Chapter 81 - 081: The Cabinet

Rylan stood quietly for a moment before finally explaining what had happened.

"My dear brother Zane attacked me because he wanted the position of Lord," he said.

Anaria listened without interrupting.

"He thought killing me would remove the only person standing between him and the position. I managed to survive the attack, but I was badly injured."

Anaria’s expression tightened "So the dark wolf those beastmen described..."

Rylan looked at hern"What dark wolf?"

Anaria briefly explained how they had met the three corrupted beastmen and what they had told her.

Rylan’s face became serious "If they were attacked by a dark wolf, it could have been Zane."

Anaria nodded "That is what I thought."

Rylan continued.

"I stayed away from Wolfrine because I didn’t know who was loyal to him. I was injured and had no way of knowing whether returning would put me in even greater danger."

"So how did the cabinet find you?" Kenai asked.

Rylan looked toward the council members "They found me when I was in ravenfall, they were the one that took me away from you guys"

One of the council members nodded "We had been searching for you."

Rylan gave them a stern look " That doesn’t mean you have to forcefully kidnapped someone"

Anaria looked at him "But how did they knew that you were in Ravenfall "

"I don’t know"

"And they kept you hidden?"

Rylan nodded "They believed Zane would finish what he started if he discovered I had survived."

Anaria looked toward Zane.

He had remained unusually quiet while listening to them.

Rylan’s expression hardened "The cabinet wanted to protect me until they could remove Zane and restore me to my rightful position."

Kai frowned "So they wanted you to take the throne."

"Yes."

Rylan looked away "But I don’t want it."

Anaria stared at him "You don’t?"

"No."

His voice was firm "I know what Zane is capable of. If I take the position from him, he won’t simply accept it."

Rylan looked at Anaria and the baby.

"He’ll come after me and our family."

Then his eyes moved to Kenai and Kai.

" I don’t want to get you guys involved in my family drama, that’s why I hid the secret of my identity from everyone."

Anaria understood.

Rylan wasn’t afraid for himself.

He was afraid that becoming ruler would put the people he loved directly in Zane’s path.

"You think he’ll attack us because of you," Anaria said.

"I know he could." Rylan’s voice became quieter.

"I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you or the child because I decided to take the throne."

Anaria looked down at the baby.

The little one was awake, quietly moving against her chest.

She gently adjusted her position before looking back at Rylan "I understand why you’re afraid."

Rylan looked relieved for a moment "Then you understand why you need to leave."

Anaria did not answer immediately.

The system suddenly chimed in her mind.

[Primary Mission Reminder.]

[Save Your Husband.]

[Objective: Ensure Rylan’s safety and help him reclaim his rightful position.]

Anaria’s expression changed. She looked at Rylan.

Running away would keep them away from Zane for a while. But it would not solve the problem.

As long as Zane remained in power, Rylan would never truly be safe.

And neither would they.

Anaria looked at Rylan carefully "If we leave, what happens next?"

Rylan frowned "We find somewhere far away from Wolfrine."

"And Zane?" Rylan became quiet. "He won’t hurt you guys if I’m still here."

Anaria shook her head "That doesn’t solve anything."

Rylan stared at her "If we run, you’ll spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder," Anaria said. "You’ll always be afraid that Zane will find you."

Rylan looked toward the floor. Anaria stepped closer"You said the cabinet wants you to take back what belongs to you."

"I don’t want it."

"I know."

She reached for his hand "But wanting to avoid the throne doesn’t change the fact that Zane will remain a danger."

Rylan looked at her.

Anaria’s voice softened.

"You’re trying to protect us. I understand that."

She squeezed his hand "But you can’t protect us by running forever."

Kenai nodded "She has a point."

Rylan looked at him.

Kenai continued.

"If Zane already believes Rylan is dead, he may not stop looking for threats to his position. Running could only delay the problem."

Kai agreed.

"And if the council supports Rylan, then he isn’t facing this alone."

Rylan looked around the room.

The cabinet members remained silent, but none of them disagreed.

Anaria took a breath.

She knew this would not be easy.

She also knew the system had given her a clear mission.

She had to save Rylan.

And helping him reclaim his rightful position was part of that mission.

For the first time, Anaria realized that finding Rylan had only been the beginning.

Keeping him alive was one thing.

Helping him face Zane was another.

Rylan looked at her.

"You really won’t leave?"

Anaria shook her head.

"No."

He sighed.

"I was afraid you’d say that."

Anaria smiled slightly.

"You should know me by now."

Rylan gave a faint smile in return.

The baby suddenly made a small sound.

Anaria looked down.

"You’re awake again?"

She gently patted the child’s back.

Rylan watched them quietly.

His expression softened, but the worry remained in his eyes.

Anaria looked back at him.

"We don’t have to decide everything right now."

Rylan nodded.

"But we can’t simply run either," she added.

He knew she was right.

The cabinet had already chosen its rightful heir.

Zane had already taken the position.

And now that Rylan was alive, the conflict between them could no longer remain hidden forever.

Anaria looked toward the council.

"Then we need to find another solution."

Rylan nodded slowly.

For the first time since their reunion, he did not tell her to leave.

The decision had not been made yet.

But Anaria knew they had reached the point where running away would no longer solve the problem.

Whatever happened next, they would have to face it together.