Chapter 346 - Three Hundred And Forty Five

Chapter 346: Chapter Three Hundred And Forty Five

Kade reached inside his coat. He pulled out a stack of folded papers. The documents looked old and official, filled with dense black ink writing, official government stamps, and bright red wax seals along the margins.

"We have searched for everything concerning General Howe," Kade reported, holding the stack of papers out toward her with both hands. "Our intelligence men also intercepted his private courier messages on the main road to the capital. These papers contain full, undeniable proof of General Howe’s treason."

Camilla reached out her hand and took the stack of papers from Kade’s hands. The paper felt thick in her grip. She unfolded the top document and held it under the warm, yellow light of the oil lamp on the nightstand. Her eyes scanned the handwriting quickly, reading every line with intense concentration.

"He has been plotting against Lord Damon for a very long time," Kade explained further, keeping his knee on the floor as she read. "These letters prove his direct involvement in the incident at the Benson camp. General Howe planned the poisoning of the military grain supply given to Lord Damon’s soldiers."

Camilla’s brows pulled together into a tight, sharp frown as her eyes moved across the text.

"He wanted to weaken the troops through sickness," Kade continued, his tone grimmer. "He wanted the General to be alone so that the assassination would be a success."

Camilla turned to the next page in the stack. Her eyes narrowed into cold slits as she read the names, dates, and amounts of gold written on the official ledger.

"Furthermore," Kade added, lowering his voice into a quiet register, "these intercepted courier letters confirm that General Howe personally ordered and paid for the ambush on the forest road last night. He paid a massive sum of gold to hire those elite foreign assassins. He was also the one who provided them with that strange, metal tube weapon and the black powder."

Camilla finished reading the final line on the last document. She carefully folded the stack of papers back together and held them tightly in her lap. She looked up from the documents, her face devoid of any emotion. Her eyes burned with an icy, dangerous light.

"He has done more than this," Camilla said quietly. Her voice was dangerously low, dripping with certainty. "A man who poisons his own kingdom’s loyal soldiers and hires foreign killers to murder a war hero, a feared and respected general, is capable of far worse crimes."

Kade adjusted his weight on his knee, looking up at her face.

"These are the only concrete pieces of written evidence I could gather in such a short time, my lady," Kade admitted respectfully. "However, these documents alone are more than enough to have General Howe arrested for treason against the military and hanged before the entire capital."

Kade stopped speaking. He suddenly went quiet, his jaw tightening as if he were holding back another thought. He hesitated, looking down at the pattern on the rug for a brief second.

Camilla noticed his sudden hesitation immediately. Her eyes fixed on his face like steel blades.

"What is it?" Camilla asked, her tone turning sharp and demanding. "What else did you find out?"

Kade took a slow, heavy breath. He cleared his throat softly before answering her question.

"He is Lord Reed’s half-brother," Kade revealed in a quiet, serious tone.

Camilla’s eyes widened slightly. A small flicker of genuine surprise crossed her face.

"His brother?" Camilla repeated, her voice laced with curiosity.

Kade nodded his head firmly. "Yes, my lady. General Howe is actually the illegitimate son of the late Old Earl Reed."

Camilla tilted her head slightly, listening with rapt attention as Kade began to explain the shameful history behind General Howe’s birth.

"Decades ago, the Old Earl of Reed had a secret affair with a common woman," Kade explained, his voice low and solemn. "She was a low-born servant with the surname Howe who worked in the outer countryside. When the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy, the Old Earl was consumed by terror. He was terrified that the public scandal would ruin his noble family’s high reputation among the capital’s aristocracy."

Kade paused, looking at Camilla’s intense expression before continuing the family history.

"To protect his noble family name, the Old Earl treated the boy like a dirty, shameful secret that needed to be covered up and buried away from the world," Kade said. "He refused to allow the boy to take the proud noble surname of Reed. Instead, the Old Earl made sure everyone call the boy by his mother’s common last name—Howe."

Camilla listened carefully, her mind connecting the pieces of the puzzle.

"The Old Earl never permitted young Howe to set foot inside the main Reed estate," Kade continued, his voice filled with faint disgust at the story. "He never allowed him to attend noble galas, banquets, balls or official gatherings. He refused to acknowledge the boy as his son in public. To the Old Earl, Howe was nothing more than an embarrassing mistake—a stain that threatened to tarnish the noble Reed family bloodline if anyone ever found out."

