"Thank you, that would be all. You may leave, I still have to prepare everything for tomorrow," Kykla stated and gave Kaiyla a trained smile. The borrowed maid bowed in response.

"Of course, Milady. And don't worry, I'm sure the negotiations tomorrow will still take place as planned."

Hearing that, the Tystrie matriarch looked up. What was that supposed to mean? After the arrival, an ambassador would be given one day to get settled – which was today – and afterward, the negotiations started. Those were the proceedings the members of the alliance had agreed on. So what was that maid hinting at?

"Of course they will. Why would they not take place?"

"Oh, haven't you heard, Milady? Just this morning, the princess surprisingly canceled all her appointments for the day."

"Has she now?"

That was indeed surprising. The fickle king and queen, sure, they would do something like that on a whim. Princess Silgvani though? She was a diligent, hard-working, and reliable person. As much as Kykla didn't like her, she had to give her at least that.

"Do you know the reason?"

"Only the official one, unfortunately. It's apparently due to a "personal emergency"."

"Oh my. I hope it's nothing serious."

"As I said, I'm sure she won't cancel your appointment tomorrow. If whatever this emergency is were to last more than a day, she should know that and would've contacted you."

Kykla shook her head.

"I don't care about that," she lied. "The average trade negotiations last for at least ten days before both parties even start to get somewhere. One measly day won't make an impact. No, I'm more concerned about her. If she does something so unusual for her, something grave must have happened."

"Your forbearance is admirable, Milady. But, if you excuse my directness, there are certain standards to be upheld."

"Certainly," the matriarch agreed. "But she's still just a person. I'm sure she had good reasons for her actions."

A few moments of silence followed.

"She probably had," Kaiyla finally said with audible bitterness in her voice. "She always has."

After she left, Kykla turned off her translator but still waited a few moments before she addressed her assistant.

"Your "friends" sure were right about her love for gossip."

"Indeed," Qeylo agreed. "Though I'm sure the fact that she isn't exactly a big fan of the princess and her relative progressiveness contributes to that."

"True. But still, those are interesting news, don't you think so?"

"Because you might be able to claim delay?"

"Now now, don't make a sacrifice before you're done praying. I will of course make the claim should she actually cancel tomorrow, but I'm not betting on that."

Living on a different planet was taxing, even if your host provided for you. That in turn meant that longer negotiations put the host in an advantageous position. For that reason, delaying the talks was considered ill-mannered. However, a delay of a single day before the negotiations had even started wouldn't give her much leverage.

"I'm far more interested in that "personal emergency" of hers."

Qeylo cocked his head.

"Do you have an Idea what it might be?"

"If it had something to do with her, it wouldn't be just one day. The only thing greater than the princess's diligence is her compassion for those dear to her. So, you walking dossier, tell me which people in her life are important enough to her that she would be willing to anger the nobles she was supposed to meet for them."

Her assistant thought for a moment.

"It depends on what exactly happened to that person. But as far as I'm aware, she still hasn't chosen a partner, and none of my friends mentioned any changes in her social circle. So I can only think of her parents and her brother."

"It's her brother then. If something had happened to the king or queen, everyone would know that."

Which wasn't exactly what Kykla could call great news. Albeit slim, there was still a chance that the young prince would inherit the throne, especially if the princess was out of the race for whatever reason. The boy as a king would be way easier to manipulate than Silgvani, which was only in the Tystrie's interest.

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"Contact your "friends" and see if they know something. If the prince's condition isn't too serious, I might be able to use this as an excuse to finally have a conversation with him, something his sister so far managed to prevent."

She leaned back in her chair.

"There seems to be a lot on the princess's mind right now. Must be stressful to be her. And people, even competent ones like her, are prone to make mistakes when under stress.“

----------------------------------------

Four days after the hospital visit, Silgvani was sitting in her room, a wide screen displaying her brother's face in front of her.

"They don't allow me to move at all," his voice said from the speaker. "They say everything I do could injure me. Tomorrow they want to do another surgery, though I didn't understand for what exactly. Not much besides that, so yeah, it's boring as hell."

"Hell?" Silgvani asked slightly confused. "What is "hell"?"

"No idea. Nadine always says that, guess it rubbed off."

"I… see. Um, the doctor said they'll bring you to Viyrminar soon?"

"Yes, in... eleven days was it, I think."

"Maybe it'll be less boring there. They are better equipped to host patients over long periods. Also, Mother and Father will probably be able to visit more often than I am."

Kiyrtin shrugged.

"Had a call with them yesterday. Consisted mostly of Father explaining that he was searching for the culprit and what he would do should he find them."

"Have… have you told them about Nadine?" she asked with a queasy feeling.

"After that oration? Nah. I figured since they don't know yet, you haven't told them. And you probably had a good reason."

