CORY WANTED to gag as he talked trashed in front of the aristocratic faction. With the way things were, he would lose the support of the aristocratic faction. His plan was a double-edged sword for him. But he would be a villain if he had to. He needed to defeat Lauren in this game he started. It was bad enough that he hired an assassin like Tessa to seduce him. He could bet that Lauren's plan would involve killing him should Tessa failed to seduce him. Cory scoffed inwardly.

His troubled heart calmed when he saw the telltale sign of his beloved entering the secret room. Steeling himself to make it appear that he was loathing Victoria which was the exact opposite, Merilla started the meeting. For the nth time today, Corean wanted to scoff. He was amazed at Merilla's talent fooling everyone including him.

And so did the meeting started. Suggestions and arguments were exchanged in front of him which was all futile for him. He watched how Merilla acted all concern.

Lord Wolfgang suggested. "How about we shift our blame to the commoner? After all, this was all her fault that was taken advantage of by the noble faction. Let us prosecute her while claiming that the Prince Corean has nothing to do with her."

Cory could immediately feel the zap of tension when he felt Victoria's gaze upon. Mastering all his will, his cold eyes regarded Lord Wolfgang which made the latter paled. Merilla's eyes were observing him. His reaction would dictate if Tessa succeeded in seducing him.

"Our main concern is to help Tessa. She's innocent in all of this chaos. I am the one that brought this into her." Cory clapped internally as he was able to say those words without wincing.

Victoria's eyes were closed as she smiled demurely at him. Cory clenched his fists knowing his words caused that. He could imagine how disappointed she was with him. But for him, he would rather be a disappointment than turn a blind eye to his brother's schemes.

Merilla frowned as if she was disappointed with him, but Cory saw the flash of victory for split second in her snake-like eyes. Finally, Merilla asked Victoria whom she was targeting to ask from the start. This meeting was a farce just to know Victoria's plan against the noble faction or Tessa. This was the reason why Merilla would always be one step ahead of Victoria. But as long as he continued his deception, he would be two steps ahead of his brother and Merilla.

"Lady Victoria, I would like to hear your thoughts about this."

Victoria's brows raised but she did set her teacup down to answer Lady M. "I agree with the second prince. He's the one who brought this into her so why prosecute the poor soul? That's the noble faction's job. But, your highness, have you ever considered that Tessa is being used to bargain with you? A bargain like, surrender your claim to the throne and they will spare your beloved Tessa."

Chaos erupted inside the room but a raging storm between Cory and Victoria was also brewing as they looked at each other challengingly. "Your reason would cause further shackles for Tessa. Be careful Lady Victoria. You're treading on thin ice."

Cory was afraid that Merilla might think that Victoria already busted them though he knew it would impossible. As long as Victoria believed that Merilla wanted him, the second prince, to succeed the throne then his beloved would never win.

Victoria gave them a toothy grin, he knew right there that she was starting to get irritated already. "I am only stating my honest opinion, your highness. Please do forgive my impertinence. But if I may, I have another concern."

Victoria's last four words alerted him.

"What is it?" asked Cory together with Merilla. All chaos around them stopped when they saw how serious the leader of the aristocratic faction was.

"Should you give in when that bargain happens, I want his highness to know that it is not just your life on the line or the people around this table but Queen Aurina's as well."

Cory froze. Victoria was right, with everything happening behind closed doors. He did not know who else were the traitors in the midst. He watched fondly as Victoria clapped hands while giving them her well-rehearsed sugary smile. "Though these are all my speculations."

Merilla's attempt to ask again was interrupted when the door suddenly burst open. Cory was relieved to dodge another trapping question from Merilla, who was clearly not happy with the interruption of a royal knight serving under him. The knight had frantic eyes and a heaving chest.

He was the one Cory assigned to watch Duke Luwen Rozenreff's movement.

"How dare you interrupt the meeting?" Lord Wolfgang exclaimed, clearly shocked from the sudden intrusion.

The poor knight finally remembered that he was surrounded by lords and ladies from different powerful houses. Bowing nervously, his knight asked for forgiveness before shifting his attention to him, who was looking worried, an expression befitting for someone who had a lover being taken from him. In his peripheral vision, he saw how Victoria raised her brows from his reaction.

"Duke Luwen and Marquess Zoliel arrested Miss Tessa under the orders of King Elphaim!"

Cory wondered under whose whispers his father listened to. Was it his mother who was working with Victoria or his brother? He wanted to avoid the latter option. Because if it did happen, it only meant that his brother decided to terminate Tessa and forget his plan about Corean just to create a new plan. A new plan wherein Cory was not aware of, he would surely lose the advantage.

