The atmosphere was so much different than it had been a few hours ago in the palace, the festival was going on and the fireworks were still exploding in the sky, the people were still just as happy as they were when the festival started but the people in the palace all had gloomy expressions on their faces.
In all the years that King Rutherford had ruled the kingdom, it was the very first time that something like that would happen so it was expected that the king would be very furious to a point where he began to panic, especially since his first, only and favorite daughter was involved.
He had almost lost her and the thought of it made his body tremble in fear. Right under his nose and someone had tried to harm his daughter.
"In all my years, I never imagined a day like this would come when something will threaten my power and control," he began softly trying as much as possible to contain his anger but it was of no use.
He couldn't hold back the rage he felt anymore so he just let it out rather than gradually snuffing the life out of himself by trying to fight it off.
"How?!" King Rutherford's angry voice echoed around the entire hall of his throne room as he rose to his feet sharply, "How does one man enter my palace and dares to harm my daughter then he gets away with it? That's an insult to my name and a disgrace to us all." He added, his tone shaking dangerously as the powerful king descended from his throne to stand in front of his three sons vying to become the crown prince.
Everyone had been able to gather that quickly so late into the night because the members of the king's court had been in the palace with the King and his family to witness the festival going on.
Princess Anya who had been watching the festival with her family had excused herself to retire to her room when she noticed she wasn't alone. She screamed as soon as she saw the stranger in her room and the guards were quick to respond.
No one would have imagined that an assassin would try to hurt the King's only daughter and the apple of his eyes, Princess Anya.
Prince Arthur had just managed to join them right on time due to the help of his personal bodyguard Steve, who had informed him of what had happened in the palace and found a way to return him to the palace as quickly as possible.
Prince Nolan had been expecting a scenario where he would show up in front of his father and use the opportunity to prove just how capable he was but Prince Frederick and Prince Arthur both showed up and that infuriated him but he had no choice than to hold himself back.
"She could have been killed if the guards had not rushed in. I could have lost my precious Anya because of our incompetence and… and the idea of the bastard getting away with it is infuriating." The king continued and Prince Nolan immediately stepped forward and knelt down on one knee.
"I can assure you that he would never get away with it, your majesty." He said confidently.
"How can you say that? Even with an arrow in his arm, the assassin had still somehow managed to escape and no one could find him. I am really disappointed that this happened in the palace and I am not going to rest until we find answers."
"Trust me father, I will find whoever this person is and ensure he pays with his life." Prince Nolan stated boldly and Prince Frederick couldn't just stand back and allow Prince Nolan take all the glory, he stepped forward too and got on one knee, determined to prove that he was even more worthy of the throne than anyone else.
"I won't rest until this assassin is found father and I will bring him to you alive so you can choose what you would like to do to him." Prince Frederick said and the king nodded his approval and when Prince Nolan saw that, he frowned.
He hated sharing the spotlight with anyone and Prince Federick was getting in the way of him stepping forward and proving that there was no one else that could take his place as crown prince.
Prince Frederick on the other hand had promised his mother that he was never going to let Prince Nolan take the spotlight away from him or outshine him so he was doing everything within his power to maintain that.
The air was now tense and it was obvious that both princes had now taken the matter as an opportunity to further their political interests and give them a head start even before the competition began.
Prince Arthur watched his two brothers, his brows furrowed lightly before he stepped forward too and took his place beside his brothers on his knee.
"We will do all we must to ensure this so-called assassin is found." Prince Arthur added before the King angrily called off the meeting because he was eager to find whoever it was.
Steve appeared by Prince Arthur's side as soon as he had stepped out. He never strayed too far from his side so he was always around when he needed him to be.
"He wasn't a stranger or a real assassin," Prince Arthur mumbled to Steve as they made their way towards a part of the mansion he had shifted into some kind of study for himself.
"What?" Steve looked up at the young prince in confusion.
"The assassin, I don't think he is a real assassin. It's all a show. I think someone inside the mansion paid whoever that person was to pretend to be an assassin and the plan was never to kill Princess Anya but to prove a point." The young Prince explained further but Steve still didn't understand what he was talking about.
"What do you mean by that? How are you so sure about that?" Steve asked and Prince Arthur's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"A real assassin wouldn't be stupid enough to sneak into her room in such a sloppy manner and let himself get seen. There was a festival going on, he knew the palace would tighten its security and I believe he wanted to be seen and caught. Think about it, if he really wanted her dead, he wouldn't head to her room when he knew on a night like this, the chances of her being in there was very slim."
"But why try to make such a fuss if the plan was not to hurt her? Plus the assassin was wounded with an arrow, would he really go through all that for nothing?" Steve inquired with a raised brow.
"It's very obvious that this is just an act and it had all been planned. Anya was the perfect target that would get the king all worked up. She is his favorite and the idea of trying to harm her alone should be enough to get him invested in finding who the culprit is and an opportunity for whoever catches the culprit to shine." Prince Arthur explained further as they walked into his study and took their seat,
Steve wasn't surprised to hear the young prince speak like that, he always knew Prince Arthur was so much smarter than he let on.
"So you're saying it was all planned?" He asked with a tone of disbelief and surprise because he had never even thought of it from that perspective.
"Yes and the fact that this assasin had slipped in and out of a heavily guarded mansion and on a night like this, without being seen or caught shows that he is either someone on the inside or he had the help of someone inside." Prince Arthur responded and Steve just stared at him in astonishment.
"The whole thing is just too convenient and it just had to happen at a time like this when the competition is about to start and we need to prove ourselves worthy."
It always amazed Steve how differently the young prince thought things through, he rarely had the same ideas and opinions as the others.
"So what are you going to do now? How do you intend to catch the infiltrator? Because like you said, the king is already invested in this and whoever catches the culprit will definitely get a head start for the competition,"
"I am not going to catch the culprit." Prince Arthur replied calmly, easing back into his seat.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The person that will catch the culprit will either be Prince Frederick or Prince Nolan, it has to be one of them and whoever it is, is the one that paid the assassin to act out the whole drama in Anya's room to get everyone's attention to the matter."
It all now made sense to Steve. The young prince had just uncovered a scheme without even investigating, he had seen right through a plan that even all the members of the King's court and the king himself didn't see through.
But it all didn't make any sense.
Steve stared at the prince in amazement, he really was different and unique from the other princes but he rarely showed that part of him unless he was alone with Steve.
"He should be king." Steve whispered to himself.