"Stephen I did it!" Tello said coming down the stairs. "I closed the deal all by myself..."
All eyes were on him, and Tello glanced back at them. Of course he shouldn't have screamed that out, but how was he to know that immediately he did, the loud orchestral music would cut off.
He glanced toward the large doors, to the several royal guards standing there, all now looking directly at him.
"I'm sorry," Tello said, shrinking back.
Cruige shook his head softly and returned to the matter at hand. "Has anyone seen him?"
The entire ballroom looked around, murmuring. Up by the steps, the nobles did the same. In seconds, someone would point him out, and that would be the end of it. Not only would the investors learn they'd been conned, but Stephen would be dragged back to the palace and, at worst, thrown into detainment.
He couldn't let that happen. If he got locked away now, he'd miss his only chance to finish Claris's route.
There had to be a way out. But there wasn't.
"I wonder what Father will grant me as a reward," Lucien mused beside him. "For being the one who caught our runaway prince."
"I hope he gives you coal," Stephen muttered back.
Lucien shook his head slowly, a smirk tugging at his lips. He turned to Cruige, his mouth already beginning to open.
Then Cruige repeated himself. "He has blonde hair and blue eyes. Goes by the name Stephen Eldoria. Has anyone seen him!?"
Tello glanced at Stephen, who looked around, visibly nervous, probably the most nervous he'd ever seen him. Then it hit him.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Stephen Eldoria.
"The third prince..." Tello whispered to himself. "Is Stephen?"
There was so much he wanted to ask, but right now, there wasn't time.
Tello stepped down a few stairs.
"I SAW HIM UPSTAIRS!" he yelled.
All heads turned. Cruige and the guards snapped toward him.
"Where?" Cruige asked.
"At the uppermost floor!" Tello shouted. "He was having dinner with someone!"
Seconds later, armored footsteps thundered past as the guards dashed up the steps.
"Thank you for the reliable tip, kind sir!" Cruige barked, storming past.
"I wonder if lying to a royal guard is a punishable crime," Tello thought, though what he said was, "Anytime, sir!"
The guards disappeared upstairs, and the ballroom shifted to a new kind of chaos, the nobles murmuring, turning in place, pointing fingers.
Then from the crowd, a large figure stepped out.
Lucien.
And with a loud voice.
"Cruige, he's not up there. He's right—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the piano went off once more, the saxophone kicking in behind it. Lucien quickly turned back and there Stephen was, gesturing frantically at the band to keep playing.
Lucien glanced at Stephen as he ran back to the crowd of nobles, their gazes never breaking.
Seeing him return, Tello quickly hurried down the steps and blended into the crowd and seconds later, Stephen found him, gripping his shoulders.
"You saved me there," Stephen said, still scanning the room.
"I'm guessing you're not a traveling merchant from Rennes," Tello muttered.
Stephen was about to say something then paused, the words catching in his throat. "I..."
"Cruige!" Lucien screamed, his voice echoing through the entire banquet hall. The music paused once again.
"I can explain later." Stephen said. "It's a funny story really."
"Let me guess, you'll lie to me again," Tello muttered.
Stephen sighed, eyes darting around the room. "I know it's too much to ask right now... but can you please trust me?"
Tello rolled his eyes. "You've got a lot of explaining to do once we get out of this, young man."
"What are you, my mom?" Stephen shot back, giving him a quick once over, eyes locked on the two leather bags in his clutches. "You closed the deal by yourself?"
"And I got the full eighty-five thousand too!" Tello said, nearly shouting.
"Cruige!" Lucien's voice thundered across the ballroom again.
"So what's the plan?" Tello asked, thrusting the bags into Stephen's arms.
"Stall them for as long as you can. I'll slip through the front, steal one of the horses and lie in wait. When you're done, come out back and we'll leave."
"You'll be waiting right?" Tello said, staring at him.
Stephen paused for a second, returning the glare. "I will."
Just then—
"Where are you going, Tello?" Lyna appeared, eyes narrowing.
"Hm?" Tello blinked. "What are you talking about?"
She glanced toward Stephen, now slipping behind the crowd and weaving toward the grand entrance. She looked back at Tello. "Can I please ask your name?"
"Tello..." He said, confused. "Is something wrong?"
"My boss is so going to kill me," Lyna muttered under her breath.
"Cruige!" Lucien shouted again, voice finally reaching the royal guard.
"Yes, my liege!" Cruige responded from the upper balcony. "I'm afraid I haven't caught sight of Prince Stephen!"
