Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Prelude to the Climax

"Oh ho~ So this where the info I want are."

"Yes, Your Highness. I may not excel at managing a business like you said I was. But I do know where and what sort of secrets my husband keeps in his private office."

"For blackmailing purposes?"

"For blackmailing purposes."

Minerva and I chuckled as we joked about.

Currently in the home of Gulliver and Minerva Gold, the latter has guided me to the former's office in the house where the info I need is in.

I have also confirmed with Minerva beforehand. Yes, her husband is dealing with the Pleasure drug... among other illegal items.

"Here are the letters and documents he kept on most of the bad stuffs he's dealt with." said Minerva, pointing to a specific shelf in the corner which is filled in an unorganised fashion. "You might want to take your time with it though. My husband tend to hide those kind of stuffs well among some useless, throwaway ones."

"I see. In that case, may I ask for some refreshments, Minerva? My lovely maids and I are going to need it."

"Of course, Your Highness. I'll have the servants prepare them for you right away. My husband is scheduled to return around two hours from now, so I hope you can find what you're searching for then."

With that said, Minerva then left her husband's office and even locked the door as a precautious measure.

Two hours from now... Which will be dusk then. Plenty of time, if you ask me.

I turned to Rosalina and Vivian, who have already brought the first stack out. "All right then..." I split the stack into three portions for each of us to look through. "Let us begin." I said.

"Yes, Master." Rosalina acknowledged.

"Mm." Vivian nodded.

The three of us thus began going through the pile; thoroughly checking each documents and letters to determine which is gold and which is trash.

Among the ones I gradually sorted out, I found a letter with a peculiar type of handwriting, much like the one Vivian described back when she found another letter of sort at the Perfume Fiora .

"Vivian, come here a bit." I gestured, making her put her portion of the pile down and approached my way.

I then showed her the letter. "It this the handwriting you told me about in bed?"

She nodded, confirming with the utmost certainty.

"I see. Thank you. You may resume your work now."

With that, Vivian went back to looking through her pile, whereas I stared at the handwriting on the letter for a short period of time, being that I recognised it.

Yes... Just as with the voice, this unique type of handwriting belongs to my uncle, Archduke Silvacaster.

"Why...?"

The letter contains instructions from the sender to Gulliver Gold about the drug's handling procedures and a warning, telling the man not to sell them in secret or there will be consequences. Additionally, the name of the sender was not written.

This will not work as evidence that my uncle is involved even if we proved that the handwriting was his, for one could simply claim that it was forged to incriminate the Archduke and it would just become an argument from there. So, I placed the letter back in the envelope and chucked it aside to continue with my search. During which, Minerva came in with some servants, bringing us the refreshments I'd requested as she then sat next to me, watching me as I worked through her husband's files.

"Minerva, mind taking your hand away from my thigh?"

"Oh? Am I being a bother, Your Highness?"

"No, of course not. However, I am in focus mode right now and you are... distracting me to say the least."

"I see. My apologies then, Your Highness. I just couldn't help but to wish for your attention. After all, it has only been an hour since you... passionately sowed your seed in me~" said Minerva, rubbing her belly in reminiscent of our moment a few hours ago at the Dazzling Luxury.

Rosalina and Vivian who'd overheard her, stopped what they were doing for a moment and stared shocked at me.

Yeah, I didn't use protection unlike usual... Now would you two stop looking at me like that!?

"Fufufu~ You sure are a needy woman, I must say. Was it really that great, Minerva?"

"Why yes. Out of all the men I have ever slept with in the past, including my husband, you were the best, my dear Prince. Ahh~ Oh how I'd love to experience it again right now..."

Dear God, how thirsty is she!? Older women are scary...

"Well, sorry. But you're going to have to make an appointment, milady~ Because now isn't exactly the time for that." I said, rejecting Minerva's advances.

"Yes... I understand." she removed her hand from my leg, feeling dejected from my refusal.

"Please, do not be so upset, Minerva." I put the documents down for a while, pulled Minerva closer and lifted her chin. "I promise you, when this matter is all over, I will come see you whenever I can." I said, lighting the hopes in her eyes back up with those words of mine.

"Do you mean it, Your Highness?"

"Of course~ I never break a promise." I replied, giving Minerva a little peck on the cheek.

"Oh..." Minerva blushes. "In that case, I should invite Miss Lisa as well whenever you decide to visit." she said. "After all, it was thanks to that child that I was able to meet a wonderful man like you."

