"What do you mean by that, Avice?" Frederic looked at her with hope in his eyes.
"Have you already forgotten that we possess things no other kingdom has?" Hearing this, everyone understood her implication. "We have the monopoly on paper, books, and liquid stone. With that, even the king himself will come begging us to sell some to him."
"Be careful, woman. If anyone outside this room hears what you just said, we could be charged with high treason," Frederic warned in a somber tone.
"Sorry for my words." Said the woman.
"But I do agree with your argument. We control goods that no one else possesses." The noble quickly changed his tone to a more comfortable one. She was right, they had the advantage.
"Forgive me for interrupting, sir, but we are not the only ones. The church has everything we have, from paper to distillation," one of the advisors pointed out.
*sigh* "You're right. It will be difficult to dominate the market with a competitor. But now that we're no longer donating the same amount of gold, their progress has slowed."
"Should we sabotage their business?" someone suggested while looking at the others present in that room.
"It's a high-risk, high-reward situation. If they discover it was Baron Frederic who was behind the sabotage, it could very well be our end..."
"Let's leave it for now. We'll come up with something in the future." They all nodded and moved on to the next item on the agenda.
"Regarding the disappearance of the high priest, we still haven't received any news from the search party sent out last week. I fear something truly bad is happening in the south."
"Have Baron Floutt or Baron Ine changed sides?" Avice asked.
"We don't know. Commerce and trade between us remain normal, and merchants report that everything seems usual."
"But that doesn't mean they couldn't have betrayed the kingdom and captured Julius and our soldiers without anyone noticing."
"And why is the church so quiet about this? They know the search party should have returned by now."
"I don't know, but they've been acting very strange lately. I was informed that the clerics rarely go out on the streets now, and no one has seen the priests since yesterday."
"What are they doing? They weren't the only ones who lost people."
"Something very odd is happening, and my guess is that Baron Floutt is involved." One of the advisors voiced what they were all thinking. "But he wouldn't be foolish enough to capture our men and the high priest," another countered.
"No, unless..."
-----------------
Rafael strolled through the gardens behind the mansion. The place was peaceful, with a light breeze carrying the scent of various flowers and plants in different colors.
Why hasn't Julius returned yet? It's been two weeks... Not that it would be good, since I have no idea how he would react to me being the criminal everyone was after.
He wandered into a secluded part of the garden, hidden from the mansion's view, and looked up at the sky. Should I use this opportunity to move forward with my plans? But will she really come?
As he pondered, footsteps approached from behind. He waited for whoever it was to appear. It's been almost a month, and I'm still a nobody. Time to change that.
"Robert, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" A young girl in a long white and red dress, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, approached him.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
"Then why did you call me here?" Ella asked, still avoiding his gaze. Am I blushing? Please, no...
"Ella," he said, gently lifting her chin to make her look him in the eyes, "Remember when I said I really liked this garden? It's because it reminds me of you. The most beautiful place for the most beautiful princess." Rafael's face drew closer to hers with each word.
I hope that was enough to catch her.
"B-but I'm not a princess..."
"I'll make you one." Their lips touched, but then she stepped back.
Come on, I can't believe that wasn't enough!
"Ah, Robert! I... I'm sorry, but I can't..."
"Why? We love each other, so... Why?"
"I'm already engaged. Last year, my father arranged for me to marry Icarus, the son of Count Cuthred from the north, and he accepted. Icarus is coming to Calistoga next month so we can make our vows as husband and wife." She spoke with a sad voice, looking down.
Damn arranged marriages! Go to hell!
"But Ella..."
Think, think! What the hell should I say?
"... We... Must follow our hearts! Doesn't God say that you must be true to yourself?"
"Is that true?" She looked him in the eye. "Yes! We cannot live based on lies because it's a sin!"
Rafael thought he had finally convinced her, but then she looked away, tears welling in her eyes.
"Don't speak about Him. I..." She hesitated, unsure whether she should reveal what was on her mind.
"Please, Ella, tell me what troubles you."
"I've discarded my faith." She covered her face with both hands as tears fell. "I'm sorry, but I'm a black sheep, a heretic, and a blasphemer. I'm ashamed of myself for not telling you before—please forgive me. I know you hate me now, so goodbye."
She turned to leave but was stopped by his hand, gently pulling her back to face him.
"Is everything alright, milady?"
She looked at Rafael and remembered. The same thing had happened a few days ago. "Don't—don't you..."
"Of course I don't hate you. As I said, I'm being true to myself and following my heart."
Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind, but deep down, she felt relieved and happy.
Rafael pulled a yellow flower from inside his robe and placed it over her ear. "Did I mention this garden is beautiful?"
"Hahahaha... Yes." They kissed again.