Myrcella’s POV
Something felt off within the castle. No, it was more like there was some strange vibe going around. Everyone in the castle, from the royal knights to the maids, even my father’s concubines, seemed restless. The Prime Minister, the Court Nobles, the ministers, and even my father, the King, all seemed troubled. The atmosphere in the castle was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Breathing felt like a chore too. It was evident that something was up by the way everyone was moving about.
“It seems like your half-brother is dead set on winning the King’s Game and seizing the throne from your father to become the ruler of Milham,” Johanne remarked. We were both in my royal chamber. Normally, men wouldn’t be allowed in the quarters of an unmarried or even married royal, but Johanne was an exception. Not that I had any concerns about Johanne doing anything inappropriate; I trusted him. “What I don’t understand is why Prince Julius is behaving like this.”
“Neither do I,” I replied. “Julius isn’t some mischievous troublemaker who would pull a stunt like this.”
“Do you have any idea when he started acting this way?”
“Hmm, I think… it was when Duke Sierra’s daughter, Charlotte Sierra, was found safe. Something must have happened around that time,” I mused.
“Prince Julius and Madam Charlotte have been best friends since birth, haven’t they?” Johanne remarked. “Maybe that has something to do with it?”
“What could two best friends possibly do to cause something like this?” I questioned. “Do you have any inkling of what might have transpired, Johanne?”
“I have no clue,” Johanne admitted. “I mean, we haven’t been through such an experience ourselves, being best friends and all, and I don’t think we ever will.”
“You’re right.”
The tense atmosphere gripping the castle, leaving everyone on edge, was all because of Julius’s rebellion against the king. It was strange because Julius had never shown any interest in the throne before. I couldn’t fathom why he was doing this or what had prompted such an absurd action, but it had to be put to a stop, even though I didn’t fully understand why. My only current plan was to thwart Julius’s bid to win the King’s Game, preventing him from demanding the throne from Father. If he didn’t win, he couldn’t make any demands. At least, that’s what I hoped, but there was still a chance he might resort to something drastic to overthrow Father, like staging a coup or initiating a succession war.
“If Professor Gabrielle were still here as a magic knight, I think she would know what to do…” I murmured to myself. Professor Gabrielle, a former magic knight, was the one I admired the most in that role. Even after her retirement, she remained my greatest inspiration, and I doubted anyone else could ever replace her in my admiration. After pondering for a moment, my gaze returned to Johanne. “Have you spoken to Mr. Leon about joining us?”
Johanne glanced down. “Well, not yet. Leon is elusive on the school grounds. I plan to catch up with him today and see if he’s interested in teaming up with us. I also intend to approach Sir Harold, Miss Hertrude, Sir Hereon, and Miss Shredica about it.”
“If we can get them on board, it’ll definitely boost our chances of stopping Julius from winning and snagging the throne in the process,” I remarked.
But even if we managed to thwart Julius’s victory, there was no guarantee he’d give up his pursuit of the throne. If that was the case, we needed to come up with another plan. I had to get to the bottom of why Julius was behaving this way.
“Johanne, can you arrange a meeting with Miss Charlotte?” I asked.
“Of course, Princess,” Johanne replied.
***
Charlotte’s POV
My father grew increasingly restless by the day. There had to be something brewing behind the scenes to make even him this agitated. The atmosphere had become suffocating ever since Prince Julius demanded to join the King’s Game and declared his intent to usurp the throne.
I’d been trying to reach him by phone, but the call never seemed to connect. I didn’t believe Prince Julius was entirely serious about this, but seeing how many court nobles, dukes, and marquises were on edge, they were taking his threat seriously. Normally, a transition of power to a new king wasn’t such a big deal, but it would entail changes to the kingdom’s system. I wasn’t well-versed in all of it, but I knew the current system was corrupt, and many nobles, including my father, benefited from it. That’s why he was so on edge. If Prince Julius seized the throne from the current king, not only would those benefits be lost, but my father’s position would also be at risk. And he wasn’t willing to take that chance.
Truth be told, I wasn’t all that concerned about my father’s worries, nor was I worried about our position taking a downfall. What truly concerned me was Prince Julius. Ever since I returned from being held captive, we hadn’t had a chance to talk.
While I was staring at my phone, suddenly, a call blared through it, and the caller was Professor Sesillian. With great anticipation, I answered the call.
