“The Empress will be hosting Princess Josephina’s birthday celebration in the imperial palace,” Elias mentioned as they strolled through the palace grounds.
“Seems there’s always a party for one reason or another every day,” Ludwig muttered with a hint of sarcasm.
Josephina was his half-sister, daughter of the concubine Elaine who had notoriously plotted against Ludwig’s mother, leading to her untimely demise. Elaine had then secured the Empress’s position for herself, always keeping Ludwig in check by promoting her own son, Justin, Ludwig’s half-brother.
Ludwig had no particular desire to cling to the title of Crown Prince or to become Emperor, but relinquishing his position could jeopardize his life. Survival meant he had to aim for the throne, hence his engagement to Marisa of the Duchy of Carmen. With his mother’s noble family’s support, he could just about manage to hold his position, though he felt like nothing more than a pawn, especially with the Emperor so enchanted by Queen Elaine.
“It’s probably best to strike first and get it over with quickly,” Ludwig said with the resigned air of a man walking to his execution as he turned his steps toward the Empress’s quarters. Suddenly, he asked, “Where’s Rapunzel now?”
“She’s helping Chief Servant Leo with some paperwork. Apparently, there is a lot of work because of someone,” Elias replied.
“And how is that my fault? By the way, what happened to the seal?”
“It’s still missing… I thought it would be easy to track down after lending it to the merchant Anne for money, but it vanished without a trace overnight…”
Elias’s face clouded over.
“If it vanished, then we just need to find where it went. I’ll make a quick appearance at Josephina’s event and then head over to Anne’s…”
Ludwig spoke with an uncharacteristically serious tone.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And make sure Rapunzel stays away from the Empress’s palace. You never know what those people might do to him,” Ludwig added, his voice tinged with anger.
***
Ariel was helping Leo with the paperwork, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. They were halfway through when the door to the Crown Prince’s office burst open and Ludwig strode in.
“Your Highness!”
Ariel, clutching the documents to her chest, ran toward him eagerly.
“What’s up?”
Ludwig raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you running over like a squirrel that’s found a nut?”
“I don’t even like acorns. Tried them once and really didn’t care for them…”
Ludwig chuckled softly.
The room erupted in laughter at Rapunzel’s quirky response, including Elias, Leo, and Robert. Confused, she looked around at everyone laughing.
“Ahem, well then? Come with me, let’s go check on something,” Ludwig said, struggling to suppress his laughter as he led the way outside.
“Your Highness, what about the preparations for the celebration…?”
Elias’s urgent voice echoed from the office as Ludwig nodded knowingly and quickened his pace, with Ariel nearly running to keep up.
“Your Highness, wait…”
“Rapunzel, aren’t you a bit too far? How can you serve me from such a distance?”
“Yes, I know… Could we possibly slow down a bit?”
Only when they reached his office door did Ludwig stop, and as Ariel rushed to catch up, she bumped into him. He caught her as she stumbled. Rapunzel tried to pull away, but he held her tighter and whispered in her ear.
“From now on, remember this distance—not as far as before…”
“What? Yes…!”
Overwhelmed, Ariel quickly slipped through the door.
“It was a joke. Why are you so flustered? From now on, stay over 100 meters away. It bothers me when someone’s too close.”
“100 meters? I’ll remember that.”
Ariel pulled out a notepad from her pocket and scribbled down, ‘Stay more than 100 meters away.’
“Sit here for a while.”
Ludwig pointed to a table in the center of the room, laden with appetizing food.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Rapunzel sat and stared blankly at the food, Ludwig sat opposite her.
“Haven’t you had lunch yet? Why don’t you try each dish slowly and tell me which one is the least tasty?”
“Yes, I will do that.”
“Stay put and eat here until I return. It’s your assignment.”
Ludwig turned to leave. Ariel looked puzzled but soon smiled broadly at the sight of the delicious food. Ludwig paused to look back and grin at her, then promptly left the room.
“Shall we head to the mud pit then?”
***
In the imperial palace, nobles dressed in finery danced and chatted to the music played by the royal orchestra.
Upon Ludwig’s arrival, the crowd momentarily fell silent and bowed in greeting. As he walked toward the Emperor seated in the place of honor, whispers followed him.
“My, what brings him here today?”
“Last year, he only sent a gift and the Emperor was furious.”
“I see. And there’s a rumor he’s been too close to one of his servants…”
“How scandalous, an engaged man accused of such things.”
Ludwig let the malicious gossip go in one ear and out the other as he greeted the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, are you enjoying the celebration?”
“Yes, I’m glad you came to Josephina’s birthday. Isn’t that right, Josephina?”
The Emperor rose and approached Ludwig, then turned his attention to the princess surrounded by people.
“Yes, Father. There’s no greater gift than having Ludwig, my brother, here to celebrate with me,” Josephina said, her green eyes welling up with tears, as if she was deeply touched by the gesture.
“Oh, Princess Josephina seems pleased. After all, it’s been some time since he attended a royal celebration…”
Queen Elaine commented in a chiding tone.
