Chapter 289

Where a sliver of doubt starts to arise.

This chapter is dedicated to ck! Thank you for all these years of support!

Disclaimer:

DO NOT publish our edit anywhere else. Especially on social media. Otherwise we may have to stop doing this. Thank you!

Episode 289. About 5 Months (12)

Kyle showered quickly and changed into the lighter clothes he wore when leaving the palace.

While drying his hair, he muttered to himself, trying to figure out what to say to her first when he met her tonight.

"...Once this operation is over, I'll officially... Hmm. No."

He shook his head as he buttoned up his blue shirt.

"I didn't intend on getting caught, but the Count figured it out before.... Hmmm, no. That's too lame. Really lame."

He shook his head again while buttoning his cufflinks.

"When I take my place as the Crown Prince, Tara, stay by my side..."

Hahhh.....

Sighing heavily, Kyle muttered again, unable to finish his sentence.

“These all suck.”

He pushed this line of thought aside, he'd think about it after he saw her again.

Out of habit, he glanced at the hilt of his great sword, propped against the wall, then strode briskly to the door.

But just as he was about to open it.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's Walter."

Kyle yanked the door open upon hearing Walter's voice filled with urgency.

"Is it news from the Principality of Ga'an?"

"No, it isn't."

"Then?"

"A knight from House Elias made an urgent inquiry to the Second Palace. He's currently waiting outside."

Kyle's expression instantly turned serious and he asked in a low voice.

"An Elias knight? What for?"

Kyle was out of the room and down the stairs before Walter could even answer.

"Second Secretary Tara Elias hasn't returned from the Palace yet, so her personal knight came to fetch her."

The tension in Kyle's body instantly dissipated at the news.

"Oh, she's still in the Palace?"

"Yes. Your Highness."

"Why didn't you contact the Permanent Secretarial Division's Office?

"But that's because...."

As Walter trailed off, Kyle stopped dead in his tracks and looked at him with piercing eyes.

“Walter. Tell me exactly!”

"No one in the Palace knows where Secretary Tara is and... I wondered if she was here."

Momentarily taken aback by the news of her disappearance, Kyle remembered his lover's workaholic tendencies and concluded that she must still be somewhere in the Palace, absorbed in her work.

He activated his Aurore, he could faintly sense her presence in the Palace.

"I thought she would have gotten off work earlier than usual since it's Sunday... I see. Have her knight wait inside. I'll go look for her myself."

Kyle quickly went down the stairs, clicking his tongue at his lover's workaholic tendencies this late at night. As he reached the hall, the butler approached him in a hurry as if he’d been waiting for him.

"Your Highness, Mr. Harrison from the Internal Affairs Department wishes to see you. He says it's urgent and this is already the fifth time he has visited today."

Sounds like he missed four attempts at meeting Kyle in person.

Kyle sighed unconsciously as his planned meeting with her was delayed once again and nodded briefly.

"In the reception room."

“Yes. Your Highness.”

Kyle headed to the nearest parlor, his strides longer than ever.

***

The Second Prince's Palace reception room. Evening.

Harrison Shawn of the Internal Affairs Division, who was in charge of special espionage investigation missions, sat across from Kyle, looking slightly nervous.

Rolling up his sleeves, Kyle poured himself a glass of water and urged Harrison on.

“Go on.”

"Traces of frequent visits to multiple warehouses were discovered in the Palace records. It appears we may have another spy delivering records to the mastermind other than the masseuse. Despite being caught at the scene, the suspect claims she isn't a spy, arguing that she only copied the map and did not take the masseuse's journal. So, we confronted her with the masseuse, but..."

"Even the imperial masseuse was just placed there. He didn't know who the next spy might be."

Kyle's eyes sharpened for a moment.

“I see.”

"Then we'll have to find more evidence. Since the mastermind hasn't been caught yet, the suspect will keep denying everything. Get a search warrant according to procedure and investigate."

Kyle turned to leave to go find Tara; he'd already wasted too much time. But Harrison had more to say.

“But that's the problem.”

With an impatient sigh, Kyle tapped the doorknob and asked Harrison what the problem was.

“The problem?”

“Yes. The suspect's family isn't one whose house can be searched recklessly.” Only then did Kyle realize he hadn't asked the spy's identity.

“Hmm. A noble family, then.”

"Yes, it's a noble family. And an important one to your Highness. That's probably why that woman kept her mouth shut at first, making it difficult to figure her identity out...!"

“The... Woman?”

Kyle's fingers, which were drumming on the arm of his chair, paused.

"Uh, yes. She's currently in the General Secretarial department, but it's recorded that she once was a Second Palace staff member. As your Highness is aware."

