The Internal Affairs Court met on a sunny afternoon a few days later. The Crown Prince sat at the head table, Tang Zixuan to his left and Princess Shiyao to his right, who was nursing a steaming cup of tea. The Civil Servants appointed to investigate the matter sat along two tables adjacent, each team side representing one team who had the results of their investigation ready to present.

Jing Han didn't notice the careful looks and slight nods exchanged between the civil servants and Shiyao, nor did he notice how pale Zixuan had become. Dutifully, Yixing sat at the end of the table beside Shiyao, ready to move at a moment's notice. He didn't know any details about what had transpired since his discovery, it wasn't his place to question it and quite frankly, he wasn't interested so long as it meant that the princess was unharmed. He had worked on making himself look more imposing in hopes that it would make the palace workers quieten down when they arrived, so that Princess Shiyao need not endure more rudeness than she already had, and as far as he could tell it was working, if her comments were anything to go by.

"Your reports." Jing Han called, waving a hand to beckon the servants over.

"Your Highness," they began, bowing low as they held out the small stacks of paper in their outstretched hands. "Please review the results of our investigation."

Before Zixuan could move, Jing Han had personally snatched the reports from them and laid them side by side. Everyone waited with bated breath as he looked through, scanning over every page before his eyes finally landed on the culprit:

'...it is with full confidence that we have traced the source of the slander against Princess Shiyao as having originated from Special Advisor Lady Dana.'

Jing Han slumped back in his seat with a sigh.

It made sense, after all. He had been neglecting her, he hadn't been interested in her since Shiyao showed up - that much he was ready to admit - and while he was the Crown Prince and he expected devotion from all of his staff, Lady Dana's case was different. She wasn't just anyone, and he hadn't thought that pushing her aside in favour of Shiyao would result in her acting out like this.

He was disappointed, but not exactly surprised by the result.

While Lady Dana was the only one responsible for her actions, ultimately he was the root cause of it. He wondered what his parents would think? They were furious about the treatment the staff at Kingfisher Residence had endured, and even though they knew full well about Shiyao's past, they were livid that anyone in their own circles in the Inner Palace would dare to try and make her - and by extension, them - look unwise and immoral. Jing Han wasn't good at predicting his own parents moves, a lifetime of only caring about himself had resulted in a fairly distant-yet-respectful relationship with them, but he knew that since he was partly to blame for all this, he might as well try to appeal to them to get Lady Dana's sentence lowered.

"May I ask who it is, Your Highness?" Shiyao's fingers rested on the rim of her cup. "You don't seem very shocked."

"No one of consequence." he assured her, reading over the report once more. "Special Advisor Lady Dana."

"Lady Dana?" she repeated, wondering how it was possible for Zixuan to get even paler. There was something satisfying about watching him try to contain his anger. "That name doesn't ring a bell. Why she would do such a thing?"

"I have an idea." he nodded, flipping the report closed and turning to her. "In any case, you didn't do anything wrong, so please don't worry."

"Thank you for getting to the bottom of this, Your Highness." Shiyao smiled, hand on her heart. "I'll be able to rest easier now."

Tang Zixuan bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself saying something he shouldn't. Wang Shiyao was a real piece of work, he never expected that she could be so cold and calculating. He wasn't sure how she even knew of Dana's existence, but he hadn't banked on her being able to influence the outcome in such a way. His fingers curled against his palm, digging his nails into his skin to distract himself. She clearly was aware of far more than he, and even the Crown Prince, realised. Jing Han had feelings for her, that much anyone could see, and if Zixuan didn't know that Shiyao already figured out that he was behind it all, then he would have assumed she was just as helpless as she let on.

And now Dana was going to get dragged into this mess.

His fingers curled into the fabric of his robe.

He should come clean in private, it wasn't right that Dana should take the blame for something she didn't do.

But on the other hand...

The consequences for him would be much more severe than for Lady Dana.

The fabric scrunched tight in his hand.

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Did Wang Shiyao really care about the Crown Prince that much? He didn't want him to find out - he didn't want to be the bad guy in his eyes. It was just that everything was so much better before she arrived - she had completely distracted the Crown Prince, she'd ruined the relationship he had with Dana and given everything he knew about her past, he didn't want that kind of person around the Crown Prince or his family.

As his best friend, he wasn't wrong to have his best interests in mind.

He hated that Lady Dana was being forgotten about and cast aside when she was so capable in her position and loved the Crown Prince. He had admired her from afar himself, though he dared not say anything - he barely dared to think it - but he couldn't deny that his feelings for her had grown uncontrollably.

