Chapter 11. Discovery

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Voting day. "Get yourself together." I massaged my temples in front of my mirror, trying to shake the events of the previous night. I knew I couldn't get over it so soon but I had to focus on the important events of that day; It would soon be determined whether Suraniat would become a Republic planet.

Despite my lack of sleep, I was getting ready in time. I chose a makeup look according to my outfit;

The voting ceremony was announced by the royal trumpets and the march of the guards

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The voting ceremony was announced by the royal trumpets and the march of the guards. People from all over Suraniat had came to hear the King's speech in the town's plaza, who proudly encouraged citizens to vote while tables equipped with ballot boxes were being set up all over town. Flowers were in full bloom, contrasting with those on my dress. I stood on his side, admiring the amount of people who showed up. I glanced at Obi Wan, who stood on the far right corner while giving my speech, in which I honoured our system and our future. He had been watching me attentively, his eyes dropping when I met his. I would have wanted to stand by his side, so he could tell me his thoughts on the ceremony and maybe even congratulate me. However, I abstained, seeing it would be improper due to the circumstances, and instead I stayed by my father's side.

It had been a good day so far. No accidents, no importunate events. While my mother and father took care of palace affairs and my brother secluded himself once more in the library, I decided to take a nap to silence my fears and negative thoughts. I soon drifted away to sleep, and only woke up very late at night. I was no longer tired and quite active.

I looked at my messy room through the mirror. Gowns, books, glasses. I smiled at the gown worn for the event, which was hung on my wardrobe door. That smile soon faded away when I remembered I was not to become senator after all if Republic was chosen, and that I had failed to confirm my suspicions on Tredar Burdrob, the hand of the king, and the soon to be senator. I decided to clean my room, hoping to get new ideas or to organise the ones I already had.

I hung the gowns in my wardrobe one by one, straightening them out. When I reached the one I had worn when the prince of Kelura first came to visit, a little piece of paper fell to the ground. I held it up, wondering what it was. It was the piece of information from the book of negotiation records that Obi Wan and I had gotten from the Banking Clan. I had no idea in what dialect it was, or how to decipher it. Either way, it appeared too short to contain any useful information.

I sighed. My eyes scanned my dresser. There laid the box of my aunt's necklace with its little keypad. I looked back down at the paper. "Could it be..."

The necklace clicked in its place, the familiar green light glowing. I typed the sentence in the paper on the keypad. It beeped twice and suddenly the necklace opened up, revealing the actual records of negotiations from Suraniat. I gasped. The information on negotiations we took from the Banking Clan wasn't actually information, it was the code to open said information. My aunt Iris had been so close to discover that.

"A droid army?" I read. I couldn't believe my eyes. Suraniat was funding the creation of a droid army for the Separatists. All the details were there, in the necklace. The proof of Tredar's betrayal to Suraniat and the Republic stood before me, it had always been there. I hid the box deep inside my closet, under the tiles, wrapped under a handkerchief and ushered out the door directly towards Obi Wan's quarters. It was early in the morning, there was barely anyone besides the guard that patrolled my corridor.

I knocked on his door. No answer. I asked the guard where Obi Wan was. "He has been called to some important business in the dungeons." He said, his voice unfamiliar. I looked at the door once more. Something wasn't right. Silence followed, as I nodded and quickly walked to the end of the corridor, looking back in suspicion.

I had almost reached the stairs when I bumped into someone. He took a step back. I widened my eyes in surprise. His face dropped.

"Excuse me Princess..." Tredar said, concerned, his gaze rested on my neck. "May I ask what happened to your neck? You may want to visit the infirmary..."

"Don't act like you have no idea." I hissed. "You traitor!" I let my anger take over me.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what your highness is talking about." He was confused, walking backwards intimidated.

"You thought we'd never find out you used Suraniat's riches to fund a droid army for the Separatists!" I clenched my fists.

"That is an unfounded accusation." He replied. "I could have never done that. It's simply impossible."

"I find it perfectly possible, considering your recent trips to the Banking Clan." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Princess, it's simply impossible because I don't have the authority to make such movements with Suraniat's funds." I took a step back. "The only one with the power to do that is the assigned master of coin, Jaycol. I simply took orders and delivered sealed messages as the council's representative." Tredar looked behind my back, his jaw dropped. Before I could question his reaction I felt a strong blow to my head and fell backwards, unconsciously.

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