Kyle stared at Harrison, his gaze unwavering.

"This information... Are you sure about it?"

Harrison gulped at the coldness in Kyle's voice. The Second Prince, well known for his thoroughness, was apparently upset upon learning that the mole had come out of his staff.

"Yes, Sir, I'm sure. She was recorded as having served here, albeit briefly. Your Highness must know former Second Secretary Tara Elias."

Kyle gripped the chair arm until his knuckles turned white, then slowly rose.

“......”

Harrison rose to his feet as well, waiting for the Second Prince to speak, but when he didn't, the man continued.

"After reporting to Your Highness, I planned to formally request a search warrant and immediately dispatch a messenger to Count Elias's residence."

"She made an exact copy of that map?"

Seeing as the Second Prince was asking for confirmation, Harrison explained the situation again in greater detail. It seemed that this spy was searching for more detailed information since she delivered it directly to the mastermind.

"Bering saw it clearly, and the copied map was found in the woman's bag. When asked if the mastermind had requested her to bring that map, she denied it. When we asked how she knew the map was there, she claimed she didn't and only repeated that she copied it because she needed to verify something,Your Highness."

"Verify what?"

"She's keeping her mouth shut on that part."

“.....”

The Second Prince's jaw stiffened, his gaze suddenly turning cold.

The Second Prince stayed silent. It seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke, his voice low and slow.

"Tara... Bring her in."

"Oh, you want to see her yourself?" Harrison asked in surprise. It was late at night, and she was merely a petty criminal unworthy of the Second Prince's attention. He hadn't deemed it necessary to bring her over to the Second Palace. A report should have sufficed.

But when Harrison realized the women belonged to a noble family, and the Elias one on top of it, he understood the Second Prince's intentions.

The Elias family had aligned themselves with the Second Prince, so matters had undoubtedly become complicated.

The Second Prince nodded slowly without replying. Harrison bowed respectfully before quickly exiting the reception room.

***

Walter entered the Second Prince's Palace accompanied by Tara's personal knight Bernard.

"... She's been multitasking as if there were several of her, but I never thought she'd still be here this late on a Sunday. Good grief!”

“......”

Bernard, Tara's personal knight, hadn't said much since earlier. Maybe that was why Walter had become unnecessarily talkative.

"I thought the Second Prince was the only one who likes to work so much, hahaha. Maybe that's why she chose the military instead of the Inner Palace."

"If assigned just the right amount of work, there is no reason for anyone to stay this late."

As Walter was about to reply to the knight's rather blunt words, he was interrupted by a figure in the doorway.

"Ah! I see her over there. Let's go."

In the distance, under the dim light of a lantern, he could see Tara's silhouette.

"Well, I shall take my leave with her Ladyship... What the hell!"

Bernard looked towards the doorway as he was saying goodbye to Walter, but we he saw a figure grab Tara's forearm, he instantly let out a curse. He immediately moved towards the entrance, reaching a hand behind his back,and let out another harsh expletive.

He had forgotten he had left his axe at the Second Palace's checkpoint.

It wasn't the kind of behaviour you would expect at court from a House Knight, but Walter understood the man's profanity. They were handling her like a criminal.

Walter murmured in surprise.

"What the hell... What's going on?"

As Bernard rushed towards the doorway, he was quickly blocked by a group of security officers stationed behind Harrison. As he tried to force his way through, he heard a calm voice say.

"Bernard, don't do it."

"My Lady, how can this be...? Have you been framed?"

Walter hurriedly followed, and along with the security officers, helped restrain a very tense Bernard. However, the man's strength proved unexpectedly formidable, leaving Walter inwardly startled.

"Stop, this is the Palace. You will get arrested as well. Listen to me..."

At Tara's somewhat weary command, Bernard immediately relaxed his stance and stood still. Only then did Walter manage to catch his breath and ask Harrison.

"What's going on here? Is this some kind of mistake?"

Harrison shook his head at Walter's question and replied curtly.

"A mistake? No, his Highness is waiting."

Walter was struck once again by the firmness of Harrison's voice and the implication that his Lord already knew about the situation.

Bernard's expression twisted for a moment, and he was about to make a move again, when he heard the Second Prince's voice from the reception room, colder than ever.

"Do you think my orders are a joke?"

Everyone whirled around to look at the Second Prince,quietly waiting.

Editor's Note -

The über long hiatus has finally come to an end.

Once again thank you all for your patience and understanding.

Enjoy this chapter and more are to come soon.

Enjoyed the chapter? Buy us a ko-fi!

Previous Chapter l Table of Contents l Next Chapter