?Chapter 1000:


    Before I could say more, Evelyn lifted a hand, her voice gentle but firm. “There is no need for that. What matters is that we are safe.”


    She turned to Jenny, slipping an arm around her. “Since the fire is out, my mother and I will go back to rest.”


    She did not wait for my response, merely guiding Jenny away. I nodded, though my gaze followed them as they disappeared into the shadows.


    And then—something caught my eye. Evelyn’s shoes. A dark smear of mud clung to the soles.


    A slow, creeping unease settled in my chest.


    The Harrison estate was pristine, its grounds paved with polished marble, scrubbed daily until they gleamed. There was no mud—nowhere except the garden’s back gate.


    So, where had the mud on Evelyn’s shoese from?


    Cody’s POV:


    A shadow fell over my gaze as a surge of wariness sharpened my senses.


    Something about this felt far more tangled than it appeared on the surface.


    “Evelyn, wait,” I said, my voice cutting through the air with a frigid edge.


    She halted mid-step, pivoting slowly, a faint flicker of uncertainty clouding her expression. “Mr. Harrison, is there something else you want?”


    My eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on her shoes, my tone dropping to a chilling murmur. “Where did the mud on your shoese from?”


    As the words left my lips, a menacing spark red in my stare.


    If she slipped up even slightly, betraying the faintest whiff of disloyalty, I’d end her life on the spot—no risks, no loose ends.


    Evelyn traced my line of sight to the smudges on her footwear and answered with steady calm, “I took a stroll through the garden tonight and misstepped into a patch of wet soil. It stuck to my shoes. I’ve been caught up since I got back and haven’t had a moment to ask the maid to scrub them clean.”


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    Sensing my skepticism, she hurriedly gestured toward a maid lingering nearby, her voice firm with conviction. “That maid was tidying the garden then—she even waved to me.”


    I flicked my gaze to the maid, who quivered under my scrutiny before hastily bobbing her head, backing up Evelyn’s story.


    A sliver of relief eased my tension.


    If Evelyn had truly turned against me, with all the time she’d spent so close, she could’ve spilled a flood of secrets by now—enough to drown me in them.


    I stered on a strained smile, softening my tone to a deceptive warmth. “Stay out of the gardens from now on. It’s too unpredictable out there. Go get some rest.”


    Evelyn dipped her head in quiet submission, murmuring, “Of course, I’ll do as you say.”


    She sped Jenny’s hand and whisked her away with quick steps. Ever cautious, I’d long ago set my eyes to shadow Evelyn and Jenny’s every move since the first whisper of doubt crept in.


    Lately, they’d both seemed tame, their actions unremarkable, which lulled me into a cautious calm. Three uneventful days slipped by.


    Then, on this morning, a ndestine message arrived from the Wizard n’s royal line.


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