Aleph's rejection consumed Rachel. The humiliation was even greater because she had failed to fulfill King Hayden's orders to keep the knight away from Leticia. Driven by a mixture of anger and a desire for revenge, Rachel decided to act on her own. In the dead of night, after making sure Hayden had dismissed the hallway guards, she went to the king's chambers.
"That damned knight rejected me!" she blurted out without preamble. "Sir Aleph scorned me!"
"If a direct approach didn't work, use more subtle methods," Hayden advised with a cold smile. "Get him expelled from the castle! Destroy their friendship…" Then he thought, "If Laurenn deems this knight unsuitable for Leticia, he'll prevent him from accompanying her. And then I can place one of my men at her side."
"He will be expelled, whatever the cost," Rachel declared, her eyes flashing with fury.
Rachel left the king's chambers before dawn, the plan for revenge taking shape in her mind. Hayden, however, watched her departure with a calculating gaze.
"I hope she doesn't do anything stupid," he murmured thoughtfully. "Otherwise, I'll have to get rid of her too."
Later that night, Rachel followed Aleph to his chambers. She waited for him to enter and lock the door. Meanwhile, Laurenn was studying in his room, concentrating on a scroll filled with notes. An unexpected knock at the door interrupted his studies. Surprised by the late visit, he opened the door to a shocking sight.
Rachel stood at his door, weeping, her clothes and hair disheveled, her makeup smeared with tears. She threw herself into Laurenn's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"What happened? Who did this to you?"
"He… he attacked me!" Rachel stammered between sobs. "Sir Aleph… he broke into my room… forced me… I… I can't even speak…"
"Aleph?!" Laurenn exclaimed incredulously. "Are you sure, Rachel?"
"Absolutely! I can't be mistaken…" Rachel insisted, her face bathed in tears. "Expel him from the castle, Laurenn! He can't go unpunished!"
Laurenn led her to the sofa, offered her a glass of water, and covered her with a blanket, sitting beside her.
"Can you stay alone for a few minutes? I need to take care of this immediately."
Rachel embraced him. Laurenn, however, didn't see the cold, calculating smile that formed on her lips, confident that everything would go according to plan.
"Wait here, Rachel," he said gently. "I'll take care of this right now."
As soon as Laurenn left and closed the door, Rachel's demeanor changed completely.
"He has no alibi," she murmured with a cruel smile. "He was locked in his chambers. No one can defend him."
Laurenn questioned the knights about Aleph's whereabouts. Some reported that he had retired to his chambers, while others claimed to have seen him training with Hector. Determined to clarify the situation, Laurenn headed to the training grounds, pondering the strangeness of the situation. Something felt out of place.
At the training grounds, Aleph was teaching Hector combat techniques. As he approached, Laurenn appeared dejected, leading Hector to assume it was some reprimand from King Hayden. Trying to cheer him up, Hector invited him to join them.
"Prince Laurenn, join us! We haven't even noticed the time passing," Hector invited enthusiastically.
"How long have you been training?" Laurenn asked worriedly.
"Over an hour, I think… Sir Aleph is showing me some interesting techniques," Hector replied, gesturing with his sword.
Relief washed over Laurenn. Aleph wasn't the culprit, which averted disastrous consequences. However, the problem of the attack on Rachel remained. He considered some hypotheses but chided himself for doubting her. How could he investigate the true culprit, if there even was one? He remembered Aleph's warning, which he had dismissed at the time. His anguish was evident.
"What's wrong, Prince Laurenn?" Hector asked, noticing his state.
Laurenn recounted what had happened.
"I don't know what to say," Hector replied, stunned, bringing his hands to his head.
Hector, unable to hide the truth any longer, revealed Rachel's dubious behavior to Laurenn, describing her secret meetings with various people. He explained that his hesitation in sharing the information stemmed from the difficulty in finding the right time and way to address the delicate subject. Aleph, seeking a practical solution, suggested:
"Use the laws of the kingdom to your advantage."
He then explained to Laurenn that, according to the law, false accusations of assault and defamation were punishable by severe consequences, including imprisonment and banishment. The idea was that Rachel would confess to the lie, avoiding further damage and inconvenience for everyone involved.
Laurenn, torn between disbelief and the need to act, returned to his room, unsure whether he should put Aleph's plan into action. Rachel was waiting for him, seemingly distressed. The tension in the air was palpable.
"Have you expelled Aleph from the castle yet?" she asked.
"Why the interest in his expulsion? The right thing to do would be to judge him. But Aleph has an alibi."
"Impossible! I saw him entering your room."
Rachel realized her slip. The contradiction between her statement and the previous accusation of being attacked in her room didn't go unnoticed by Laurenn. He decided to use the ruse suggested by Aleph, albeit slightly differently than planned.
"According to the laws of the kingdom, you can no longer be my bride," Laurenn declared.
"What do you mean?"
"The future queen cannot have had previous romantic relationships."
"No one told me about that!"
"Unfortunately, it's the law. Would you prefer to withdraw of your own volition? If the truth comes out, it will be difficult for you to secure another marriage."
Rachel's fury intensified. Not only had she failed to harm Aleph, but now she was the one being discarded. Laurenn, struggling to contain his nervousness, awaited her response. To his surprise, Rachel began to laugh.
"Good riddance! I couldn't stand your saccharine pronouncements any longer, you idiot prince!" she snarled, slapping Laurenn and storming out.
With the door closed, Laurenn trembled. Maintaining the charade suggested by Aleph had been a challenge. He brought his hand to his eyes, holding back tears.
"I was a fool for not realizing and for not being able to handle this on my own," he lamented.
Shaken, Laurenn felt the weight of the relationship destroyed by his inability to handle the situation. Rachel's manipulation and the revelation of her true nature had left deep scars.
Rachel marched furiously to King Hayden's chambers, pounding on the door without ceremony. The disrespectful attitude enraged the king, who yanked her inside violently.
"What is the meaning of this?! Do you know what time it is? What if someone saw you?" Hayden hissed, gripping her tightly.
"I want to call off the wedding! I couldn't get rid of that man, and Laurenn found out… certain things," Rachel replied breathlessly.
"Explain yourself!" Hayden growled, fury mounting in his eyes.
In a fit of rage, Hayden grabbed Rachel by the throat, squeezing tightly. She struggled, gasping for air, pleading for mercy with a thread of a voice.
"Incompetent! You can't even get rid of a simple knight and you expose yourself to ridicule?!"
He flung her away. Rachel crashed to the floor, coughing and gasping.
"Get out of my sight if you value your life! I don't want to be bothered with disposing of a corpse," Hayden roared, his voice dripping with contempt.
The next morning, during the council meeting, King Hayden announced Rachel's withdrawal from the royal wedding, informing them that she had left a letter and returned to her family.
"Your Majesty, this is an opportunity to strengthen political ties with a marriage to the nobility of another kingdom," suggested the foreign relations advisor.
"I disagree. We must prioritize domestic policy. We are facing an economic crisis and need to encourage national production," argued the finance advisor.
The advisors awaited Hayden's decision. He, seeking to avoid strengthening Laurenn's political position, declared:
"I agree with focusing on domestic policy. I will evaluate the candidates suggested to me."
The news cheered the advisors, who saw the chance to present their daughters as potential brides for the prince.