The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Eighty Two

"What? What are you saying?" I was already shouting, so it was nice for Kaylie to cover my mouth quickly with her hand. 

"Please stop reacting loudly, Rainha! I don't want anybody else to hear that! And I am sure that you do not want others to hear that too!" Kaylie was giving me a warning but her eyes were twinkling and her smile was plastered on her face like it was not going to disappear there forever. She was that happy with the ridiculous thing that she just told me. "Oh my God! I have never thought that the next Queen of Aure will be my friend! I am so happy for you, Rainha!"

I removed her hand from my mouth. "What in the name of a vindictive snow elephant has gotten to you, Kaylie? Me? The next queen? Where did that come from?"

But Kaylie remained unfazed. She even smiled wider at me/ "Oh no, Rainha, this time you can't make excuses for what is happening in your life! Ralphus and I know that you are the Crown Prince's girlfriend!"

"What? You told your fiance about what you saw at the music hall back at the Palace?" I asked in disbelief. I could not believe that Kaylie actually told Sir Ralphus about that incident! She promised me that she was going to keep it a secret, even to her fiance! 

But she shook her head. "Of course, I did not tell Ralphus anything about you and the Crown Prince! It was the Crown Prince himself that told him about you being his girlfriend in his letter earlier! The one that he sent to Ralphus through a Royal Guard!"

"What?" 

That was the only word that I could say after what I heard. The Crown Prince wrote in that letter that he sent to let Sir Ralphus know that we were coming that I was his girlfriend? "Had he lost his mind? Why would he tell your fiance about that? We already had an agreement! He promised that we will not tell anyone about it!"

"Oh, Rainha, please don't get mad at the Crown Prince about that. I guess he just wants to clear things out, as it might have been odd to see that he was so into the investigation of your Aunt Milca's unfortunate disappearance! Plus, he probably thought that it is safe to tell my fiance about it as I already know about the two of you... And I promise you that it is indeed safe telling Ralphus about your secret relationship!"

I frowned as that was not funny at all. I did not want the Crown Prince to tell anybody else about the two of us having a relationship because first and foremost, we do not have a romantic relationship...yet. And second, I did not want that kind of news to spread around the town. What if Kaylie and Sir Ralphus talk about it and someone overhears them? That would be the end of me. 

"Oh come on, Rainha. You don't have to worry about it. You know how good of a man my future husband is. He will not tell anyone else about it. I promise you."

At least there's that. At least I can find assurance with Kaylie because I know that Kaylie won't let it spread to other people. I had come to trust her enough to be assured that it was safe for them to know about Prince Kao's claim of the two of us having a relationship. And speaking of the devil, I will see to it that he will pay for what he did! Why did he even do such a thing? Why would he tell Sir Ralphus on a note that I am his girlfriend? Is he joking? Didn't I reject him? Is his mind deranged already from all of these talks and travels that we are doing all around the kingdom? 

"Fine... Just don't let Sir Ralphus get drunk and spill everything to your wedding guests. I would kill him, Kaylie. I really will." She laughed at my warning, but I know that she knows that I was serious about it. After that mini-confrontation, we prepared the food that we should have done in the first place. Kaylie cooked easy-to-bake pastries, the ones in which you would just heat in a medium-sized Heatcatcher. Then I made a winter ale and sliced up some winter melon to pair it with. 

When we came back to the two guys, they were already laughing about something they were discussing. And when Kaylie and I asked what they were talking about, Prince Kao and Sir Ralphus told us that they were having a debate on who was going to get married first. Sir Ralphus was telling the Crown Prince that he was already getting married in a month's time so he was the one who will be married early, but the Crown prince was not backing down. He also told Sir Ralphus that he was going to marry me as soon as possible, which earned a giggle from Kaylie. 

"But Aunt Milca is still missing," the Crown Prince added. "That's why I am trying my best to find her already so that we Rainha and I will shift our focus with the wedding preparation." I badly wanted him when he said that because it was obvious that he only said that to tease me. I can see how he looked at me that he was enjoying my silent, violent reaction while the couple swooned at us, who instantly believed the naughty prince's antics.

"I will see to it that I will be able to kill you," I muttered to him, soft enough for the couple to not hear it clearly. "Please behave, Prince Kao. I don't want to punch a Prince in the face."

His shoulders were shaking with laughter as I said that. I really can't believe that he still had the energy to make fun of me in the middle of our investigation but here we are. He knows that I will blush profusely whenever he mentions us getting married so he enjoyed every moment of it. It was a good thing that Sir Ralphus' assistant already came back with a log book. He first bowed in front of the Crown Prince, then went on to give the log book to his boss, then bowed again at prince Kao before leaving the hall. 

"Finally! Now we will be able to know who are the other people involved with the a*******n are!" I said as I watched Sir Ralphus flip through the pages. It did not take a long time. He stopped in a page and pointed to something written in there with a pointed finger. 

"Now, here it is," said Sir Ralphus calmly. "There were only ten rentals during that day and one of them was an abandoned transaction despite paying it fully beforehand. This was it. The snow carriage that you found abandoned in the forest near Raniha's house was rented by a person named Jack Bloomfire."

I held Prince Kao's hands tightly. "It is the same person..." I told him. "Now we are really a hundred percent sure that this person is the one behind the abduction."

"But who is that? I don't know anyone with a name like that," said Prince Kao. "Do you know someone with that name?"

Sir Ralphus shook his head but then he looked at the pages of the log book that he was holding. He was checking the details that were written there. " I do not know him personally but he gave an address. look. It says, Mt. Kal Ayu Mining Department."

I gasped. "Mt. Kal Ayu? The volcano where we get the coalstones?" 

"Exactly. That very same place. He says on this page that he is an administrator of the Mining Department." 

