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“MAYBE the two incidents are connected?”
It was the night of the unionist protest at Foreign Minister Crowne’s villa, and Alicia repeated Clovis’s words in puzzlement. Her adviser glanced at Robert, who was standing guard by the door, and seeing the silver-haired knight nod to signal that the coast was clear, Clovis started to speak again.
“Doesn’t Your Highness think it strange for the protest to happen where you could witness it? We’re only here in Sampston for a few days, and for it to happen right now is too much of a coincidence.”
“Maybe they saw the royal carriage entering the town or spotted me as I went around on inspection tours…” she ventured.
“In that case, the unionists would have organized an impromptu protest, and the noble who instigated it would have been easily caught. But it was carefully planned with hired protestors… In other words, they knew Your Highness would be here and had planned ahead.”
“I see. But our tour was only confirmed a few days ago, so there wasn’t much time for information to leak out. In that case, the only people who knew of our schedule were the chancellor, the Crownes, the escorting knights, and the Senate… Oh!”
Clovis nodded as Alicia’s mind connected the dots.
“Yes. The person Lord Sutherland colluded with was also an official in the Erdalian Senate.”
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“THERE were some unexplained points in Loid’s case. The Erdalian official claimed to want to see Crown Prince Fritz successfully ascend to Heilland’s throne but also made demands of Loid that sowed distrust. The more we thought about it, the more unnatural it seemed. He seemed to be working to deepen the conflict between Heilland’s Privy Council and Erdal.”
The empress’s deep green eyes glowed. “And the Sampston protest’s aim was to make you aware of the unionists’ existence and instill distrust in Erdal? Knowing your intelligence, they were banking on you to conclude that the unionists are hidden within the Erdalian elite.”
“Yes,” Alicia affirmed. “If the mastermind behind the two incidents is the same, their goal is to create a deep rift between our two countries… Your Majesty, someone in your court is plotting to sow conflict and lead us to war.”
The empress was silent, then stood and turned away from Alicia to stand by the window. Watching her, Alicia recalled her conversation with Clovis.
Once they’d made the connection between the incidents, Alicia was the one who suggested that they win Elizabeth over to their side.
Clovis had opposed the idea at first. The Senate was chaired by Chancellor Yggdrasil and included many high-ranking officials, such as Foreign Minister Crowne. If the enemy was hidden within their ranks, there was a chance that the empress was aware of it and had chosen to do nothing.
However, Alicia remained convinced that they should try. Otherwise, they would never be able to fully trust the Senate, and, by extension, the chancellor, foreign minister, and even Beatrix. Doubt and distrust would slowly grow and deepen the rift between the countries, just as the enemy intended.
Besides, after speaking to Empress Elizabeth, Alicia was sure she wasn’t working with the mastermind. Thus, they should band together in a way that would surprise the enemy.
Even if the worst-case scenario came true and the empress was working with the mastermind, she could not refuse to cooperate with Heilland if she wanted to maintain their friendly relations. A refusal would mean a break of ties between the countries, and Heilland would have to prepare themselves for war.
So, Alicia had taken the risk.
She waited for the empress’s response with bated breath. The light streaming through the window lit up Elizabeth from behind, casting her tall, slender frame in shadows. The suffocating silence stretched on.
Then, the empress turned around suddenly, her side profile magnificent and beautiful in the light of the sun.
“Fine,” she said with a smile. “If that’s how they want to play, I’ll oblige. Let us join forces.”
“Thank you,” Alicia said as she stood. “I knew Your Majesty would agree.”
“So, what shall we do? I doubt the mastermind will be caught that easily.”
“We’ll need the help of two people. One is the prisoner we just met, and the other is Loid Sutherland’s son, Riddhe. Please summon him to Erdal as a special ambassador.”
The empress raised a brow at Alicia’s confident request.
“Riddhe Sutherland? He may be the right person to suss out clues about the mastermind. His presence will also send a message and force the mastermind to take action… But the prisoner is worthless. Our enemy knows that he has no information to offer.”
“The prisoner’s role is to signal that Your Majesty and I have joined forces. We will gather an audience at a large plaza and stand together as the prisoner is pardoned and released.”
The empress nodded, seemingly convinced.
A public pardon would serve two purposes. The first was a show to both Heillanders and Erdalians that the strong bond between the two countries would not be broken despite the unionists’ antics. Second, it was a message to the mastermind, who might be hidden nearby, that Alicia and Elizabeth had joined forces.
Since the natural course of events would have led to the prisoner’s execution, the mastermind would conclude that the two royals had come to an agreement behind the scenes and decided to release the convict. In addition, the stationing of Riddhe in Erdal would cause further upset.
“Ideally, this will be an effective warning to the unionists, and they’ll stop their ruckus. But I won’t be so magnanimous if they choose to act up again. I won’t stop until they’re all caught and hung out to dry.”
The empress’s smile was chilling as she uttered those violent words. It would be perilous to get on her bad side, but there was no doubt that Elizabeth was the strongest ally.
Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came as she stared at Alicia.
“By the way, Alicia. Am I the only one you have shared your suspicions with?”
Unable to grasp the meaning of the question, Alicia just nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. Since the mastermind could be part of the Senate, I have confided in no one else. That was why I requested for us to speak alone.”
“I see,” the empress murmured as she gazed at the heavy wooden door, and for a moment, a look that was not quite melancholy flitted across her face. “That is a pity.”
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WITH the matter settled, the two royals opened the door.
The empress instructed the waiting knights to release the prisoner first thing the next morning. Of course, Alicia was also present as the man’s crimes were laid bare before a large crowd of spectators before the pardon was issued. After the verdict, the empress took the stage, standing tall above the noisy crowd.
“Take note, unionists! Know the shame of having burdened the innocent with your sins! I will not forgive those who hurt my people. What Princess Alicia and I desire are the heads of the true masterminds!”
“Long live Your Majesty! Long live Princess Alicia!”
A beat later, the plaza was filled with cheers of “Hurrah!” and “Long live Her Majesty!” but Alicia paid the people no heed. Her attention was on the ones attending the empress. However, she didn’t catch anything strange, not from the chancellor with his gentle smile or the foreign minister, who looked somewhat dissatisfied.
But Alicia was not the only observant one. Crown Prince Fritz’s apathetic, glass-like gaze had been locked on Alicia since his mother concluded her speech. Then he slipped away like smoke without a word.
The die had been cast. The door leading to the conclusion of the fateful battle that began six years ago—or maybe even from Alicia’s previous life—was finally thrown wide open.