Maybe this sabotage of Wang Shiyao was pure revenge for how her arrival had affected Lady Dana.

More than anything, he wanted Dana to be happy - even if being with her was never going to be possible in that lifetime.

'So you'll let her take the fall for what you did?'

"Your Highness! The head of the Royal Guard has arrived!" a steward's voice rang loud and clear from the other side of the door.

"Enter!"

The doors swung open, revealing a man in his early forties with a short, neat beard and clad in formal police wear - a navy blue ensemble with a grey cloak over his right shoulder. He kneeled to greet the Crown Prince and listened carefully to what he was saying.

"May I ask, Your Highness, where we are to bring Lady Dana? Will she stand trial?" his voice was calm, his expression genial and his posture upright yet relaxed.

"No." Jing Han shook his head. "Send her to me, I'll deal with her directly."

"Very well." he nodded. "Keep in mind, Your Highness, that should your father find out and order a different punishment, there is nothing I can do but obey."

"I understand. You don't need to worry about that." he nodded. "Go now, please."

"As Your Highness wishes." he bowed before backing out of the room and barking for two guards to follow him.

* * *

"Lady Dana?!" Queen Yun froze, teacup in hand as her son and Princess Shiyao stood before her. "My goodness."

"Father," Jing Han began, his eyes downcast as he dropped to his knees. "Please allow Lady Dana to receive a punishment that I set for her."

"And what would that be?"

"Have her arrested and sentenced to two months in prison, then demote her status to that of a servant and cut off her family business from the Palace. I think that's enough."

King Yun was silent for several moments, running a hand over his bearded chin.

"What say you, Shiyao?" he asked. "Do you think the punishment is appropriate?"

"Jealousy can do strange things to people, Your Highness." she replied. "I trust that the Crown Prince will do as he thinks is appropriate."

"Would you agree, then, with my judgement that Lady Dana and her family ought to be exiled?"

"If Your Highness believes that it is appropriate-"

"You're not in Ranhara anymore." King Yun interjected. "Tell me what you think."

Shiyao wrung her hands together as she stood before them.

"I don't think that's necessary. She was acting out of jealousy, it's understandable."

"So you think that it is acceptable to slander the royal family just because one has feelings?"

"Of course not, Your Highness."

"Father-"

"Quiet!"

"Your Highness," Shiyao dropped to her knees. "Lady Dana is someone who is important to the Crown Prince. I know you are a benevolent and merciful ruler, and Jing Han shares your compassion. I do not think that Lady Dana receiving a different punishment is a sign of weakness. Their relationship was well known around the Guorun Palace, and I believe people will be understanding. If Lady Dana and her family are exiled, that gives them the freedom and anonymity to start over and live however they want, but if they are forced to remain in the country then they will have to live with the shame of their household's actions so long as they live."

Queen Yun glanced over at her husband, who remained silent, though was clearly thinking through what Shiyao had just said. She finished the last of the tea in her cup and set it down on the small ornate tray on the table beside her.

"Father?" Jing Han chanced a glance up, but his gaze quickly fell back to the floor.

"You'd do well to take Shiyao as your wife." the elder man scoffed, slapping his hands on the arms of the chair as he got up and strolled away without another word, a clatter of servants following quickly after him.

"What does that mean, Your Highness?" Shiyao asked, shuffling quickly behind Jing Han as they left the King's Quarters, entering into a garden that was hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the courtyard adjacent.

"It means-" Jing Han stopped abruptly, stumbling slightly as Shiyao crashed into his back. He smiled to himself as he turned around. "It means that she's not going to be exiled. Your argument convinced my father."

"Oh, that's good news!" she smiled, not batting an eye as his large hands came to rest on her shoulders.

"But my father is right."

"Right about what?"

"I couldn't win the argument by myself, just like I couldn't come up with a Challenge strategy by myself. I had to rely on you."

Shiyao's smile faded as his expression turned into something she'd never seen before. He could barely look at her. Was he upset?

"Well, that's something I'm happy to do-"

"No."

"No what?" Shiyao could feel her face heating up as her heart thumped in her chest.

"That's not how it should be. I'm going to be King one day, I have to be able to do this on my own."

"Your Highness..." her delicate hands landed on his elbows as he held her. "Are you saying that... you don't want me by your side?"

"I'm grateful for all that you've done for me, Yaoyao." he whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't even stop such horrible gossip from spreading."

"Oh..." she gulped, the sting of rejection manifesting itself as tears in her round eyes. "Your Highness-"

"I'm sorry, Shiyao." his hands fell from her shoulders, and there was nothing she could do but watch as he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the garden.