Chapter 516
516
Third Person’s POV
Paisley took the painting off the wall, laid it flat on the table, and examined it once more. After taking a deep breath, she confirmed that it was indeed Asa.
She finally understood why she had felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw Asa.
Comparing the painting to the features of Adelaide’s mother, Airella, there were a couple of similarities.
She looked up at another painting that Adelaide had been staring at earlier; that one probably bore an even stronger resemblance to Airella.
In her later years, Airella had become quite thin and seemed lifeless due to her blindness from weeping.
Seeing that there were no outsiders in the study, Paisley said directly, “I have two things to tell you. First, the person in this painting bears a couple of similarities to Airella, Adelaide’s mother. Second, the person in the painting is named Asa, also known as Astria. She was rescued by Madison and is set to mate Eugene in an attempt to manipulate him.”
“What?” Caldwell was shaken. “Is she from Madison’s side? What happened to her that she needed Madison’s rescue?”
“Caldwell, don’t panic. This so–called ‘rescue‘ might have some hidden story. I was already planning to have Craig draw a portrait of Asa and send someone to Fairfax County to investigate.”
Adelaide quickly asked, “Does she look like my mother to you?”
Paisley replied, “To be honest, I felt a sense of familiarity when I first saw her, but I couldn’t place it. It wasn’t until I looked at these paintings that I realized the truth. Craig’s portraits are so detailed and capture even the subtleties of expression, which is why I recognized the resemblance.
“But Asa is a living person, trained to carry herself like a noblewoman. So when I met her in person, the similarity wasn’t as obvious.”
“Luna Adelaide, let me ask first,” Caldwell interjected, feeling numb from head to toe.
He couldn’t explain why, but the sense of unreality was overwhelming.
He and Craig were in the middle of assessing which painting best matched the current description of her, preparing to distribute the most fitting ones for the search.
Before they could finalize their selection, Paisley returned with the news that she had just seen the person in the painting.
It felt like a dream–Caldwell had braced himself for a long and arduous journey to find her, even enterting the painful thought that she might no longer be alive
Now, to learn that she was in the capital, within the Spectrehowl Pack, and positioned as Madison’s pawn,
was surreal.
Madison’s pawns rarely met happy ends, and Caldwell knew he had to get to the bottom of this .
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III
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Pushing his way to the front, Caldwell looked at Paisley and said, “You mentioned there’s more to this ‘rescue‘ by Madison. What do you mean? Tell me now.”
Paisley, seeing Caldwell’s desperation–his eyes bloodshot and on the verge of tears–prioritized his question over Adelaide’s for the first time.
“As we all know, Madison has a penchant for collecting women who resemble Airella and gifting them to Hunt as breeders to bear his children…”
Caldwell collapsed to the floor, his face pale and sweaty. “What did you say?”
“Caldwell!” Paisley shouted, trying to keep him grounded. “Stay with me! If she had been violated by Hunt, how could she be arranged to mate Eugene? Luna Cassia mentioned that she was engaged at a young age , but her fiancé passed away, delaying the mating. Unable to find a suitable mate in Fairfax County, she came to the capital and sought out Luna Cassia. Clearly, she was never Hunt’s breeder.”
Paisley delivered this in one breath, fearing another blow to Caldwell.
Lance helped Caldwell back into his chair. “Stay seated,” he said.
Adelaide, observing Caldwell’s mix of excitement and fear, added, “But you need to brace yourself. She merely resembles the person in the painting. The painting itself was Craig’s interpretation based on her childhood appearance and your parents‘ features–it might not be entirely accurate. So, this Asa might not
be your sister.”
Caldwell pressed a hand to his forehead, his voice trembling with a mix of excitement and weakness. “I know… I understand that. But I have to meet her. She was seven when she was kidnapped. She should still have some memories from before, even if they’re faint.”
Lance cautioned, “I don’t think it’s wise to meet her so soon. As far as she’s concerned, Madison is her savior, and she likely knows Madison’s intentions toward us. If you approach her or let her suspect you believe she’s your sister, she might exploit that. We need to gather information indirectly.”
“Lance has a point,” Paisley said, “but who can we get to do that?”
In the silence that followed, Craig suggested, “Why not Eugene? He’s currently discussing the mating with her.”
Adelaide frowned. “But they can’t meet in private, right?”
Craig gave a quick shake. “Sorry. I’ve been stuck in the Camp for weeks–going a little nuts.”
Adelaide countered, “But Paisley visited the Spectrehowl Pack today, and they know she’s the goddaughter of Eugene’s mother. She could invite Asa out. Luna Cassia would probably agree.”
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