Brooke's Priority
Chapter 37's
“An issue as important as what made you come here?” Carlo looked at Levin with a flat face as Levin bowed respectfully to him.
Carlo could not warmly welcome Levin's arrival because he knew there was a very urgent matter that made Levin come to his palace.
“More precisely an important information,” Levin stepped up and directly sat on a sofa in Carlo's room. He stretched out one of his hands on the back of the sofa and lifted his head up. Look at Carlo's ceiling. Shortly after, Carlo sat across from Levin, folding his hands to his chest.
“Say,” order Carlo.
Levin stopped looking at the ceiling and looked back at Carlo while closing his hands. “Gordon Ficsher's. The man has evidence that Shaeviro planned your mother's murder.”
Carlo's face hardened. “Proof?”
“Obviously I don't know what kind of evidence it is,” Levin glanced at Carlo's clenched hand. “But I chose to trust this information. We've long guessed that Shaeviro was the one who poisoned your mother.”
Carlo learns Levin accidentally saw Shaeviro poison him first. It happened while Levin was still hiding in the Palace and had not found a place to live after being released by Carlo from prison.
“So the man is still alive?”
Levin shook his head. “Someone is very sure he is still alive.”
“Who?”
“Shaeviro,” Levin takes a quick breath. “And Brooke.”
Levin noticed Carlo's facial features as he mentioned Brooke's name. Just as he could hide the look of his surprised face while reading the paper Brooke had given him, Carlo could also mask the change in expression on his face. Levin couldn't tell Carlo where Brooke got the information from because Brooke explained it before Levin could ask and Levin chose to trust Brooke.
“He offered me a job. He wanted me to come with him on the way through Sebenius Forest. He wants to find Gordon Fichser.”
“Penetrate that dangerous forest? He wants to start a war?”
“He said Shaeviro was the one who would start the war sooner or later. He thinks the same thing we worry about.”
Carlo breathed a rough sigh. “So he wants to sacrifice a lot of lives to prevent Shaeviro?”
“I admit he doesn't take many things into account,” Levin said. “Very risky and I don't agree with him either.”
Carlo seemed a little relieved to see Levin not defending Brooke. “We have to change our plans.”
“Sure. Before that, you should know he supports you to ascend the throne,” explains Levin. “He wants you to be King and Gordon replaces Shaeviro.”
“He did it for me?”
Levin would not want to nod slowly. Brooke had made him happy because with an annoyed face he said he would not like Carlo and all that was just a rumor. Levin had heard the rumors, too. Unfortunately, he did not see the situation directly. All that seems to Levin after that is Brooke wanting to do everything for the Carlo he loves.
The rumors may be true.
Levin. Until now, Levin knew Brooke would only love Carlo.
“Try considering my new plan,” Levin's advice. “You better get engaged to Brooke than Grace. Our plans can remain the same, it's just that they swap roles.”
Carlo recalls the time when Brooke chose to take poison secretly and leave money for Levin, then drink it in Lucas' place. Brooke was that kind of person to protect his loved ones. Although Carlo did not admit it in person, he was also astonished by Brooke's face staring at him at the dance. Carlo wonders if Brooke is so hurt that he chose to take Grace with him. Then, Carlo suddenly wondered if he was much loved by Brooke until it crossed the woman's mind to travel north.
“Better to make a deal with him,” Carlo said confidently. “Enemies can be friends of origin have one purpose.”
“He is not an enemy,” rebut Levin. “He's the one who wants to save you.”
“I didn't ask to be saved by him,” Carlo snorted in annoyance. “We want to kill him so we are his enemy. But an enemy like him has the same goal as us. Getting rid of Shaeviro.”
“What deal will you make with him?”
“Deal to bring Gordon back south.”
Levin looked at Carlo with a serious look. “You agree to start the war?”
“Do not think badly. I'm just trying to save more lives in the future.”
Levin closed his eyes and stared at his forehead. “I prefer the old way. Nor do we know Gordon is alive or not.”
“We must try to trust his belief. In addition, Brooke definitely has a way to get through the forest and avoid attention in the north.”
“You are so sure of him,” Levin insinuated Carlo. “Since when did you trust him?”
Carlo just smiled. He felt Levin was jealous of him. Levin may be honest with her about all the information she gets about Brooke but Levin is never honest about his feelings for Brooke. Even when Carlo orders Levin to kill Brooke, his friend disagrees and seeks another plan. Carlo guessed Levin did it to make Brooke live longer. However, Carlo never doubted Levin's loyalty to him. He lets Levin break his orders as long as he still sticks to their original purpose.
“I don't trust him. I'll just make a deal that's more of a threatening nature.”
“Threatening?”
Carlo has decided to show Brooke his real face.
“We have to let him know that it wasn't Shaeviro who wanted to kill Lucas but me. If he fails to bring Shaeviro, then Grace will be killed and if she succeeds they will both survive.”
“He will strike you back,” Levin said. To be honest, Levin was afraid that Brooke would be sad when he found out the truth and that also jeopardized Carlo's position.
“He won't do it.”
“She can do it.”
“I am still the Crown Prince of this Kingdom,” Carlo gazes into Levin's eyes. “The king would have been happy if the daughter of the Duke Cohenherb family had accused her non-no child. He could make that a reason to lower Duke's credibility.”
“You made him have no choice.”
“That's what I want,” Carlo smiles happily. “Come on when I made a deal with Brooke.”
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