While Rya was finding all the children that had Mage Veins and Mana Veins in the orphanage, Prince Zane Stoneworthh and his men made their way back to the Ecros Manor in the Southern outskirts of Tairal, where the Marquess was busy ying out a pn to get the other Major Lords to side with him to stop Rya from marrying Prince Quinus Meredydd. The only thing that he could leverage was the fear that Rya's race was going to prevent the Kingdom from getting another heir after Quinus. It was the only thing that was preventing the King from approving the marriage. Even some of the King's allies were skeptical about letting Quinus marry Rya, like Baron Johnathan Dule. And the other thing that kept Duval's hopes up was the fact that Princess Hilda was able to get the Goddess's favor, even if he thought Aric had rigged the Idol to light up.

  But his biggest challenge was the fact that Rya somehow lit the Goddess's Idol up brighter than Hilda, while bringing two more Goddesses to worship within the kingdom, which has strengthened the faith of all the Fiafyrian civilians to new heights. Mother Astra and the Church of Bance are believers of the Dark Elf and see her as their connection to Iyomelka's blessings. And the other two, Nils and Nebulus, are gaining followers as well, as they find their pathetic dispy endearing and adorable. It made the people of Fiafyr more charitable to the less fortunate and the poor, as well as being more welcoming to other races, especially the Fiafyrian Dwarves to the west of the Kingdom.

  But the Marquess knew that Quinus was the key to keeping the peace treaty alive, and the Marquess was hoping the Crown Prince would fall for Hilda's charms at some point, and he didn't know what Aric had pnned to get the Ladies of the Court to turn on the Dark Elf. He prayed that the Duke wouldn't screw him over. So, here he was pnning his next move just in case Aric failed.

  Duval was at his desk in his study, frantically scribbling away on parchment. His thoughts were all over the pce. He tried to formute a pn that could salvage his country's retionship with the Holy Alliance of the Divine Three. The fate of the Kingdom rested on the marriage of the Crown Prince to the Princess of the Stoneworthh family, but Duval's hands were tied. If he were to try to force Rya away, then it would risk him losing all his power within the House of Lords. So he could only pray that Hilda would be able to charm Quinus or make him fall for her.

  "Maybe I can propose a measure that will force the Crown Prince to only be allowed to have one wife and no mistresses. And if he breaks the measure, then the alliance has the right to—DAMMIT!... No one will agree to a measure like that." Duval mumbled as he smmed his quill onto his desk, spilling a little ink in the process.

  The Marquess sighed at the mess he's created and was about to clean it up when a knock came from his door. "Come in," Duval called out, and then looked up to see his top aide, Clinton, coming in.

  "Your Excellency?... Is everything alright?" Clinton asked. He was a tall man with short gray hair and hazel eyes.

  Duval let out another sigh. "Yes. Everything is fine. Just working on a possible pn to fix the current situation. And I'll come up with something... I always do..." Duval said while shaking his head.

  "Well, Your Excellency. You have some guests here to see you. I can tell them to come back at another time if you want?" Clinton offered.

  "It depends... Who's here to see me?..." Duval asked with a frown.

  "It's Count Sebastian Ingram and Viscount Octavius Bckwood... The Viscount says he's found something urgent that you need to know about." Clinton replied.

  Duval perked up immediately when Clinton told him that his two closest allies had some urgent news. "Bring them in! NOW!" Duval commanded, and Clinton was out the door a moment ter.

  The Count and Viscount entered his study a minute ter. The Count had his patented emotionless face, while the Viscount was looking very excited. Duval could already tell that the news had to be good. "Please. Take a seat, gentlemen. So, what is it that you've come to tell me?" Duval asked.

  "I found it! I finally found out how Aric was able to survive his ten-year financial punishment for the hiring of that Assassin... What was her name?"

  "Wina Daz..." Sebastian interjected.

  "Right. Wina Daz. Thank you, Count. Anyway. I have paperwork that shows all his back-door dealings, and it will prove he was embezzling money from the Kingdom's coffers. And I found the ledger with his accounts, and it will show where all the money went. He's pyed us from the start, and it's all there for anyone to see. So, now you can punish him properly and send him off to the gallows." Octavius concluded.

  Duval looked at Sebastian, and the Count simply nodded. The Marquess became numb when he finally got the means to bury Aric, but these weren't normal times. He needed Aric, and Aric needed him. Plus, this seemed way too convenient. After Aric served his sentence, it seemed strange how easily he was able to get his finances in order. And Duval had Sebastian and Octavius investigate it, and over the past ten years, they have come up with nothing. That's what gave the Marquess pause. How did Octavius find this information after all this time of searching? "Octavius, how did you come across this information?"

