At the dramatic reaction to a spice that was so common in his world that children were doing stupid challenges that were seriously injuring their bodies, Caellum nearly laughed.
What a stroke of luck!
Watching as the king sat forward in excitement while the queen flinched briefly, he quickly nodded while doubling down.
"Yes, it was cinnamon."
"You're lying! And I've never seen you in the royal library! You're just making things up!" One of the royal children, a young woman with coral colored hair, seated in the 6th chair, yelled as she pointed at him.
"Dearest sister, I'm not lying. And who said that I found the information in the royal library? Is that the only repository of knowledge in our great country? Are you insinuating that people who don't have access to the Royal Library have no knowledge? That they just make things up?" Caellum began interrogating the coral-haired girl in an authoritative voice, leaving her flustered.
"I- uh- no- what?"
"My Dearest Sister. Is that what you think about the nobles, merchants, and learned commoners who gain knowledge from other sources and who may never be able to access the royal library in their lifetime? Is that what you think of the people who are the very backbone of our kingdom? Hmm?? That they have no knowledge at all, so they must make things up? Is that what you think of the citizens of our kingdom?" Caellum interrupted her stuttering with a calm look.
"No! I didn't say that! That's not what I meant! I didn't say that! Mother! Help me!" the coral-haired princess turned to stare at a woman with dark pink hair and stern features sitting two seats from the king.
The woman flicked open her fan before shooting a look at the flustered princess, causing her to shut up.
When the coral-haired princess did so, she arched a brow at Caellum before speaking slowly.
"The 13th prince is quite eloquent today. Since you're so well-learned, why don't you tell us about this 'spice' that you supposedly learned about and found?"
It was a direct challenge to expose him, but Caellum didn't hesitate.
Drawing upon the few things he knew about the Emberfield Kingdom and royal family, he concocted a story about cinnamon.
"As you wish. I can't claim to be well learned, but I've done a little reading here and there. From what I found while researching, cinnamon's fiery properties are said to taste good and are beneficial for boosting the health of those who imbibe it. The 9th Prince found a small amount and allowed me to be the one to give some to the king. Following his orders, I went to the kitchens and followed the procedure. The chefs tested it, and seeing that there were no adverse effects, allowed me to add it to the king's food. Now all of a sudden I'm being told that it was poisoned, that it was tested on a pig that died, and I'm being dragged here despite my innocence. I am being wronged. Wronged! Brother. Tell them!" Caellum began whimpering and wiping his tears once more while shooting a look at Emrys.
Cooperate or else.
"9th Prince, is that true?" The king asked once more, his face turning red as he thought of the foolish servants who had stolen a legendary spice found by his son.
"Yes, it is, Father." After a second's hesitation, Emrys nodded in agreement and corroborated the story, even though he had no idea what Caellum was talking about.
Why and how would he have acquired cinnamon, the extremely rare twigs that, according to mythology, were imbued with the purest flames and could only be found in the nests of phoenixes that hadn't been seen for almost a thousand years?
The 13th prince was clearly speaking nonsense, but seeing the cold glint hidden in Caellum's eyes as he glanced over, Emrys could only agree for now and vow to get him later.
And at Emrys's agreement, the previously quiet throne room suddenly became even noisier from the king's excitement.
"Where is it? Where is this wondrous spice? Where is the servant who took it? 9th prince, can we get more?"
"Unfortunately, the amount that was painstakingly found by the 9th prince was stolen by those criminal servants in the kitchen when I was dragged here and accused of poisoning you. Who knows if they've already eaten it or sold it off after lying to the queen and sending her on a wild goose chase by accusing me of attempting to poison the king? Oh, how I wish those wicked servants hadn't lied to the queen and wasted her time. We could have recovered it in time, but I'm sure by now, it's been passed on, and the culprit is long gone. I apologize to the 9th prince for wasting the opportunity that you gave me, and I apologize to Your Majesty, the king, for my failure to protect the item meant for you. Please punish me as you see fit."
