We followed the prince—Isolde, Elysia, and me, Pallas. I hid under Isolde's hair so the prince wouldn't see me.
I kept using my skill Hallucinogens on the contract so that the signature would appear to be Rosia's instead of the prince's. It's not yet time for anyone to discover the real signature.
We walked for several dozen minutes before arriving at our destination.
We passed through the heavy, ornate doors of the throne room. The king and queen sat majestically on their thrones. Their gazes, filled with barely restrained fury, were fixed on us. The king was gripping the arms of his throne so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, while the queen's lips were pressed into a thin, severe line.
The room was majestic, decorated with gold and jewels in places, which made the sunlight dance with colors, further enhancing the royal ambiance.
Then, after a few minutes, Rosia arrived, completely chained, shackles on her hands and feet.
Normally, as a Zerg, she could easily break free… but that's not part of the plan.
"Father, Mother… I requested an audience with you to speak of an extremely important matter!"
The king and queen didn't speak, but their furious gaze was entirely focused on Rosia. They clearly believed what she thought others had done.
The prince, with a sad yet resolute voice, continued:
"Here is a contract… A contract that Princess Rosia signed with her own hand, willingly ceding market shares from our beautiful kingdom Regium Aeternum to the kingdom of Célarion!"
"That's not true! I would never do that!"
Rosia screamed, panicked, trying to defend herself. But no one here believed her.
The prince turned to Rosia with a smirk of disdain… Let's see if he'll still be smiling, I thought, chuckling quietly.
Then, he turned to Isolde.
"I have proof to back up my claim, beyond the contract… Here is Isolde, a merchant from the kingdom of Célarion!"
"Isolde, do you confirm?"
"I confirm that a royal family member came to see me of their own accord."
"You see?! Father, Mother… It pains me, but the princess, my own sister, your own flesh and blood, has sold and BETRAYED our kingdom!"
The two sovereigns were even more furious. Their fists clenched tighter, their teeth ground, and they looked at their daughter as if they might kill her on the spot.
The prince continued, pretending to be both saddened and enraged by Rosia's betrayal.
"Here is the contract…"
The prince stepped forward and, before the king and queen, knelt and presented the parchment with the contract on it.
It was time… I stopped using Hallucinogens on the contract.
When the queen opened the parchment, her eyes widened in shock.
"LÉNO!"
When the queen shouted, the prince was stunned. His eyes narrowed, and he stepped back slightly in fear.
"Yes, Mother?"
"YES, MOTHER?! YOU DARE SAY THAT TO ME?!"
"I… I don't understand, Mother! Why are you angry with me?! You should be angry with Rosia!"
"When your signature is on this contract?!"
"WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE!"
"Really?!"
The king took the opportunity to check, and his fury became as great as his wife's.
He couldn't stop himself from remaining silent, his knuckles even whiter—if that's even possible—but his rage was boiling inside him.
In a flash, with surprising speed, he stood up and slapped his son.
SMACK!
The sound echoed throughout the hall… The prince, shocked, eyes wide, mouth gaping—you could've fit an entire egg in it.
In a trembling and disbelieving voice, he spoke:
"Father?!"
The prince was stunned, his face pale with shock. It was the first time his father, usually so kind to him, had ever hit him!
"It's your name and your signature on this! Not Rosia's!"
"Impossible! There must be a mistake! Yes! Rosia must've copied my signature!"
"We'll see about that. But for now, you are to remain in your quarters and not leave! UNDERSTOOD?!"
"Yes, Father…"
With a dejected look, the prince left with a shaky step, not understanding how things had gone so wrong. He had personally checked that it was Rosia's signature!
But as he passed by Rosia, he saw a mocking smile on her face.
Yes, it's her! It must be her! I'm almost certain that's what he was thinking, judging by his face full of rage.
Without another word, he left, escorted back to his quarters.
As for Rosia, once the prince was gone, she began to cry.
"My daughter, why are you crying?"
Asked the queen, a bit concerned.
"I… I know I've been a disappointment to you in the past, but… Never! I would never betray the kingdom!"
"…"
"I'm sorry for having doubted you, my daughter.."
The king and queen truly looked remorseful. All the evidence pointed to the prince, yet it had been Rosia in chains!
"What are you waiting for?! Unchain her!"
The king shouted with an icy tone at the guards, who hadn't even moved yet.
"My daughter, we'll investigate, but with the evidence we have here, you don't need to worry."
"You may return to your chambers."
"Yes, Mother…"
We left, but Isolde and Elysia were taken to a different room. As for me, thanks to Hallucinogens, I went to spy on the prince while invisible, to observe his next moves.
With my speed, it took only a few minutes to reach him.
In the luxurious room, the prince, seated on a chair before a grayish-brown ebony desk, held his face in one hand…
"Where… Where did it all go wrong? I held the parchment the entire time after verifying it!"
"Wait! Something's wrong! This isn't the first plan that's failed at the critical moment!"
"But who could do something like this without being seen?! And who are they?!"
The prince began biting his fingers in fear and frustration. He was beginning to understand, but even so, he would never figure out who was behind this, nor the true culprits.
"And more importantly… why is this person doing this… Think, Léno!"
With a flash of insight, he jumped to his feet!
"My reputation! It must be Rosia! Ever since Naturia, she's been after my reputation! She wants to take everything from me!"
He began pacing around his room, continuing to bite his fingers.
"But how is she doing it…?"
But no matter how much the prince thought, he still couldn't understand…
"No, she can't be doing this alone… I can't trust anyone anymore!"
"Hemlock Blossom!"
"Yes, my prince?"
"I order you not to take your eyes off Rosia, and if she does anything suspicious, report it to me immediately!"
"Yes!"
Watching her leave, the prince sat down again, but with a furrowed brow, he murmured one last sentence to himself:
"You mustn't trust anyone anymore, Léno. Not even Hemlock Blossom…"