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The next day…

Last night was a lot to occur on a single night. The arrest of the eighth prince was already a matter that could rattle the royal court — the royal court which was mostly filled by Joaquin\'s people and had a notion of the plan. But no one expected the turn of events from bad to worse with the fire and Ismael missing.

Without Ismael in their custody and not showing up shamefully from his arrest in the Vida residence, the bribery they wanted to charge him for would be less… credible. It would be all hearsay since there were no eyewitnesses, and even if the people in the chief justice would stand on the stand, they could also be in trouble with Modesto, since it was easy to change the public\'s opinion and make them appear they were bribed or threatened once a seed of doubt was planted successfully.

Joaquin would surely get caught up with that. Hence, it was a problematic issue on the crown prince\'s end. If only Aries knew she was certain men in the royal court were filled with anxiety as they debated amongst themselves.

It was a failure… not entirely, though. They still had the eighth prince, but he was simply the collateral damage.

"I see…" Aries nodded in understanding as she received a report from Climaco, the current captain of the second squadron tasked to protect the crown princess. She raised her gaze with a teacup in her hand, glancing at the captain who stood several feet away from the divan in her chambers where she was sitting.

"The inner palace is still in unrest with the fire and the eighth prince\'s arrest. With the fire that huge, it is no surprise that the public caught it immediately. Hence, they were demanding an explanation since they feared the imperial palace was under a terrorist attack," he added, giving out the details to the crown princess as she asked him to see the situation in the inner palace.

Aries was a crown princess and ordering him to see the situation was something that wasn\'t suspicious. It was not like she asked him to investigate further than the general knowledge. It was Climaco who went to extra lengths to get additional information to stay in her good graces.

Little did he know that was what Aries wanted. She simply wanted to know if things went just as planned, but since she asked someone who just got promoted to the captain, she was certain she\'d get more than what she had asked.

"Keep an eye on the situation in the inner palace. It is a delicate time for the crown prince. Report to me if you notice anything out of the ordinary," Aries ordered while sipping her morning tea leisurely.

"Yes, Your Highness." Climaco bowed and snuck a glance at her. By the looks of it, Aries was pleased by his performance so far and didn\'t take his intrusion last night to the heart.

"I\'ll be on my way, but I will keep my eyes and ears open."

When Aries waved, Climaco turned around to leave. However, just as he took three steps, he halted and looked back.

"Arrange a secret meeting with the eighth prince." His brow furrowed at her sudden order. "I don\'t want anyone to hear about this meeting."

"Your Highness…"

Aries smirked as she studied his puzzled expression. "Just listen to my orders, Captain. Fret not. It\'s not what you think it is. I merely want to help my husband in secret."

Climaco pressed his lips in a hard line, hesitant to arrange this meeting she wanted. However, catching the confident air around the crown princess, he bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Don\'t disappoint me." Her lips stretched wider, but her smile was someone that was hard to read. Was it out of happiness? Satisfaction? Or was it a sneer? Either way, Climaco bowed and left to execute the order.

,m When he was by the door, Climaco gazed down at the two-three people entering the room. It was Gertrude, Aries\'s personal maid, Curtis, her pet, and a knight who was supporting Curtis to walk. Gertrude bowed slightly at him as a greeting, but no words were exchanged as Climaco stepped aside to give way to the three.

As Gertrude and the knight were assisting Curtis to take slow and careful steps, Climaco looked back, only to see Aries smile. This might be too redundant, but Aries truly has a beauty men might die for. Seeing her smile subtly was enough to capture anyone\'s heart.

However, Climaco finally saw the difference between Aries\'s smile at him and his pet. It wasn\'t a great difference, but if he was correct. Aries saw Curtis as someone… she should help to make herself feel better. Those whom she deemed capable, she would look at them in the eye and give them equal treatment.

It might be a compliment or favoritism, but for a prideful knight like him, it was the former. His eyes lit up with determination before he turned and walked away.

As he did, Aries glanced up and gazed at his back. A smirk resurfaced on her face for a split second before she smiled brightly at Curtis.

"Come." She patted the space beside her. "Join me."

It took quite some time for Curtis to join her since they weren\'t just carrying him. They were simply assisting him, so he wouldn\'t fall. So when Curtis sat down beside her, he was already sweating mildly.

"Hand me a towel, Gertrude, and prepare us some snacks." She smiled at Curtis without casting Gertrude a look.

"I will prepare it, Your Highness." Gertrude bowed, and she walked out of the chambers with the knight who helped her. As they left, Aries glanced at the shut doors and smirked. When she set her eyes back to Curtis, the contempt hiding in her eyes resurfaced.

"Curtis, how was your sleep?" she asked and held his hand, waiting for him to look at her with wide eyes. "I told you I have good news for you yesterday, right? Do you want to hear it?"

A glint flickered across Aries\'s eyes as her eyes drooped dangerously until they were partially closed. "This will be a good one. You\'ll enjoy it."