Royal Entanglement

The Resolve

Prince Alexander sat in front of the burning candle, the golden flame reflected in his eyes as he made it flicker each time he passed a long finger in it.

His mind was filled with thoughts. The woman from earlier had been so impertinent. Enough to threaten him in that way. He had never had his ego so broken before.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, passing his finger one more time through the flame.

"Is anyone there?" he called, knowing there would, indeed, be someone.

"Yes, Your highness."

"Inform the minister of Justice that I would like to grant him audience. I will meet him in the palace Gardens."

"Yes, your highness."

He heard as the servant left and someone else took his place, but it did not matter.

The sky was dark by the time Prince Alexander made his way to the palace gardens, his hair let loose to slightly caress the tops of his back, the black robe he had worn defining his light features.

"Your highness. I was surprised when the message got to me. I do hope all is well." The minister of Justice, Lord Marcus said, bowing a little to pay his respects.

Prince Alexander gave a curt nod, his eyes squinted to the bright torches that lit up the palace. "I have an important matter to discuss with you, trusting that you will keep it between us."

Lord Marcus nodded. "Of course, Your Highness."

Primce Alexander waved the servants away, before he took a seat, a small breath escaping him. "Is there a way to imprison someone in the royal dungeons for a bit of time, without His Majesty's consent?"

He hoped there was. If Lady Sophia was behind bars till he got Charlotte to a safe place, it would not matter what secret she held when he finally released her. Charlotte would be gone, and it would be easier to refute her claims. But he needed to be able to. Not to torture her, just to keep her away for some time.

Lord Marcus's brows furrowed. "Well, yes. Most of the offenders are executed without his majesty's direct order, since the bureau of Justice is made especially for that. The only thing is...if this person is not an offender." There was a slight insinuation in his voice, one that Prince Xander chose to ignore.

"This person is a threat to me."

Lord Marcus went silent for a while. "Do these threats incur a punishment in the book of laws that guide Fermich?"

Prince Xander thought about it. They do. But then, to prove why, his own secret would be revealed and that was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

He shook his head. "What if it does not?"

Lord Marcus cleared his throat. "Then, I apologize, but...you currently do not have the political power to imprison anyone. You can only do so when you ascend the throne of Crown Prince, and that is after you become a family man. I also, regrettably can not assist, as it would be against my oath of fairness and justice. "

"At this rate, I might not become a family man." It was a small whisper, and Lord Marcus leaned forward to hear him.

"I did not quite..."

"Tis fine." Without another word, Prince Xander left the gardens, feeling his frustration reach the highest peak.

He got back to his chambers, and his eyes immediately caught sight of the large sand clock. It was already dusk, and Charlotte would wait for him.

He took in a deep sigh. He could not risk it. He was not sure how she had found out about he and Charlotte, and he would not take the risk of putting her in danger.

He closed his eyes and let the grains of sand pour away, his heart aching with the prospect of keeping her waiting.

Prince Xander stayed awake all night, as he thought of ways to deal with the issue with Lady Sophia. He could not just break the alliance with Lady Lisette, especially since her father is the prime minister of the royal court, and a very good friend of his father, the king. It would spell doom for him, but he was not sure he wanted to risk his relationship with Charlotte coming out in the open too.

With a small resolve, he closed his eyes, determined to find out about Lady Sophia before his time eventually ran out.