"Fufufu~ You and Lady Mera...?" I then moved closer to her ear, whispering seductively into them. "Well then... I look forward to it~"

With a delighted smile of unbearable anticipation on her face, Minerva got up and left the room, locking it behind like before.

"Well, she's finally gone. Now then..." I said, turning my head to Rosalina and Vivian afterwards. "How long are you two going to stare at me for?" I asked, seeing them still looking at me, but with a calmer expression now.

"My apologies, Master. It's just that... no matter how many times I look at it, I still find it surprising that every woman you have slept with are all alright with your open relationship with other women. Myself and Vivian included." said Rosalina, whereas Vivian agreed with a nod.

I sighed. "Don't you know the saying, Rosalina? 'All is forgiven, so as long as you are hot.'"

"That sounds completely ridiculous, Master."

"Yes, indeed it is. Yet despite how ridiculous that sounds, there are people in this world who would follow that saying regardless. Almost as if it is a law of the world. You may reject it. But you cannot deny that it is true in a way."

"So you're saying that Lady Mera, Lady Urain, Lady Seyla, Lady Vayne and Minerva Gold are such people who follow this law?"

"Yes. Not just those five, but the both of you as well. After all, while gratitude is what led you two to follow me, my appearance is what brought you both to the bed with me, is it not?"

Rosalina and Vivian looked at each other for a moment, before looking away in shame. "Yes..." the former then admits it. "We were indeed attracted to you. Even now, we still are, Your Highness..." she said.

"Then I rest my case. Love and affection is a scary thing. It can delude one's mind from any sense of logic and rationality."

And I'm the type of scumbag who knows how to utilise such a thing to his advantage...

"Now let us continue with the task at hand. We have wasted more time than necessary already." I said, ending our idle talk then and there.

"Understood, Master."

"Yes... sir..." the both of them acknowledged.

From then onwards, the three of us silently went through the letters and files at a quick pace, eating the refreshments prepared for us as our hands moved. Eventually, it was almost time for the owner of the house to return and my time to transform into the other gender. Therefore, we placed everything back in order and left the premise before those two events happened, with Minerva seeing us out through the back gate as we rode off in a carriage.

We have acquired the info we were searching for in that place; the manufacturing locations for Pleasure is now known to us. All that's left is to round the involved party up and capture them in one go.

That, I will leave it to Brother Carlos like I had already planned. But first...

"Vivian, hold my hand."

"Yes, sir..."

I grabbed onto Vivian's soft and smooth hands tightly, feeling anxious as it is almost time for the curse activate again.

"Hngh!"

And so, dusk has arrived again. But for this time, I feel a sharp increase in pain compared to the previous times before as I quickly latched onto Vivian tightly, squeezing her in my arms while they shiver.

"Argh...! Ahhh! aaaaaahhh......."

It hurts! It hurts! Damn it! The pain increased again!

It was dreadful. It was terrifying. If it was not for my magic which I had casted on myself to reduce the pain as much as I possibly could, I would have most likely passed out at this point.

The nature of my magic is Hypnotism. As I have mentioned before, I can manipulate the five senses of anyone under my spell, making them unable to perceive things I do not want them to perceive, or causing them to hallucinate things I want them to hallucinate, which were what I normally do to people. However, it also meant that I can raise or lower the sensitivity of their five senses.

I can make a person go blind with my magic, or give them super hearing to the point where a single feather dropping could be heard with their ears. I can make a person no longer able to feel pain or pleasure anymore, or make them have incredible eyesight where everything they see around them move so slowly in their vision.

Basically, with that sort of ability, I have done a similar thing to myself. But unlike with other people, my magic is the least effective on myself. I cannot make myself go blind, I cannot make myself have super hearing, not that I needed to. I cannot make myself no longer able to feel pain, nor am I able to grant myself super sight that makes everything seemed as if they are moving slowly. The best I can do is dull or enhance my senses to a small degree and nothing more. In which case, I have dulled my sense of touch as much as I possibly can while leaving the rest to willpower to tolerate with the immense pain I am currently going through.

But even so, it's still scary thinking about how I might just lose consciousness if I slipped up.

It hurts. It hurts! I don't want this anymore! Please just let it end already!!

...

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...

"Haaah... Haaa.... Haaa...."

The transformation is over. I am now a woman again. However...

"Vivian... Don't let go of me... please..."

My body was still trembling. Not from the pain nor exhaustion, but from fear.

