Chapter 342: Target
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"What’s wrong?" Anfey asked Suzanna.
"Nothing," Suzanna said. "It’s too chaotic. I thought it would be a good idea to follow you." Suzanna pursed her lips and glanced at Alice’s house. "What did you two talk about?"
"Nothing much," Anfey said, taking Suzanna’s hand in his. "Let’s go take a walk."
"You sure took a long time to talk about nothing," Suzanna said. She did not jerk her hand away the way she would before they were married.
Anfey shrugged. "She’s a tough one," he said. "She’s cunning. More than me, even. She’s hard to deal with." Anfey paused and grinned. "Suzanna, you’re not jealous, are you?"
"No," Suzanna said. She smiled softly.
Suzanna knew that jealousy means nothing. She couldn’t control how another person feels. If Anfey was like her father Darius, he would find ways to cheat even if she stayed with him all day long. She knew Anfey and she trusted him. She knew that monitoring his movements would affect their relationship.
After Anfey saved those elves, Niya was even more worried than Suzanna. She kept trying to get Suzanna to keep the elves away, but Suzanna told her that there was nothing wrong with keeping maids. Niya told her that she was too naive. Niya spent a lot of time and energy monitoring the elves and Anfey, and concluded that Suzanna was right to trust him. He rarely even spoke to the elves, let along do anything inappropriate. Suzanna may not be the smartest woman in the world, but she had her own rules and judgement. She knew Anfey very well and knew that it took more than a pretty face to win his heart.
"You’re not jealous?" Anfey asked with a grin. "Why were you so worried, then?"
Some men wanted their wives to understand them, but there were men like Anfey who wished that their wives would grow jealous when they talked to other women.
"I need to talk to you," Suzanna said, glancing around nervously.
"What is it?" Anfey asked. He could tell that Suzanna was seriously worried, and it had nothing to do with him talking to Alice.
Suzanna took a deep breath and said, "Niya left Sacred City with us."
"What?" Anfey asked, shocked. "Why didn’t anyone tell me?" Anfey wasn’t politically savvy, but he still knew the impact of Niya leaving Sacred City.
"Do you remember how we stopped you from getting into our carriage?" Suzanna asked. "Well, it’s because Niya was there." Suzanna sighed and shook her head. "I wanted to tell you, of course, but…I felt so bad for her. I wanted to help her. She was so determined that she refused to eat or drink so she wouldn’t get discovered."
"Why are you telling me now?"
"We’re not with her anymore. I’m worried about her."
"Does Entos know?"
Suzanna shook her head and stared at Anfey. This wasn’t entirely her fault. It was Niya who found her and begged her to take her along. Unlike everyone else, Suzanna had never met Grandon and was closer to Christian. She didn’t like the fact that Grandon hosted a feast on the day his own brother was celebrating his birthday. She thought that it would do no good for Niya to keep courting a man like that. She wanted to tell Anfey about it, but she knew that Anfey would send Niya back, and she didn’t want to betray her friend like that.
Like Anfey, Suzanna knew nothing about politics. Niya was her friend and she needed Suzanna’s help.
Anfey sighed and shook his head. "Are we in trouble?" Suzanna asked nervously.
Anfey looked at Suzanna’s anxious face and smiled. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "No, we’re not. Don’t worry too much about it."
Before this, their conflict with Grandon could still have been solved peacefully. Now, it didn’t matter whether Niya came willingly or not. Grandon’s biggest supporter in this race for the throne was Saul, and Saul’s reward was to have his daughter become queen. Saul might not care, but others would. After Grandon married Niya, he would win the support of the Mages Guild. Now that Niya had left Sacred City, the assumption would be that her loyalty lied with Christian. Grandon would never let them get away with this.
Before, Anfey did not have a clear allegiance. He was Christian’s friend and their futures were intertwined. He could influence Christian, and Christian could influence him. What he did in the future depended greatly on Christian.
Neither he nor Christian could dictate the course of events now. Grandon would become their enemy, and Anfey knew he needed Christian to stay alive. If Christian was killed, Anfey knew he was as good as dead. Moramatch had just became more important, as well. This was their base in Country of Mercenaries, and they could always come back to this place if things did not go well in Maho Empire.
"You’re not just saying that so I can feel better, are you?" Suzanna asked. She could tell Anfey was troubled just by reading his expression.
"Alice just told me that I’m too cautious," Anfey said with a sigh. "She’s right, though. I think too much and act too carefully. Now that I think about it, I should really try to be more impulsive."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course," Anfey said. "I would never lie to you."
Suzanna nodded and smiled. They walked around the street corner in silence.
"Does Christian know?" Anfey suddenly asked.
"Not yet," Suzanna said, shaking her head. "I was worried how he would react."
"You’re right. Keep this away from him for a bit longer."
Suzanna nodded. "Hopefully nothing happens to Niya," she said.
"Nothing will," Anfey said. "Entos will find her sooner or later. Did you hide Niya on the carriage?"
"No. She was there before me."
Anfey frowned and recalled the day they left Sacred City. Saul’s mansion was heavily monitored and all the carriages had guards. It was hard to imagine how someone could sneak around those guards and get into the carriage without anyone knowing.
"Maybe we are worrying too much," Anfey said. "I think Entos knows Niya’s plan."
Entos had known Niya since she was a child and helped raise her when Saul was busy. He was practically a brother to her. Entos cared about Niya as much as Saul did. If Niya went to him with a request, Entos would never refuse her. What perplexed Anfey was that Entos should know the implications of Niya leaving Sacred City. Why would he risk angering a prince? Entos was Saul’s student, but he was rarely at Saul’s place. Instead, he spent more time with Baery. Could Baery know about Niya’s escapade?
Anfey frowned and shook his head. He was never a politician and this web of intrigue was too complex. However, if he was right, this placed them in an advantage because it showed where Baery’s loyalty lied. Dark Moon Magic Legion and Griffins Aerial Unit were both gone, and the only major military power left in the world was Baery’s Roaring Death Legion. With Baery’s support, the possibility of Christian taking the throne was much greater.
"If Entos knows, then I’m sure he can take care of Niya."
"I know," Anfey said. "I’m thinking about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes. We have to reconvene all the mercenaries tomorrow, but there may be objections."