  Octavius was taken aback by the question. He thought the Marquess would be ecstatic. "Well. One of my servants got an anonymous letter a couple of days ago telling me to go to an old warehouse on the eastern side of the city. I thought it was a prank at first, but when my guards searched the building, we found a crate that contained all the paperwork I just showed you, with two men gagged and tied up. They worked for the Duke and dealt with hiding the embezzled money. The Duke and his family were going to use the money to fund the Minor Nobles to stay loyal to him! That's why we struggled to sway their loyalties to our cause!" Octavius shouted out.

  Duval took this in with a mix of emotions. On one hand, the evidence would help prove Aric was a traitor, and the evidence could bring the rest of the Major Lords to his side to expel the Revelia's. But something still wasn't sitting right with the Marquess. This information wasn't found by their efforts, but it was given to them by someone powerful, and this didn't sit well with Duval.

  'It has to be her! That Dark Elf must know that we are close to stopping her from marrying Quinus! And she's trying to get us to go after each other. Well, it's not going to work. She is far more dangerous than Aric, and the fact that she found out his dirty little secrets is proof that she's far more formidable than I gave her credit for,' the Marquess thought.

  "This is troubling indeed, Octavius," the Marquess said calmly. "Did you and your guards find anything else?"

  "No, Sir," the noble replied.

  Duval sat there in silence for over a minute, which made Octavius gnce over at Sebastian with a confused look written all over his face. The Foreign Minister could tell what his old friend was thinking and was about to say something before the Marquess raised his right hand, stopping him in his tracks.

  "We'll wait to deal with Aric ter... Give me all the evidence so I can keep it safe," Duval ordered.

  The Marquess knew it would be foolish to try to arrest Aric right now. His supporters would rally around him and start a war that would divide the kingdom.

  "B-But, Sir... We need to punish him before he finds a way to escape or cover his tracks. What if he tries to kill the Prince?" the Octavius asked.

  "He won't," Duval replied coldly. "I want you to gather more evidence and make sure Aric has no way of covering up his treason. We'll bring him to justice once we have everything. Understood?"

  Octavius looked at the Prime Minister as if he had gone mad. The Duke couldn't be trusted, and Duval has gotten too close to him in recent weeks.

  "Sir, you better give me a good reason why I shouldn't tell the King," the noble said in a low, angry tone.

  Duval gred at the Viscount and smmed both of his hands down on his desk, causing some of the papers on his desk to go flying.

  "Listen closely, Octavius..." the Marquess started, his voice low and dangerous. "Who do you think gave us this information in the first pce? Did you not question how it got into your hands?"

  Octavius was taken aback at first, but he held his ground. The Prime Minister's tone was threatening, and the Viscount wasn't going to let him intimidate him.

  "It doesn't matter how we got the information. We know that he wishes to use the Minor Nobles to start an uprising at any moment once we served his purpose! Why not take him down before things get worse?!" the Viscount retorted.

  "I said enough!" the Prime Minister shouted. "Are you so blind that you can't figure out that the person who gave us this information was our enemy?!"

  Sebastian's right eyebrow raised slightly as Octavius looked at Duval as if he were crazy. The Marquess continued.

  "It was she who gave us this, and she wants us to fight each other to weaken us, you idiot!" the Marquess yelled, his eyes filled with rage.

  Octavius gave Duval a puzzled look. He was wary of Rya when he first heard about the Dark Elf courting the Crown Prince, but she has been accomplishing things that he's been waiting for forever. Like putting Aric in his pce, and if she was the one to find the Duke's secret, then she has earned his respect to a small degree. He couldn't allow her to marry Quinus as long as they had hope for signing the peace treaty with the Holy Alliance. But he couldn't let the fact that Aric and his allies are trying to take the throne from the Crown Prince slide either.

  "But, sir, I know you're worried about the peace treaty with the Divine Three. But do you think that the Duke would allow it to happen after his son is dead? This would be a perfect time to arrest him and squash any possible uprising from within the kingdom... Lady Rya can't get married without our approval. The King may favor Quinus marrying a dark elf. But the Guilds and the rest of the nobility would never allow such a union!"

  Duval had had enough of Octavius questioning his judgment. The Prime Minister sighed heavily. He had a headache and was beginning to feel fatigued from this argument.

  "Listen, and listen well. If you tell anyone that we know about this... I will make sure that you will lose all of your statues within the Kingdom."

  "Sir, I..." the Viscount started, but was cut off by the Marquess.

  "Do not interrupt me!" the Prime Minister yelled, his eyes narrowing at Octavius.

  "The Crown Prince is not fit to rule the Kingdom if he can't understand that the Dark Elf is a threat to his throne and our safety."

  "But, sir," Octavius interjected.

  "SHE IS THE MAJOR THREAT! NOT THE DUKE!"

