The courtroom was abuzz with deliberations as the ministers engaged in earnest discussions. The matter concerning the deaths and the unpredictable kidnappings of the citizens was enough of a problem for them to spend hours longer discussing and debating this issue. Ely stared down at the ministers who were busily debating; she knew what they were doing, and she knew the bravery of some and the despicable hypocrites among them. "Simply increasing the number of guards would bring in no reward," Ely said, her hands resting on her thighs. All eyes turned to look at the Princess, clearly waiting for her to elaborate on what she said. Getting the attention she needed, Ely sat upright, and her expression turned serious. She began, "Those abductors seem to effortlessly breach our heavily guarded region..." There was a subtle pause in her speech, and her gaze swept through the courtroom once again. "This has led me to suspect that there is a traitor among us," she asserted, her piercing gaze penetrating the room. The room erupted into a sea of murmurings and whispers the moment she ended. Ely leaned back and stared at them, many looking at her with carefully covered dubious looks, a look of curiosity, and others she didn't know about.
Her last meeting with the Minister of Justice brought about several questions and some answers. She interrogated the Minister for that region and noticed something suspicious. Whether it was murder or kidnapping, they both took place within the town or village but never outside it. Logically, serial murders or kidnappings like these usually took place outside the perimeter of guards to avoid being caught, but these...
They took place within the town. An example was the incident of Lashtown, where the mayor's son was kidnapped inside the city, which only meant one thing. An insider was involved in it. The only way to transport a person outside the city without alerting the guards was to hide behind a well-known figure!
"Sister, may I ask why you make such bold accusations?" Philip inquired with a curious look plastered on his pale face. The King also turned his gaze to her. The officials then noticed that the King had not spoken any word since his arrival which indicated that he had probably left the court to his children to manage. As for the reason, it was not a secret.
"After the first series of kidnappings and murders which began shortly after your birthday. I began to wonder if it were the guests from afar who had come for your birthday and decided to extend their stay so I told the guards stationed at each region of the crisis to pay special attention to the guests and even had someone follow them but it..."
"That someone...can we see that someone for proof's sake? We wouldn't want any nefarious rumors, would we?" Philip interrupted her with a slightly raised eyebrow.
Ely frowned slightly, the tone and expression of Philip were one that she had not seen before but the tone bothered her a bit, he sounded a bit annoyed. Nevertheless, she clapped and a figure stepped in from the open doors. The figure was clad in blue clothing from head to toe making it difficult to discern their gender.
"There. Do not mind the clothes. I cannot reveal my subordinate's face for some reason." Ely stated, her eyes cold as though waiting for someone to question her. Subconsciously, she stared in Philip's direction, and she thought she saw a mad light igniting in the depths of his pale blue eyes. She stared again and his expression was back to normal.
"But I got no result because the criminals still continued after the last of the guests left. Initially, I didn't suspect the officials but my suspicion was aroused when Louis was kidnapped. Mayor Edgher is one of the rare just men alive. He has constantly unveiled the fetid incarnations of corruption in our Kingdom and the last time, he came to me with some scrolls indicating a splurge of the national taxes but suddenly, his child went missing. What does this mean?" Ely asked. Her question, rhetorical as it seemed, answered itself in their minds. The best way to silence a caring father is to steal one of his sons.
It took some time for Ely's words to sink into the minds of the officials. They began whispering amongst themselves again.
"Your Highness, I could not help but notice how you ruled out the possibility of it being a rebel activity." An auburn-haired man spoke out with his head bowed. The other nobles began nodding their heads as though in acceptance of what he said.
Ely opened her mouth to reply but was beaten to it by the King. His cloudy eyes cleared up a bit as he spoke.
"That would have been a possibility if they had kidnapped as many nobles as they had done with the ordinary people." He stated with an air of authority.
The court ceased motion and not even a fly dared to scurry around. The King personally speaking meant that he had accepted what the Princess had said and also supported her, thus anyone who went against her would also be going against him.
"So...what do we do now, Your Highness?" A young noble asked.
Ely stared at him and a smile slowly found its way to her face." Don't do anything. The process has already begun."
The confused faces of the nobles as they sat there gave Ely satisfaction. Truly, work had already begun.
******************
Philip entered the courtroom with a cold expression. The court was one of the places he disliked and why was that? It was because it was too boring.
As he inched closer to his throne, he almost yawned but concealed it quickly before taking his seat.
He had never attended these court sessions but then today out of all days, the ailing old man ordered him to come. Well, today was not special but it had cost him several hours of relaxation.
His sister and father came and the court began.
"This gathering has been called in regards to the mass murders and disappearance rampaging in our kingdom!"
The royal linguist began. Inwardly, Philip rolled his eyes.
"Another boring topic." He sighed.
The Minister blubbered on and on gradually increasing his exasperation. He stared at those actively involved in the deliberations and noted most of them to be the old foogies he spoke to the last time.
Ideas spurned in his mind as he thought of several ways to discipline them. Each of them stopped, feeling a cold chill running down their spine.
Just when he thought he was about to die from boredom, his dearest sister spoke.
"Simply increasing the number of guards would bring in no rewards." Her voice sounded cold and authoritative. It was a far cry from the soft and sweet voice she always spoke to him with and that made him happy.
For the first time in the court session, his interest was piqued but then soon, it went down to amusement followed closely by annoyance and rage. How dare those insignificant ants make themselves appealing to Ely, even going as far as to make her compliment them?
"Trash needs to be put in the trash can or they start breeding bacteria." He murmured under his breath as he walked out of the court.