Freen took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I suppose the trouble began early on, though it started small," she began. "During the opening rounds of competition, I noticed some odd behavior from a few contestants whenever they passed by my station."

She went on to describe how some heirs would intentionally bump or jostle her as they left the shooting line, disguising the harassment as accidental. It was subtle, but Freen could feel the intent behind those shoves trying to throw her off balance and rattle her composure before taking her own shots.

In addition, she related instances of mockery disguised as whispers from both competitors and some spectators. As Freen stepped up to shoot, hushed giggles and pointed remarks questioning her skill and place in the tournament flew from spiteful lips thinking themselves clever and unseen. Freen held her tongue and ignored them. She wasn't used to such actions; however, during tournaments when she was younger, Freen and her teammates would do the same to the opposing team to rile them. So she pretended that it was the same even though everyone was targeting her and it wasn't as friendly.

"It was little things really," Freen summarized with a wave of her hand. "But later when events became more openly hostile, I believe all those minor incidents were part of a larger coordinated effort to undermine me..."

Lord Harrington and his team listened attentively, scribbling notes. One junior investigator's face, flushed with outrage, spoke up.

"Such behavior is unbecoming and unacceptable, preying upon a peer in competition," he proclaimed. "I cannot believe such harassment was allowed to pass unaddressed!"

Lord Harrington sighed regretfully. "You speak true, of course. However, without clear physical provocation or altercation, I fear there is little to be done in these cases. Discourteous words often fall beyond the scope of any rules. In the best case, if a competitor becomes rowdy, the best we could have done is to disqualify them from the tournament. But since the tournament is already concluded, there isn't much we can do to directly penalize anyone."

Freen nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I figured. I held hope the tournament officials would intervene, but the harassment remained subtle enough in the early rounds to evade notice or penalty."

"Please understand that we want to punish those who are accountable," an investigator sympathetically stated. "But our options are limited. We will ensure that those responsible face the appropriate consequences within the scope of the tournament rules, but beyond that, our hands are tied."

Freen sighed, recognizing the limitations of the situation. "I understand. At least we can prevent such behavior from recurring in future tournaments. I just want no one else to go through what I had to go through yesterday."

"There is one more incident I remembered. I did mention it to Lord Harrington last night, but I don't see how it can help because I don't know who did it," Freen continued. "During the tournament, while preparing to shoot, I discovered that the fletchings on one of my arrows had been loosened. It could have caused a serious accident but luckily the arrow didn't go to the crowd."

An investigator leaned forward, "Yes, Lord Harrington did tell us that this morning in the briefing. Can you recall when during the tournament you noticed that the arrow was tampered with?"

Freen closed her eyes, trying to that moment. "It was during the fourth round I believe, just before my last shot for that round. I remember feeling something was off when I released the arrow. And when I examined it more closely after my shot, the fletchings were definitely tampered with."

The investigators nodded, taking note of Freen's recollection. "Thank you for providing that detail, Princess Freen. Knowing that it occurred during the fourth round helps narrow down the timeline. We might be able to eliminate some heirs and investigate further."

Another investigator tapped his parchment paper thoughtfully. "And you've no idea whom could have done this? Do you remember anyone around your equipment? It doesn't have to be during the fourth round, but anytime during or before the fourth round."

Freen attempted to recall the moments leading up to the incident but after a moment, she sighed, "It's really a blur... I'm sorry, I can't say for certain. There were so many people moving about and my focus was primarily on preparing for my shots."

Lord Harrington reassured Freen. "That's alright Princess. Let's just take a moment to recall back a little. It doesn't have to be a person you remember specifically; it can be a detail as small as the color of their outfit or any other distinguishing feature."

Freen appreciated Lord Harrington's understanding and nodded, taking a moment to jog her memory. She furrowed her brow in concentration, attempting to recall any details that might help the investigators.

After a brief pause, she finally said,"I do remember a few flashes of color in the crowd, but I can't say for certain if any of them were near my equipment. There was a person wearing a bright crimson robe,... another in a deep forest green attire, and a third with a sapphire sash....I think I remember someone wearing a bright red jacket near my equipment area too, but I don't think it was one of the heirs. I'm not fully certain though. There were just so many participating in the tournament that I don't know if they were actually near my equipment or just pieces of my memory."

