Once Her Betrothed, Now Her Judge Chapter 08
[Gideon’s POV)
Winona lifted her gaze, her eyes full of guilt as she looked at me. She said, “I’m sorry, Gideon. I didn’t know. This has nothing to do with me. I’m a victim who was lied to as well.”
I met her eyes coldly and took a stack of papers that one of my trusted aides handed over. “Your Highness, there’s a lot you don’t know. Take a look at this.”
She took it, confused. The moment she looked through the letters, she froze. “H-How can this be…”
The empress scoffed at Winona’s expression. “You boast about your great contributions to the realm, yet you’ve been intimately involved with a spy from an enemy nation for five years. Is that your so-called loyalty?”
Winona simply couldn’t believe it, but every stroke of ink on every letter was painfully familiar to her. The letter contained all the military and civilian secrets Shane had funneled to the Horindean generals; there were even records of several city massacres he’d planned.
She grabbed the barely-breathing Shane by the collar, her face twisting manically. “Tell me this isn’t real. It’s fake, isn’t it?”
Realizing he was doomed, Shane dropped the act. “So what if I’m a spy? Didn’t we wed and consummate our marriage? Did I ever hurt you in any way? If not for the need to gather intelligence, do you really think I’d look twice at a foolish woman whose only concern is romance?”
His tone dripped with mockery and contempt. “If Gideon hadn’t risen in the army and beaten my people back from the passes, this little border city you govern would’ve been trampled long ago. Yet you, a delusional, arrogant fool, actually dreamt of having two men as your consorts. You’re pathetic and shameless.”
“You! How dare you, you wretch!” Winona’s vision went black; she almost fainted. “When you said you fled to Arva after your family fell on hard times, was that a lie, too? We raised a son together for five years. Was that and our relationship all just part of your plan?”
“Relationship? What sort of relationship could I possibly have with useless trash like you?” Shane’s eyes were full of disdain. “I’m a death steward trained by the Horindean army. There were never any ‘hard times’ to fall on.
“As for our son, I’ll kill a mere child without a second thought as long as the mission succeeds. Why would I care about him?”
Each word stabbed into Winona’s heart like a needle. All these years, the sense of pride and superiority she’d felt had turned out to be nothing but one elaborate scheme. Rage and grief crashed over her so violently that she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Gideon Ward, you truly are impressive.” Shane staggered back a few steps, moving to the edge of the city wall as he looked at me. “If our nations weren’t at war, you and I could’ve shared wine and talked strategy as equals. As an opponent, you are remarkable. But don’t fool yourself-you haven’t won!”
He let out a relieved smile. Then, he suddenly spread his arms and toppled backward off the wall.
At the same time, thick smoke billowed up in the distance. A massive cavalry unit was charging full speed toward the fortress. The Horindeans’ battle cries shook the earth.
“Kill the empress! Take the pass!”
My eyes widened sharply. Only then did I understand that Shane’s real goal had been to capture the empress, our sovereign.
“Gideon, I was wrong. Give me another chance. Come home with me, and we’ll get married immediately. From now on, you’re the only one I’ll love. I swear on my life!” Winona cried.
I kicked her aside after one look at the desperate, regretful look on her face. “There’s one thing Shane said before his death that was right. You really are nothing but a fool whose mind only has room for romance.”
I ordered my men to seize her. Then, I drew my sword in one clean motion and held it across my chest. “Protect Her Majesty. Form ranks and face the enemy!”
The dark mass of cavalry surged forward like a wave. Thanks to the information Shane had provided, the Horindeans skillfully avoided the mountains’ natural defenses and drove straight toward the pass
