The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Ninety Eight

I don't know what was worse--- was it the fact that everyone now knows that I am the 'lover' of the Crown Prince or that Jack has lied in order to save himself from the people's wrath. I would have not cared about anyone's opinion if not for the fact that the people who caused my aunt's death are still at large. They should be rotting in jail by now, but what would I expect when the King himself, King Luander, is the one behind my aunt's disappearance and death?

When Jang told me what the Crown Prince did (or what he chose for that matter) I almost did not believe her. Why would he choose me? Yes, he told me that he loves me but what is enough for him to say that? Was he ready to abandon his identity for just someone like me? I could not comprehend his reasoning behind it. But admittedly I am happy too that he was showing this kind of bravado for me. Imagine a man is willing to abandon his position as the next King of your kingdom just for you? Where would you find someone like that?

"But your Prince is in big trouble now," said my brother, whom I was nervous of because I still could not read what his opinion on me and the Crown Prince having an 'affair.' He looked okay with it, but he also is oddly quiet right now, which makes me think that he has something to say to me about that thing. "The King is pissed at what he did, and right now they are mad at each other. The Crown Prince left the Palace because of that. I think he confronted his father about something, and according to the Royal Guards who were there, it was about you."

"Maybe Prince Kao confronted his father on what happened to Aunt Milca," I said weakly and Garreth's face hardened. Even Jang became teary-eyed when I mentioned the inevitable. "Garreth, our aunt is dead. She died in the cold---"

"I know, Rainha," said my brother whose facial expression right now was scary to look at. It looks like he can kill anyone right now. "Jack Bloomfire admitted it to the Crown Prince, but the former says that they did not kidnap her---"

"That's not true!" I hissed with anger that I almost stood up. It was lucky that Jang's instincts stopped me before I could force myself to move or that would have just made my body feel worse.

"Calm down, Rainha," my brother said, comforting me. "I know that he is lying. That sick excuse of a human killed our aunt, no matter what he says. I will not believe everything that he says about how Aunt Milca died. He is a lying piece of---"

"I believed him though," I cut my brother's curses.

"What?" the surprise on their faces was almost hilarious to me right now. 

"What are you talking about, Rainha?"

"I believe that Aunt Milca died in the cold when she tried to escape from them," I explained to them. "They would have not killed her with their own hands. They just wanted to obtain information from her, and then they were going to send her back home. They knew that the Crown Prince and I were investigating the matter and that they were expecting that Prince Kao would eventually find out about what they did. So killing her would only ruin the King's reputation. And they would not want that, especially the King, as it would only strengthen the public's clamor for him to step down, and then the Crown Prince will take over."

"I see... That makes sense," said Garreth. "But I do not care whether there was no intention of killing her or not in them, to begin with. I still blame them for her death."

"I feel the same," I said, hiccuping from the outburst that I just stopped from coming out. "I will have my revenge, Garreth. I will not just sit around while he is still free---"

"Relax. And let me do the harder things," he said. "I will personally kill him."

"But you are a Royal Guard," I said. "You are not allowed to hurt someone who works for the King."

"And you think I would still be a Royal Guard after what I learned?" he said and I gasped again.

"You mean, you resigned from your post?"

But it was Jang who responded to my question. "Garreth resigned two days ago, Rainha."

"Is that why you are here?" I asked him and that earned me a frown from him.

"Of course, I am here because I am worried about you. But yes, I resigned when I learned the truth from the Crown Prince. It so happens that he wrote me a letter the moment he woke up when he realized that things might change for the two of us after what had happened to the two of you in Mistyland and Carmel."

"H-He did that?" Again, I could not believe what my brother just told me about the Crown Prince. But apparently. as my brother went on to tell me what exactly happened at that time when the Crown Prince woke up, the very first thing that he worried about was my safety. He tried to leave the place where he was in, but the doctors and the Royal Guards guarding him were not letting him go anywhere. And because he was still weak, he could not do anything. So what he did was write a letter to Garreth, whom he gave to Harvey, and told the latter to send it to my brother at the border. Harvey and Calyx were released from being in the Royal Guard's custody as there was no strong evidence that they were trying to do what Jack said that they were trying to do--- and that was to kill him. 

He wrote to my brother how the King and Jack were trying to frame me so that they could put me in jail and keep me in check. They were accusing me of attacking Jack and was trying to make it look like the encounter between the two of us was merely out of revenge since I was thinking that Jack killed my Aunt. Their accusation also sounded like I poisoned the Crown Prince's mind and that is why he was with me. Jack was trying to change the narrative so that I would be the one who will look bad in the public's eye, and the Crown Prince knew that it was going to happen. So he told my brother to come home and protect me from anyone who will try to arrest me. 

