The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 283: Headache

God's-eye POV:

Queen Isabella thought she'd done it cleanly—no witnesses, no trace.

But she forgot one thing: this was werewolf territory.

The moment she and her attendant left, two werewolf guards stepped out of the shadows.

Their ears twitched. Their noses worked the air.

"It's the Queen's scent," one murmured. "And that lady-in-waiting's fear-sweat."

"The dragon ruby..." The other glanced at the empty box. "It's gone. They took it."

They exchanged a look—shock, then outright disgust.

The mother of the kingdom—stealing her daughter-in-law's dowry on the wedding night?

It was a scandal unheard of in the history of the Royal Court.

"What do we do? Arrest her?"

"Arrest, my ass! That's Prince Adam's mother!" The older guard spat a curse. "Quick, go report this to Julian, the butler! A mess this foul can only be handled by him."

...

Julian's POV:

When I heard the guard's report, I was in the middle of directing servants to serve the final course of desserts.

In that instant, I felt my blood pressure skyrocket. The silver spoon on my tray nearly snapped under the sudden grip of my fingers.

"Say that again?"

I lowered my voice, hauled the guard into a corner, and asked through clenched teeth, "The Queen ... took the dragon ruby?"

"No doubt." The guard looked helpless. "The scent's still there—we can't miss it. And Martha's gait was off. She's hiding something in her skirt."

I closed my eyes in pain.

Moon Goddess, help me.

Does Her Majesty have straw for brains?

Tonight was Prince Adam's wedding night.

The pivotal moment tying Silverpeak Pack to royal blood.

That dragon ruby was a public gift from the mercenary commander—priceless.

If someone started clamoring to see it tonight, or if tomorrow's inventory came up short...

This wasn't just embarrassment.

This was a slap to the Duchess of Silverpeak—and a slap to the powerful people who gave that gift.

And if those short-tempered mercenaries found out their gift had been stolen like a thief in the night...

I didn't dare imagine the consequences.

"Julian, what now? Should we tell His Highness?" the guard asked.

"Tell His Highness?" I shot him a glare. "Tonight is the mating night. You want him to arrest his mother right now? Are you trying to turn this wedding into a farce?"

I drew a breath and forced myself to calm down.

I'm the butler of Prince Adam's Manor; my duty is to solve my master's problems, even when the problem is his own mother.

"Listen."

I made the call fast. "This stays in your stomach. No one speaks of it. The two guards who saw it get paid to keep their mouths welded shut."

"And the ruby...?"

"I'll handle the ruby."

Damn it all—how does this happen on a night like this?

The Queen is the lady of the realm. Why would she do something this low?

If the Queen wanted the dragon ruby, she could've asked Duchess Spencer—and she wouldn't have refused.

No. The Queen had done plenty of foolish things, but Princess Margaret's shadow always lurked behind them. Tonight was probably no different.

I needed eyes on Princess Margaret—immediately.