"That's... surprisingly reasonable of you. Since when do you care what's best for others?"

"Since now, I guess. Besides, I kind of like the idea of a secret friend."

While hearing that was a bit of a relief, she still wasn't sure if she had made the right call back then. Also, was that last sentence something she should worry about?

"Ah, seems it's time for my checkup. I have to end it here. Speaking of Nadine, could… could you get her on as well next time?"

"I'll try," Silgvani promised. Once the call ended, she let out a sigh.

I hope I can keep this promise.

She stood up from her desk and called for Doctor Githaiy.

"Anything new regarding Nadine?" she asked once the doctor entered. Normally, something like this wouldn't be part of her duties, but since she worked so much with her, Githaiy had sort of become the go-to person for everything that regarded Nadine. That she cared as much about the small alien as Silgvani did contribute to that.

"Still the same as when you tried to talk to her," the doctor answered dispirited. "The door is always locked, and the only thing she says is to not come near her. If she answers at all."

"Does she at least eat?"

"Yes. When the servants leave her plate at her door, she takes it once everyone is gone. I would've liked to examine how adding the meat she gathered to her diet would affect her body. Well, she eats it, so at least Kahbbut seems to do a good job."

She sighed.

"Your Highness, did you know that the servants are surprisingly fond of her? They seem no less concerned about her than we are. Because of that, they tried to wait in front of the door, but to no avail. It's like she always knows if someone is there."

"Because she does," Silgavani explained, remembering the conversation she had with her brother a while ago. "She can hear us breathe."

"Breathe? From a distance? Is her hearing really this sensitive? Fascinating! I need to test-"

A knock at the door interrupted them.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, Your Highness. His Majesty, your Father called earlier, but you were busy talking to your brother."

"Does he want me to call him back?"

The maid shook her head.

"No need, he left you a message. Do you want it verbatim or should I paraphrase it?"

"That depends on what exactly you mean by paraphrasing."

"I mean leaving out some obscenities that were probably caused by a state of… emotional agitation."

"How many?"

She spent a while looking at her datapad.

"A lot."

"I see. A synopsis will suffice then."

She nodded.

"Very well. Your father informs you that he was able to bring the… Individuum… who harmed Prince Kiyrtin to justice."

"…huh?" That didn't sound good. "Could you elaborate?"

"Yes. After you met him at the hospital, His Majesty sent an investigation group to the forest, who found the illegal garbage dump shortly after."

Wait, there really had been someone dumping their waste there?

"He also sent the investigation report, which I allowed myself to skim over. The investigators found the origin of the waste to be a company called Gatriy Materials. They are led by a noble called Gatmar of clan Gatriy, the third child of Marquess Gatiron and Marchioness Altan, who own the land around the forest. They claim to not be affiliated with their son's company and to know nothing about the waste.

"Further investigation showed that Gatriy Materials produces chemicals that are primarily purchased by pharmaceutical firms. However, about a cycle ago, a certain chemical that made a large portion of their revenue - and that I'd prefer not to attempt pronouncing - was no longer requested. Due to a new trade deal, most of their customers switched to a different chemical that produced better results. Said chemical gets imported from Hsvegplia and can't be easily produced on Hohmiy. Unable to make up for the loss in revenue, Lord Gatmar tried to cut costs. He decided to save money with waste disposal, switching to a less expensive, but also less legal method. Once she heard of this, Her Majesty immediately pressed charges."

Silgvani tilted her head in surprise.

"My mother? Shouldn't a duke suffice as a judge?"

"If it had been just about the littering, then yes. But since it allegedly caused your brother's injuries, only either of your parents can be the judge."

"Or myself," Silgvani quickly said. "Since I was given authority over all foreign affairs, I also outrank my brother! Father and Mother would never act impartial in this trial! What date is set for the hearing?!"

As long as there was no decisive proof that Kiyrtin was harmed by specifically this waste - which there wouldn't be unless this guy somehow had accidentally synthesized human sweat - she could say there wasn’t enough to prove him guilty.

"The hearing already happened," the maid stopped her train of thought. "Just the littering would've meant a fine, but since Lord Gatmar allegedly endangered the prince's life, he was sentenced to death. His parents tried to appeal, but he was executed on the spot, so they were too late."

"On the spot?! What about the waiting period?!"

"In agreement with His Majesty, the Queen decided to not grant him one."

A short silence followed, which was then broken by the doctor.

"The nobles won't like that."

"Presumably," the maid agreed. As she left, the doctor again turned to Silgvani.

"Your Highness, with all due respect… and in the awareness that I'm technically overstepping my boundaries... is there something I should know?"

"There is," Silgvani answered after a pause. "But… could you also step out for now? I… I need a moment."