Brooke's Priority
Chapter 25's
Levin looked at himself in the mirror. He seemed to raise next to his eyebrows. “I have to kill Brooke during hunting?”
In the mirror was the image of another person standing while folding both hands. “I still disagree.” Levin then glanced at Carlo's shadow with the tip of his eyeball. Carlo just smiled.
“He's getting more and more similar to his Dad. I hate that.”
“That's because they are indeed family.”
“Family yes?” Carlo snorted in annoyance. He hates that word so much and Levin knows why he hates it.
Levin spins back the memories of seeing the King of the Morrow Kingdom for the first time. Cruel and greedy is a word that is suitable to describe it. No wonder Charles hated his King father and his younger brother, Prince Harville, who looked more and more like their father. Both were not siblings, Charles' mother was the previous Queen who died from the same poison as that drunk by Carlo.
“Better to kill Grace Cohenherb,” Levin's advice.
“He didn't give much influence.”
“Good.”
Levin succumbed to the debate then saw Carlo leave after he agreed to his request. Levin let out a long sigh and took the dagger from a drawer.
“Why is he so stupid,” muttered Levin quietly. “I'm so reminded of that damn shoe.”
It's dark. Brooke and I were walking in the market.
Brooke's eyes were interested in observing a shop that sold children's shoes.
“Shoes with ribbon? You like something like this?”
Brooke nodded.
He made me smile. “But this is for kids.”
“I know.”
Brooke seemed to want it very much.
I asked the price of the shoes.
“Why did you buy this?”
She feels bad for me.
“I have money,” I said. “Actually what do you like about yellow shoes with this long ribbon?”
I looked at the shoes seriously. There's nothing interesting about that ugly thing.
“I used to wear it,” Brooke smiled. “That time Prince Carlo tied a ribbon on my shoe. Butterfly-shaped ribbon knot.”
I don't know why I'm suddenly upset.
“Prince Carlo? You like her?”
“Ya.”
I'm upset.
Levin sighed again. He kept the dagger and walked out of his room.
Upon entering the Tasi Forest, Levin stalked Brooke on horseback with Lucas and Alex. Levin walked away and saw another hunting group. He pulled out his sword and gave them a cut on his back.
“Take it easy, you will not die from this wound,” Levin said calmly behind the hood that covered his face.
As expected, Lucas separated from Brooke. A chance to take Brooke away. Levin did it as he planned.
“I want to kill you.”
Levin watched Brooke's face. He doesn't look scared.
Levin then says he's going to push Brooke into the abyss. He started to think I was serious about what I said.
Brooke asks who gave Levin the order. The person you liked long ago. That jerk was Carlo.
Levin sees Brooke begging to be left alive. Then why did you decide to drink that poison, you idiot!
Levin finally decides to tell Brooke. He always makes my heart wobble.
“Josephine Spitz.”
Levin gave me one name. “Lucas loves daughter of Shaeviro Spitz.”
“What?” Brooke's eyes widened. “Don't tell me, my brother is courting secretly with him.”
Brooke looked at Levin in disbelief and said again, “You were told to kill Lucas because Josephine and I knew about it. I asked you to give me the poison. In order to protect Lucas and you, I drank it.”
“You bought it.”
Levin still regrets the day Brooke accidentally saw him stalking Josephine. That day was the beginning of a series of uncomfortable feelings that she felt for months. According to Levin, only Brooke could recognize him right away wherever he was.
Levin. “You left a stack of gold coins and told me to go start a new life.”
Brooke looked dumbfounded at Levin's explanation.
“I stole it yes.”
Levin saw Brooke pressing his temple. “Wah, Lucas has gone crazy.”
“Lucas?” Levin looked in wonder. “Aren't you the crazy one to sacrifice yourself for Lucas for not wanting to separate them?”
Levin still remembers when Brooke forced him to deliver the poison. Brooke does not want Levin considered not doing his duty and killed. On the other hand, Brooke did not want anything to happen to Lucas. When Levin insists on banning him, Brooke says he will do anything for Lucas' happiness. He had no intention of separating them.
“He's crazy,” cried Brooke annoyed. “There are many women in this world. What happened to Shaeviro's daughter? He's going to kill me, huh?”
“You changed,” Levin said as if amazed. “You said something similar to what I said first.”
“It means we're one thought now.”
“I think the poison affects the contents of your head.”
Brooke ignored Levin's words just now. “I can't allow this. Can't.”
“You want to separate them?”
“Which is possible,” replied Brooke firmly. “It's not as easy as pouring a glass into Josephine's face and asking her to break up with my sister. Feelings of love in difficult or opposed circumstances usually that will last a long time but the reality is mostly always tragic.”
“I don't understand.”
“You're too young,” Brooke clenched her hands. “This pisses me off so much now.”
“I'm the same age as Lucas.”
Unaccepting, Levin pulls Brooke's hand to make him focus on Levin. “You didn't forget I came here to kill you?”
Brooke nodded. “You can't kill me yet. We have to meet again so I can grant your wish.”
He asked me to think about it to buy time. The offer is not bad.
“Good.” Levin kissed Brooke's palm. “I will look forward to that time.”
“Thank you.”
Levin smiled seeing Brooke breathing a sigh of relief. “You thanked the person who wanted to kill you?”
“You haven't killed me.”
“You're right.”
Levin stood up and reached out to Brooke. Brooke greeted the helping hand with an ordinary face. Levin then said, “I hope you can find a way out without meeting a beast.”
Levin brought his face closer to Brooke. “Cautious.”
Levin kissed Brooke's right cheek.
The day after the hunting event, Carlo opened the door of the basement where Levin was and looked at Levin with an unhappy look.
“He's alive,” said Carlo.
“He misunderstood. He thinks the one who gave me the order is Shaeviro.”
Levin lets Brooke think that Shaeviro is behind the attempted murder of Lucas. Just as before Brooke lost his memory, Levin remembers Brooke suspecting the same person. As if knowing something was terribly wrong with that sly advisor. What Brooke really knows is still troubling Levin's mind.
“He remembers something?” carlo asked suspiciously. “You must kill him before it becomes a problem.”
Carlo pulled out a chair and sat down next to Levin. “He will bother me like Lucas.”
“We leave them alone,” cetus Levin. “Killing both will also be suspicious. There are better plans to get rid of Shaeviro and Duke simultaneously.”
Carlo's original plan was to destroy Shaeviro. He gets engaged to Josephine and gets Josephine stuck in a situation like she wants to kill Carlo. That way, Shaeviro can be eliminated. The plan runs the risk of Shaeviro acting to kill Carlo first, but Levin has vowed to prevent it from happening.
“Bet engaged to Grace. The king will not be able to oppose it.”
The king was not particularly fond of Duke Cohenherb who had more supporters than his followers and Shaeviro.
“From the beginning, my father didn't want to give him the title Duke. Especially mess with him.”
“We don't need your Father's opinion,” Levin continued with great emphasis. “Bet engaged to Grace and spread rumors that Brooke is jealous of your engagement. Poison Grace and accuse Brooke. I'll take care of Brooke as if he killed himself.”
Levin wanted to give himself more time. Time to be with Brooke.
“I see you mean,” Carlo smiles satisfied. “New rumors appear and Shaeviro will be the most responsible person of the sad event. That way, I can get rid of two big influences at once and make their followers have no choice but to side with me.”
*****