“Hello, Professor?” I greeted.
“Good morning, Charlotte,” he replied, his voice as gentle as ever. “Have you heard anything from Prince Julius yet? As his professor, I’m worried about him. He’s been absent from school for two weeks now.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, Professor,” I responded. “But I haven’t. He hasn’t been picking up my calls.”
“Is that so? Well, if you have time, can we meet? I have something to discuss with you,” Professor Sesillian proposed.
Excitedly, I stood up from my seat and replied, “Okay! I’ll come to you! Where should we meet?”
“At the usual place,” he said.
“Alright! I’ll head there now,” I said, enthusiasm evident in my voice. Ending the call, I began grooming myself. I wanted to look my best for him. I put on my most expensive dress, worth a total of 100 gold coins, crafted by the most renowned tailor in the world. Then, I applied makeup, ensuring I looked flawless. Finally, I styled my hair to perfection.
I also slipped on my lucky underwear. You never know what might happen, right?
After admiring myself in the mirror for a while, reveling in how flawless my appearance was, I stepped out of my room. That’s when I spotted my personal maid, Vicky, standing there. Upon seeing me dressed up, she inquired, “Are you heading out somewhere, my lady?”
“Oh, indeed,” I replied. “I have plans to meet someone today. Um, Vicky, could you please inform my mother that I’ll be stepping out for a bit?”
Upon hearing my request, Vicky seemed a bit hesitant. However, she eventually said, “I’m sorry, my lady. But you’re not allowed to go out today, or any day you don’t have classes.”
“What…? But why?” I exclaimed.
“It’s Lord Sierra’s orders,” Vicky explained.
My father wanted me to stay put at home? I couldn’t fathom why, but this was unprecedented. It seemed like the situation was truly dire if my father was resorting to such measures.
“Can’t you make an exception today, Vicky?” I pleaded with her.
Normally, Vicky would bend the rules for me, but today she simply shook her head. “He’s adamant that you’re to remain indoors once this whole royal family ordeal is settled. Also, Princess Myrcella of Milham has requested a meeting with you today. I would have turned a blind eye and let you slip out, my lady, but with the Princess’s visit, I can’t afford to. I’m sorry, but I can’t make any exceptions this time.”
“The Princess wants to meet with me? Not with my father or mother? Why?” I pondered aloud.
“I’m clueless about that,” Vicky admitted. “Either way, my lady, I hope you’ll abide by the rules and stay put for now.”
“…I understand,” I reluctantly agreed.
As disappointed as I was about having to cancel my meeting with Professor Sesillian, I had to acknowledge the importance of Princess Myrcella’s unexpected request. I didn’t want Vicky to suffer any consequences for my disobedience, so I resolved to stay put for the time being. With a heavy heart, I canceled my appointment with the Professor.
***
Gabrielle’s POV
I woke up to the sound of my smartphone chiming. Finding myself in the room where Master and I had slept the night before, I glanced beside me to see him still sleeping, with Amon on the other side of him. It seemed I had passed out right after reaching orgasm last night, and then Master had decided to have sex with Amon while I slept in the bed. How shameless of him. But I couldn’t deny that I liked his shamelessness.
Grabbing my phone, I noticed a message from a woman named Vicky. Yesterday evening, I had instructed her not to let her boss, Charlotte Sierra, leave the estate. She was to come up with any excuse, whether true or not, to keep Charlotte from getting away. Master seemed quite adamant about keeping this woman, Charlotte, confined, and he harbored some anger toward her as well, for reasons unknown to me. But since she was stirring up my Master’s ire, I was determined to do whatever it took to prevent her from getting what she wanted.
The woman named Vicky was a maid there, acting as Charlotte’s personal maid. Initially, she resisted my instructions and even threatened to report me. However, she had no idea that I possessed a wealth of information about her, including her most significant weakness. That’s why she ultimately complied with my demands.
Reading the message, “I did what you told me to. Keep your end of the bargain,” I replied, “Of course,” before putting down the phone and snuggling up close to Master, drifting back to sleep.
Can I ask for your opinions, guys? What do you think would be the best course of action regarding Charlotte? Personally, I’m inclined towards dominating her through blackmail and the “R” word, but do you think that’s the optimal approach? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this chapter. Thank you!
