Rishe was pleased by how things ended, and she stayed behind in the parlor after Tully and his staff left, thinking.
I've secured a route for stockpiling goods. I sure am glad I managed to develop a prototype in time. Also, my herb garden is thriving, and the maids are progressing in their studies. It's time to begin the next steps.
Suddenly, she felt a throbbing pain in her forehead.
The medicine's worn off, I see.
Taking care of the field, teaching the maids, making ingredients, working on developing the product—she didn't have nearly enough hours in the day, and she'd been pushing herself too hard. She'd spent all the previous night preparing for today's negotiation, forgoing sleep, stretching her body to its limit.
I don't have the endurance built up for this lifestyle.
She performed a self-examination, making sure she didn't have a cold she could spread, and concluded it was probably just exhaustion. She'd recover with rest.
But there's one last thing I need to finish up, she thought as her guards returned from escorting Tully out. "We apologize for keeping you waiting, my lady. We shall escort you back to your chambers now."
Rishe smiled, trying to mask her fatigue. "Thank you."
"My lady? Are you well?"
Rishe blinked. Her vision wavered. With her medicine wearing off, she suddenly found herself unable to rise from her chair. "Don't fret. Just…would someone please summon Elsie for me?"
Sensing that something was wrong, a guard made haste to do her bidding.
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"This way, sir!" Rishe's guard guided Oliver, the crown prince's attendant, to the parlor.
"How is her condition?"
"She looked pale, as if just sitting up was difficult for her. My partner Kamil is looking after her right now."
"Who else knows of this?" Oliver demanded.
"Lady Rishe's maid, at her request. No one else."
"Good."
Arnold's standing orders were that any unforeseen circumstances involving Rishe should be dealt with discreetly, with as few people involved as possible, to avoid rumors spreading throughout the imperial palace.
Especially with Prince Theodore sticking his nose in, Oliver thought. What a mess.
They needed to move Rishe stealthily and summon a trusted doctor. Oliver was working out the logistics of this as they arrived in the parlor.
"Lady Rishe, how are—" Oliver's voice died in his throat. The guard's eyes went wide as he looked into the room.
The parlor was empty. Kamil, Elsie, and the unconscious Rishe were gone.
"Sir, what do we do, what do we—"
Oliver put a placating hand on the guard's arm. "I will report to His Highness at once. Do nothing until we know his orders."
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That evening, Prince Theodore strolled leisurely through the capital. He had snuck out of the castle grounds, as was his habit, with only a single guard. He wore a robe with a low hood and, at a glance, would never have been mistaken for royalty. The disguise was probably overkill, as only the emperor ever appeared in public. Very few citizens would know the young prince. He only needed to hide his face to slip in and out of the palace grounds.
Theodore turned into a narrow alley, a tight squeeze for the large-framed guard following behind. This was the sort of road people avoided even during the day. The light of Theodore's lantern illuminated the shabby line of houses. He located the only one with lights on inside, walking up to knock on the door.
A voice called out in response, and Theodore's guard stepped forward to open the door. Theodore walked in with a wave of greeting.
An elderly man with a hunch bowed deeply to him. "We have been awaiting your arrival, Your Highness."
Theodore smiled, sitting down in a nearby chair. "Dominic. It's been days. I heard that Lena had her child. What wonderful news."
"All thanks to your support, Your Highness."
"Don't be so humble. I help out your people in the slums, and you return the favor. It's a reciprocal relationship." Theodore glanced meditatively at the ground.
"I hear you have something for me. A certain…would-be crown princess."
"Your wish is our command, Your Highness."
The palace was continuing the pretense that all was well, but Arnold's knights —aside from his personal guard—were unaccounted for. No doubt they were out searching.
"Even now, my brother acts calm, but all the while he scrambles frantically for his missing fiancée."
"What would you have us do with the girl?" Dominic asked. "We could kill her, of course, or sell her off. Your Highness's wish is our command."
"Such reliable service. How novel."
Theodore crossed his legs, propping his elbow on his knee so he could rest his chin in his hand. "There's no rush. I need to congratulate you all on your flawlessly executed plan. I know it must have been difficult, grabbing her from her own palace drawing room."
His eyes searched out two figures standing in the shadows. "Elsie, Kamil. Thank you for your hard work."
"Of course, Your Highness." The petite girl and the broad knight bowed as one.
Theodore had known Elsie, Lady Rishe's maid, and Kamil, one of her guards, for a very long time. The two of them were born and bred in the slums, growing up hungry.
"I wasn't expecting a chance so soon," said Elsie. "She worked herself to the point of collapse, so it was the perfect opportunity to steal her away."
A pause. "I have already searched her person," Kamil said. "She's unarmed, carrying nothing that would aid her in escape."
"Such work ethic."
Theodore glanced at the maid. "Elsie, your complexion has improved so much. I'm glad you've been eating better."
"It's all thanks to you, Your Highness. You're the one who referred me for the job."
"No need to thank me. It was the perfect opportunity to get one of my supporters close to my brother's fiancée, after all. You did an admirable job winning Rishe's trust. I'm appreciative beyond words." Theodore turned his attention to the knight.
"Kamil, you've had your work cut out for you too. My future sister-in-law is such a busy bee."
"Nothing I couldn't handle. Acting as her guard was the perfect cover."
Theodore laughed. "You weren't so happy about it when my brother chose ou for his personal guard and flatly refused when I asked for you instead." He said, referring to an incident from a few years ago.
Theodore's terrific fuss at not being given his way was known far and wide, but the fact that the knight in question was one he'd brought up from the slums himself was not. "Who knew that having one of mine in my brother's faction would be so useful?"
Theodore took out a leather bag full of gold coins and tossed it to them. Elsie and Kamil bowed as they accepted their payment.
"Thank you for everything thus far," Theodore said as he let himself out into the fetid alley.
"Keep up the good work."
On his way back through the dark alley, a raggedly dressed boy scampered up.
"Theo!"
"Hey, Wim. How's the protection detail?"
"Good! I'm gonna keep Anna safe until Mom gets home from work!"
Theodore ruffled the boy's hair, uncaring that it was matted and filthy. "What a good big brother you are. But it's late enough that the mission should probably continue with the two of you tucked in for the night."
"What? But I wanna stay up and see Mom when she gets home!" Wim wailed.
"It's important for big brothers to make sure their little sisters get enough rest, right?"
The boy's face scrunched as he thought it over, before he nodded. "Okay. If you say so, then I'll continue my duties from bed. Good night, Theo!"
"Good night. Sweet dreams."
Theodore watched until the boy was out of sight. He shook his head ruefully.
"A big brother's job, eh? As if my brother would have ever done that for me."
Theodore's guard only responded with, "Your Highness." At this, Theodore just shrugged.
He'd first visited these slums when he was very young, still holding hands with his mother. She'd done charity work here, in the imperial capital's refuse pile, where people who didn't matter were swallowed whole by debt and poverty.
"Brother sees me the same way he does the people who live here. He pretends to care because he can't make me go away, but deep down, he doesn't give a damn. That's all I am to him. A duty." Theodore kept his eyes on the pavement.
"But now I've launched my counterattack, dear brother. I wonder how long I'll have to wait for you to lavish me with your attention?"
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