The Royal Contract

"I guarantee that you are just chasing a story that does not exist. Death threats are just a common occurrence in the royal family. You know that." Duke Frederick reminded her, dismissing her claim as nonsensical.

He could not add fuel to an already burning flame. It might suddenly spread, just like a wildfire, and burn the entire kingdom down.

Ms. Harlowe might have helped them with the information she provided. Still, the duke could not trust a reporter in this situation. He could not risk putting the lives of his family in her hands. 

"But we still need to be prepared for anything." He continued, hoping to convince the woman not far from him. "It did not mean that we are preparing for war." Denying her conclusion.

He poured another set of tea and offered her to drink. He watched her under his gaze, sizing up her reaction. If she somehow believed his words.

But drinking his second cup of tea was also a signal for his guards to intervene on his behalf. As soon as he placed down the empty ceramic, a guard made his appearance by the door.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but the King had requested your presence immediately." He announced inside the room, addressing him directly.

"I am sorry about this, Ms. Harlowe, but I have to go. You know that running the kingdom is a constant pain I have to injure for the people." He made his excuses.

He stood up from his position and held his hand to her. He shook them, adapting what the westerners used for greeting and thanking their visitors.

"Well, can I at least get my files back?" She asked, knowing that she was already being dismissed.

He might not have told her anything conclusive, but her suspicions warned her that she was onto something. She just had to dig deeper. 

"I think I should hold on to it. Maybe I might find something that you missed. Besides, it is an interesting read for a conspiracy theory." He picked up the files where he had placed them before, holding them securely in his hands.

"I am sure that you still have other copies." He did not care if she did, but he planned to keep the files for further examination.

If her theory was correct, which he suspected that she might. Then, maybe he could find some clues in the papers in his hands.

"I do, but..." She was about to protest but decided otherwise. "I hope that you will share with me what you will learn from it." She responded, gambling that he would give her an insight into the story. 

However, she was not planning to sit idly by. She would be continuing to do her investigation, especially now that she had caught the attention of the palace.

The duke excused himself, leaving her inside the room to finish her cake and tea. He immediately exited the room, carrying the files in his hand.

But unknowingly, Eida had other plans as she quickly sneaked behind him, standing close to the door to spy on the duke. She hoped to find some clues to what treasure was waiting for her at the end of the rainbow.

"Will you tell Major Barry to meet me at my office now? We have things to discuss." He instructed one of the guards who stood just outside the door before proceeding to his office.

He could see the urgency in this matter. It might be the piece that would give them the answer to where Nick had taken their children.

Inside the room, Eida remained standing by the door. Upon hearing his command, Eida finally had reached a conclusion. The duke had been keeping something from her, and she would find out about it.

"Hi! Duke Frederick told me that I could use the music room to make a private call. You see, my phone died." She wiggled her phone on the guard standing post by the door when the duke was out of sight.

She quickly thought of the room since it was one of the places in the palace that was not guarded. She remembered it when she had toured around the whole place in one of her segments about the royal family.

From there, she figured she could sneak around the place and into the office of the duke. She wanted to know what the duke was planning to do with her files.

"Nobody is allowed to roam around the palace today." The guard said. "I suggest you leave the premises as soon as your through inside."

The guard was skeptical about her claim since they were on high alert. Nobody could come in and out of the palace without permission from their superiors.

"Well, if you do not believe me, maybe you can just escort me to see the duke. It is an emergency that I must make the call." She gave him two options that would help her either way.

She hoped that he would choose either of her suggestions instead of escorting her out of the premises. She preferred the latter since it would land her directly in his office.

"I would have called him so you could directly talk to him, but as I said, my phone died, and I could not make an outside call." She reasoned out, pleading her case.

She could see the indecisiveness of the uniformed man before her as he figured out what to do. She could guess that he was afraid of disobeying the duke. 

But at the same time, he was probably also scared to disturb the duke only to confirm her claim. Whatever he decided, she would make the most of it.

"Fine, just proceed to the music room. I believe you know your way." The man finally conceded, not wanting to bother the duke. "Just make sure to exit the palace as soon as you are finished."

She thanked the guard and promised to do what he had asked. Although she had her fingers crossed behind her as she swore to him. Of course, she had no plan of leaving until she found some answers.

She sneaked into the hallway, but instead of turning in the direction of the music room, she proceeded to the office. She mentally told herself that if caught loitering around the corridors, she would say she was looking for the bathroom. 

She remembered the office was just around the other corner, but it was heavily guarded. She wondered what would happen if she barged into the office unannounced. 

What could be the worse thing the duke would do to her? Probably throw her in the dungeons, she thought. Was it worth taking the risk? Yes, her mind answered her. Nevertheless, she did not get where she was now by playing it safe.

"Here goes nothing." She mumbled to herself before marching towards the guarded room.

She smiled as she approached the two security standing by the big double doors. She mentally prepared herself, suppressing her fear aside. 

She put her game face on. She had to act like her life depended on it. It was not the time to lose her nerve.. She might be in the middle of discovering a story worthy of a Nobel prize.