Chapter 183: Dangerous Plan

"No! I lost enough men in the last war, and it lasted too long. I am not eager to be trapped in another war again. Especially when I can just take out the whole of Earndor."

Claude froze, and so did everyone else in the room. They knew there was no lie in the Queen’s words.

"Surely, Vilhelm knows it is ridiculous to go to war with me. I only held back at the chance that I might drown my daughter. I have no such reason to hold back now. I will wipe Earndor from the face of the earth."

"Mother," Maya softly called, and her mother squeezed her hand again but didn’t look at her.

"Your Majesty, please be reasonable."

"Hold your tongue, young man. I am being reasonable. If Vilhelm doesn’t bring war to my doorstep, I will not have to use force—or in this case, the ocean."

"You will kill innocents."

"Only if I am forced to."

Claude adjusted his coat again. He could tell there was nothing more he could say. She had no plan to go against Vilhelm or even prepare for the war unless he appeared on her doorstep.

As much as he could understand her logic, it was also a fatal plan. Vilhelm wasn’t stupid; he wasn’t going to fight a war he couldn’t win.

This was a man willing to kill anyone standing in his way, including his own brothers. He couldn’t be underestimated.

"What if we infiltrate and take out Vilhelm?"

"What?" echoed simultaneously across the room.

"We?" Azura yelled in horror as she turned to look at her daughter.

"He is the reason we have to go to war, right?" She asked softly, looking from one person to the other. "I am sure the Princess and Claude still have some access to the castle. Getting in shouldn’t be too hard for them. Oh," she suddenly yelled out as the idea popped into her head. "Better yet, you can pretend you found me and brought me back."

"He won’t believe that," Claude mumbled, but the wheels in his head were spinning, and a part of him was already analyzing the plan.

"Maybe, but he won’t—"

"No!" Azura yelled and pulled her hand so Maya would look at her. "No!" she repeated. "You are not going anywhere! What is this dangerous plan? NO."

"Mother, please."

"NO."

"Let’s at least hear what she has to say."

Azura jerked her head toward him. "I should have thrown you all out as soon as you arrived in my kingdom."

Claude brought his leg down and leaned forward. "You might not want war, but Vilhelm would stop at nothing to get her back."

"Why does he want you so badly?" Eleanor asked.

"I don’t know," she replied and turned to look at Eleanor. The tears had dried up, and her posture was straighter. "But I do know that even if he thinks this is a trap, he would not refuse a chance to get me in his grasp again."

"NO."

"Your Majesty."

"I listened. I don’t like this plan. You have barely recovered, Maya. I am not sending you to the devil’s den again. I just found you after so many years."

Azura’s eyes widened slightly, and her grip on Maya’s wrist was tight enough to leave a mark.

"Vilhelm wouldn’t kill her," Claude said.

"You don’t know that. He kept her away from me. He would easily do that again. The twisted weasel! Especially now that I have confirmed she is alive."

"You don’t have to worry about me, Mother. It was different when I didn’t know who he was, and I felt gratitude because he took me from the orphanage. But things are completely different now. We have to do this. Letting Vilhelm have control for much longer is dangerous."

"What you are suggesting is dangerous!"

"Mother," Maya softly called and placed her other hand on top of her mother’s hand still holding onto her. "Please listen to what I am saying. You know it is a plan that can work."

"Perhaps, but you aren’t even used to your powers. Of course, Vilhelm would anticipate that you would use them to protect yourself."

"You can teach me," she said with a grin.

"Your Majesty," Claude started to speak. "There is sense in Maya’s plan, and we will be doing as you directed. You can be rest assured I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

"Shut up! You couldn’t even keep your Alpha King safe. You had the enemy in your midst for years and never suspected anything. To think I’ll trust anyone with instincts like yours." She turned to Maya. "If you’re really going to do this, I am coming along."

"That’s a bad idea," Claude cut in.

"I agree. You can’t leave the castle unattended. Besides, your presence defeats the plan, Mother."

"I can’t send you alone."

"I won’t be alone." She glanced at Claude.

Azura scoffed.

"I beg your pardon!"

"He is the commander of the Royal Army. Who better to leave me with?"

"It would be better if you didn’t have to do this," Azura replied.

"But that is not an option, and this way, we can avoid war."

"I’d rather go to war."

"Mother, please."

Azura took a deep breath and turned to Claude. "If so much as a scratch gets on her, I’m drowning Earndor."

"You have my word," Claude replied and stood to his feet.

"When?" She asked.

Claude lifted his head. "As soon as possible. We already lost a few days, but even with that, we should still have over a week. A few days to prepare and about five days to transport the men from the capital and around the kingdom to the border. That might take even longer."

"Very well. Before you set off, I will teach you everything I can."

"Thank you, Queen Azura," Claude replied, bowing again.

"I am not doing this for you," she cut in.

Maya was much like her father—nice and far kinder than she would ever be—but they both had that gentle stubbornness. She could tell her daughter was determined to do this, and nothing she could say would deter her.

Still, it was dangerous and necessary in her opinion, but she wouldn’t send her off without necessary preparation.

"Another thing," Azura added. "Rudor will go with you."

"Vilhelm will recognize—"

"At least to the capital. He would stay outside the capital where he won’t be seen, but I want him to be able to intervene if there is a need to."

"Alright. Anything else?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No."

"Well, I have one question. Where is Keenan? I haven’t seen him since we arrived, and your guards took him away."