Anton coughed, pressing his lips as though trying to shove the words back down his throat. "Umm… ah... about what the letter mentioned, Your Highness, shall I prepare a room in the Jade Palace?"
Flavian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Do that. Not as if we have a choice, she is a royal guest, after all." His gaze flicked back to Anton, sharp and unrelenting. "By the way, leaving aside your precious commentary on me. What do you think about her guards? The men he sends with her. Could one of them be a spy? Perhaps meant to dig into our political and military affairs?"
Anton hesitated, lowering his eyes. "It could be, Your Highness. I mean, the best person to know this, or to question properly, is..."
Flavian cut him off, voice edged with impatience. "Yes. I know. And you sent her off on that out-of-the-ordinary investigation. Don't think I'm unaware."
Anton swallowed hard. He had no reply this time because Flavian was right. Leesa would have cut through the heart of the letter, weighed the political threat, and laid out answers with precision. And it had been Anton himself who encouraged her to lead the investigation into the forest settlements. Now she was absent, and her absence stung like a missing weapon from Flavian's arsenal.
"All right," Flavian said at last, rising from his chair with the weight of decision. "Bring me Elzar. And take this letter to the Emperor and Empress. Let them see with their own eyes what the Wraisan emperor dares to demand."
"Yes, Your Highness," Anton answered quickly, bowing low.
As he left the office, Anton couldn't even gather his thoughts. The letter's weight seemed heavier in his hands than when he first carried it in. He knew well enough what Flavian had left unsaid: Leesa's insight would have been invaluable. And until she returned, all they could do was prepare, prepare for a royal guest who would arrive in less than ten days, bringing with her not only luxury and demands, but perhaps daggers hidden beneath silk.
Elzar entered swiftly and bowed low before taking his seat. His composure betrayed little, yet Flavian knew he was a man who rarely needed to be told the purpose of his summons. That was the very reason Flavian kept him close. Elzar was alert, perceptive, and never wasted words.
"Have you heard of the letter?" Flavian began without a preamble, setting aside all pleasantries.
"Yes, Your Highness," Elzar replied firmly.
"Good," Flavian leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me, what do you make of the knights who will accompany the Wraisan princess?"
"If I may speak frankly, sire," Elzar said, his voice steady, "no matter their skill, their strength shall never match the resilience and discipline of our own men."
Flavian's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Yes, I know. And I am proud of it. But my concern lies elsewhere. Do you think there could be spies among them, sent to gather intelligence that might weaken our political stance?"
Elzar's expression grew grave. "If they are spies, Sire, then yes. They could do some damage. However, there are ways to uncover them. We need only be subtle."
Flavian leaned forward, his fingers drumming upon the table. "And how do you propose we do that?"
Elzar's eyes glinted faintly, recalling a certain memory. "Do you recall, Your Highness, how Commander Leesa would always arrange your documents? She would slip the vital records beneath your desk, then bury them under stacks of irrelevant matters, handing them over to you as if they were of the utmost importance. You would process them swiftly, then return them to her yourself. Even Anton was fooled by this method. If it could deceive him, then no spy, however cunning, would stand a chance of discerning truth from misdirection."
At that, Flavian let out a short laugh, though there was a trace of longing in it. "Ah… yes. I nearly forgot. Without Leesa here, Anton has been delivering documents to me directly, and the stratagem slipped from my mind."
"Precisely," Elzar said with a nod. "And only four of us know of this method: you, Sire, Anton, myself, and Commander Leesa. None of us would ever betray such a secret, least of all to the knights of a rival empire."
Flavian's shoulders eased as some of his tension ebbed away. "You are right, Elzar. I was letting myself grow troubled over shadows. Very well, let us wait for them to arrive with their schemes. Once they reveal themselves, we will catch them red-handed and then press an official charge upon the Wraisan Empire."
Elzar bowed his head. "As you command, Your Highness. Until then, we will prepare and watch."
Yet even with Elzar's assurances, a shadow of doubt lingered in Flavian's mind. Why would the most cherished daughter of the Wraisan Emperor travel to Astandra, an enemy empire, under the guise of mere sightseeing? No matter how spoiled or capricious she might be, no cautious ruler would so readily risk his most precious jewel. Something did not sit right.
Resolving to test his suspicions, Flavian set quill to parchment and wrote to the one person whose judgment he trusted beyond question, the Duchess of Marlene, Lilian. If anyone in the Empire knew the temperament of royals beyond their borders, it would be her.
Days later, the reply arrived sealed with the Marlene crest. Flavian broke it open at once, and the words of the duchess unfolded before him:
To His Highness, Crown Prince Flavian of Astandra,
I return my most sincere greetings. I sense from your letter that suspicion gnaws at you concerning the second princess of Wraisa and her sudden arrival upon our soil. Allow me to set forth what I know.
The second princess is, indeed, the most spoiled of the emperor's children, and yes, he dotes upon her with unmeasured indulgence. She delights in wandering, in collecting things she finds beautiful or precious in her eyes. To most, it might seem harmless, but I warn you, it is far from so.