"That's because he's down here!" Lucien barked, pointing to his side. Then, quieter, to himself, "What an incapable bunch of idiots."
In mere moments, Cruige and the rest of the royal guards had come down from the stairs. All of them now staring at the nobles. Cruige stepped forward. "Where is he?"
Lucien gestured sharply. "Are you blind? He's right here... beside me."
Lucien turned to his side, and while he could see bleached hair. It didn't belong to his brother. It belonged to Tello, who stood by his side, trying his absolute best to look inconspicuous.
"That's not your brother, Prince Lucien," Cruige said flatly.
"I'm well aware of that." Lucien growled and in a flash, he grabbed Tello by the collar, lifting him off the ground with one hand. "Where is he!?"
"Who? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb!" Lucien snapped. "Cruige, search the premises! He couldn't have gotten far!"
"You're scaring the guests, Luc," Silviette said calmly, tugging at his arm.
Lucien glanced to his side.
The nobles were already edging away from him, creating subtle gaps on the dance floor. The women whispered behind gloved hands, their voices hushed but their eyes loud. Most averted their gaze when he caught them staring, but the damage was done.
"She's kinda right," Tello wheezed, still dangling. "I'm scared shitless right now."
"You shut your mouth." Lucien tossed him aside like a sack of wheat, and Tello hit the floor hard. "If we don't find Stephen, you'll be the one rotting in a hole."
"On what grounds?!" Tello shot up, fists clenched. "I have rights! I'm a citizen of this prestigious city!"
"On the grounds that you aided a wanted man in evading the royal guard's." Lucien turned on his heel. "You'll be lucky to ever see daylight again."
Tello's stomach dropped and quickly he looked to the doors. The royal guards had fanned out, their armor clinking as they scoured the perimeter.
Stephen was most likely already out back now, if he could run and meet up with him. They could hide until it all blew over.
His heart thumped in his chest, his feet refusing to move. If he could get out of the building now they were still distracted, he could meet up with Stephen and the both of them could getaway... they could getaway... but damn was he scared.
"That was Stephen, wasn't it?" Lyna's voice came beside him. She fished a small canister from her pocket and popped the lid. A sweet, heavy vapor curled out. "Can't believe I let that bastard play me. How the hell wasn't he affected by the drug?"
Tello wasn't listening. His heartbeat drowned her out.
"I can do it," he whispered to himself. "I can get out of this..."
"Alright buddy." she said, rubbing the contents of the canister between her palms. "I'm going to need you to act as a hostage for me, alright? You'll spill everything you know about that little menace. So be a good boy and sniff my—"
"I CAN DO IT!" Tello screamed, and barreled forward.
Lyna stumbled back with a startled curse as he tore past her and bolted for the doors. He nearly tripped down the ballroom steps but caught himself, legs pumping with all the desperation of a man outrunning a prison sentence.
The outside hit him like a wave, cold, dark, and fast falling. Dusk had come in quick. But none of it mattered. He was one step closer to getting the hell out of here.
The guards all glanced at him, confusion etched on their faces.
They didn't have the order to pursue him just yet. So for now, he was safe.
"You alright, young man?" one of the guards asked, coming forward a bit.
"Y-Yeah," Tello panted, quickly holding his head like he had a migraine. "Just needed some air. These events... you know how they get."
"I hear you." The guard nodded. "Being around all those stuck up nobles makes me sick too."
"Exactly, so if you don't mind, I'll just be—"
"DO NOT LET THAT MAN GET AWAY!" Lucien's voice thundered by the doors. "He helped Stephen escape!"
The guards all looked at Tello, and he glanced back at them.
"Crap."
In the next instant, Tello bolted toward the back of the building. They shouted and gave chase. He wasn't much faster than them, but he had the jump and that was enough.
All he needed was to spot the getaway horse, if he could do that. He'd leap on the back, and they'd escape together.
But as he sprinted around the back of the building, weaving past a line of stalls, every horse stood exactly where it should. Tethered to a wall, heads buried in stacks of hay.
Not a single one was missing.
Tello glanced left, then right, eyes darting under the veil of night. Visibility was low, but that didn't matter.
There was no horse waiting by the road.
No sign of Stephen.
He skidded to a stop, staring into nothingness as the guards caught up behind him, pushing him onto the concrete with a slam. Their hands over his back and head.
All he could do was laugh at himself. Stephen was such a good con artist, because not only had he managed to scam investors off their money, he also made Tello take the fall at the end of it all.
"Liar." Tello muttered to himself, head buried in the dirt.