  Octavius was taken aback. The Marquess has lost his mind, or he was really in cahoots with Aric.

  'He's lost his mind... The Duke will not give up on his quest to overthrow the royal family... This Dark Elf could have taken over the royalty, but she hasn't... She has done nothing but try to work with us and has done everything we asked her to do. She hasn't hurt Quinus or any of his friends... Even though she's had plenty of opportunity... M-Maybe she should marry the Prince... But what are we going to do about getting the next heir?...' Octavius thought.

  "Are you sure this is the route you want to go, my Lord?"

  Duval looked at Octavius with an expression of pure annoyance and anger.

  "You have your orders, Viscount. And you will obey them. Is that understood?"

  Octavius straightened up and looked Duval in the eyes.

  "If that is what you wish... Then I will obey."

  Duval was about to dismiss Octavius so he could speak to Sebastian alone, but there was another knock on the door.

  "Who is it?!" the Prime Minister demanded.

  "It is me, my Lord. Clinton... Our informant from the capital has... some news."

  Duval stared at Octavius, deciding whether he should let him stay or not.

  "What are you waiting for? Come in, Clinton."

  The door opened, and Clinton came in with another man. He was dressed in pin clothes and looked like a merchant.

  "Which target was he watching over again, Clinton?"

  "The Mage's Guild, sir."

  "Ah, yes. Please come in and tell us what you have learned."

  Clinton escorted the man inside and shut the door behind them.

  "Speak."

  The man took a moment to collect his thoughts, then began to speak.

  "I watched as the Grand Master and his entourage of mages arrived in the Pace. Just as the Grand Master entered the pace a strange flying ship that nded in the courtyard. The Dwarves from Ironside have arrived in the capital, my Lord."

  Duval frowned, 'A flying ship!? When did the dwarves get a flying ship? And how?'

  "That doesn't matter. Is the Grand Master still on bad terms with the Crown Prince? Did they see through the Dark Elf's deceit?"

  The man was hesitant to answer, but after a few moments, he finally spoke.

  "I wasn't able to enter the pace to know, my Lord... But the Crown Prince's entourage traveled to the Mage's Guild headquarters. Grand Master, Fennic, and the Guild have sided with the Crown Prince..."

  Duval's right eye started to twitch.

  "H-How?... What did the Dark Elf do to the Mage's Guild? Was she able to corrupt the Grand Master that quickly?"

  The man shook his head.

  "I doubt it, my Lord. The Grand Master is the strongest mage in the kingdom, and he wouldn't succumb to such simple tricks—"

  *SLAM!*

  The sound of Duval's fist striking the desk was loud and made the man jump.

  "Then how did she sway the Guild and the Grand Master? How!?"

  The man stuttered, "S-She went to an orphanage with everyone, and when they came out, the Guild took twelve children with them, and the Royal Knights took thirty-seven children with them to the knights' academy... Word is that the Dark Elf has an Artifact that can find Mages and Majas... And I hear some of the mages talking about how the Grand Master has given the Crown Prince his blessing to marry the Dark Elf..."

  Duval's face turned pale, and the color drained from his face. He hoped that the feud between Fennic and Quinus would have stopped Quinus from marrying the dark elf. But instead, the Mage's Guild is helping the Crown Prince.

  'No! No! No! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! If the Grand Master has his blessing on the marriage... the House of Lords will have to give their blessings and accept the marriage... Then the marriage will happen. I HAVE TO STOP THEM FROM GETTING MARRIED!'

  Duval looked around, trying to come up with anything. Octavius couldn't help but realize that the Prime Minister was losing his grip on everything, and he was beginning to warm up to the idea of finding a new Prime Minister. Sebastian kept a straight face and tried to keep the same composure as he had before. He didn't want to show any ck of faith in him. In Sebastian's mind, Duval has gotten them close enough to getting a treaty signed with the Alliance. All they need to do is get rid of the Dark Elf, and the Prince can marry the Princess. The Alliance will forgive them if they can get Quinus to get Hilda pregnant, and the marriage will be set in stone. Then they can focus on dealing with the Duke.

  They waited for the Prime Minister's orders. But the silence was deafening, and Clinton was about to say something when they heard thumping from a few people coming towards the office. The four men looked at the door.

  It opened to a very angry Prince Zane, whose face had seen better days, while Sir Darius and a few of his white knights followed him into the office.

  "My Prince?... What happened to your face?"

  Zane had a rge cut on his cheek. It was a few inches long, and it looked fresh. His lip was swollen, and the bottom lip had a cut on it. He was bruised and had a bck eye. Durias received worse treatment than the Prince, but his connection to the Divine Three helped heal all the wounds he sustained. Some of the White Knights had some scraps and bruises, but their armor and shields prevented the worst of it.

