The Lost Princess - A 'Selection' spinoff

CHAPTER 52

"This was what you were seeing before we came in, right?" Elena asked.

Ella nodded.

"I've been gathering some information," Ella said. "And I have some interesting news".

"Go on," Mei said, looking at the screens in front of them.

"Four bullets were shot - two hit me, and two hit the tree," Ella said, pulling a picture of the gun used and asking them, "Have you seen a gun like this?"

"No," Lucian answered. "I already got the report - the forensics people have not seen anything like it. The barrel was really weird".

"What does that have to do with the shooting?" Laura asked.

"The forensic report shows that each of the bullets shot were of different make, and made to look as though four different shooters had shot," Ella said. "And the bullets bear the characteristic engravings of the French, British, Hindustan and Australian military".

"Oh my god," Elora said, understanding what she was saying.

"The information would eventually have been leaked to the public who would think that these four kingdoms tried to murder four other Queens," Annika said.

"Which would lead to?" Ella asked.

"World War 5," Stella said, looking ferocious with her flame red hair tied in a severe pony.

"And that would mean?" Ella asked.

"People completely hate the monarchy and the Illuminati rises," Adelaide answered.

"Exactly," Ella said.

"But we only know the information. And we can't stop them without knowing their next plan," Laura said.

"True," Ella said, "I'll come to that later".

She opened up a three dimensional blueprint of the palace, and traced the route from the ballroom to the hospital wing.

"Walking from the ballroom to the hospital takes a maximum of fifteen minutes, and if four guards in top health conditions run and go, it'll take probably... seven minutes?" Ella said. "Let's assume ten minutes for them to reach and another ten minutes for them to come with a doctor and a stretcher. But they came nearly forty minutes after the bullet had been fired".

"So they purposely came slowly, thinking that it would be one of the dying or dead Queens who needed the medical attention," Vienna said slowly.

"Exactly. Except they didn't do it purposely," Ella said. "The guards who were hurrying to the hospital were told by a couple of other guards that the doctors were in the servant's quarters tending to a few maids. The original guards rushed to the servant quarters, which is on the other side of the palace, and not finding the doctor there, they ran back to the hospital. The doctor left with them immediately, when a maid has told them that they had shifted me to the welcoming hall. And then they went there, and came back to the ballroom, and by that time, Prince Nathaniel had already taken the bullets out, or by the Illuminati's calculation, the Queens would be dead".

"So they have a minimum of five to six known faces in the palace, who other soldiers and maids will trust," Johanna said.

"Exactly," Ella said.

"Then what do we do next?" Eric asked.

"Let's think about what would have happened if the Illuminati's plan had worked out - four Queens dead, the Kings would've been mad but would've known it was the Illuminati," Ella said. "What do you think would've happened next?".

"Well..." Elena began, "They would want to retaliate again".

"But on whom?" Ella asked her.

"On the Queens of France, Hindustan, UK and Australia," Stella said.

"And why?" Ella asked again.

"Because you can't clap with one hand. Two hands have to meet to make a sound," Mei said.

"The next time they attack, and I'm saying if the four Queens were already dead, then the next four they would attack would be the Queens of France, Hindustan, UK and Australia," Ella said.

"But with weapons from the kingdoms of the dead Queens," Lucian added.

"But they need an opportunity to do so," Johanna said, thinking out aloud.

"And that's why you kept the ball in a few days," Annika said, realization striking her.

"Exactly. That's why I asked for the jammers to be placed after I insisted the ball take place immediately," Ella said.

"The Illuminati will assume we're not prepared, and will attack us again, but this time, we'll be prepared!" Elora said.

"But we need to remember that this may not go as we planned - they may attack a completely different set  of Queens, or their families," Aurora said, "Which is why everyone needs to be wearing bullet proof vests under their clothes - Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses".

"We're keeping a rather risky bait for them, don't you think?" Mei asked.

"But it's the only way we can know who's on the inside. And why they're doing it," Ella said. 

"It's a masquerade ball, so we won't truly know who's the one who's there to assassin us,"  Dhiya said.

"Even better," Ella said. "We'll ask all the guests to give their fingerprint before they enter the ballroom - we'll say that we need it for a customized gift we'll be giving at the end. We'll run it against our database, and whoever isn't on it, they'll be ambushed".

"But we don't know if it's an actual Illean citizen who is part of the Illuminati," Laura said.

"If it is an Illean citizen, then we'll catch him as he tries to shoot the Queens. We'll raid his or her home and office, and wherever they frequent and get our next clues," Ella said.

"It's risky. But it sounds like a good plan," Stella said.

"But everyone need to act like they're normal for the next few days - just because you know you're being overheard, doesn't mean you can't discuss things about your Kingdom to the others. We don't want the Illuminati to think that we're planning something," Elena said, uncharacteristically serious.

"And we'll keep the security higher than usual - not just because we're trying to catch them, but also to make them not suspect anything. After all, someone just tried to assassinate four Queens. Obviously the security will be higher," Elizabeth said.

"We'll add a few trusted members of our respective royal guards too," Mei said.

"Lucian," Elora said, looking at her nephew. "I want you to pretend to be sick during the ball".

"Jeez. Nice way to kick me out of the group," Lucian said.

"She means to say, that she wants you to monitor what's going on from your chambers without anyone being suspicious," Ella said, and her mother looked at her gratefully.

Lucian nodded at her.

"I also want my father out of the palace by the evening," Ella said, looking at Queen Vienna.

"Gabriel is planning on leaving in a few hours. We'll make sure he's safe," she said.

"Thank you," Ella said, leaning on Elora's shoulder heavily. "Make sure that every member of your family is in a bullet proof vest. Do not let the children wander off on their own for the next few days. We don't want the Illuminati to hold one of them hostage".

Queen Dhiya nodded and said, "I'll make sure all the kids are together and safe. We'll organize a few games for them and keep them occupied".

Ella sat back straight.

"Now that this part is over, I'd like to let you know the most important information I'd collected," she began.

"More important?" Kamlai asked.

"Much more important," Ella said. "I found the source of the Illuminati's income".