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I thought deeply about everyone I had met at the palace and who was the most suspicious.
The more I thought about it the less sense t was made.
They say because of the 4th Prince's aggression towards the 3rd Prince, he killed him. I squinted, deep in thought.
"But that doesn't make any sense… the 4th Prince has no interest in the throne or political matters, why would he harm his brother?!?" I mumbled aloud. I stood up and walked around the room.
It wouldn't make sense for the 4th Prince to kill the 3rd Prince simply out of jealousy, no matter how angry he was, it was not in the 4th Prince to be that petty. I began thinking of other possibilities.
"An assassin? Maybe an undercover job by someone with a grudge against the king?" I pursed my lips. It couldn't be that simple…
My mind wandered back to the aura emitted by the 2nd Prince. My feet halted.
"Could it be, the 2nd Prince?" I said. I sighed frustratedly. "But why??"
It didn't make any sense, somehow, the 3rd prince was killed, yet the only possible culprit was surely not the killer. So who was????
I had to hand it to the killer, they covered their tracks well. But still, I smirked as I thought.
They would be no match for me.
"….."
A scoff left my lips.
"As if… I truly hope I can make it out of here without angering whoever this killer was."
A shudder ran down my spine. That, would be terrifying.
I sighed once more.
However, I had absolutely no lead. Hell, I don't even know where the murder took place! I rubbed my head.
That's right, in the actual series, this murder never happened, and the Prince was never dead!
"Bella! Are you still there?" I yelled from my room. The door opened as Bella swiftly made her way inside, closing the door behind her.
"Yes, miss?" She spoke. I looked at her before motioning to the bed.
"Please sit. You're not going to be scolded for anything you say, I just need to ask you a few things." She did so with no questions, but I could see the skeptical look on her face.
"Miss...what is it that you need?" She said. I looked up at her with a serious expression.
"Bella, can you tell me what you know about the 3rd Prince's death?" I asked. Immediately after I did so, Bella's eyes went wide. She quickly collected herself, but her hands clutched her dress in fear. Could the simple mention of this truly scare her so much?
I walked over to the bed and sat next to her, I carefully placed my hands over hers.
"Bella, you know I would never do anything to put you in a dangerous position, but I need this information. I'm trying to-"
Bella stood up abruptly.
"Miss, do you truly understand what you're asking of me? You say you don't want me to be put in dangerous situations, yet you are putting me in one right now!" She exclaimed. I could hear the pain from her voice.
"I understand that you are curious, but the 1st Concubine has strictly restricted anyone to speak of this!" She said. My thoughts paused as I looked up at her questionably.
"The 1st Concubine? Why would she-"
"Miss! Are you even listening to me?" Bella groaned. I stood up and stared at her in confusion.
"Bella, why did the 1st Concubine not want people talking about this??" I asked. She looked away from me with her arms crossed. I shook her shoulder vigorously.
"Bella!"
"Alright! Alright!" She huffed. "I'll tell you." I rolled my eyes. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath before sitting down. I sat down as well, staring at her expectantly. Finally, she started her story.
"It was about three years ago, a little later than the current time, maybe about a month or so difference. The news of the 3rd prince being dead circulated like wildfire. Although I was simply a handmaiden for your family, many of the other older maids had spoken of it. Even your mother herself. And then, a couple of days passed and another set of news traveled, the Prince had not simply died, he was killed..." She said.
"Because we lived farther from the palace, not many things changed, but now and then when a servant went towards the palace to buy supplies, they would come back with stories of seeing armed soldiers parading the streets!"
"They were looking for the murderer?" I asked. Bella nodded.
"For a few months. And then suddenly, the soldiers stopped showing up. The civilians had assumed that they had caught the killer. Maybe an assassin who snuck in under higher orders. They all expected a public hanging. As retribution for killing one of their beloved Princes."
"Beloved? Was the 3rd prince close to the Townspeople?"
"Out of all the Princes, Yes. He was the Prince who spent the most time outside of the palace. Rumor has it that he had a secret lover who was a common person-"
"Bella, the murder. Please."
"Ah! Yes." She cleared her throat. "After weeks of silence from the palace, the villages and common people became restless. They demanded to know who killed the 3rd Prince. And then…" Bella paused. I sat there, staring at her expectantly.
"And then? And then what?" I asked annoyed. Bella shrugged.
"That's about all, Miss." She said. I stared at her.
"How can that be all??? Then why do people think it was the 4th Prince?!?" I said. Bella paused.
"That is as far as the facts go, everything else is simply speculation."
"Then why is the 4th prince blamed?"
"A little while before then, He came back from the war against the infamous Huns to the kingdom. He was deemed a child prodigy. At the age of 18, he along with many other warriors defeated them with ease. A war that only lasted a year."
"Yes, I've heard of that. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, after the battle he was not the same. He left a kid but returned… a warrior. Rumor has it that the war was the cause of his violent personality. Out of all his siblings, he was now considered the most dangerous. He suffered from horrible PTSD after the war, causing him to almost kill a servant one time, assuming it was an assassin coming to kill him." Bella spoke gently.
"Because of that, a rumor started that he killed his brother, and the reason no one was hung was that he was still of royal blood." She said "Everything was made worse when the Queen herself confirmed the rumors. The 4th Prince was ostracized from then on." I nodded, understanding the story.
"But, that still doesn't explain why the 1st Concubine would try and stop the rumors from spreading."
"That's right. Many think she is simply trying to save the face of the queen. One of her sons killed the other, the rumor is what caused her health to spiral down in the first place." Bella explained. I nodded once more.
"What a tragic story…" I said. Bella hummed in agreement. Thankfully, we didn't remain silent for long as there was a knock at the door.
"That must be the guard to tell us we will be leaving. I'll go make sure everything is prepared while you rest a bit more, Miss." Bella said, bowing curtly to me before going to the door. Her footsteps paused once reaching it.
"And Miss?"
"Yes?"
"Please be careful of this 4th Prince, even if he does not have the 3rd Prince's death on his hands…" She turned towards me.
"He still has killed many people. Just, be cautious."
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(Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.)