Unexpected joy at dawn

Chapter Eight: Room 17

Charles walked through the palace corridors without speaking to the guards following several steps behind him. Eliora's words had left him unsettled. He had expected her to ask him for freedom, protection, or another chance to defend herself. Instead, she had given him another piece of the conspiracy. Room 17. The old government records section. A guard who was not supposed to be in the security wing. None of it could be dismissed as the desperate imagination of a prisoner.

But Charles still remembered the evidence presented before the King. The confidential documents had been found among Eliora's belongings. Her forged signature appeared on an official report. Several names connected to the secret meetings were also found in her possession. Whoever had framed her had done their work carefully.

He stopped near the end of the corridor.

"Wait here."

The guards bowed and remained behind. Charles continued alone toward the old government records section.

Room 17 was rarely used. Most of the kingdom's important records had been transferred to the modern government archives years ago, but the old section of the palace still contained documents that had not yet been digitised. Only senior officials and authorised security personnel were supposed to have access.

Charles entered the security code at the door, and the lock released. Inside, rows of shelves stretched across the dim room. Old files filled most of them, arranged according to departments and years. Charles switched on the lights and looked around. Nothing appeared unusual. He began searching.

After several minutes, he found the section marked seventeen. There were dozens of files. Charles pulled out the first one — nothing. The second — nothing. He reached for the third when he noticed a small gap between two folders. Something had been removed. Charles looked closer.

The labels surrounding the empty space belonged to government supply records from the previous year. He remembered Eliora saying the missing supplies were not an isolated problem. She had believed someone had been altering records across several departments.

He pulled out another folder, and a thin piece of paper fell onto the floor. Charles picked it up. There was no writing on the front, so he turned it over.

Three lines. One line. Two lines. Three.

Charles stared at the marks — the same pattern Eliora had described. His expression hardened. Someone had been using this room.

He searched the shelves more carefully and found a narrow metal box hidden behind a row of files. It was locked. Charles examined the lock. There was a number engraved above it. He immediately understood: the key. Eliora had said someone had left something for her.

Charles returned to the security office and requested access to the records of everyone who had entered the old government archive during the past month. The officer looked surprised.

"Your Highness, those records require authorisation from the Minister of Internal Security."

"You have mine."

The officer lowered his head.

"Yes, Your Highness."

While Charles waited, he looked at the silver ring on his finger. He had received it from his father after becoming Crown Prince. It was a royal signet ring, used to identify members of the royal family when formal seals were not practical. But the ring Eliora had noticed was not connected to the conspiracy — at least, he hoped it wasn't.

The officer returned with the access records, and Charles scanned the names. Most were expected — security officers, government clerks, senior ministers. Then he saw one name that made him stop: Adrian Vale.

Minister Vale had entered Room 17 four times in the past month. Charles read the dates. Two of them matched dates on which government supply records had been altered. His suspicion deepened. But suspicion was not proof.

Charles closed the file.

"Keep this confidential."

"Of course."

Meanwhile, Eliora sat inside the security wing trying to understand what Charles had not told her. His reaction to the name Rian had been too immediate. He knew something about the guard. More importantly, Charles had agreed to investigate Room 17 without demanding that she explain everything first. That meant he was beginning to trust her.

Eliora hated how much that mattered to her. She had spent years teaching herself not to depend on people. Depending on someone meant giving them the power to disappoint her. Yet Charles had become the first person in a long time whose opinion she could not completely ignore. She pushed the thought away. Her freedom mattered more.

The door opened, and Rian entered again. This time he was not carrying food. He closed the door behind him and stood silently.

Eliora watched him.

"You came back."

"I need to speak with you."

"Then speak."

Rian glanced toward the small window in the door.

"Keep your voice low."

"Why?"

"Because they are listening."

Eliora's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

"I don't know everyone involved."

"But you know some of them."

Rian looked uncomfortable.

"I know enough to understand that you should not have been brought here."

"Then why were you the one who brought me?"

"I was ordered to."

"By Adrian Vale?"

The colour drained slightly from his face. That was enough.

Eliora stood.

"You know him."

"I have seen him."

"That isn't what I asked."

Rian lowered his voice.

"Minister Vale has been coming to this section of the palace at night."

"When?"

"Usually after midnight."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Eliora studied him.

"You're lying."

Rian looked offended.

"I am trying to keep you alive."

"Then tell me the truth."

He hesitated before reaching inside his uniform. Eliora tensed. He pulled out a small envelope.

"I found this in the security office."

He handed it to her. Eliora opened it carefully. Inside was a single sheet of paper with several names written across it. She recognised three immediately: Adrian Vale, and two other senior officials who had appeared in the coded government records. But there was one name she did not recognise — General Marcus Ren. Eliora read the name twice.

At the bottom of the page was a sentence.

When the King falls, the Crown will have no choice but to obey.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

"This is not a rebellion."

Rian looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"They don't only want the King removed."

She looked again at the names.

"They want control of whoever comes after him."

Charles — the realisation struck her with frightening clarity. The conspiracy was not simply about destroying the monarchy. It was about controlling the succession.

Before Eliora could say anything else, a sharp sound came from the corridor. Rian immediately took the paper from her.

"What are you doing?"

"Hide this."

"Why?"

"Someone is coming."

Footsteps approached. Rian pushed the paper beneath the mattress and moved away from Eliora just as the door opened.

Charles stood outside, his eyes moving from Rian to Eliora.

"Leave."

Rian bowed and walked past him. Charles waited until the door closed, then looked at Eliora.

"I went to Room 17."

Eliora's heart skipped.

"And?"

"I found evidence that someone has been using it."

"Who?"

Charles's expression darkened.

"Minister Adrian Vale."

Eliora was silent. For the first time, one of her suspicions had become something more: evidence.

Charles stepped closer.

"I also found records showing that Vale entered the room on the same days several government reports were altered."

Eliora looked at him carefully.

"Did you find anything else?"

He hesitated.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Your message was not the first one."

Eliora's expression changed.

Charles continued.

"Someone has been leaving instructions inside the palace for months."

He reached into his coat and placed a small metal key on the table.

Eliora stared at it.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was hidden inside Room 17."

She slowly looked up. The key in her possession was still hidden beneath her clothing. Two identical keys, two hidden locations. Eliora's mind raced. If there were two keys, then Room 17 was not the final destination — it was only another part of the trail.

Charles watched her closely.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Eliora met his eyes. For a moment she considered telling him everything. Then she remembered the hidden message, Rian's warning, and the fact that someone had already managed to place false evidence in her room.

"I think," she said carefully, "that whoever framed me expected me to investigate my own arrest."

Charles frowned.

"Why?"

"Because they knew I would look for the truth."

She held his gaze.

"And I think they made one mistake."

"What mistake?"

"They assumed I would investigate alone."

Charles said nothing. Eliora looked at the key on the table. For the first time since her arrest, she allowed herself to believe that she might not be fighting this battle alone.

But somewhere inside the palace, Adrian Vale was already making his next move.