Two full weeks had passed since Chief Monroe disappeared. Despite the combined efforts of King Amir and King Alexander, every search and investigation ended in failure. It was as though Monroe and his men had vanished into thin air.
"My king, is this not strange?" Queen Lucinda asked softly as she handed King Alexander a cup of tea. "How can a chief disappear without a trace? Could this be part of a conspiracy?"
The king took a slow sip of his tea. "What are you implying?" he asked quietly.
"All I mean is…" she hesitated. "I hope Chief Monroe has not played some kind of trick on us, or perhaps—"
"Perhaps what?" King Alexander snapped, smashing the cup to the floor. "Chief Monroe is one of my most trusted chiefs. He would never betray me. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Queen Lucinda stammered, trembling. "I will take my leave." She hurried out of the chamber.
Moments later, a soldier rushed in.
"My king! My king!"
"What is it?" Alexander demanded.
"King Amir has found new information regarding Chief Monroe's disappearance. He requests to meet you by tomorrow."
"Very well. You may go."
After the soldier left, a shadow lingered behind the chamber walls, silently listening.
"Oh really?" a voice whispered. "Let us see how this unfolds."
Three days later, King Amir arrived. The atmosphere between the two kings was heavy.
"King Alexander," King Amir said solemnly, "since Chief Monroe's disappearance, we have uncovered something… strange. Unbelievable, even."
"Please," Alexander said. "Go on."
"Out of the twenty carriages of fabric sent to your kingdom, only ten arrived. The remaining ten were sold illegally. The transporters were bribed."
Alexander's eyes widened. "Who would dare do such a thing?"
"There is only one name tied to every piece of evidence," King Amir replied. "Chief Monroe. The letter you received was not written by me. It was forged—by him."
"That is impossible!" Alexander shouted. "Monroe treats you as an elder brother. He would never betray us!"
"I wished it were not so," King Amir said heavily. "But the missing fabric was sold to another kingdom under Monroe's orders."
"If he did this," Alexander said slowly, "then where is he?"
"We discovered that after leaving your kingdom, Monroe abandoned the horses and weapons near the river. Most of the soldiers were slaughtered. The rest are missing."
Alexander stood frozen. "He would not abandon his family. And how could twenty-two trained soldiers be killed so easily?"
"These questions haunt me as well," King Amir replied. "I have done all I can. The rest lies with you."
Alexander thanked him, but his heart was in turmoil.
Back in his chamber, the king struggled to process everything. He could not believe Monroe was guilty—but he was a king, and emotions could not cloud judgment.
"There must be more to this," he muttered.
Soon after, Chief Adrian entered.
"My king, one soldier survived the attack. A villager found him and nursed him back to health. He is here."
"Bring him in carefully."
The injured soldier was escorted into the meeting room.
"Tell me everything," King Alexander commanded. "The truth."
"My king," the soldier said weakly, "after leaving the palace, we stopped near the river to rest. That was when bandits attacked… and Chief Monroe fought alongside them."
Alexander's breath caught. "Did you see their faces?"
"No, Your Majesty. They were masked. But they called Chief Monroe boss."
Chief Adrian slammed his fist on the table. "You expect us to believe bandits wiped out trained soldiers?"
"My lord, we were outnumbered," the soldier pleaded. "Look at me—I would not lie."
"Enough," King Alexander said quietly. "You may go."
Then he turned to Chief Adrian. "Bring Irene to the palace."
When Irene was summoned, her heart leapt with hope. Perhaps there was finally news of her husband.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," she greeted respectfully.
"Please, sit," the king said.
"I was told you wished to see me," she said eagerly.
"Your husband," Alexander said carefully, "has committed a grave crime. He betrayed this kingdom."
Irene stood abruptly. "You called me here to accuse him? My husband would never betray this kingdom. He is loyal."
"Loyal?" the king's voice hardened. "He murdered royal soldiers, framed King Amir, and sold stolen fabric illegally."
"That is not true!" Irene cried. "My husband would never do such a thing!"
Tears streamed down her face as her world collapsed.