The investigators exchanged glances, intrigued by this detail, noting down these descriptions.

"Thank you, Princess Freen," Lord Harrington stated. "These descriptions give us something to work with. It may seem insignificant to you, and they might not lead us to anything, but they could also very well prove to be a lead in our investigation. We'll examine any potential leads associated with these descriptions."

Freen nodded in gratitude, relieved that she could contribute to the investigation in some way. "I'm glad I could help, even if it's just a little. I truly hope you will find those accountable and give the punishments accordingly."

Lord Harrington offered a reassuring smile. "Rest assured, Princess Freen, those who are accountable will definitely be punished accordingly... Before we conclude, is there anything else you can remember, no matter how insignificant it might seem?"

"No," she said with frustration. "I've thought it over, but that's all I can remember. I wish I had more to offer, but it was all so chaotic and overwhelming at the time."

Lord Harrington maintained his calm and reassuring demeanor, understanding Freen's frustration. "Princess Freen, you've already provided us with some significant leads, more than you may realize. If you happen to remember anything else later on, please don't hesitate to let us know."

He then turned his attention to the patient figure of Princess Rebecca, who had been sitting supportively by Freen's side throughout the questioning.

"Princess Rebecca, thank you for your patience thus far," Lord Harrington said graciously. "I understand you were not personally participating in the tournament. However, last evening you mentioned that you had a certain suspicion. Is that correct?"

Rebecca inclined her head. "Yes, though I possess no definitive proof. Only my own observations.... But I want to clarify that it's only a hunch. I wasn't on the field during the tournament, except during the remission, so I can't say for certain."

"Nevertheless, another perspective could aid this investigation," Lord Harrington replied. "If you would be so kind, please share what you witnessed preceding and during the tournament. Sometimes an outside eye discerns that which those amidst the action might overlook."

Rebecca took a moment to collect her thoughts before responding, "Well, it's just... I felt something was off about Prince Tristan that day.... Maybe it's my intuition as an omega, but when I went to talk to him during the recess at the final round, there was a strange tension around him. Also, he would not meet my eyes at first, which was oddly unlike himself. Usually he's more talkative and proud of himself."

An investigator asked, "Did Prince Tristan say or do anything specific during your conversation that raised your suspicion?"

Rebecca hesitated, trying to recall the details of that encounter. "No, he didn't say anything out of the ordinary. It was more about his demeanor. He seemed distracted, as if something was bothering him, but he didn't share any concerns with me... He was unusually quieter than usual, mostly nodding when I talked to him briefly"

The investigators exchanged glances, unsure what to make out of this statement. They acknowledged the uniqueness of an omega's intuition and their heightened senses, allowing them to pick up subtle cues that others might miss. However, with no hard evidence except for Rebecca's suspicion, they couldn't take action against Price Tristan except to question him further and see if he would break under pressure.

As the investigators were about to thank Rebecca, she suddenly spoke up.

"Ahhh!...I'm sorry, I just remembered something. It might be important. I don't know why, but when I talked about fairness and sportsmanship, and how the investigation would uncover any foul play, his agitation seemed to give way to a, sort of, reluctant acceptance. It was as if he knew he would be caught if the investigation were to occur and was resigning himself to that fact."

"Thank you for your statement, Princess Rebecca," Lord Harrington said. "Your intuition might indeed be pointing us in the right direction, but we can't jump to conclusions based solely on this. It's possible that Prince Tristan was simply nervous about the final match, which could explain his behavior."

Another investigator chimed in, "Nevertheless, we will definitely bring him in for questioning. Your insight gives us a valuable lead to explore."

Lord Harrington then turned his attention to both Princesses Freen and Rebecca, offering a reassuring smile. "Alright, we've gathered all the information we need for now. Thank you, Princess Freen and Princess Rebecca, for your cooperation and assistance. We will now proceed with questioning those you've mentioned in your statements first."

With that, both Princess Freen and Rebecca began to rise up from their seats. The investigators, too, stood up, showing their respect for them. They thanked the princesses for their statements and for their willingness to come in early. With polite nods of acknowledgement, they stepped out of the room, leaving the investigators to review their statements and prepare for the next phase of their investigation.