Chapter 228

228 A Small Misunderstanding

“What? As far as I can tell, you were doing just the opposite of what you were comm-” Jerome immediately widened his eyes when he realized that Lorenzo might have been talking about someone else who might have ordered him to make the King pass out.

In the very next moment, Jerome grabbed Lorenzo by his collar again and asked in a threatening growl, “Who ordered you to do this? Tell me right now!”

However, before Lorenzo could speak, Romulus came back again. He didn’t think twice before grabbing Lorenzo by his neck as if he was going to kill him right then and there.

A few gasps were heard from the others who were seeing the events unfolding. Some of them quickly scurried away from the balcony, while the others maintained the distance but eagerly watched the drama unfold.

Jerome grabbed Romulus’ wrist and tried to stop him from strangling Lorenzo. “Milord, please wait until I ask him a few questions. It looks like someone was behind what he did.”

Romulus scoffed and kept on trying hard to tighten his hold around Lorenzo’s neck. “Do you think this lowlife is speaking the truth? Now that he is cornered, he is simply trying to buy some time to escape the unavoidable punishment. Let me put an end to him before he spews some nonsense and wastes our time further.”

Lorenzo was suffocating a little. Thanks to Jerome gripping Romulus’ wrist, he wasn’t already dead. However, he felt his heart shattering into pieces and felt really betrayed when the alpha he worshipped tried to brush him off as if he was a mere fruit fly.

‘After everything I have done for you... is this how you want to thank me?’ Lorenzo thought to himself as his eyes got filled with tears.

He obviously didn’t expect the alpha to put his own reputation at risk and take all the blame. However, the alpha also didn’t need to belittle him so much just because he messed up once, that too for the very first time.

.....

Jerome was still holding onto Romulus’ wrist and was protesting, “Milord, please give me a minute. Just a minute will be enough. We have to make sure whether he was lying or not. The real culprit and his motives will never be found if he dies now.”

“He is obviously-”

Romulus was interrupted in the middle when they all suddenly heard Everard grumbling, “Argh! Why the hell are you all being so loud? Just let me sleep for heaven’s sake!”

Lorenzo instantly widened his eyes. When he had already given up hope about surviving the night, Everard’s voice awakened that hope in his heart again.

“Your M-Majesty!” he spoke even though he was choking.

The struggle with which Lorenzo spoke prompted Everard to force his eyes open. He was surprised to his core when he saw two men trying to strangle his friend. At the first glance, he thought that Jerome was also strangling Lorenzo.

He instantly raised his voice and demanded an explanation, “What the hell do you think you two are doing to my friend?”

Jerome immediately let go of his hold on Romulus’ hand.

Romulus also loosened his grip and replied to the King, “Nothing much, Your Majesty. He had risked your health by giving you too much to drink. That is why I was trying to discipline him a little.”

Everard already didn’t like Romulus that much. And now, this action made him hate Romulus even more.

He got up from his seat and pushed Romulus aside with his shoulder. He pulled Lorenzo up on his feet and then made him sit down on the chair.

He then turned to look at Romulus and then said in a calm but chilling voice, “He might be in your clan but he is a very close friend of mine. And I get to decide if what I drank was too much for me or not. So, you have no business poking your nose where it doesn’t belong Lord Romulus.”

Romulus looked around the balcony to see that a lot of people were watching them with great amusement. He felt greatly humiliated by the King. However, he couldn’t protest against what Everard just said. If he was to look at it from Everard’s perspective, then it was true that he was the one who was poking into someone else’s matter.

So, he simply bowed his head and then apologized while trying his best to maintain his composure, “I am extremely sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn’t have been so furious and tried to take the matters into my own hands.”

“That’s right.” Everard glared at Romulus and then added further, “And don’t you think that you can punish Lorenzo after he leaves my side. If I hear a complaint from him, then you and I are going to have a serious problem.”

“No, Your Highness.” Jerome stepped in between Everard and Romulus when he saw a few frown lines appearing on Romulus’ forehead. He looked at the King, who was still looking tipsy, and then said, “Lord Romulus was simply trying to punish him because I was scolding your friend and then he thought that he was responsible for the action of his clan member.”

“It wasn’t his fault for trying to take matters into his own hand when I was about to punish Lorenzo myself.” Jerome took Romulus’ side because he didn’t want the alpha and the King to begin hating each other because of a small misunderstanding.

Everard frowned at Jerome and asked in a harsh tone, “You were trying to punish Lorenzo? Why would you even do that? Did he do anything wrong?”

Jerome sighed and looked down because there was no way Everard was going to listen to his reasoning while he still wasn’t in the right state of his mind.

But he still tried to clarify himself, “We had a disagreement on something. And to me, it looked like he was deliberately trying to make you drunk. So, I was enraged by him. I apologize for losing my calm. I should have tried to talk it out calmly rather than lashing out and attracting the alpha’s attention.”

Everard held his head and heaved a sigh. His head was spinning and hurting from drinking too much and he was unable to properly comprehend what Jerome said to him. So, for now, he simply dismissed Jerome, “Tell me everything in detail later on. For now, just leave us alone.”

Jerome looked at Lorenzo. The kid looked smug because Everard was taking his side. He didn’t want to leave the King alone with him because he was sure that the sly kid would brainwash the King into believing his side of the story.

However, he was forced to leave when Everard kept on glaring at him.

Romulus also followed Jerome because he didn’t want to keep on staying at the place where he wasn’t welcome.

And while climbing down the stairs, Jerome apologized to Romulus on Everard’s behalf, “Please don’t take whatever he said to your heart. He is still drunk. I am sure he will understand your point of view later on.”

“I am sure.” Romulus smiled. But in his heart, he thought, ‘I will make sure to humiliate you and take my revenge, Everard. Just you wait.’