He needed to know! "Let's go!" His eager voice and stance could be interpreted as from some prince charming who was about to rescue his damsel in distress.

Corean was about to leave when Victoria's velvety voice stopped him. It was an involuntary action, his body knew who it belonged. "Are you going there? Right into their trap? It's their plan to corner you, your highness!" The fear and pure concern laced upon Victoria's voice almost fooled Cory. But he knew how sly she was, despite that, her concerned voice brought tingles in his heart.

He wanted to hug her. As his strides closed his distance between Victoria, he wanted to engulf her in a warm hug. But Merilla's emerald eyes were watching them. So instead, he grasped her shoulders as he made her stand. His fingers dug into her cloth-covered flesh as he stopped his hands from shaking. "Listen well. I don't care about your sick ambition to be the queen of this empire. You better know your place, Victoria."

The pain that reflected upon her eyes in which he caused for the nth time, Corean wanted to just blurt what he knew. But the power plays in this empire were cruel. Parents sold their children for power as sons and daughters devoured their parents for their supposed rights. Friends could become an enemy in one blink as an enemy could become your ally in one turn. To win this game, one should wear a mask. One should deceive and be deceived. Victoria chose the innocent façade while Corean chose the mask that would make him the most hated man in his beloved's eyes.

"BLESSINGS TO the Empire's star, Prince Corean." Victoria curtsied upon Corean's arrival. He had no time to play word games with her right now. Not when this very woman was planning to harm herself just for her plan to succeed.

"Let's cut all this nonsense and go straight to the point. Make that dog of yours wag his damn tail elsewhere and let Tessa go."

Tilting her head, Victoria flicked her golden ringlets away from her face. Cory was itching to comb her smooth golden locks with his fingers. "I'm here to see you beg, my dear darling prince. So beg."

"How dare you!" The knight's outburst was stopped not by the obvious threat that Victoria bribed him before but by his commanding glare that lasted only for a few seconds. What his beloved did not know was that the knight she thought she bought was already commanded by him to take her orders.

With Victoria's servant and his knight gone, she comfortably served her favorite Chamomile Tea. Victoria asked, "Now, where were we?"

Corean hated the very thought of her plan. Many times he contemplated telling her of his dilemma just to stop this daft idea of hers. But he could not, his plans were already set into motion with the aid of Crown Prince Yei Lin.

"Will you stop drinking your damn tea and for once listen to me?" His words boomed inside the room.

"I am listening, your highness. You are not just saying the right words that I can understand."

Cory's jaws clenched from Victoria's nonchalant behavior about hurting herself. He knew that she wanted to provoke Tessa after this meeting. Victoria wanted Tessa to snap in front of the higher echelon and hurt her in the process just to prosecute that damn assassin. "What-what do I have to do?"

"Took you long enough to ask the right question, your highness. Well, before I save little Tessa. May I ask to what extent his highness will do?"

Steeling himself, words spat from his mouth like acid. "I will do anything just to let her live. Tessa deserves better and not the guillotine." I will do anything just to let you live, Victoria, Cory thought as he uttered those wretched words.

Upon their exchange, Cory could not help but noticed the way Victoria flashed with wariness from time to time. She might think that she had fooled him but she was wrong. He could see that she seem afraid of something. Or rather, she was desperate about something and she was running away from it. He had to discuss this with the Ming's crown prince.

THE CROWD part ways for Queen Aurina accompanied by Victoria and him. They were walking towards Tessa who had a feral look in her eyes. He could imagine how Victoria twisted everything upon that small talk. From what the crown prince of Ming Country told him, Victoria would let Tessa aim for his mother just to save the latter with her body. Victoria aimed to take Tessa's control from his brother. If she succeeded then like what he anticipated, his brother would commence his next phase which was to kill him, the second prince.

Victoria's plan was elaborate but it would give Cory the leeway to shift his brother's attention from her to him. With him being the target of the dam construction assassination font, Victoria would be out of danger for a short while. He needed to defeat his brother when he decided to move accordingly. What he never liked was the stabbing part that would happen any minute from now.

Tessa was an assassin and with her mind already this dark, aiming for the vital spot would be easy. Cory could feel a headache coming.

He saw the shift of darkness within Tessa's eyes and that's when Victoria saw the crazed look of Tessa as the latter aimed for the queen, it was her signal to take action. Cory stood at the perfect angle to interrupt Tessa just like Prince Yei Lin's calculations. As everyone's attention went to the culprit and her knife, Cory pushed the wooden chair that Tessa one sat on, he pushed it like it was an accident. The back of the chair bumped into Tessa's knees causing her to lose the aim to his mother's heart which would become Victoria's heart. With the new direction of Tessa's aim, the blade pierced Victoria's shoulder blade without much force.