Chapter 489

Seeing that they had drunk almost enough wine, Curtis gave Frieda a meaningful look. He said, "The Prince Regent is drunk. Frieda, quickly help the prince inside to rest." Frieda looked reluctant, but after thinking about something, she obediently supported Ansel. As she passed by Curtis, a small medicine bottle was slipped into her hand.

Curtis’s ambition made Frieda feel sick to her stomach. He actually wanted his own daughter to climb into Prince Regent’s bed. Supporting Ansel, she left with him and helped him into the room. She tentatively patted Ansel’s face. He kept his eyes shut and did not move. “My lord? My lord?” Frieda called twice more to test him, but there was still no response.

Seeing that Ansel was truly unconscious, Frieda shoved him onto the bed. She raised her sleeve and wiped the sweat off her face, her eyes full of loathing. Her eyes showed disgust. "To please you, my father is willing to send his own daughter to your bed. If you die, I’ll be free." She took out the dagger hidden in her sleeve and aimed it at Ansel’s chest, ready to stab. But after thinking about it, she let go of the dagger. Killing the Prince Regent would spell the end for Aeridon. The King would never spare Aeridon. He would surely send troops to wipe out Curtis Manor. Frieda walked behind the screen and came out dressed as a servant boy. She quietly opened the door and slipped out. In the shadows, Athena and Xander were utterly baffled. Xander said, "She didn’t take the opportunity to get into his bed?" Athena slowly shook her head. "She’s been pampered since childhood. How could she willingly become anyone’s concubine? I think she is going to run away." As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Frieda bring a ladder and climb onto the wall. Then Athena’s face went pale. The wall she was climbing over led straight into Athena’s own courtyard. Frieda wanted to run away and actually wanted to take her with her.

Xander frowned, looked at Frieda, and then at Athena. He gasped. "How did I not know that my wife was so attractive?" She replied, "It was an accident." Athena started to push Xander. "I’ve already drugged everyone in the mansion. They’re all asleep now. You go to Curtis’s study to find the account books." Xander grabbed her wrist. "Together." Athena asked, "What about Frieda?" "She’ll be watched." Without any explanation, Xander pulled Athena into Curtis’s study. All of Curtis’s secrets were hidden here. The account books would be too. The western wing courtyard was unnervingly quiet. Even the insects seemed to be holding their breath. Xander crept to the study’s porch and tapped three times on the wooden pillar. A thin wire sprang out from a gap between the bricks. He took the wire and probed the lock while Athena held up a small firestone hidden in her sleeve. She noticed the copper bells coiled around the window frame and was secretly impressed. Curtis truly was cautious. The wire was connected to the copper bell. Anyone touching the window would trigger the entire courtyard’s alarm bells. When that happened, every guard in the compound would swarm in, and whoever had entered this courtyard would not live to see dawn. With a light click, the door lock opened. They slipped into the study, greeted by the thick scent of aged ink. Xander already knew Curtis’s habits after these days of observation, so he had a fair understanding of the study’s layout. He scanned the room, heading straight for the rosewood bookshelf against the wall. His fingers slid along the third row of books, and suddenly a small copper compartment popped open. Inside were three neatly stacked account books. Just as Athena was about to grab them, Xander stopped her hand, tapping the hidden compartment’s side panel. "Too easy. Something’s wrong." He pulled out the thickest book and flipped it open to the middle. Sure enough, a folded sheet of xuan paper fell out from between the pages. When they opened it, it revealed the location of an iron mine.

Chapter 480

So Curtis had been playing both sides. He pretended to cooperate with the court while secretly trading with neighboring states. He had been secretly selling the Grand Luminary Empire’s iron ore to the enemy and pocketing the profit. “Old fox, you really are cunning. Those three account books were indeed fake.” Xander tucked the map into his robe and was about to gather the account books as well when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the courtyard wall. Athena immediately blew out the fire stone, and the two hid in the shadows behind the bookshelf. The door was pushed open violently, and Curtis barged in with two guards. Still reeking of wine, he slapped the desk. "Bring me that black ledger. I need to check today’s accounts." Athena was secretly surprised. She had added a tranquilizing powder to the water, but she didn’t expect that Curtis could still be so sober after drinking it. In the shadows, Xander held down Athena’s hand as she reached for a hidden weapon, and slowly gripped the short knife at his waist with the other hand. Through the gap in the bookshelf, he saw Curtis’s guard reaching for the hidden compartment. Curtis’s face was flushed red, and he hiccupped from the alcohol. He looked dazedly at the booklet, shaking his head to try and clear his mind. The guard groped in the compartment, then his face changed. "Your Highness, the account book in the hidden compartment has been touched!" The prince sobered instantly and staggered to the bookshelf. His fingers rummaged wildly in the hidden compartment. "Impossible. Who could have the skill to…" Before he finished, he saw the faint residue of crushed firestone near the secret compartment. His pupils shrank violently. "Someone broke in!" Curtis stared intently at the back of the bookshelf. The dim light kept him from seeing clearly, but his instincts screamed someone was here, hiding inside the study. The guards drew their swords and thrust toward the bookshelf. Curtis suddenly took out a copper whistle from his waist, the sharp whistle piercing the night sky, and the entire mansion instantly resounded with the sound of footsteps rising and falling. Xander yanked Athena toward the inner room, knocking over a table as they went. The guards dodged, and Xander seized the chance to slash through the cords holding up a wall scroll. With a crash, the scroll fell, revealing a hidden door behind it.

Chapter 489

“Get in!” He shoved Athena through the secret door, then turned back to parry the guard’s strike. Athena felt along the wall and found the trigger mechanism, twisting hard. The door swung open, and she reached out to pull Xander inside. The door closed again, blocking the guards outside. This mechanism could only be activated once a day. If forced open again, the entire tunnel would collapse. The two of them sprinted down the narrow secret passage, the damp air carrying a metallic, bloody smell. As they ran past the third corner, the sound of dragging chains suddenly came from ahead. Athena lit a torch from the wall and found an iron gate at the passage’s end. Faint sobbing came from beyond the bars. “Let me out, let me out, Curtis, you will die a horrible death…” Xander knocked on the iron door with the scabbard and said in a deep voice, "Who is inside?" The person inside didn’t seem to expect that someone would come. He rushed to the door happily, facing the hole that was only the size of a fist. He said eagerly, "I am the bookkeeper of the Aeridon Posthouse, and I was imprisoned here by Curtis. Who are you?"