Her Lady-in-Waiting had predicted as much and was already there catching her and helping her to her bed. Both knew that the Prince would suspect her interference and that the suspicion would land on her as the only woman left in the Palace for the Prince to attack, considering the other two knew they could not return to the Palace for fear of being prosecuted like the Princess had. Their children had also been snuck out of the palace from a different exit than the Princess and were being taken by trusted individuals to their mothers. The fourth wife knew that lonely times awaited her and fell asleep hoping that one day they would all be united.

The next morning, the fourth wife was summoned to the Royal Hall, where it was announced that the king and queen had mysteriously died during the night and the Prince, mad with rage and jealousy of the heroic tales being shared by the common folk about the wives’ accomplishments, called an emergency Court Session. As the nobles began to congregate and fill the area wondering why Session had been called seemingly out of nowhere, they soon noticed that no members of the immediate royal family were there. The fourth wife and her lady-in-waiting were there, the wife sitting and absent mindedly rubbing her swollen stomach while her attendant stood behind her, sharp eyes analyzing every move the others in the room were making with an impassive face. 

Soon, the trumpets sounded and everyone stood and bowed as the royals entered the room. When the order was given to raise their heads, everyone started murmuring in confusion. The Crown Prince was standing not near his usual throne by the fourth wife’s area, but in the middle, where the King and Queen sat. The two were not present and that was something that had never happened in the history of their reign. Even if one was absent, there was always at least one of the Parents of the Empire present. With a heavy sigh, the Crown Prince announced that his parents had been found killed in their bedchambers, and that poison was suspected but they were still investigating.

The room descended into chaos, the nobles shouting questions and getting out of their seats with sudden grief and fear. The Crown Prince called for order, and announced that he had already put his staff to work on preparing the funeral and that after the procession he was going to have his coronation ceremony that was also being handled by the palace staff. The fourth wife had gone pale and was looking at her husband with wide eyes, hands clutching the arms of her chair tightly in a death grip. It did not seem that the fourth wife had been informed of the death prior to the meeting either. The Crown Prince then informed the gathered nobles of another bombshell- he suspected that the fleeing Princess was the culprit and that the other wives had helped her and were attempting to steal the kingdom to be assimilated into her homeland.

Once again the room was sent into chaos, with many of the nobles raising questions and doubts to this claim. Despite her frosty relationship with the Crown Prince, the Princess had never once shirked her duties and had been steadfast in her work to improve her new kingdom. She had been in the process of developing many new welfare programs to help the populace improve their ways of life and to give orphans a chance to seek a better life than a life of crime. The Crown Prince listened to the nobles refuse to accept the news and with a sudden movement slammed his hand down on the table, silencing the room at once. With his face turning red, the Crown Prince seethed at the nobles and informed them that this was the truth and that the long truce between the kingdoms was over and that he would stop at nothing to bring the Princess to justice.