"I owe the Prince everything," Garreth told me. "If it wasn't for his letter I would not have come to where you were and you might have been imprisoned in the dungeons at the Palace right now. They are determined to get you, Rainha. The King wants you for some reason. That is why I left the border and decided to protect you. I don't want to lose you too. I swear, I will never forgive them, even if it is the King who is behind all of this."

"Thank you..." That was the only thing that I could say now to my brother because I don't want to cry anymore. If only my brother knows why the King and Jack Bloomfire want to get me so badly, I think Jang and Garreth will flip out. I don't even know why I am not telling the two of them about me being a deity in human form. Maybe it's the fear that it might not be true and that I am just leading them on to something that might even endanger their lives too? Or maybe it is because I fear that they will not believe me when I told them that I am the reincarnation of the Scarlet Phoenix. It has been a century since the deities were around, so naturally, the people of Aure had already forgotten them. Besides, I would only confuse them more than they are already feeling right now. 

As for me, everything now is getting clearer. Garreth continued his story as to what the Crown Prince did. So when Prince Kao realized what Jack and the King were trying to do, he went on to counter them with a bold move. As soon as he was able to walk, he went to Carmel's plaza and let the people gather there. The Crown Prince then told them our side of what happened. He told everyone how he met me. He said that he met me because he was researching the Snow Gypsies, and being the daughter of the only Outsider to ever arrive here on Aure, he contacted me and asked for my help. 

But as everyone else knows now, my Aunt disappeared before I could even let the Crown Prince meet her. So we went on the other route, and that was to search for other clues about the Snow Gypsies. It was then that he declared to the people of Carmel that he began to love me, but also told them that I rejected him because I felt that he did not deserve someone like me. The Crown Prince also admitted that the rumors of him seeing a woman were true and it was me, and that the people of Aure should not be mad at me because of that. That's how the buzz about me started.

"I am very much jealous of you, Rainha," said Jang who looked at me dreamily. "The Crown Prince had totally fallen in love over you. He is willing to risk everything for you, can you believe that? How lucky you must be!"

I was blushing right now because of that. But then I remembered that the Crown Prince declaring his love for me was a double-edged sword. "I bet all the women in Aure are mad at me right now," I said sadly. "They must be hating on me right now."

"That's to be expected," Jang replied. "But remember when I told you that half of the women of Aure right now are mad at you?"

"Yes, you just said that earlier. What about that?"

"I said 'half' because the other half supports you," she revealed and that to me did not make any sense so she went on. "A lot of people are sympathizing with you, especially because of how the Crown Prince told your love story. People love an underdog, right? And so a lot of people are showing their support to you too. There have been protests in towns to remove the charges against you, as you were innocent. Other people are encouraging the King to jail Jack Bloomfire instead for the death of your aunt. It's a stressful thing to take all in, to be honest, but it appears that your story with the Crown Prince turned out to be somewhat of a national issue that got everyone's attention."

"And that was the best thing that the Crown Prince did to protect you," said Garreth. "By publicizing your side of the story, you got some supporters, and that matters, Rainha. This would make the King think twice about arresting you, which he is already doing right now. By arresting you, it would make him look like he is scared that the Crown Prince might intend to marry you--- which leads to the Crown Prince closer to the throne. And guess what effect would it make on a lot of people? Those who have always been disappointed with how the King is ruling over the Kingdom now see you as an opportunity for the Crown Prince to ascend sooner to the throne. I don't think that all of these newfound supporters even care if the two of you are even truly in love, Rainha. All I can be sure of right now is that the Crown Prince, with your help, had successfully stirred a silent protest from the people. That is why no one has ever come here yet to arrest you. The King is now torn between trying to get you and risking his spot on the throne."

"It's exciting, isn't it? You could be the future Queen of this kingdom, Rainha!" Jang said, but that only made me more nervous. Now that I understand why no one has yet come here to our house to arrest me feels great, but also is super scary. I don't even know what the King will do next, and I am sure that he will still try to get me. By now, Jack might have told him already my true identity, and that is what is worrying me the most.

"This is all good and sweet," said my brother, "but it also caused a lot of problems especially for you, Rainha. Now that a situation where you are the focal point has been created, a lot of the King's supporters will be after you too. And I think the only reason that the King's supporters are not here already to confront you is that I am here, but as soon as you leave this house you will be in constant threat from people who don't like you."

"And it doesn't help that the King is now trying to remove the Crown Prince from his status as the next in line to the throne."

Garreth nodded at that. "That's right. My guess is that the King is thinking that if he can't touch you, then he will try to remove his own son."

"It's quite sad, actually," said Jang who was now furious. "Imagine, the Crown Prince is his own son!"

"And there is one more thing, Rainha," said my brother. "The Council had just released the official date of their decision on your case," he said and I turned pale white. 

"What do you mean?"

"The Council has deemed it worthy of a meeting, to decide whether you are worthy of becoming the Crown Prince's wife. If you get enough votes from them, then you will officially become the Crown Princess."