He explained things slowly, giving me time to process. He was obviously trying to keep his emotions in check too. I clenched my fists, my blood pumping hotter and faster the longer I listened.
Princess Pride…won’t wake up for a month? And that man might be using Princess Pride as a bargaining chip?! They want us to sell off Freesians or start using slaves? That stupid crap is why she’s still unconscious?!
Even without knowing this man’s face, my vision reddened further as I imagined him sneering and cackling.
“We won’t allow such a thing, of course,” Stale said. “Uncle Vest already spoke with Mother, and if Elder Sister doesn’t wake up within the three days…”
He trailed off, giving me a chance to catch up through my rage. I met his jet-black eyes, and for the first time in ages…Stale smiled.
“Mother promised she would carry out his questioning using one of Freesia’s ‘contracts.’”
I nearly cried out in shock. I only knew the basics about this sort of thing, but sometimes in Freesia, a suspect would sign a contract to prevent them from ever breaking certain conditions—similar to a subordination contract or a fealty contract.
In this case, the contract might state that the culprit had to reveal what happened to Princess Pride and how to fix it without any falsehoods, and whoever signed it would have no choice but to obey. Such contracts were rarely used, serving as a last resort.
“Even if we request one now, it will take a week to draw it up, maybe five days if they hurry. So we’ll have to find evidence to arrest him in the next three days.”
Freesia’s royal family wasn’t holding back in the slightest if this was their plan. Her Majesty was dead serious if she was willing to go this far against imperial royalty. If we could get proof within the next three days that Rajah was behind this…
Princess Pride would wake up.
If this Prince Adam knew how to heal her, we could force him to do it. My head drooped as relief washed away the tension in my body. Thank goodness. Having to wait three days or even a week will be rough, but at least we can save her. Heat built behind my eyes, and I slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of it. The harsh sound left me reinvigorated.
“We’ve told very few people about this to prevent leaks,” Stale said. “We’re still investigating illnesses, poisons, and the potential that other guests were involved, but Father and Gilbert are rushing to prepare a contract with Mother’s permission. I plan to help Gilbert when my break ends.” As he spoke, Stale let his shoulders sag at last. “We can’t let our guards down yet, of course, but now there’s a little hope.”
“Right…”
I didn’t know what else to say. Stale had been working so hard—all to save Princess Pride.
He leaned back against the sofa and gave such a long, weary sigh, it was like he was exhaling all the air in his body. “Sorry it took so long.”
I didn’t understand why that was his response, of all things, and the silliness of it made me laugh.
“What’s with you?”
“You’re amazing, y’know that?” My voice shook with laughter.
Stale didn’t respond, startled by my reaction.
“You did all that in a single day? Seriously, you’re the coolest.”
All I did was mope at Princess Pride’s bedside, yet Stale had used everything at his disposal until he found a way to save her. Compared to him, I was pathetic.
Stale blinked, then turned his head away like he was pouting. “It wasn’t just me. Uncle Vest, Prince Cedric, and…unfortunately Gilbert helped too.”
“I doubt they’d have made much progress without you.”
When I asked who had involved Prince Cedric, Stale owned up to it. I didn’t know the details, but I could tell the Cercian prince had done a lot more than sit back and watch.
“I was able to leave my sisters because I knew you would be there with them.”
“Nah, you would’ve gotten it done without me. I know that much, at least.”
I often felt I could never live up to Stale. Not only was he a lot smarter than me, but he was always helping me out. I was so glad Princess Pride had a guy like him for a brother.
At that, Stale pressed the back of his hand to his lips. His face twisted through emotions before he managed to look at me again. “Take care of Elder Sister for a little while longer. I promise I’ll find a way to wake her up.”
“You got it. Just leave it to me.”
He asked me to keep this a secret from Tiara, which made me realize I was the only one he was sharing this with. When I rose to leave, he stopped me.
“You still have time,” he said. “You should rest before you go back.”
Stale was right about that, but he was supposed to be taking a break too.
As though he’d read my mind, he abruptly announced, “I’m going to take a thirty-minute nap. Wake me when it’s time to go.”
While I floundered for a response, Stale lay down on the sofa. With his head pillowed on his arm, he dozed off—completely neglecting his own bed in the process. I stood around, waiting for him to tell me this was some sort of joke, but he was out cold in seconds. I’d never actually seen him asleep before.
I settled back down on my own sofa and watched Stale. He hadn’t slept since Princess Pride’s collapse, same as me. Even relaxed in sleep, his face bore deep shadows of fatigue.
“Why don’t you just sleep at Princess Pride’s bedside?”
Before I knew it, I was lying down myself. Stale no doubt wanted to stay beside Princess Pride for as long as possible, and judging by our discussion, her condition wouldn’t worsen. It seemed he had deemed it safe for Tiara and me to leave her side.
Ah, of course. Stale wasn’t someone who showed weakness to others, even with Princess Pride in her room. Having clues and leads to work with finally allowed him to relax.
“You’re amazing…” I muttered to myself, my words soft in the quiet room.
As I watched him, I noticed Stale’s glasses sat askew. Mentally scolding him for not taking them off, I rose and carefully removed them, trying not to wake him up in the process. I set them on a nearby table and returned to my sofa.
Without glasses, Stale looked even more at ease. I considered sleeping myself, but a glance at the clock revealed I’d run out of time. I had to wake him up soon.
Well, that’s fine. I was pretty used to going without sleep. In fact, this conversation left me way more energized than before. I stretched out on the sofa, leaning against the backrest and worrying I might doze off too, thanks to the plush furniture.
I managed to fight off the urge, but my body did get a bit of a break. I spent the rest of those thirty minutes looking around Stale’s room.