Caellum replied as he smoothly transitioned the topic at hand from poisoning to being too weak to protect an item meant for the king, while cleanly hitting the ball into the queen's court.
He wanted to see how she would continue pushing her accusation of poison when the King's favorite child vouched for him.
"Then, where was this original stash found? How did you two get it? With the resources of the kingdom, naturally, I can do a better job than a single prince." The king asked excitedly.
"The spice was found in the Emerald Isles by a trader who found the remnants of treasure from a pirate ship. Unfortunately, after delivering the spice to us, we've been unable to contact the trader, and all of our research materials are missing as well. They were stolen from my room one night. Right, brother?" Caellum easily lied while throwing mud on the queen.
After all, she was from the Emerald Isles.
Of all the people in the palace, she would understand the area best and had the power not only to steal resources from Caellum in the palace but also to send people to retrieve such a rare spice if it existed.
"That's right." Emrys reluctantly agreed, even though he couldn't make heads or tails of the story Caellum was telling.
"Queen…" as the king turned to look at the Queen suspiciously.
No matter how he thought about it, given her past behavior and her hatred of the 13th and 9th princes, this was something the queen would do.
It was just luck that the 13th prince was caught this time instead of the 9th.
"You can't believe the nonsense that he's spouting!" the queen cried out.
What the hell was happening right now?
How had this ludicrous story all of a sudden made her the villain?
"He's lying! You have no proof of his words!" the queen shouted, and, not willing to be outdone, Caellum called even louder.
"Your majesty, you must believe me! Do you think the upright 9th prince who resembles you the most would tell a lie to protect me? What benefit is there? What could I possibly give him? I have nothing and have only brought him down. Yet, he's supporting me because he knows it's the truth and he's willing to stand up for what's right, no matter the punishment that's dispensed. Please, even if you don't believe me, believe the 9th prince and punish those wicked servants who've misled the queen and robbed you! I have no doubt that this is their fault. The mother of our nation would never do such a thing as steal something precious meant for the king or the research resources that might have a way to acquire more!" Caellum yelled, fanning the flames even more.
"Hmmm."
The king glanced at the queen suspiciously for a long time before focusing on Emrys.
"I know that Emrys would never lie. Esmeralda, it seems that you need to investigate your servants and the kitchen staff. I'll have the guard collect the servants for questioning and have them search for the spice found by the 9th prince, and in the meantime, Belladonna will help you with the staffing problems, and I'll eat out of her place from now on. Her palace is always immaculate, and her servants would never do such a thing. Additionally, you should take the opportunity to rest in your palace for the next month. This was unsightly."
At the chastising words, Esmerelda stayed silent while gritting her teeth.
And Belladonna, the dark-haired concubine, quickly glanced between Caellum and Emrys.
Seeing Emrys send her a signal, Belladonna smiled gently before stroking the king's arm.
"As your royal highness wishes, this little concubine shall do my best to aid the mother of our nation."
"Very good. You-" the king finally turned to look at Caellum, "You're also not to leave your room for a month as punishment for losing ."
"Understood, your majesty. I'll take the opportunity to pray for your health and the kingdom's safety. And if I may be presumptuous, during my confinement, would it be okay for me to go to the royal libraries to read and study? I want to see if I can find other resources to support you, the 9th prince, and the kingdom." Caellum replied calmly.
The king stared at him for several seconds before nodding, "Approved. It seems you've finally grown sensible. Emrys-"
Before the king could finish his sentence, Belladonna interrupted once more.
"Your majesty~ Why don't we send the children out first so the adults can discuss the details of my help~. Emrys, why don't you take little 13th to have a final chat with you at your palace before he starts his punishment? That's okay with you, right, your majesty~?"
"As you wish, my lady. You're all dismissed."
As the two began flirting once more, the queen, who was now being ignored, glared at the person who had messed up her entire plan for the day.
Meeting the queen's furious eyes, Caellum just wiped his eyes while forcing out tears, thinking one simple thing.
You should never have given me the opportunity to talk.
And if you did, you should have made sure the king's favorite son wasn't here.
Sucker.