I almost stood up from the sheer shock that I got from that revelation. Why does that place pop out like that? Of all places where that Jack Bloomfire works, why does it have to be the volcano where we get the coalstones that keep Aure alive and bustling? Why does it have to be the volcano where the Scarlet Phoenix used to live? I have so many questions, but most of them were questions that I cannot ask while we were here at Sir Ralphus's house so I kept quiet in the meantime. 

"That is shocking," said Kaylie who was now pale from what we just learned. It appears that she was easily scared about what happened. "What is an administrator of the Mining Department doing when he rents a snow carriage that would be used by those abductors? What does it say? It only means that he is somehow involved with it."

"He is," said the Crown Prince, who looked like he was about to kill someone, so I got scared. "I will go to him and will make him pay. Thank you for your help, Ralphus. I will be forever grateful for this."

"Oh, it is no big deal, Your Highness! Rainha is like a sister to me now, so I would have done this anytime!"

The Crown Prince nodded at that and after some important exchanges, the two of us finally left the huge house. Once we were out, I held his hand to calm him down as he looked so enraged. "Wait a minute, Prince Kao. Please, let us talk first!"

He obliged and took a deep breath. "What is it, Rainha? Make it fast as we have to be somewhere as soon as possible."

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"Just tell me first what you want to tell me."

I nodded. "Alright. I just want to tell you that I find this fishy."

He looked at me with a bewildered expression. "What do you mean by that, Rainha?"

"I just found it odd how that place keeps appearing in everything."

"You mean the volcano?"

"Yeah. Remember when I told you that in my dreams, I keep seeing a volcano where the Scarlet Phoenix used to reside and rest while she is in hibernation? It is the very same volcano, right?"

"Right. Mt. Kal Ayu is known to be her home. The Scarlet Phoenix is said to reside there. She also takes refuge there every winter, back when there were other seasons than the Eternal Winter."

"See? I feel like there are some weird connections: the Scarlet Phoenix, her home which is a volcano, my mother who could be a Snow Gypsy who is a servant of the Scarlet Phoenix, and then a man who works in the volcano? I think these are not coincidences, Prince Kao!"

He nodded. "They are not," he agreed. "That is why I am so angry right now. Because I think I know now who is really behind these ambush plans and attacks. I think I already know who ordered your Aunt to get abducted.

"W-Who?" My voice was shaking when I asked that because I was too afraid to even speak and ask who is this mastermind that Prince Kao is talking about. He seems very angry too. 

"I can't casually say it to you yet," he told me. "Not when I still have no proof about it. But I will have, soon... Let me just confirm it first before I tell you everything."

"Of course, do it your way, Prince Kao. "But please, take care of yourself. It could be dangerous."

"I know. That's why we are immediately going back to the Palace. We will have to do something about what we found out, and I needed you to do something about it too."

"Okay..." I said and we walked back to where some of the Royal Guards were waiting for us with a new snow carriage that they have rented from Sir Ralphus. They were waiting in an open space just outside Upper Dainty, which was the name of the neighborhood where Sir Ralphus' home belonged to. 

But instead of seeing them waiting for us patiently, I saw all of the Royal Guards (who were in disguise) lying on the ground. Arrows stuck in their bodies as fresh blood colored the white snow. 

They were attacked!

I covered my mouth as the Crown Prince and I ran to them. We went to one of them who was still alive, but only barely. He was breathing hard and was bloodied all over. three arrows were stuck on him, one of which was near his heart. 

"Who did this to you?" Prince Kao asked the dying Royal Guard. "Tell me, please! Who did such a thing to you?" But instead of being able to respond, the Royal Guard coughed blood and after one final look at the Crown Prince, he stayed still. "No! NOOOO!"

The Crown Prince shouted into the night and then held my hands. "Rainha, we need to get out of here! I am sure that it is you that they are after, so I need to get you away from harm as soon as possible!" I nodded at that, and then we started running. And just as what we expected, we were also getting attacked.

Arrows started flying in our direction and all I could do was scream in terror as I saw them landing on the white snow in the middle of the night. We can't even look back to look where it was coming from, because that would give our attackers the chance to get a good aim at us. I just did my best to outrun the arrows, which surprisingly was not yet landing on me. 

"Steffan! Good thing that you are here now! Help us!" I said when I saw Steffan walking towards us. He stopped midway through and that confused me. He just stood there in front of us, despite the arrows flying towards us. 

"Steffan, we are being attacked! Be careful with the arrows!" I heard the Crown Prince say to him, but Steffan did not budge. That was when I realized something and stopped running to force the Crown Prince to do the same.

I stared at Steffan in horror. He was also holding a bow and arrow. He was going to shoot us.  "W-What are you doing? Steffan---!"

"The arrows will not hit you if you will not move," said the Royal Guard who was now looking at me with some kind of sinister intent. "Stop running."

"Steffan! What is happening?" the Crown Prince asked him in frustration. "Why are you---?"

"Stop asking me questions like that, Your Highness. I will not answer them anyway."

"Why, you---!" Prince Kao was already outraged and I could not really blame him for getting extremely angry and upset right now. Steffan smirked at him and it almost made me faint. He was a traitor! He was not at the Crown Prince's side at all! What on earth is happening right now? Somebody tell me that this was just a joke!

"I'm sorry for doing this... I am just following orders." he then shoots us with his arrows. Prince Kao was able to avoid the first arrow with ease, but the next ones were faster and it confused him. Steffan was excellent with the bow and arrow and he is now using that skill against us. Against the Crown Prince.

I saw him aim for me and saw the arrows coming in my direction, but before it hit me, it hit something else. Prince Kao was hugging me when he fell down. "NOOOO!" I shouted and I hoped everyone could hear me scream right now.