  "That foul demon attacked us, and she destroyed the wheels on my carriage! We've had to walk all the way here! I should have never agreed to your terms! Forcing me and my men to disarm willfully before entering the pace, and then this happens. How are we supposed to defend ourselves against the likes of that foul creature?!?!"

  Zane's face turned red. Duval was speechless at first, but then a grin appeared on his face.

  "My apologies, Your Highness. I will personally deal with this issue, and I promise you it won't happen again. I'll send my personal knights to escort you back to your chambers and get potions for you and your men. And I'll also have someone fix the damage that was done to the carriage."

  Zane was furious that the Prime Minister wasn't truly taking responsibility and seemed to be brushing off what happened. But Zane knew that if he didn't leave the room, the anger might cause him to do something rash, and if he killed the Prime Minister, then that foul woman would have free rein to eliminate him and his men.

  "Tsk!... We don't need your bloody potions... Father Gil will aid us in our time of need..."

  He turned and stormed out of the room. Sir Darius and his knights gred at the Prime Minister. They weren't sure whether to say anything, but they didn't want to be stuck in this situation either.

  Sir Darius shook his head at the Prime Minister and left the room after his prince. The White Knights followed behind him and left the room. Duval watched the door close and then looked at Clinton enthusiastically. This was the breakthrough he was waiting for. The Dark Elf assaulted the unarmed foreign Prince and his men with no provocation. Duval couldn't wait to have another emergency meeting. If he was quick enough, then maybe Rya and Quinus might miss the meeting, and then he could get her expelled or even imprisoned for her treachery. Duval knew that Cyndre would have some reservations, but the other Lords would pressure the King to expel the dark elf and get her imprisoned for what she did.

  "Clinton... Send out a message to all the Major Lords... I want an emergency meeting of the High Council. The sooner the better. This will be a matter of National Security, and it will have to be taken care of swiftly."

  "Of course, Prime Minister. I'll get the messages out within the hour," Clinton replied.

  "Not good enough. It needs to be within the next thirty minutes. The Dark Elf isn't in the pace, and we don't know when she'll come back. The sooner the message gets out, the better."

  Clinton has a nod. He understood that the Prime Minister wanted this meeting today. But the Prime Minister was already asking a lot. It took time to send the messages, and if the lords were in their estates, then it would take a little longer.

  "I'll see what I can do, Prime Minister," Clinton said.

  Clinton bowed his head and left the room. The Prime Minister noticed the confused man who gave him the information that Rya was still in the Mage's Guild headquarters.

  "You! You said you saw her going to the Mage's Guild? Correct?"

  The man nodded his head quickly, "Yes, my Lord."

  "Then I have a job for you," the Prime Minister said.

  "What do you need me to do, my lord?"

  "I need you to go back to the Mage's Guild and see when she leaves. Ask my Aide, Clinton, to give you the Beacon Wick. Light it, and it will shoot into the air. My people will be watching the Mage's Guild from the pace, and I'll know when the dark elf is coming back. Now go. We don't have much time."

  "Yes, my Lord," the man said as he hurried out of the Marquess's office.

  Duval looked at Octavius and Sebastian with a satisfied look in his eyes.

  "She's finally screwed up, Gentlemen... Now we need to show the Major Lords that her intent was evil. Once she's gone, the Crown Prince will have no choice but to marry Hilda, and then the treaty will be completed. There's no way the Holy Alliance would attack a kingdom that has their Princess giving birth to the next heir of Fiafyr," Duval said.

  Octavius kept quiet but nodded in agreement, even though his faith in Duval was waning. Sebastian kept his usual demeanor but was happy to see Duval acting like his usual self.

  Duval grabbed a few of his things from his desk and his coat from the rack.

  "Come on. Let's get this meeting started," he said as he walked by the two men. But Sebastian frowned when he realized that the Prime Minister was overlooking.

  "Shouldn't we be bringing the Prince with us, My Lord?"

  Duval stopped walking, and his eyes opened wide. He was just about to leave without Prince Zane. Duval cursed himself for being so stupid. The Major Lords would question if the allegations were true, and they would want to see Zane's injuries face-to-face.

  "Haah... I'll meet you two in the foyer after I can convince the Prince to join us," Duval said with a sigh.

  Octavius and Sebastian nodded their heads.

  "Failure is not an option. We need to show the Major Lords and the King that the Dark Elf is a threat," Duval said.

  "As you wish," Octavius said.

  "..." Sebastian kept silent.

  With that, Duval left his study to convince Zane to come back with him to the pace, and it took thirty minutes to convince him to come back with him, even though Zane was displeased with the thought of going back to the pace.

  Duval's convey hurried back to the West Wing of the pace within the hour, where most of the Major Lords were waiting for the Prime Minister and his guests.