Chapter 135

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 135. Secret Interrogation (3)

Ben’s eyes twitched as he looked quickly around. Railin was right. This was a completely hidden place, and he could die here long before anyone discovered where he had gone. His corpse would never be found. His body would rot to his bones, and eventually even they would turn to dust and disappear.

It was terrifying. It felt as if the dark walls were crushing his body. He looked pleadingly at Annette, but there was no mercy in her cold stare. They had gone so far as to disguise themselves to trap him, clearly a careful plan. They would not let him go from mere sympathy.

Feeling his victim’s will wavering, Railin knocked his hammer against the wall as if he were testing it. The plaster wall cracked and burst into dust, and Railin’s gaze shifted meaningfully to Ben’s knee.

Ben immediately understood the implication, and his knees trembled as he stared at the shattered wall.

“I’ve given you enough time to think. Let’s do this for real.”

Railin hummed a short tune as he approached, his shadow following ominously over Ben, bound to his chair. Ben was scared out of his wits. A born gambler, and far from loyal, he squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“Wait! I will answer your questions, just let me live!”

A look of disappointment flashed through Railin’s face, and he clicked his tongue. He had heard the words he wanted, but it was a shame the entertainment had ended so quickly. But having won his subject’s cooperation, it was time to squeeze out every bit of information.

…

…

In the end, they confirmed that King Selgratis had been behind Ben March’s work. The knights of the royal palace had helped him to kidnap Celestine, and then testified against Annette. How could he have done otherwise, if it was the order of his king?

Why didn’t I suspect His Majesty in my previous life?

Annette sighed. King Selgratis had covered things up perfectly. The knights involved in the incident were immediately imprisoned in the dungeon under the palace afterward, and no one had heard from them since. Even Ben March, who had been the last person to see them, knew what had become of them.

—A few months ago, in the early morning, a few witnesses saw palace guards secretly moving bodies and burying them under the stable.

Annette could guess who the corpses were without even seeing them. It seemed to her a fitting conclusion to the King’s machinations. In the political world, it was common to eat the hounds after the hunt was over, rather than share a bite of the prey.

Which made her wonder why Ben March had been left alive. That, she couldn’t understand.

“The knights are sworn to the king, so it is natural that they would obey his orders,” she began, frowning. “But why would you do something so risky? You were just a handyman in Gruti before you became my coachman.”

“I couldn’t refuse His Sacred Majesty’s order! I only did what I was ordered to do.”

Ben had never imagined that Annette might one day become his in-law. He was nothing more than a tool, and the King hadn’t bothered to tell him such details. All Ben had known was that his nephew had risen to become a nobleman. That was all.

Ben had not known what had become of him after Annette was framed, and removed from contention for Crown Princess. He could not have imagined she would marry Raphael. After he had left the palace, he had gone straight into hiding.

Annette didn’t care that Ben was technically her in-law, one of Raphael’s few living relatives. Ben was the one who had wronged her in the first place. And in case, it didn’t seem that Raphael considered Ben his relative, so there was no reason to hold back.

“Why did His Majesty order you to do such a thing?” She repeated sharply. “That makes me curious.”