Oh, little did Maya know how Alyssa would want to prove her wrong so badly.
Yes, even if it means Maya's death.
Does that make her a bad person? If so, Alyssa would accept it if that what it would take to clear her mother's name. Her Queen mother is benevolent, loving, and fair--- her mother is not a killer.
'My mother is not a killer.' Alyssa repeated to remind herself that there was no reason to doubt her mother.
'How can you be so sure?' A voice at the back of her mind whispered.
Alyssa might have some issues on how the royals kept her in the dark, but they are still her family--- it would never change that fact. They can have misunderstandings and arguments, but a family is still a family, and if to join forces with these people from the slumps would help Alyssa remover her doubts from her family again, then so be it.
"Alright," Alyssa took a side-glance at the spies who was kneeling beside her. "if you show me proof of your allegation, then I will trust your words and go with you in the slumps."
'Their life is within my hands as long as they're in the palace.'
Alyssa had no intention to go with them to the slumps, who knows what kind of barbaric life they have in there. But that is how much sure she was that they will not find something sinister in the palace.
But this is her ultimate bet, and she intends to win. She believes in her mother, and betting her whole life, her future for believing her mother was not big deal.
In contrast to the confident princess, the two spies were not.
To Maya and Elion, this was their last opportunity to gain Princess Alyssa's trust and accomplish their mission once and for all.
Maya and Elion looked at each other, they were walking on a tightrope and they know it. They would either reach the end of the rope and be safe or they would free fall on their journey and die.
To the spies, this is not about how their future be, this is about if they still had one.
***
A night for himself was no more for Elion now that he had no curfew to follow anymore. According to the princess, he would be on-call whenever she would need his service. To say the truth, he do not mind it actually, he was used to working during the night in the slumps. If this was the princess' way of punishing him, it did not work.
It was his first time to go around the palace this openly late at night--- and so does the princess.
The princess was walking in front of him, with only a meter of distance between them. He can't help but notice the princess' more relaxed demeanor, she walked less uptight as compared in the morning. It might be because they did not encounter anyone as they walked, or at least the guards were hidden in the dark and only Elion could feel their presence.
The princess would look up, left, and right, as if seeing the palace for the first time. On Elion's eyes though, there was nothing worth to see in the dark. The princess took her time as she walked, as if the palace were all hers for tonight. Elion was sure that the princess wandered the palace during the night before, but maybe not for leisure. Thanks to the princess' unusual behavior, Elion allowed his eyes to wander around him too. He noticed that the night was not too dark after all. Now that he saw it, lights illuminated their path. Of how the warm lights touched the wall, of how they illuminated the stairs--- as if guiding them to an enchanted path.
'Maybe this is why the royals wanted to keep this for themselves.' Elion thought.
The path, which was familiar and yet different, led them into the garden, into a gazebo illuminated solely by the full moon. As if guided by the moon, Alyssa sat at the gazebo, quietly looking around.
Elion stood closely by the princess and looked around the area the way the princess looked at it.
Everything was concealed in the dark. The moon was the only source of light for the flowers around them.
To say the truth, there was nothing to see, but it was obvious to Elion that the princess was satisfied with the scenery in front of her. Somehow, the princess was not a princess tonight--- tonight she was just an ordinary young woman.
"I never saw this before." Alyssa said more to herself. "It's beautiful."
Elion looked around, but his thought was about the princess, trying to imagine what the princess was seeing.
Maybe it was not because the princess was in awe of the view, maybe beauty was beyond the naked eyes --- it was the beauty of freedom.
"Eli," Alyssa closed her eyes, she inhaled. "You're ruining the perfect view." she exhaled.
Elion looked at the princess, and to him, with his height and stature, he was an eye sore from the view.
"Can you step further? Maybe…" The princess pointed at the hallway. "there."
Elion bowed curtly, walked towards the hallway, and stood at one of the columns, near enough for him to be able to see the princess but far enough to not disturb her.
Having nothing else to do, Elion looked around the area, just like how he would do during a night of surveillance in the slumps.
But unknowingly, without his approval, his eyes locked into one place.
Elion did not see this scenery before too, of how the moonlight illuminated the princess' eyes, making them twinkle like the stars in the sky, and on how it gently touched her skin, making it seem like soft to touch.
'Is it the night? Or is it the moon? The scenery does look beautiful tonight.'
Elion shook his head. Him staying in the palace made him weak, he ate better, and he slept longer--- two things he did not have in the slumps. It was obvious to him that he was intoxicated from the lack of sleep. He should have been asleep by now, by the palace's standard.
But his eyes returned to her, the princess--- the third thing they did not have in the slumps.
The princess was busy gazing at the stars and the moon, just as Elion was occupied staring at her.
***
If the princess thought she could walk around the palace unseen, she was wrong. The nights were for the royals, and somebody saw her as she walked back into her room last night.
Ison Vis, as head of the Royal Council, shared what he saw to his fellow royals.