Amid the murmurs at the entrance, Rapunzel came rushing toward them, causing Ludwig’s face to pale instantly.
‘What is Rapunzel doing here? I made it clear to Elias…’
“Your Highness…”
“Rapunzel, what’s going on?”
“I’ve brought a birthday gift.”
“…And where did this gift come from?”
“It was delivered to your office, Your Highness. Someone left it there with instructions to bring it to you.”
“Who brought it?”
“I’m not sure, it was someone I haven’t seen before, but they were dressed in the uniform of the palace servants, so I thought…”
Ariel glanced at Ludwig, seeking approval.
“I had sent the gift through Elias this morning…”
Ludwig sensed something was off and hesitated, but before he could intervene, Josephina quickly seized the gift.
“Thank you, brother.”
Josephina drew everyone’s attention with her exaggerated enthusiasm.
“Oh, Princess, I’m curious about the gift. Let’s see it.”
The Empress encouraged her with eager eyes, and before Ludwig could stop her, Josephina had already untied the ribbon. Inside the box was a dead bird, one that Josephina had been raising.
“Oh my!”
Josephina collapsed in shock, and the Empress caught her. Screams and gasps echoed around the room.
“Your Highness, what on earth is this?”
Justin appeared, a triumphant smile on his face, as the hall descended into chaos.
“This is beyond me…”
Ludwig stared coldly at Justin.
“That’s an irresponsible statement. A servant of yours brought a box with a dead bird as a birthday gift. And you claim to know nothing about it?”
Justin taunted him leisurely.
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
“…”
“At a gathering of nobles and in front of His Majesty, on my dear sister’s birthday, you accuse me of orchestrating such a thing?”
Ludwig surveyed the room, seeking validation, but the nobles, wary of the Emperor and Empress, were silent.
“Ludwig, what’s going on? Can’t you explain yourself? To disrupt your sister’s birthday party like this, are you out of your mind?”
The Emperor glared furiously.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. The prince’s point isn’t without merit.”
“What do you mean?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted back to Justin.
“I believe that servant is the culprit. It was strange for him to wear a mask to the party, and he suddenly shows up with a gift box?”
‘That’s it. This was the trap laid by Queen Elaine’s faction and that scoundrel Justin to discredit me.’
The scheme was apparent now: they used Rapunzel and the rumors to tarnish Ludwig’s reputation, aiming to dethrone him and secure the position of Crown Prince for Justin.
Ludwig managed a grim smile as he pondered his next move.
“Your Majesty, please punish this servant. See how Princess Josephina is trembling and weeping? Please charge him with irreverence.”
The Empress pressed the issue firmly. The Emperor, visibly angered by his beloved Josephina’s distress, commanded sternly.
“Captain of the Royal Guard, imprison this servant immediately, and at dawn, execute him for the attempted assassination of the princess.”
Ariel, completely bewildered and overhearing the word ‘execution,’ panicked internally.
‘Am I… am I going to die? I haven’t even discovered my least favorite food yet. The head chef at the prince’s palace made such delicious dishes… Will I get to eat his cooking one last time?’
Ariel’s thoughts were a jumble as she reeled from the shock.
“Your Majesty, Rapunzel has done nothing wrong. He merely brought a box that was given to him. To imprison him is outrageous.”
Ludwig bit his lip hard, his face pale with worry.
It sounded too weak, but he couldn’t think of anything else. Rapunzel could die because of this.
“Your Highness. With Princess Josephina in such a state, you say the servant who brought the box is not at fault? Might the rumors of the servant’s inappropriate conduct be true then?” The Empress, her voice dripping with mockery, challenged him.
“That is not true.”
Ludwig’s eyes were full of desperation, like a trapped animal.
“If it’s not true, then keeping the servant in prison until we find the real perpetrator is acceptable, isn’t it?”
“That’s… not acceptable. The servant is a friend’s younger sibling. It is cruel to imprison someone without any concrete evidence, just based on circumstances.”
“…”
“I stake everything on proving Rapunzel’s innocence.”
Ludwig looked directly into the Emperor’s eyes, his voice resolute. This feeling of powerlessness was intensely displeasing, everything being decided without his control.
“Hmm. Are you willing to stake your position as Crown Prince?”
The Emperor finally seemed to come to a conclusion.
“Yes.”
“Well then. Follow me, Crown Prince.”
As the Emperor left, the Empress, Justin, and Josephina frowned with displeasure, though there seemed a hint of satisfaction at Ludwig’s gamble of his position.
Seeing the Emperor step away eased Ariel’s tension, and her knees buckled. Ludwig supported Rapunzel and whispered urgently.
“Rapunzel, run to the Crown Prince’s Palace and find Elias. And make sure to hide well.”
“…Yes.”
Ariel ran off without looking back. Justin watched her go and sneered.
“Quite the touching scene. Today you may have left unscathed, but next time, be prepared.”
His eyes gleamed with cruelty and greed.
🍉🍉🍉