Kade shifted slightly on his knee as he explained the Old Earl’s hypocritical actions.

"However," Kade added, "the Old Earl felt some guilt in secret. He took care of Howe behind closed doors. He provided large amounts of gold to Howe’s mother, paid for Howe to receive the finest private military education, and eventually used his immense political power in the capital to buy Howe a high rank in the royal army. He gave Howe wealth, land, and military power—but he strictly refused to ever give him the family name or legitimate noble status."

Camilla’s eyes narrowed as she understood the deep psychological hatred driving General Howe.

"General Howe grew up filled with the need to always prove himself," Kade said, looking at Camilla. "He became obsessed with gaining glory and political power to prove he has a place in the Reed family."

Kade paused for a moment, his forehead lining with worry as he voiced his final concern.

"Because of this family connection," Kade said quietly, "I do not know if Lord Reed had a direct hand in this assassination plot alongside him."

Camilla remembered what had happened in the dungeon earlier. She remembered the assassin’s shock when she mentioned Isabel’s name. General Howe was truly her uncle and both of them were also involved in her kidnapping and attempted murder.

Camilla nodded her head slowly, absorbing every detail. She handed the stack of papers back to Kade.

"Find a way to send this evidence to the King tonight," Camilla commanded in a firm voice. "Use our fastest riding messenger and our strongest horses. Make sure these papers reach the King’s hands directly before dawn breaking."

She paused, her eyes flashing with cold determination as she added her next command.

"And ready a horse for me."

Kade blinked his eyes in shock. His body went rigid on his knee. He stared up at her as if he had misheard her words.

"A horse?" Kade asked, his voice rising in utter disbelief. "Are you going somewhere, my lady?"

Camilla sat up straight in her chair, her back stiff and her posture commanding.

"The King’s royal guards move far too slowly," Camilla explained coolly. "Even if the King receives these documents tonight, his royal knights will take hours to gather their armor, prepare their weapons, and ride out to General Howe’s private estate outside the capital. By the time they arrive, it will be far too late."

Camilla leaned forward slightly, her eyes locking onto Kade’s shocked face as she laid out her reasoning.

"General Howe is not a stupid man," Camilla said, her tone sharp and realistic. "He knows the assassins failed to return to him last night. He would have know something went wrong. He will move quickly to save his own neck."

Kade stayed silent, listening intently as Camilla continued her analysis.

"The moment he realizes he is in danger," Camilla said, her voice dropping into a cold register, "Howe will try to burn every remaining document in his house. He will execute his own accomplices to keep them quiet, or he will gather his gold and flee across the border into the neighboring kingdom before night falls tomorrow. I am sure he has his own paid spies who feed him information. If he hears even a whisper about what is about to happen, he will disappear into the night."

Kade looked at her face. He looked at the bandage wrapped around her hairline, hiding the injury. He remembered how exhausted her body was, how her back was covered in bruises, and how she had collapsed onto the marble floor only hours ago.

Kade hesitated. He looked down at the floorboards, unable to meet her gaze directly as he voiced his deep worry.

"My lady," Kade spoke cautiously, his voice filled with hesitation and concern. "Won’t it be far too dangerous to... go out alone in your current physical condition? Your injuries are still fresh, and your body is exhausted. If General Howe’s armed guards spot you on the road—"

"It’s fine," Camilla cut him short, her voice leaving absolutely no room for further argument. "You will be coming with me."

She turned her head slowly and looked down at Damon’s face one last time. Her eyes softened with sweet affection for a fleeting second before turning dark.

"I am not going there to negotiate with him," Camilla added softly, her voice low against the quiet room. "I am going to make sure he does not escape."

Kade raised his head and looked into her eyes. She possessed a terrifying, unshakeable strength that rivaled Damon’s own fierce presence on the battlefield.

Kade bowed his head deeply until his forehead almost touched the floorboards.

"I understand, my lady," Kade said with deep, profound respect. "I will prepare the fastest, strongest horse in our stables immediately. I will also dispatch our best mounted messenger to the capital with the evidence."

"Good," Camilla said softly. "Go now and get ready too."

Kade stood up smoothly, placed the thick stack of papers securely back inside his coat, turned on his heel, and walked quickly out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him without making a single sound.