The Tyrant's Pet

There was nothing more annoying than to have victory, only to watch it slip away when it was within your reach. Joaquin was confident Ismael and his annoying people would crumble down tonight. But alas, when he returned to the inner palace after his visit from the Vida residence, the knights who were supposed to bring Ismael back to the inner palace hadn't arrived yet.

"Your Highness. We had seized the gambling house and the eighth prince is now in our custody," reported Roman, the seventh prince and also Joaquin's soldier as the latter jumped out of his steed.

"What about the third prince?" Joaquin asked, handing the reins of his steed to another knight to guide it back to the stables. His inquiry instantly brought confusion to the scarred face of the seventh prince.

"Wasn't he with you?"

The second the last word escaped Roman's plum lips, Joaquin frowned. He stayed with Modesto for a bit before he set off while Ismael was escorted back to the inner palace. There was no way he would arrive earlier than them.

"Send out a search party. I have a bad feeling about this," he ordered before he marched towards the busy inner palace where the knights were dragging everyone who was arrested in the gambling house. "What an annoying bastard."

"Yes." Roman stayed on the spot, eyes following the retreating figure of the crown prince. He had served his brother to understand the sudden shift of mood of the crown prince. Something they hadn't expected must've happened.

With that thought in mind, the seventh prince gestured to the knights nearby to come forth.

"Prepare a search party to look for the group who arrested the third prince," he ordered firmly. "Make haste. We can't let the mastermind get away."

"Yes, your highness!"

As the knights who received the order hightailed to execute it, another one who came from the palace approached him. After a formal greeting, the knight walked closer to Roman to report an incident. The second Roman heard it, his eyes slowly dilated.

"Relay the news to the crown prince. I'll go see the situation first."

<strong>********</strong>

<strong>[Lazuli Palace]</strong>

The piercing sound of glass shattering resonated across the sitting room. Broken porcelain scattered on the floor while Inez was gassing out, palms on the edge of the table, eyes bloodshot.

"Your Highness, the eighth prince, is seized under the charges of corruption and lists of serious felonies. There's nothing much we can do. They fell right into the crown prince's trap." A man wearing a veil covering half of his lower face stood in front of the shut door. His eyes fixated on Inez's back before he lowered his head slightly.

"The seventh prince arrived even before us. They were a step ahead, so I retreated since it'll be dangerous if we tried to go up against the seventh prince."

Hearing his report, Inez ground her teeth. Her hands on the surface of the desk curled into a fist.

"Ismael…" she seethed as she ground her teeth. "… you foolish bastard."

"Your Highness."

"Shut up!" she glared at the knight in black. "How can I shake hands with that crown prince? I can't be just one of his pawns. I can't even stand him."

Inez scoffed as she breathed through her gritted teeth, seething in anger at Ismael's foolishness. She already knew Ismael would commit a grave mistake. However, she didn't fathom he would be this stupid as to willingly step his foot in Joaquin's traps.

What Ismael did was akin to surrendering his power to Joaquin, and that was what angered her. Inez's influence in the royal court wasn't solid enough for her to stand up against Joaquin. Now, they were telling her that Joaquin had won the race?

Unbelievable!

"No. I can't let this happen. Ismael shouldn't —" she was cut off when a loud knock came from outside the sitting room. Even the knight standing in front of it furrowed his brows, receiving orders from Inez to let it in when they came to know it was her lady-in-waiting.

"Speak! Make sure it is important and is worthy of banging the door." Inez's voice was crisp the second her lady-in-waiting came inside. The middle-aged woman who stood by the door had a pale complexion, and when she raised her head to meet Inez's eyes, the latter narrowed her eyes.

"Your Highness." The lady-in-waiting was panting, swallowing down a mouthful of air to calm herself down from the shocking news she just received.

"Speak! What sort of problem is it?"

"The — the eighth prince's quarters — a fire broke out in the eighth prince's quarters!"

"What?" Inez took a few seconds to process the news. "A fire?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Princess Violet and the young princes were still inside, but the fire had spread so quickly!"

This time, Inez's eyes went round as her brain suddenly went blank. Her shock wasn't because she was anywhere concerned about Carlos' wife or her nephews, but because the eighth prince's quarter was still relatively close to the Sapphire Palace; the place where the crown princess resided.

<strong>*****</strong>

Meanwhile, in the small eighth prince's palace…

Knights and servants scampered around as they tried to put out the fire that had engulfed the palace in a matter of minutes. When the seventh prince arrived, the entire place was already on fire, giving light across its surrounding. Roman gazed at it with dilated eyes, unable to conceal the shock and fear flickering across his eyes.

"Princess Violet," he whispered without realizing it, watching everyone carry buckets of water. "No…"

But by the second he realized this wouldn't be enough and he should go inside to save the princess, he stopped as a loud explosion from a particular room inside the palace put a pause to everyone trying to stop the fire.

Roman raised an arm and when he lowered it, his eyes searched the part where the explosion came from. His heart instantly sank the second his eyes landed on fire coming out of the window.

It was Princess Violet's room.