‘I miss you, Zerath…’

  Vivia stared at her new ring, the cursed gemstone of opal beautifully shimmering at the center. Along with Zerath's present, this was the second jewel she would be wearing on her body that reminded her of the Demon Realm.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Erissa praised, starry-eyed. “It indeed suits you, my lady.”

  Klaus held a look of pride and satisfaction. “Of course, it would. The ring will be worn by the Princess, after all! I cannot afford to make any mistakes.”

  “Thank you so much, Sir Klaus. Your craftsmanship is breathtaking without a doubt.”

  “I’m honored, Princess,” he bowed.

  Vivia slid the ring on the index finger of her left hand that smoothly glided in without any bumps. The opal veins sparkled under the light casting a mesmerizing emerald green hue in the air. Her heart thumped, an indecipherable uneasiness causing a tiny drop of sweat to form on her brow.

  “My lady, you look tired.”

  “Perhaps because of the earlier chase. I’d like to return now.”

  I don't know what hell is awaiting Audreya at the palace, but I’ve to stop King Rosrell before things go wrong!

  But the situation had already reached its boiling point as soon as Audreya stood before Rosrell in the entire court’s presence. Violently slamming the base of his stick against the floor, menace shone in his eyes.

  “A lowly woman from a small town whose name people have not even heard of dared to harm the royal princess? Speak, you impudent! What made you think you could commit such an atrocity against the royalty and foolishly think you’d be spared?”

  Despite her wrists bound with shackles and Rosrell’s wrath blasting at her with a deadly force, Audreya’s smile remained intact.

  “I never assumed that I’d be spared, Your Majesty. I came to Orseth with the assumption of never returning to Stras. And impudence?”

  The disdain in her red eyes frosted to a chill. “It’s your daughter's impudence to kill an innocent woman and still hold her head high as the cold-blooded murderer of my friend!”

  A series of shocked gasps rang in all directions. Accusing the royal family of murder was no less than a death sentence.

  Regina was the first to storm off her Queen’s throne, a perilous chill darkening her eyes.

  “Have you no shame? My Clairette is the kindest girl in the whole world, so much so that she might be the only one to wish for human and demon unification. Yes, the same demons that we all loathe. A girl like her cannot even hate our archenemy, and you say she killed your friend?”

  Audreya sneered. “So has wishing for unification become the goldpost for judging someone?”

  “Silence!” Rosrell roared. “Don’t forget that you’re in the presence of the King and Queen.”

  Regina clenched her fists. “Speak! Who bribed you to kill Clairette? Who is after her life so much that first you attacked her in the Realm of Harmony and now today yet again?”

  “I’ve said this a thousand times that I’ve nothing to do with the attack in the Realm of Harmony! I’ve never even ventured into that area!”

  “Lies!” Regina trembled, but she refused to show any weakness.

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  “Calm down, Mother. I'd like to ask her some questions,” Elvin said.

  Her ridicule-filled gaze erupted an irksome feeling in his chest. It felt all too similar to Clairette’s, the sister who stood up to him in Rudaheim with an arrogance just like Audreya’s.

  “So you say that Clairette visited Stras every time that woman performed, and then one day, you saw my sister handing gold over to an assassin who killed that woman-”

  “Vivia. Vivia Mariel was her name,” she coldly cut him off. “I want you to remember the name of the woman whom your sister ruthlessly killed.”

  Elvin took a step closer, menace and alarm glinting in his eyes. “It’ll be extremely painful for you if you keep talking to me in that tone, woman. There’s some decorum to be followed when talking to the Crown Prince.”

  Vivia rushed just in time when the air had become too stifling to breathe. An expression of horror surfaced upon witnessing the ongoing deadly confrontation between Audreya and Elvin. Audreya's fingers were clearly twitching with a thirst of violence.

  Audreya, no! Please don't slap Elvin! I know it's really tempting, but you can't. You're not Clairette to be spared! Vivia desperately tried to manifest her warning within her.

  Audreya faced his murderous glare head-on. “Is that the only thing the royal family can do? Keep reminding us of your titles?”

  The silence stretched only deeper.

  I think you’ll be hanged for the charges of humiliating the royal family rather than attempted murder of the princess…

  Vivia inhaled a deep breath and dove straight into the center of the storm. “Brother, wait!”

  “Clairette!” Regina hurried towards her daughter and pulled her into her warm hug, tears brimming in her eyes.

  “This is why I warned you not to head outside so soon already. Look what happened! A second attempt just after you returned to the realm…”

  A pang of guilt stabbed her heart. She held her hands, softly whispering, “Forgive me for worrying you, Mother. Rest assured, I’m safe.”

  She then turned towards Elvin, who, if not for his Crown Prince’s title, would have already sliced Audreya’s head off. Yet despite the utter disrespect, an eerie, condescending smile curved his lips.

  “I think I understand now why you had the nerve to resist me in Rudaheim, Clairette. It seems like visiting a small town like Stras downgraded your values and attitude.”

  Vivia’s eyes narrowed. “I don't understand you, Brother. I said that the near-death experience has changed me, not any town. But…”

  She cast a sidelong glance at Audreya. “Considering this woman’s boldness, I’ve nothing but praises for Stras and its people. They don't seem to be afraid of royalty, and isn't this how we want our kingdom to be? With upright and fearless citizens?”

  “Upright and fearless doesn't translate to being disrespectful and arrogant,” he sharply said.

  Vivia smiled. “People who don't like others being upright and fearless often call them disrespectful and arrogant.”

  A vein popped on his temple. “You indeed speak in favor of this woman. I’m compelled to think if it's because of your involvement with that woman’s-”

  Audreya's hot-tempered gaze landed at him for not addressing Vivia by her name again, but he ignored it.

  “-with that woman's death. So is taking this woman’s side a way to stop her from speaking against you?”

  “Elvin!” Regina’s lips parted, stunned at first. Then indignation made her clench her jaw. “Why do I feel you keep forgetting that Clairette is your sister! Your real, innocent sister whom you’re dragging into someone’s murder case!”

  “Regina,” Rosrell’s low voice echoed, casting an invisible pressure in the air. “Let him speak.”

  “Rosrell, how can you allow-”

  He squinted his eyes dangerously, to which she could only quiet down and bite her lip in response. It was only a brief exchange between them, yet it was enough to ignite Vivia’s ire. Seeing Regina helplessly embrace silence, her fists clenched in response.

  “Tell us, Clairette,” Elvin demanded an answer. “How much truth does this woman's accusations hold?”

  Vivia shifted her lethal stare from Rosrell to Elvin. On one side, she didn't want to prove Audreya wrong and humiliate her. But on the other side, the truth of Clairette's trips to Stras would also brew a whole host of other problems for her that she couldn't afford to get into right now.

  “There’s indeed truth to her words.”

  Even Audreya couldn't hold back her shock at her claim.

  “She says that I hired an assassin and killed her friend, Vivia Mariel. But an important detail in her testimony is that she didn't see the woman's face while handing out the gold.”

  Before Audreya could counter her, she raised her hand and continued. “She did say that she saw my face in passing one day, and I had donned the same brown hood as always. So this raises a question - if someone had been disguising as me all this time? That’s why she mistook the culprit as me even if she didn't get to see the face.”

  Elvin mockingly chuckled. “Disguise as the princess? Who would dare to disguise as one of the royal family members and invite death upon their door themselves?”

  “Someone who wants to frame me and want me out of the royal family. This question puzzles me too, Brother,” she meaningfully smiled.

  “Who do you think would want me out of their sight when I’m not even contesting for the Crown Princess’s position anymore?”