Leticia hesitated, her mind scrambling for an answer as Crown Prince Kael’s gaze bore into her. He stepped closer, his voice low and calm. “Leticia... how do you know about the Divine Egg?”

She clenched her hands; the truth was tangled deep within her heart—a truth she wasn’t ready to share. So, she looked away, forcing her voice to sound casual, almost dismissive. “I… I read about it,” she said softly.

Kael’s eyes narrowed, unsatisfied with her answer. Beside him, Raphael’s brow furrowed, and he took a step forward. “Read it?” he echoed, his tone filled with disbelief. “Where?”

Leticia swallowed, shifting her weight as she forced a steady breath. “At the royal library,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “There was a book... on the history of Lorianthia. I happened to come across it.”

Kael’s gaze lingered on her. “And this book, conveniently, just mentioned the Divine Egg? One of the kingdom’s most closely guarded secrets?”

Leticia met his stare, steady and resolute. “No,” she replied. “There was only a story—a legend, really. But when I heard whispers of Prince Alistair’s visit, I… connected the pieces. It seemed too coincidental, Your Highness.”

Kael sighed, the weight of this newfound knowledge settling on his shoulders. He glanced out at the rippling river beneath the moonlight, his thoughts clearly troubled. After a pause, he turned to Raphael, his tone thoughtful.

"Do you think we could find it?” he asked.

Raphael shook his head slowly. “It’s too dark. The water’s murky at night; even the moonlight can’t reach the depths where something like the Divine Egg would be hidden.”

Kael considered his words, then gave a reluctant nod of agreement. “You’re right. And here I am, unaware that such a powerful relic even existed within our kingdom’s borders.”

Kael’s intense gaze lingered on Leticia as he stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate. His face drew near to hers, close enough for her to feel his breath, and he held her gaze with an almost unreadable intensity.

“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice soft.

Leticia’s heart raced as she looked up at him, meeting his piercing gaze, trying to steady herself. The air between them felt charged, every second stretching out in silence.

Then, a voice broke through the quiet tension.

“Too close, Your Highness,” Raphael interjected, his tone light yet pointed, a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

Kael turned his head toward Raphael, a smirk curving at the corners of his mouth. After a moment, he shifted his gaze back to the river, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow across the water's surface. His face hardening into a mask of authority. 

“We need to act quickly. The Divine Egg cannot fall into the wrong hands. But for now...” His gaze flicked back to Leticia, lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “For now, we will keep this between us.”

Leticia nodded silently, her heart pounding in her chest. She had revealed enough for now, but there was more to this story. More, she wasn’t ready to tell.

Raphael stepped forward, his expression grave. “At dawn,” he said firmly, “I’ll personally retrieve the Divine Egg. We cannot afford any delays, Your Highness.”

Kael nodded, a sense of relief flickering across his face before his mask of control slipped back into place. “Good. I trust you to ensure its safety, Raphael.”

The three of them stood together in the quiet night, an unspoken pact heavy in the air. But were they truly alone? 

Just beyond their sight, in the shadows of a nearby alley, a figure lingered. Cloaked in a black robe, the watcher—just a maid perhaps, but whose maid?—stiffened at the sight of them. Her lips moved in a hurried murmur.

"I must inform the lady." With a last glance, she turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Without another thought, she slipped away into the night, her footsteps quick and quiet as she made her way to Frostveil Mansion. 

                                                                                            ***

Frostveil Mansion,

Later,

The mansion was a modest, unremarkable place by the city’s standards, and the chamber she entered was anything but luxurious, its worn furnishings hidden under shadows.

Inside, Lyria paced anxiously, her gaze darting toward the door with each turn. When she saw the maid enter, she strode forward, her voice sharp. “Did you find something?"

The maid’s gaze dropped, her voice a whisper. “The egg… It’s hidden beneath the river, miss.”

At these words, a slow, sinister smile spread across Lyria’s face. But the maid’s words hadn’t ended, and her next statement made that smile vanish.

"But..."

“But?” Lyria’s voice sharpened.

The maid swallowed hard. “It appears... the Crown Prince knows as well, miss.”

Lyria’s expression turned to shock. “What?” she hissed, fists clenching. “How does he know?”

The maid lowered her head, voice barely a whisper. “It... it was Lady Leticia who told him.”

The fury in Lyria’s eyes was instant. Without warning, she struck the maid hard across the face, the sharp crack of her slap echoing in the small room. The maid’s body jerked to the side, and she collapsed to the floor, a pained gasp escaping her lips.

“Leticia…” Lyria hissed, her voice low and venomous. “That bitch.” She spat the words out like poison, her breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts. “How dare she interfere?”

Lyria paced, her mind whirling with anger and disbelief. She stopped abruptly thinking.

“Shouldn’t she be locked in her room, crying? Why was she out there, of all people? Why her?” Lyria’s voice trembled with frustration, her control slipping. Her fists clenched at her sides as the anger inside her threatened to explode.

"I need that egg," she said through gritted teeth, her tone cold and unyielding. "Before the Crown Prince lays a hand on it. I need that Divine Egg, and no one, not even that meddling bitch, is going to stop me."

A plan already forming in Lyria's mind, the weight of her obsession with the Divine Egg confusingly hung heavily in the air, as sharp and deadly as a blade poised to strike.

                                                                                             ***

Drakemorne Mansion,

Entrance,

The Drakemorne carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion's grand entrance.  Leticia stepped out of the carriage. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

“She must have found it by now,” Leticia muttered under her breath, her gaze narrowing.

I know... I know there was another person at the market, someone whose eyes were on us.

She entered the mansion. Her footsteps were quiet as she walked through the grand halls of the mansion, her heels tapping softly against the stone floors. Her thoughts were tangled.

The egg... she thought, It wasn't just an accident. There’s no way.

She stopped momentarily, her hand on the railing of a grand staircase, her heart pounding in her chest. Shattering the egg wasn't some careless mistake… it was carefully planned.

She let the thought sit, her chest tightening with growing unease. There was something far deeper, something more dangerous than she had realized. her mind worked faster than her feet could carry her. 

Lyria... She’s not that clever to discover the Divine Egg on her own. she isn't that smart. She may be ambitious, but there’s someone else behind this.

She reached her chamber and paused before the window that framed the night sky.

Leticia thought, her brow furrowing. Someone who knows about the Divine Egg. But who? Who could it be? Who would want to create chaos between the kingdoms? Who?

Her mind worked faster, a quiet storm of thoughts swirling. Whoever that person is... I need to find that person before they cause more chaos.

The weight of it all settled heavily on her shoulders. She had to stop whatever force was behind this and quickly, before it was too late. Leticia knew that the true danger wasn’t just the Divine Egg but the hands that were moving it.

With one final, quiet breath, Leticia turned away from the window and walked further into her chamber. She had a mission now—to unmask the hidden hand behind this tangled web before it was too late.