported for sale in Rhodolite. Actually, every expatriated Obsidianite family in Rhodolite received those messages. Most discarded them without a thought, having no desire to curry the favor of a government that stripped them of their privileges as nobility and evicted them from their home nation. One, a businessman with whom Nokto already had a solid working relationship, brought the plot to Nokto's attention. He couldn't produce any evidence, however, since his wife burned the message as soon as they read it, and he had only a hunch that the one he received wasn't the only one in circulation. None of his contacts would admit to receiving the same. But he knew the only vineyard in Obsidian was too small to manufacture the amount of wine crossing the border regularly, a detail that had already aroused Nokto's suspicions, and it was enough to dig deeper.

I was glad I hadn't known all that before this tranquil evening carriage ride.

Chevalier didn't say who ordered my assassination, and I didn't ask. I had a good idea. There was no reason for anybody in Obsidian to want me dead unless this was about the former marriage agreement between Gilbert and me, which would account for timing this right before the engagement ceremony. As far as I knew, only two Obsidianites knew about that marriage agreement. Those two were also the only people with enough power and authority in Obsidian to offer pardons of past crimes and full restoration of land, title, and property to whoever succeeded in killing me. And Gilbert didn't want me dead.

Which left his father. The Emperor of Obsidian.

I didn't want to know what Gilbert had done in Obsidian to resolve the situation, especially if his father was involved, but I found it interesting that Chevalier's explanation regarding the punishment of my would-be assassins did not involve Gilbert's father. He said collaborating with Gilbert delivered a statement and a warning with a broader scope than just my safety. Rhodolite and Obsidian were new allies, but they stood together. A threat to one was a threat to the other.

As stated by the King of Rhodolite and the Crown Prince of Obsidian. The Emperor of Obsidian was strangely silent.

And my impression that Gilbert now wanted me to dislike him made sense. He wanted me to avoid Obsidian.