Reborn I Refuse To Save The Traitors (Margaery) novel Chapter 157

**TITLE: Whispers Shape Distant Tomorrows by Aren Cole Vale**

**Chapter 157**

The weight of regret settled heavily on Joshua’s shoulders as he absorbed the gravity of the situation.

With a grimace, he spoke, “But voicing this now is already too late. Margaery has departed from the Chancellor’s estate. Our only option left is to eliminate her first.”

His gaze hardened as he turned to Raul, a flicker of ruthlessness igniting in his eyes.

“Considering her current stance towards the Chancellor’s estate, if she successfully allies herself with someone, it will only spell disaster for us.”

His heart raced with a chilling thought. “Only through Margaery’s demise can we hope to restore the status quo.”

His pupils dilated slightly, a surge of murderous intent coursing through him.

Raul regarded him with a contemplative look.

“Logically, that makes sense,” he replied slowly, weighing the implications.

“But the question remains: who should be the one to carry out this act?”

Raul’s brow furrowed as he delved deeper into the matter. “Prince Dashnell has placed a highly skilled fighter by her side. Regular individuals would stand no chance against her.”

He sighed, the gravity of their predicament weighing on him. “Moreover, we cannot afford a failure. If we botch this and the King conducts a thorough investigation, we will be implicated in the assassination of the Star of Fortune, jeopardizing the fate of our nation. The consequences would be catastrophic.”

Raul rubbed his temples, frustration evident in his posture. “The assassination of Margaery must be executed flawlessly, leaving no trace behind.”

“Someone from the martial world must take on this task,” he concluded, his voice resolute. “That would ensure a greater level of safety.”

With a determined look, Raul turned to Joshua and proposed, “Here’s the plan. You will draft a letter and send it to Lakeburgh. Let the people there handle this.”

He continued, “Although Clyde’s six masters may not be as formidable as the Thirteen Shades of Stormshade Hall, they are more than capable of dealing with the guards at Prince Dashnell’s residence.”

Raul’s eyes gleamed with a calculated glint. “Additionally, through them, we can engage assassins from the martial world.”

“This way, once Margaery is dead, even if the King orders a thorough investigation, those martial world assassins will vanish without a trace, making them impossible to track.”

After all, what would be the point of an investigation after the Star of Fortune had been eliminated?

If the truth were to surface, could the nation’s fate ever be mended?

Raul scoffed at the thought.

Joshua nodded vigorously in agreement, urgency propelling him as he hurried to pen a letter to Sullivan of Lakeburgh.

Once he released the carrier pigeon, he returned to find Raul, just as Tessa re-entered the scene.

A flicker of nervousness crossed her face, and after a quick exchange of glances with Mark and Halle, she dashed into the study.

Even before stepping inside, she called out, “Father, how are you? When I arrived, Mark was not home. I waited, but it got so late. The wound on your back…”

Pushing the door open, Tessa’s eyes widened as she took in Raul’s condition, her gaze moistening with unshed tears.

It was clear she struggled to find the words to express her concern.

Moments later, Halle and Mark entered, and Raul fixed Mark with a scrutinizing look. “Where have you been? Why did you wait until now?”

His mind flickered back to the blood recognition ritual, and a surge of murderous intent bubbled up within him.

Though Margaery had fled, the secret of her not being a true daughter of the Wallen family must never see the light of day. If it did, the ambitions of his faction and Marcus would be laid bare for all to see.

The King would grow suspicious and would undoubtedly take action against him.

Thus, with Mark present tonight, he could not be allowed to leave.

This was precisely why Raul hadn’t stopped Tessa when she mentioned seeking out Mark. It wasn’t merely about wanting Mark to tend to the injury.

After all, Dashnell had attacked him openly, and there was no sense in trying to conceal that fact.

The crux of the matter was that Mark needed to be kept here tonight.

Unbeknownst to him, Mark, in his innocence, even aided Tessa in covering her tracks.

“Lord Chancellor, my mother fell this afternoon, and I went to check on her. I lost track of time and didn’t expect you to be hurt. I truly apologize.”

As he spoke, he set down the medicine box and stepped forward to assist with the injury.

The moment the shards of porcelain were pulled from Raul’s back, pain shot through him, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead. He wished he could pin Mark down and unleash his frustrations, but all he could do was bite down on a pen, stifling his cries.

Thus, he remained silent, enduring the agony in grim acceptance.

Tessa’s heart raced as she recognized Russell’s voice.

Caught up in the day’s events at the Minister’s estate, she had neglected to discuss the matter of Russell’s assassination with Callum.

Now, he burst in, and she braced herself for whatever chaos he would unleash.

As tension mounted, Russell stormed into the room.

Before Tessa could react, he raised his hand and struck her.

“Tessa Wallen, you liar, you wretch! It was you at the Hadley family today who orchestrated the slander against Margaery’s innocence, wasn’t it?”

“Today, just watch me make you pay!”

Russell seized Tessa by the collar, his eyes blazing with fury, and slapped her twice before tossing her aside like a rag doll.

Caught off guard, Tessa fell to the ground, shock registering on her face as she struggled to comprehend his accusations.

“Russell, what are you talking about? I can’t make sense of any of this!”

Feigning ignorance, she sought refuge behind Joshua, her voice trembling. “Joshua, what’s wrong with Russell? Why did he start hitting me the moment he walked in?”

Tessa wore a mask of innocence, but internally, she was a bundle of nerves.

Earlier, during her time at the Hadley family, she had let slip a crucial detail in her haste. If Russell began spouting more baseless accusations, it could lead to disastrous consequences.

Joshua, noticing Tessa’s face rapidly swelling from the slaps, felt a surge of pity for her.

He stepped in, determined to put an end to Russell’s madness.

“Stop! What kind of insanity is this? The incident at the Minister’s estate was instigated by Margaery herself. What does it have to do with Tessa?”

That was the truth!

Tessa nodded vigorously, hoping to convince them both. Russell had no evidence to back his claims.

As long as Joshua believed her…

With that thought, Tessa hid behind Joshua and began to cry, “Joshua, don’t blame Russell either. Perhaps he was misled by outsiders and misunderstood me.”