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He turned to look at Everard, who was already taking off his dusty clothes and asked, “The water isn’t very warm. Shall I ask the maids to add more hot water?”

Everard dropped all of his clothes on the floor and answered as he also entered the bathroom, “No, it’s alright. I can’t wait to bathe anymore.”

And without waiting for Alexander to move aside, he stepped into the tub, splashing water all over Alexander’s trousers and shoes.

“You arse!” Alexander shouted and immediately splashed some water right on Everard’s face.

Everard simply laughed off that reaction from Alexander and even teased him, “You want to help me take a bath?” He even leaned forward to show his back to Alexander and said mockingly, “Go ahead. You can rub the soap on my back.”

Alexander rolled his eyes and turned on his heels. He stepped out of the bathroom while asking, “Shall I call someone to assist you then?”

Everard chuckled and replied while still teasing Alexander, “No, I don’t want anyone other than the Crown Prince to help me out.”

“Ha!” Alexander scoffed at that audacity of Everard and shouted, “Then you can go ahead and drown yourself in the tub because that’s not going to happen.”

.....

Everard burst into laughter when he heard his friend losing his calm over something so small.

Alexander also ended up laughing even though he was angry at the moment because Everard’s laugh was really contagious. He then dragged a chair from the corner of the room and placed it near the door so as to chat with Everard while he bathed.

After watching Everard rub soap all over his face quite aggressively, he asked something that he wanted to ask earlier, “Eve… How does one turn into a wolf though? I mean, I got it that it’s kind of forced but… how exactly?”

Everard wiped the lather from his eyes and then looked at Alexander’s curious face.

Alexander folded his arms and shared the idea that he had in his mind. “Like does some magic dust fall off from the full moon that only your kind can see or absorb or something like that? And it somehow transforms you into a wolf…”

Everard wanted to laugh out loud when he heard that absurdity from his friend. However, he clenched his teeth and controlled himself because he didn’t want his friend to feel humiliated.

He began to casually rub the soap on his arms as he tried to appease his friend’s curiosity.

“I would be the happiest person on Earth if the process of transformation was as easy as you said. But sadly…” He heaved a deep sigh and continued, “…the process is way too excruciating. Literally every bone in your body breaks and reforms so, you can guess how unbearably painful that would be.”

“Oh my god!” Alexander covered his mouth with both of his palms. His eyes were wide open because of shock. “And to think that you have to go through that each month!” he exclaimed in a muffled voice.

Everard put the soap aside and washed his face. His mind began to wander to the memory of his first transformation.

He cleared his throat and continued to speak after swallowing, “My first transformation was the worst. I don’t even recall most of it. I don’t remember how I ended up in the woods in the first place. All I remember is seeing the full moon. And suddenly, my whole body started to convulse.”

“Soon, my bones were breaking. I felt as though someone was playing with my voodoo doll, breaking all my bones mercilessly. The pain was never-ending.” Everard slipped into the tub until the water came to his neck.

And he mumbled while staring at the ceiling, “I even bit someone that night after turning into the wolf. Neither my body nor my mind was in my control.”

Alexander’s heart was beating rapidly when he heard that. ‘So, I should stay away from him during full moons…’ he took a mental note. Then he asked, “I-Is that person okay?”

Everard gulped and mumbled, “I don’t know… I lost contact with her.”

“Her?” Alexander suddenly raised his eyes and tried to confirm his suspicion, “Don’t tell me that person is…”

“Ruby,” Everard answered.

“Oh… my god!” Alexander exclaimed again. A lot more things suddenly started to make sense now. “So, you, Lorenzo, and Ruby didn’t include me in your conversations because at that time you thought I would die if you revealed the secret to me?”

“Yes,” came the short reply.

Alexander held his head with his palm because he finally understood that Everard wasn’t drifting away from him because he found new companions. He closed his eyes and thought, ‘He was deliberately maintaining the distance because he wanted to keep me safe! And I doubted his intention.’

After talking some more about Everard’s abilities and experiences so far, the two of them finally began talking about the disputes and misunderstandings that arose because of the attack in Xanmar. Everard explained his side of the story once more and Alexander also expressed his understanding.

Alexander heaved a sigh and then kept Everard in the loop regarding the recent developments. “So, I had a meeting with King Caspian as soon as I received your last letter. I didn’t want things to escalate than they already had.”

Everard got out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel to wipe his body. And he asked while drying his hair, “What was his response?” He sneered and said somewhat degradingly, “I bet he still believes that I was to blame for that attack even after I sent a letter to him too.”

However, he was surprised to hear Alexander’s response.

“No. Actually, he was the one to convince me that you had nothing to do with the attack.”

“What?” Everard scoffed in disbelief. He wrapped the towel around his waist and asked again, “Are you sure about that? Or are you simply making stuff up so that I wouldn’t hate him as much as I do?”

“I’m not making it up!” Alexander emphasized. “He had sent– umm…” He was about to reveal that Caspian had sent spies to Xanmar but he stopped himself from revealing it.

“He had sent what?” Everard raised his brows, sensing that Alexander was trying to cover something up.

“Er…” Alexander pursed his lips and tried to change the topic, “I will ask the maids to bring your clothes here. You didn’t bring it with you, right?”

Everard stood in front of Alexander and looked down at him with narrowed eyes. And he asked in a straightforward manner, “You’re hiding something from me. What is it?”

Alexander was now in a dilemma. “What?” He let out a fake laugh and mumbled, “I am not hiding anything. What are you even saying?”

All Everard had to do to make Alexander talk was fist on his hips and then stare at Alexander with a chiding expression on his face.

“Okay, okay, I lied…” Alexander furrowed his brows and thought, ‘I mean, King Caspian himself gave me permission to reveal the identity of the main perpetrator of the attack. So, I don’t think he will mind if I tell Eve how he sent spies to Xanmar. Else, how can I prove that the real culprit is different from the one who was punished by Eve?’

“Well?” Everard restlessly tapped his foot on the floor, urging Alexander to hurry up and answer him.

And Alexander cleared his throat and said, “King Caspian had…” He paused for a brief second and continued, “He had carried out an investigation from his side. And he found out that the man who was behind the attack was not you.”

Everard rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Of course, it wasn’t me! I clearly mentioned it in my letter.”

“Yes.” Alexander gave a nod and casually revealed, “It was the man named Romulus Atkinson. Someone assasina–”

“What are you saying?” Everard was totally shocked when he heard that name.

“Umm…” Thinking that Everard might believe King Caspian to be the one behind that culprit’s murder, he quickly said, “That man was assassinated before we could confront him. I mean, when we found out that that man was behind the attack, he was already dead.”

“Yeah, no…” Everard closed his eyes and mumbled in utter confusion, “I know that he is dead. But… are you sure that the information that you just gave me is a hundred percent true?”