Scarlet Spells

THIRTY-FIVE

"I, King Marvin of Vanevia, hereby, on this day and moment, with everyone present here as eligible witnesses, shall hence forth declare that I strip Princess Cynthia's title as the Crown Princess. Cynthia, as she shall be called, on account of the murder she committed, is being charged with forever exile and is reduced to the position of a commoner. You will not be allowed to hold any royal positions in this kingdom of Vanevia. You are also forbidden to stay in this kingdom, and are given seven days to leave this country forever, starting from the first day of your exile. This is the verdict of the court," he says and sits back on the throne.

I grit a tiny portion inside of my cheek, as I stare at him, frustrated and conflicted. I resist the urge to grab the bridge of my nose.

It hasn't been twenty hours since I volunteered to accept the exile and...

I already regret it.

"Cynthia Halvens, this Kingdom has many secrets and confidential informations, that are, I'm afraid, not unknown to you, who is verdicted to become a commoner. For the safety of this kingdom, I must ask you not to give away our kingdom by selling those off to strangers," states the King, informally.

I pity the kingdom.

A few hours ago, Sir Arvin visited me in the prison, and gave me a rather disturbing news, which at once, made me want to rethink my choice, but I've come so far, and now, standing in the throne room at 2 a.m., I cannot embaras myself by backing off from the negotiation, especially when King Celestine has sent a rather positive reply.

"I vow on the kingdom, on myself, and my people to never disclose anything fatal that might harm my nation," I reply.

I had prepared it all. Where will I be going first, what will I be doing first, I've prepared for my journey outside, but all came crashing down when Sir Arvin spoke up...

"What do you mean?"

"Yes. Louis disappeared. The last person to see him was probably you. I've been meaning to reach him, but he's gone, but he did not return to Maisel, I've confirmed that. It is as if he vanished into thin air. Say, where do you think he might've gone? What were you talking about the last time you saw him? Do you have any idea?"

Louis..."Sir Arvin, by any means, was Louis working under somebody else?"

"Of course not. Why? Did you talk about letting him go?"

I shake my head. I can't tell him. I can't tell him that Louis is probably a suspect on the murder too. I don't want to trust him. I just can't bring myself to do it.

What in the world are you planning?

"The Kingdom would grant you 500 gold and 1000 silver coins for your initial expenses."

I frown. "500 gold and 1000 silvers?" I question, but in a mocking tone. "Oh, so, what is going to happen to all the 56,546 gold and 92,343 silvers that I earned?"

The council looks at me in disbelief and bewilderment. They never knew? That I have an income to receive? I've been doing it for the past two years, and nobody knew?

"What—did she—did she really earn?"

This time, I face palm. That's right. I actually face palm this time, not able to take in all the ridiculousness.

"Seriously? Why do you think Calos Peace approaches me with any new weapons? I've taken up the contract to provide the makers with raw material, and I get a share of their profit. Who do you think is the reason Vanevia hasn't starved for the past two years, after the famine that killed our people three years ago? I import seeds and sell them to the farmers for free, owning 30 percent of their profit from produce back to me. I invest in excavations of precious stones and receive a said profit back," that's why I knew that Queen Merida lacked a painite. "What do you think, all those paper works that I go through everyday contained? Why do you think every month, I get to oversee the treasury bills? Huh?" I raise both my eyebrows and cock my head at His Majesty, with a smile plastered on my face. But then again, these are not jobs I took it on myself. Her Majesty presented me with them to keep me busy, but oh well, I agreed to them precisely because they profit me.