"Don't spout bullshit," Jay says with rage in his voice.

Jay's fists are clenched so tight that I can see a small amount of blood seeping from his fingertips. Fuck, I need to keep Jay calm. We haven't heard the whole story yet. If he interrupts Duke Letten now we might not be able to get enough evidence. 

"I wouldn't put it past him. Seeing as he had my father killed. Life seemed disposable to him. However, let's focus on what you just said. Why did that moment bring you down? You and Queen Evermore had been done for years." I ask.

I look at Jay and notice he has loosened his grip and seems to be a little calmer. Thank god. I was worried I would have to hold him back. Not that I particularly care if he beats the shit out of Duke Letten but I don't want him to lose sight of what he truly wants. I won't let his emotions get the better of him. I'll keep him grounded.

"I loved her. That man… he took her life away. All to keep her quiet. I couldn't stand it. I found proof of it all even. It was all too easy. He hired someone from the black faction to do it. She pretended to be a maid and snuck into the palace. She killed Ever and made it look like a suicide. Once I found her hiding in Kervini, I killed her with my own two hands. During that time, I made terrible life choices. If it wasn't for Jack, I might have died from all the drugs I was doing. He snapped me out of it and told me to focus on my revenge. So, I did." Duke Letten tells us as tears roll down his face.

Wow, is he acting right now? Or does he still hold the Queen in his heart? All of this pain and suffering for what? Because he couldn't get over his ex? That is just so messed up. I don't get his way of thinking either. If you love someone, shouldn't their children be an extension of them? Why would you hurt innocent children? The rich elite seem to have a really hard time letting things go. Their entitlement knows no bounds. 

"What a touching… sack of shit. Go on. Continue." I say without a filter.

I'm even getting irritated by him. Time to speed this up.

"So, you have Kista under mind control now?" I ask.

Duke Letten glares at me before speaking again.

"Yes, we slowly trained his mind with drugs and suggestive hypnosis. He was young and we were able to shape him into the man we needed him to be. It took twice as long as we had intended, however. Kista was too strong-willed. He was fighting us every step of the way. Mind control needs exactly the right conditions for it to work. Having the subject be that abstinent wasn't working for us. So, we had to find a way to break his will. At first, I was at a loss. What could I do to break his spirit but not his will to live? How could I bend him and mold him into the person I needed? Then one day while I was visiting the palace, I saw Jay in his middle school uniform. I don't know why I didn't think of it before but I finally had just the material I needed to keep Kista in line. His little brother." Duke Letten says with a diabolical grin.

It wasn't that shocking to hear for me if I'm being honest. I was well aware that this man would do anything to get what he wanted but I doubt Jay and Anon feel the same way. Anon has been quiet for a while and Jay is pale. We talked about how hard this would be for him but I'm still worried that this is too much. 

"After I threatened to replace Kista with his younger brother, Kista became more obedient. From there it was smooth sailing. Years had passed and we were successful. However, we still had to set the stage for Kista's return. We needed people on our side to make this work. We knew that having Kista return and take over the throne after Wolfgang was killed would take some convincing. I made sure to gather up as many supporters so that I could have people on my side when it came time to appoint the new king. Honestly, at first, I had no intention of killing Jay. It wasn't until he was appointed Royal Treasurer that I decided he needed to go. He was starting to act like a true crown prince and people, especially the public, were supporting him. I couldn't have Jay be in the way so that's when I decided he had to die alongside his father. That's where you came in Mr. Grace. I recruited you to be the trigger man. However, you were just too sly and managed to pull the wool over my face. How did you get the anklet off anyway?" Duke Letten asks.

"I had an engineer get it off for me. Of course, I suffered the first toxin to do so. I must admit, sodium poisoning? That was brilliant. It's not an illegal substance either. Truly, hats off to you." I say with a smug smile.

"Wow, you are bold. What if I had been lying? What if I had only one toxin installed and it was the one that would kill you?" Duke Letten asks.

"It was confirmed by the engineer that there were two toxins as you stated. I just took the risk. I wasn't going to do what you wanted either way." I say with confidence.

I was backed into a corner though. If Duke Letten didn't push me as far as he did, I doubt I would have been so reckless. I was just… desperate.

"Of course not. I know that now. You baffle me. I find it intriguing. Which is why you will be the only one I keep alive. I wish to play with you a little more." Duke Letten smiles at me. 

A chill runs down my spine. Gross. I want nothing to do with this man.

"How creepy. It doesn't matter. No one will be doing as you say anyway. Just continue your rant." I say as I roll my eyes at the perverted old man.

"Haha, we will see about that. There isn't much left to say. You were all a part of the recent events. I set up everything that happened. From Kista's staged return to the murder of King Wolfgang. Jay would be dead now too if it wasn't for you Mr. Grace. I continue to pull the strings behind the scenes as Kista plays the part of my little puppet King. Soon I'll have a new puppet to add to my collection. Mr. Grace your skillset will be a huge asset to me. Let's get along from here on out. You wouldn't want me to do the same thing to you as I did Kista, would you?" Duke Letten asks.

Oh boy. Things are wrapping up. This is where things get dangerous. However, it's good that Duke Letten's focus is on me. If we play our cards just right this could all work out in our favor. I just need to appease Duke Letten for a little while and hopefully set everything up so Jay and Anon don't get hurt. He has already stated that he has no intention of leaving Anon and Jay alive. I can't let him have his way. There is only one thing on my mind right now. I will make sure that everyone stays safe. Even if that means doing something reckless. Well, let's hope there won't be a need for that. Let's just hope that everything that should be happening outside the palace is going smoothly. If there is one part of the plan that doesn't play out right, we are screwed.