There was silence between us. A long, heavy pause that stretched like a chasm.
Then, quietly, Luke said, "You're not useless to me, Bella. You're one of the bravest people I've ever met. I've always seen you as unique and special right from the very first day I saw you. So don't say all these things right now, don't feel bad that others can't see how special you truly are. I believe that one day, you'll get your abilities and then you…."
"Stop! I've not had it all my life and the year of getting them is far past, you don't need to tell me lies to make me feel better. Thank you for not seeing me that way. I need to go in now and report to Prince Jesse."
I said it quickly and went in.
When I stepped back into the grand banquet hall, the air had shifted completely. It was filled with fear and shock.
The king was no longer sitting down now, his face was twisted in fury. His voice rang out, harshly and thunderous.
"How was someone able to poison so many nobles right under my watch? How did this happen?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd like a sudden chill. I didn't see the injured nobles, they must have been carried to get treated.
Father—Jesse called out and stood up from his seat , bowing deeply but with a hard edge in his gaze.
"Allow me to investigate this properly, Your Majesty. This is clearly an inside job," he said, eyes narrowing as they flicked toward Julius.
Julius stepped forward too, his expression dark and unreadable. "I will do my utmost best to assist my brother in this investigation."
The king's glare deepened. "Fine. Investigate. I want to see who dares to do this.
He didn't say anything else and left immediately after.
Jesse turned to me after he had gone and said, "Follow me."
We headed to his quarters in total silence. The halls felt heavier than usual, tension hanging in the air like a storm waiting to break. When we entered his room, he walked straight to a nearby table, picked something up, and tossed it toward me.
"Change into this," he said.
I caught it and looked down, confused. "What's this?"
He gave me one of those smug little smiles, gesturing lazily with his hand. "Clothes. You know… things people wear."
I rolled my eyes at him. "I know that. I meant, what's this for?"
"Didn't you hear the king?" Jesse said, his tone casual but eyes looked at me in a certain way. "He wants us to investigate."
My confusion deepened. "And this… wearing this clothes has what to do with that?"
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.
"Your Majesty," Joel's voice came through as he entered inside, "this is what you requested. I was able to use my powers to extract the poisonous liquid from the wines."
Jesse opened the door and took the small vial from him. "Okay, good. This will do."
Joel nodded and disappeared down the corridor.
Jesse shut the door, then looked at me. "Go and get changed. Or do you want to change in front of me?"
My cheeks turned red immediately but I tried to hide it and went back to my room. As I unfolded the clothes properly, I saw the dress in full—a deep purple color with a slightly musty scent, nothing flashy or extravagant, but it had a certain elegance to it. It was quite functional and discreet.
I hesitated for a moment, then slipped it on.
Even though I didn't understand what was happening… I had a feeling things were only going to get stranger from here.
Then I stepped out and he was waiting for me outside the room already.
The dress was simple yet elegant, flowing around my legs like mist. It was deep purple, muted enough to blend in but rich enough to stand out in the right setting. I smoothed the fabric down self-consciously, already feeling Jesse's eyes on me before I even looked up.
His arms were folded, his eyes assessing me with a hint of amusement and calculation.
He tilted his head slightly. "Not bad," he said, almost like he was surprised.
I frowned. "So, are you going to explain why I'm dressed like this? Or are we just playing some dress-up game tonight?"
Jesse walked toward me, holding up the small glass vial Joel had just brought in. The liquid inside shimmered faintly—dark, almost black, with a strange oily sheen.
"This," Jesse said, "is the exact poison that was used in the wine."
I nodded slowly. "Okay…"
"And this," he motioned to my dress, "is your disguise."
My brows shot up. "Disguise for what?"
He smirked. "We're going undercover. The nobles who were poisoned? They were all served wine from the same cask. And that cask came from a particular merchant—one whose name was conveniently left off the records."
I blinked. "So you're saying—?"
"We're going to the black market. I could have the guards bring him here and torture him until he confesses but what's the fun in that? Besides there's something else I want to get from there. So it'll be like killing two birds with one stone. I'm a genius right?"
My heart skipped. "Wait. Just us? You want just both of us to go to um, the black market. I doubt I'd be of much use. I've never been to um, such places before. "
"Why are you stammering so much? ." Jesse stepped closer to me holding my jaw as his face was only a few inches away from mine. "Joel will follow us discreetly. But only step in if necessary."
I swallowed hard, my nerves twisting in my stomach.
I didn't know whether to feel pleased.
I was being trusted—by Prince Jesse himself—to go with him on a mission that could expose a traitor within the palace.
"Ready?" he asked, already turning away from me.
No. I wasn't.
But I straightened my back anyway and gave him a confident answer.
"Yes, Your Highness."