Ariella’s POV
I slipped out of the king’s chambers the moment everything was arranged on his end.
The substance was working faster now, pulling him deeper into that hazy, suggestible state.
I’d left him sprawled on the bed, eyes half-lidded, murmuring slurred nonsense like a wasted man.
I had Cole in on my grand surprise for the king.
Thank the gods for that man. Having him as my ally was like holding a hidden blade no one saw coming. He played a crucial role in everything that happened tonight. Without him, none of it would have gone this smoothly.
And with his help, I prepared a scene so deliciously disastrous that the king would wake to it in the morning and never recover from the shock.
Every detail was handled.
Every move accounted for.
Every loose end tied.
Afterward, I
