Brandon finally took up what happened with Aderia the next day, when they were stationed outside the meeting room Troy was in.

"Aderia." He called out, but she immediately held up a hand and gestured her head to his other side.

"Ssh, there's some maids walking by."

Brandon quickly got into his position and let the maids walk pass, exchanging a simple greeting with them. Aderia waved goodbye at them as they round the corner at the end of the hallway, and she turned to him with a frown.

"What's with you today? You're exceptionally... unexceptional." She commented rather dryly, though her eyes sparked in amusement.

Brandon heaved a deep sigh. "It's not exactly reassuring to know that an assassin is in the castle, no matter how low the risk is."

"You're going to make him feel suspicious, with how tense you are all the time. You're getting more and more out of it."

Brandon would have never guessed a day would come for him to be scolded by the reckless woman standing beside him. But alas, he couldn't deny the biting truth in her words. "I'm sorry. You even had to cover up for me."

"I'm alright, but get your act together. Troy will sniff you out sooner or later."

"Well, what do you suggest I should do? I'm worried that she'll do something to him when we're not watching."

"Do you really think she's going to act like that? If she's going to murder him, I think it's going to be because he was just being an ignorant fool."

"Aderia!"

"Sorry! But it's the truth. Our best bet is to make sure that Troy takes her suggestions into consideration, instead of rejecting them. Otherwise I'm sure she'll take him out and rule the country in his stead."

Brandon rested his head against the wall behind him, pondering. "You think this can all be settled if we have the prince become friends with her?"

"Yeah? Besides, if he implements whatever rule or law she dictates, it would also be a win on our side."

Brandon thought over this carefully. He had his mind focused only the danger she possessed. The idea of having that danger as something beneficial instead never occured to him. "... That alone will lead to a bigger problem, though..."

"Yeah... The prince got the heart and head of a hard rock. It's going to take some work to have him warm up to her, since he already hates her so much..."

They whispered between themselves for the entirety of the meeting, with Aderia even coming up with the name of a friendship plan between Troy and Irene. Just as Brandon reminded her not to get close to the princess, the doors to the room clicked open and a stream of ministers gradually walked out.

They both bowed their heads low, until Troy stepped out himself, with a sickly pale face.

"Your Highness?" Brandon inquired, rushing to his side to support him. "What's the matter?"

"Things have been going south lately... We're getting complains from all over the country, from merchants and citizens alike..." Troy grumbled, exhaustion filling his voice.

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Aderia raised an eyebrow at Brandon, conveying the words 'See? I told you he sucked at this ruling thing!'

But of course she couldn't spit that out on his face. "Maybe you should have some refreshments first, Your Highness. Get your brain to work again."

"Have the maids make some tea and deliver it to my office." Troy ordered, pushing himself off Brandon. "You two can join me."

Aderia grinned and went off to the kitchen, happily carrying out his orders.

The prince may be incompetent in terms of running a country, but he was fair with his subjects. Perhaps that was a point that would balance out the princess' infamous cold attitude towards her servants.

She might have treated them well the day yesterday, but that could easily be passed as a means of giving warning. She was trying to catch them off-guard by appearing friendly.

She got to the kitchen, cheerily asking one of the maids working there for a tray of tea, and waited around. As she was sitting nearby a counter where the kitchen helpers prepared their ingredients, some of them started chatting with her.

"I heard you were confronted by the princess yesterday." The head chef asked, a deep frown etched on her worn out face.

"Yeah... Who did you hear that from?"

"The boys working at the stable. They say it looked like you and Brandon were having trouble."

Aderia sighed inwardly, relieved that they weren't close enough to pick up the conversation. "It was nothing, the princess just wanted to, uh, confirm something with us."

"Really? I heard that she packs a real punch, that princess! Sounds like she's got some issues!" Another chef chimed in, shaking his spatula in the air. "I say, the moment she walked in here, I already know she's up to no good!"

How come these people were already aware of it? Aderia grumbled, already feeling restless. She prided herself on her extremely keen judgement, but she failed to sniff out the princess this time. It just didn't occur to her that Irene had another layer beneath that ice-cold exterior.

She was still brooding over it when she returned to the prince's side, a tray of iced jasmine tea and 3 glasses balanced in her hands. Brandon poured the tea into one and went to give it to Troy, who was studying some documents at his desk.

"Thanks. Go ahead and drink some with Aderia." Troy said, not bothering to look up as he accepted the offer.

"... Alright. Don't push yourself too much."

Brandon claimed the seat next to hers and instantly recognized her change in the mood. He searched inside his head for whatever mistakes he had done to incur her wrath, but came up with nothing. Something else entirely must had ticked her off.

Aderia reached forward to get her own share and passed one onto Brandon. She glanced once at Troy, making sure that he was engrossed in his work, and turned to Brandon with a quiet voice, "A lot of the kitchen staff told me that they already suspect Irene when she first came. It sucks that I'm one of the last person to know."

"That's why you were sulking?" Brandon chuckled lightly, careful not to let Troy hear. "Aderia. It's not your fault. Perhaps the princess, for a lack of better terms, is just good at what she does."

"At what? Putting up an act? That one got me fooled too, but I'm angry that I didn't notice that she was an assassin earlier on. We've met her a bunch of times, but I only realized about her footsteps when we're in the garden."

Brandon pondered over this. "... Did she only decide to reveal herself at that moment, then?"

Clarity finally slithered its way back into her troubled mind. "Now that you said that, didn't Troy say that they were arguing about something during breakfast?"

At that moment, they shared a mutual understanding.

"Ah. So she was also frustrated over his behaviour." Brandon massaged his temple, tired. "Which leads to that ominous message. I see."

"You don't see shit, Brandon. Why are we the ones stucked between their stupid argu-"

"Can I ask you two something?" Troy suddenly chimed in, though he was still looking at the documents and unaware of his guards' conversation.

"Uh, yeah?" "What is it, Your Highness?"

"Are you dissatisfied with how I run this country?"

"Um, what?" "I beg your pardon, Your Highness?"

"Somehow, people aren't fond of the rules that I've come up with. I cut off international trade as it was taking a burden on the finances, but then the merchants kept whining on how I was taking their jobs. Why couldn't they just settle down and work something out on their own?"

Aderia was deeply concerned on the last part, but decided to ignore it at the time being. "Why did you think that cutting it off would help with the finances?"

"Since it costs the most expensive."

Upon hearing the answer, Aderia almost wanted to throw the table in front of her upside down. Brandon held her shoulder down, already used to her antics, and shook his head silently.

There was no other way. The prince would definitely be killed if he continued to act this way.

They had to proceed with the friendship plan.