Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

"The angel of death."

​"Oh, unfortunately, this is no work of Azrael, but of someone we all know," Arianna said, trying not to be distracted by his attempts at humor. She gestured toward Alara’s pale throat. "Look carefully. You might not have seen mine, but these are the exact same marks I had on my neck. I wanted Eira to come in and see them too."

​"I get it now. Let me call her in for a second," Ragnar said, stepping toward the tent flap. He called out to Eira, who reluctantly entered the dim space. "Come check this out for your mistress."

​Eira walked nervously to the bedside, keeping her eyes low. "Your Highness."

​"Take a look at these marks on Alara’s neck. Don’t they look familiar?" Arianna asked, watching her maid closely.

​Eira leaned down, staring at the faint, dark bruises in confusion for a few seconds before her eyes went wide. "They... they look exactly like the ones on your neck that night! My lady, look at the bruising on her cheek as well—it’s the exact size and shape of a man’s fingers."

​"Thank you for the observation, Eira," Arianna said softly, turning her gaze back to her brother-in-law. "The culprit has a distinct pattern when he attacks his victims. He tried to choke her, slapped her and then struck her head against a rock or a tree..."

​"I am sorry you went through all of that," Ragnar interrupted gently, noticing the sheen of tears brimming in her eyes. "You shouldn’t cry, Queen Arianna. You don’t look sweet when you weep...I almost mistook you for Samantha for a second."

​Arianna let out a watery chuckle, a single tear slipping past her lashes and trailing down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly before composing herself. "Kane told me last night that he gave Alara a crucial piece of evidence...something that could lead straight to the killer. And only hours later, this happens to her. What do you think that means?"

​"It means she was silenced before she could bring that evidence to light," Ragnar said grimly, looking down at Alara’s quiet, unconscious form. "I can’t believe anyone in this camp would hurt her... she has always been so gentle."

"I am afraid the killer doesn’t care about that," Arianna murmured quietly.

​"So how are we going to find this killer?" Ragnar asked, drawing the blanket up to cover Alara’s chest, where faint patches of dried blood still stained her pale skin. "We can’t let him continue to do as he pleases. But do not worry, Queen Arianna. This is on us to handle now... you have already tried your best."

​"I think I have already found him," came her soft, measured reply.

​Ragnar froze, blinking at her in sheer disbelief. She was full of surprises today. "Go ahead then. Tell me, Your Highness."

​Arianna took a deep breath, bracing herself for his reaction. "It’s your uncle... Cassius."

​"You are joking, right?" Ragnar arched an eyebrow, searching her face before shaking his head. "Of course you are. First my mother and sister, and now Cassius? I think you just have a vendetta against my whole family today. Are you taking out your anger at Kane on us?"

​"No, I would never hurl such serious accusations at anyone out of spite," she told him firmly. "I am not your sister or your mother. They do that."

​Ragnar’s posture stiffened, his jaw tightening as he took a step back toward the exit flap. "Maybe you don’t actually need my help after all."

​Eira quickly scrambled out of his path, pressing her back against the tent wall to give him room to pass.

​Arianna nearly gasped at how quickly the atmosphere had sourly shifted. He clearly had taken her jab at his mother and sister personally. Moving fast, she stepped directly into his path, blocking the exit.

​"Forgive me, Ragnar. I didn’t mean it like that—it was a bad joke," she said earnestly, holding up her hands in peace. "Please, stay."

"You just called my entire family a bunch of criminals and murderers. Why should I help you? For all you know, I might be just like them."

​"I know for sure you aren’t like them," Arianna insisted, shaking her head as she looked up at him with unyielding earnestness. "You are different, Ragnar. That is the exact reason I came to you for help."

​"Yet you keep hurling accusations at my blood."

​"I am sorry, and I promise not to do it again," Arianna apologized, holding his gaze in the hope that her sincerity would reach him. She knew Ragnar often made self-deprecating jokes about his family’s chaotic nature, but hearing an outsider state those dark truths so bluntly clearly hit a sore spot. "But I am not lying, Ragnar. Deep down in your heart, you know I’m not."

​Ragnar paused, turning his head toward the silent maid shrinking into the shadows near the corner. "What about you, servant girl? What do you think? Is the Queen right?"

​Eira’s lips parted, but not a single sound escaped her throat. She simply stared back at him in sheer, wide-eyed terror, completely paralyzed by his sudden attention.

​"See? She agrees with me," Arianna jumped in quickly, taking advantage of the silence.

​"I don’t think she does," Ragnar muttered, though his tone had lost its sharp edge. He looked back down at Arianna. "If you are telling the truth... why haven’t you taken this directly to Kane?"

​"Are you even hearing yourself?" Arianna countered, her voice dropping into a desperate whisper. "You could barely stomach hearing it from me just now...why on earth would Kane believe me over his closest friend of thirty years?"

​"That’s... fair," Ragnar admitted, running a heavy palm over his face. The whole situation sounded completely unhinged, yet against his better judgment, he found himself instinctively trusting the Queen’s instincts over his own kin.

​"Cassius knows the truth about Ethan and me," Arianna added, her eyes darkening with apprehension. "It would be reckless to accuse him before the King without absolute proof. What if Kane demands evidence I don’t have, and Cassius turns my secrets against me first?"

"A good point. Let’s focus on the missing items for now, and I will investigate Cassius quietly as well," Ragnar told her, taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts. "Hopefully, Alara will wake up by this afternoon to tell us exactly what happened."

​"Alright. What do you need me to do?"

​"Find the missing necklace."

​"How is that possible? It’s missing," Arianna said, her tone filled with utter disbelief. "I don’t even know what it looks like."

​"It’s simple," Ragnar explained, leaning in closer. "Start by checking your own tent, and then check the quarters of anyone you’ve befriended since arriving."

​"I only have Maria and Eira," Arianna admitted, a sudden wave of isolation washing over her as she realized just how few allies she truly had in the pack.

​Ragnar paused, looking at her with genuine pity. "Wait... you have no one else in the entire tribe?"

​"Do you have friends?" Arianna shot back defensively. "I haven’t seen you hanging around anyone either."

​"I have people I talk to... at least," he muttered, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

​Arianna shook her head with a faint, wry smile. He was just as lonely as she was. But just as she was about to turn to leave, a memory flickered in her mind—the one person outside the immediate royal family with whom she had shared a genuine moment.

​"Astrid..." Arianna whispered.

​Ragnar’s brows furrowed in complete confusion. "Astrid? That’s my father’s wife."

​"We got along surprisingly well during our first meeting," Arianna insisted, her mind racing. "If someone was trying to hide evidence or plant something near me, that’s a connection they might exploit."

​"Now you have a lead," Ragnar said, his eyes darkening as he glanced toward the tent entrance. "We had better move quickly... the sun will be up any moment now, and my mother’s search party will resume scanning the camp."

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