Many said that this was clearly against the law, an opinion Ison Vis strongly agreed with. A perishable, a princess she might be, is loitering around the palace during the night freely. She may have discovered the nature of the royals, but it does not give her the right to wander at night.
The princess does not have the blood of the royals. She was a princess, merely by name.
Ison Vis quickly devised a plan and collected the signatures of those that are like-minded like him, with the intention to submit it to the Queen. Surely, a petition by more than half of the royals would not be ignored, even by the queen.
Led by Ison Vis, thirty of the royal members walked towards the throne room.
The guards were stone shocked into their place and was not able to do anything to stop the group of royals.
Queen Kathy and King Garrett was sitting on their throne, having a heated conversation with Duke Emil when they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of the group of royals.
Ison Vis walked straight beside Emil and gave the parchment to the squire. "My Queen" he bowed curtly. "Forgive us for our intrusion, but I believe we have an urgent matter needed to be discussed."
The squire immediately ran the stairs to hand the parchment to the queen.
"What is this?" Queen Kathy opened the folded paper to reveal a list of signatures from the royals in front of her. "What is the meaning of this?"
Ison Vis lifted his head, deciding for himself to be the representative for the group. "My Queen, I clearly saw the Princess last night, together with her attendant, strolling around the palace way beyond the curfew time. As we are all aware of the incident the other night, causing her to discover our…" Ison Vis glared at Duke Emil for a second. "…natural behavior. Clearly, it has given her a false belief that she can do whatever she wants."
"Ison Vis," Duke Emil placed a hand on Ison's shoulder. "as the princess already know our little secret, the curfew has theoretically lost its purpose." Ison Vis was staring at Emil's hand murderously, making Emil to remove his hand on Ison's shoulder.
"Maybe, yes." Ison Vis straightened his suit. "But legal wise, no. What she did is clearly prohibited against the law. She did not only break it once. She had the confidence of a serial offender. Certainly, thinking to herself that she is above the law."
"Ah, the law." Duke Emil smiled. "The law the Queen and I are currently talking about to amend."
In a normal circumstance, Duke Emil might have already been imprisoned for eternity for devising a plan for the princess to discover their dinner. But as ruthless Queen Kathy might be, she is still a softhearted mother. Duke Emil was saved by Queen Kathy's love for her daughter.
"Amend?" Ison Vis voice grew louder. "To amend and accommodate a spoiled child!"
There were murmurs amongst the crowd, agreeing with Ison Vis.
Duke Emil knew that these royals were the conservative, not wanting to change anything, not wanting to adapt to the current society, all for one thing--- to preserve their power.
"Watch your word, Ison Vis." Queen Kathy's voice echoed in the room. "The child you are talking about is my daughter, the Princess of this kingdom."
"My Queen, you clearly know what I mean." Ison Vis pleaded. "You clearly know that the law should not be amended. The princess would be one of us in her upcoming birthday, this nonsense is not needed!"
It was a matter of a spoiled brat, wherein the mother herself refuses to discipline her child. And as member of the royal, Ison Vis believed that a behavior such as that should not be tolerated. He will not allow that a single child would cause an imbalance of power amongst them.
Queen Kathy's silence was enough, Ison Vis knew that the Queen agrees with him. They always had the same point of view, everything except for things involving her daughter.
"My Queen, please for the sake of the foundation where this kingdom was built, an amendment of the law is not needed."
"This is not just about the Princess, this is about our attendants, out guards, they all have the right." Duke Emil added.
Another murmurs formed amongst the crowd.
After a minute of silence, the Queen finally decided. "Enough! I allowed the princess to be freed from her curfew, she is a royal and she has the right."
"But a perish---" One of the royals chimed in.
"Don't. Don't call my daughter that word again." The queen's voice was stern, a warning. "The law will be amended and you all with abide by it."
Duke Emil nodded, pleased with the Queen decision.
"My Queen, that will need an approval from the council." Ison Vis reminded her.
"And it will," Queen Kathy waved her hand. "Now, go."
The group of royals was clearly not intending to exit the room, so King Garrett walked down the stairs to greet them.
Intimidated by the King, the group eventually left the room.
Duke Emil was the only royal left inside together with the Queen and King.
"You will not regret this decision my Queen." Duke Emil bowed.
"Make sure we get the vote." Queen Kathy reminded him.
"Of course." Duke Emil assured Queen Kathy. "Zenalda could be persuaded on our side, as an assurance."
Queen Kathy stared down to the Duke. "You are only alive today because of my gracious daughter, serve her well."
"Thank you, my Queen. Of course, I would forever be indebted to the princess."
"But Emil," Queen Kathy fumbled at the hem of her sleeves. "As a mother myself, I intend to keep my promise I made to your parents. I promised to keep you safe and alive, and I intend to keep it that way. But don't force me to break my promise, there's a limit to stupidity. The next time won't be tolerated as much, don't get yourself be killed. Think of the sacrifices made by your parents."
Duke Emil was not happy about his parents being mentioned.
But Duke Emil did not protest, he just smiled.
He was already killed once; it would not be the worse to be killed twice.