The Villainess

CHAPTER 27

NOW, IN FRONT of Rowan, Crown Prince Yei Lin, and Allistair, Tori shredded every ounce of pretension she had. Gone was the loving smile she always for as a façade to her raging emotions. Walking back toward the two princes, not minding the way they looked at her, Tori stopped a meter away from them. She took the hood off to show her face without obstruction. She needed to be clear in conveying her honest reason.

Here goes nothing. I only have just connected the points of the incident before, but this theory of mine proved to be correct after all when Lady M provided me the information from that incident which resulted in Allistair being separated from his family at a young age.

"I'm going to ask you this, Crown Prince Yei Lin, the moment after the mourning of Prince Allistair who was believed to be dead. Who came and reach out their hands for you?"

Not waiting for the crown prince to reply, Tori turned to Allistair. "At the time before you were abducted, do you remember which faction the Kingdom of Monakre was supporting in the empire? You did, did you not?"

Understanding and realization dawned upon the two, but the crown prince shook his head as if telling Tori that what she said was absurd. "What are you trying to say?"

"Do you want me to spell it out for you? I rather doubt the rumors of your astounding intelligence." Tori threw off the same statement that he used towards her the other day at his office. His face creased with disdain. Not minding the obvious contempt from the crown prince, Tori continued. "Well then, the Kingdom of Monakre is a port country, they hold the biggest shipping companies and the largest port city that connected the empire to the commercial country, Ming country. The friendship between the previous kings of the two countries which is passed down to the two of you made the two countries as invincible as the Eckrett Empire. However, the obvious friendship of Monakre's royalty to the aristocratic faction posed a great threat to the noble faction. They could not afford to let the Kingdom of Monakre take the side of Prince Corean, who is from the aristocratic faction because if they do, the Ming country will follow to support the second prince. The moment that the two young princes visited the Eckrett Empire, a group of vagabonds caused that incident before reaching the borders of the empire, which makes the latter one not responsible for the young prince's demise. After the young prince of Ming country mourned for his beloved friend, the noble faction's Prince Lauren offered you his hand. Prince Lauren was the one who told you that the lost prince Allistair might be alive. And let me guess, he made you a promise, that if he becomes king, then he will let you search for the missing prince freely in the Empire and he will also lend you a hand in the search. He said that, didn't he?"

The shock written on their faces almost made Tori cackle. 

Underestimating me and then becoming astonished later on is a tiring cycle already.

"What she said, is it true Yei Lin?" Allistair practically growled his words. 

His rabid behavior from being a slave for many years will be a challenge to tame, but there will always be rebellious ones in a group of pets.

It took the crown prince a good minute before responding, "I heard about the Kingdom of Monakre's support to the aristocratic faction, but since you were gone, the royal family mourned for you longer than anyone else. Prince Lauren told me that a sighting of a slave with the same features as you happened in the Eckrett Empire, so I told your father. Now, the two ironclad countries support the noble faction of the empire."

Allistair staggered, "I suffered all those years just for some sick power struggle?"

Tori was quite shocked to watch the proud crown prince shed a tear. She did not know what that was for if that was for sympathy for his friend's fate or was it for being fooled by the first prince and the scheme of the noble faction. As I observed the noble faction, the way Marquess Zoliel always seeks the aid of Duke Rozenreff, I can safely deduce that my so-called father is the brain of the noble faction.