Chapter 120 - No Other Choice...

Marquess Sullivan Samed choked when he noticed the piece of paper that was being waved around in the hand of the King of Rosenhyde.

'That's….' He froze in his place when he recognized the paper.

Last night when he had been preparing for the reports, he had used all the material he had collected from Yvonna as a reference.

'How did that end up in this folder?' He forced his mind to think back to how this grave mistake had occurred.

In his drowsy state, after he had completed the report all he did was rush to the bath as it was already sunrise and he would soon have to leave for the Royal Palace.

He had instructed his butler to arrange the papers in an orderly fashion and place them in the brand new folder that he had bought specifically for this meeting.

'Did he mix them up?' Marquess Samed wondered as he continued staring at the paper.

The ministers had now finished reading the report that the Marquess had submitted before the King.

Since they had been paying attention to the report, they failed to hear what King Ophire had spoken in connection with the daughter of the St. Claire family.

Sullivan sighed when he noticed their oblivious expressions and looked at the King with apprehensions evident in his eyes.

Being the ruler of the land, he was skilled enough to gauge the body language of the people he came in contact with.

Right now, the air around this silver-haired man was one of reluctance and trepidation.

"Leave us. I wish to speak to the Marquess in private." King Ophire commanded as he turned his gaze to his ministers.

Though they were stunned for a second, the five men nodded readily and began moving in the opposite direction as one of them clutched the report tight in his hand.

Ophire Rosenhyde let out a chuckle when he saw this childish behavior of these old and wise men.

Duke Brodie has stayed back as he had always done and alternated his gaze between the two men.

'Him too?' King Ophire noticed the reluctant appearance on Sullivan Samed's face and let out another sigh.

"You too, Maldock." He mentioned which brought out a startled expression from his right-hand man.

Whatever it was that Marquess Samed was hesitant upon speaking was what had attracted the King's attention and he wished to know what it was without fail.

If he had to send away his right-hand man to get this information then he was willing to do so.

This order from the King made Maldock Brodie feel sullen but he did not complain as it was still the order from his King.

Bowing his head to the man seated on the throne, he shot a leering glance at the man who seemed to have caused this sudden change in King Ophire's behavior.

Unknown to what was going on in the King's mind, Sullivan stood still as he watched the men leaving the room one after the other.

Once the door to the Throne room was closed, leaving the two men inside, Ophire glanced at the Royal Tutor.

"So what was it that has made you perspire as much as you have?" He inquired as he pointed his finger at Sullivan's glistening forehead.

The beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead were proof of the anxiety he was feeling right now.

The fact that the King knew of his nervousness was only causing him to drip sweat more than what he had done before.

'How should I answer his questions!?' Sullivan cried out in his heart.

He had made a promise to never mention that Yvonne was the one who had come up with the three-step plan.

A promise that he had kept until now but it appeared as though the same promise would soon be broken.

"I do not like to repeat myself, Marquess Samed." A mildly frustrated voice was heard in the room which echoed due to the large empty space in it.

'It is a simple question of yes or no so why is he taking such a long time to answer?' King Ophire narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man.

Sullivan's feet trembled when he heard this voice and he looked up at the King's face with the same fearful look in his eyes.

'Should I answer truthfully?' He pondered on what his next step should be.

He chuckled nervously and decided that stalling for time was the best he could do while his brain tried to come up with an appropriate answer.

"How did Your Majesty know that it was Miss St. Claire's paper?" Sullivan polled as he was curious how the King had figured that Yvonne was involved in this scenario.

This question brought King Ophire to chuckle once again as he held up the same paper in his hand.

"This right here!" He answered while taking a look at the lines scribbled on it.

Noticing the dumbfounded look on the Royal Tutor's face, Ophire shook his head as this meant that he had to explain further.

'He keeps shattering my view of him being the smartest man in the capital.' He remarked as he looked at him scornfully.

Sullivan had a feeling of deja vu when he saw the same disgusted expression that he had once seen from both Yvonne and the King.

"One glance and I can make out that the report and this paper were written by two different people." He revealed how he had made this deduction.

'Of course, my writing is elegant while that child still struggles to form a straight line.' Sullivan compared himself to his student.

Though she had a brilliant mind, she was still a child and her physical form had its limitations just like anyone else.

"Now that you know how I realized that the daughter of the St. Claire's family was involved… Will you explain further?" King Ophire smiled though that smile sent shivers running down Sullivan's spine.

'Can I not answer? I do not want to lie to this man!!' Sullivan felt like crying when he was put in this tough spot.

As though King Ophire had read what was inside the Marquess' mind, he narrowed his eyes as his smile widened.

"I hope that Marquess remembers that lying to your King will open doors that you never want to see what's inside." He casually mentioned and sat back on his throne.

Sullivan gulped when he realized that he was just threatened by the King.

'Looks like I have no other choice…' He reckoned as he straightened his back.