The Breeder's Daughter

Chapter 71 | The Burning Note

The beeping was faint at first as I drifted out of consciousness. Sluggishly, with barely one eye open, I retrieved the earpiece from its hiding place and put it against my ear. 

"Stella! Great news!"

It took a minute for the voice to register in my head; Cyrus.

"Mhmm?" 

"We found out who the mole is!" Cyrus' excitement was nearly palpable over the line.

"Really?" I was much more alert now, the news had almost shocked me awake. We knew who the mole was! This was great news! 

"It's the right-hand general of the King. Bralley."

On the night of the break-in to free Miles and the others, a few of the group had bugged a few of the soldiers' quarters and uniforms with mics and communication devices. Last night, they'd finally put two and two together from the surveillance and recorded a conversation that indicated Bralley as the mole. 

He had the entire army of the nation under his control, and from the looks of it, the King trusted him blindly.

"We just need you to figure a way for us to relay this information to the King himself."

"But how? I don't have any way of getting close to the King let alone actually talking to him."

"You won't be the one talking to him. We're all going to head back to the capital and we'll be there to personally showcase all the evidence we've collected. We just need to set up a meeting with him."

"Ok, I'll set it up." 

I knew just the person who could arrange for something like that. My spying days may not have helped me find the mole, but I've caught on to the palace politics. Who certain people got along with, who they'd fought with, and who they secretly couldn't stand. 

***

I got up the second the first rays of sunlight shone through my window pane. I put on one of my nicer dresses, freshened up, and headed towards the dining hall. 

I knew it would be empty, breakfast isn't served until 7 a.m at the earliest. Which is a shame, considering Prince Andrews always likes to have his bright and early at 6 a.m. 

I've heard his personal cook complain about it so many times. About how horrible it is having to make a whole breakfast buffet ready by 6 a.m so that the prince can waltz to the courtyard and only eat a few bites of it. It infuriated him. 

But it wasn't as infuriating as having to hear Prince Andrews's constant complaints about Bralley's foolish rules and policies that the "ungrateful privileged prince" had to deal with. Things including curfews for the prince's personal staff, denials for the Prince to be escorted to foreign lands, and firing some of his personal guards which the prince didn't want to fire. 

In other words, Prince Andrews hated General Bralley so much so, that even his personal cook was tired of hearing about it. 

His cook, of course, didn't know me,  he retreated back to the kitchen to grab more of the dishes he'd cooked up, barely acknowledging me as I passed by him and headed toward the prince's usual table. 

The prince's entourage of personal bodyguards tensed at my unusual presence, waiting for their prince to give them some kind of command or order.

Prince Andrews took a sip of his tea as he leafed through the book in his hands, then nodded for me to come forward. 

"Speak." he said with not so much as a glance my way. 

I'd prepared for this moment, knowing that his guards would be within hearing range. 

I carefully slid my handwritten note towards him and waited.

He sighed exasperatedly, put down his book with annoyance, and picked up the note with haste. His expression instantly changed.

"Mm. I see," he read through the note one more time, his lips giving way to an almost smirk; he found the whole setup amusing. 

"Very well. Consider it done. I'll send you word once it's been confirmed. You may go now."

I smiled in response to thank him, then curtsied and left. Walking back to my room, through the windows, I could see a small flame atop the prince's breakfast table where my note was slowly being burned to ashes. The prince meant business. 

Later that evening, I received a note from one of the prince's trusted staff members: Tomorrow, half past 8. The person you want will be there. Don't disappoint me. 

***

Hey hey hey! Hope you all are doing well :D Four more chapters til the end guys! Eyyy