I could have lose consciousness... I would have lost consciousness... If it were not for my magic and pain tolerance, I would have passed out and fall into a coma by now.

"Damn it..."

The pain have also increased once again. Is it because we are nearing winter? Is it because my birthday will be coming up after that season? But not only that, if the pain increases anymore than now, I will probably...

"Curses..."

I began to weep.

"Curse whoever it was that laid this upon me... Curse those people who wished this suffering on me... Curse them all for making my life hell..."

"Prince Sol..."

"Curse them... Curse them all..."

Pathetically weeping... Pathetically whining... I then fell asleep on Vivian's laps. Unable to remember whom or what I had cursed after that.

**************

Night has come. It has been at least a week since I was entrust with the Pleasure matter by Father. We are now back at the Secret Garden where I am in my office with Jonah and Rosalina, waiting for my older half-brother to come as he will be arriving soon tonight.

Eobard and Vivian, I have sent them back to do their usual work and rest until further orders like with Leo. Especially Eobard after he and Jonah did a good job, listing all of the nobles involved in this illegal scheme of theirs.

As expected, however, no indication about my uncle's involvement was ever found. Which means that it is unlikely we will be able to catch him as the mastermind after this matter is over. If anything, the so-called mastermind we will catch is most likely going to be a scapegoat prepared beforehand. Meaning whether or not he is truly involved, Archduke Silvacaster will remain an "innocent" man nonetheless.

A knock was then from door.

"Come in." I said, permitting the person on the other side to enter.

"Lady Luna, the Third Prince has arrived, along with a knight. They are waiting for you in the other room." said the male store clerk of the Secret Garden who is on shift for tonight.

"I see. Good work. You may return to your post."

"Yes, my lady."

The male clerk then left as I stood up from my seat and took gathered intel from our investigation with me. "Rosalina, come. Let's go." I instructed and left my office with her, leaving Jonah behind as I cannot let him act as my assistant, due to the fact that he works as the Fifth Prince Soluna's personal butler. If my brother Carlos were to see him with the female me, he would easily connect the dots, being the intelligent man he is.

And so, I opened the door to the room Brother Carlos is waiting for me in.

"Hello there." I said, walking in. Spotting his personal knight, Sir Gerald Nevawood, standing behind him in normal clothing with only a sword strapped around his waist. "Are you here as the Third Prince this time? Or as Carlos like before?" I asked my brother.

"The latter." he replied. "Do not mind Gerald behind me. He was just concerned for my safety after I came here alone the last time."

"Fufufu~ No worries, Carlos." I took my seat. "However, I need to know if that knight of yours knows the rules of our business."

"Rest assured, my lady. Gerald is the man whom I trust the most. He will not divulge anything that happened here." Brother Carlos replied, glancing at his knight whom then nodded to me, assuring that his lips are sealed tight.

"I see. If you say so, then I won't say anything else. Here." I placed the intel in my hands onto the table, letting my brother take a look at them.

"These are..."

"The list of names of everyone who are involved with dealing the Pleasure drug, including the evidence of their involvement." I then passed a rolled up map of the country to him. "And here are the manufacturing locations of said drug." I said, as Brother Carlos took it and proceeded to take a peek at it first.

"There are three manufacturing locations." I began to explain. "The first is at a village near the mountains in the north. The second is at Town Forlai, hidden within a perfume manufacturing factory owned by the wealthy Gulliver Gold. Finally, the third location is... right under the Capital City of Narla, hidden within the underground sewers."

"I see... We're going to need a large subjugation team prepared if we are to shut those places down." Brother Carlos mumbled, as he then takes a look at the names of the people involved in the matter.

"Wha...!?"

And it was at that moment when my brother expressed his shock.

Truthfully, I would be too if I were to find out how many of my allies were part of this scheme.

"Your Highness, you should really choose your allies carefully."

"It's just Carlos right now. And... dear god... what has the Third Prince's Faction become?" he rests his head on his hand, ashamed to realise how many corrupt nobles are on his side. "This will make me seem like I'm behind all of this if news of it were to leak out, wouldn't it?" he remarked.

Indeed, it will. And it will harm your reputation greatly, Brother...

Brother Carlos is an intelligent man with a bright mind and presumably knows more than me when it comes to knowledge. However, as smart as he may seemed to be, my third brother has a fatal flaw, in that he is incredibly oblivious to the motives of others.

The corrupted nobles who had gathered under him all knows this. Which was they wish for him to be king, so that he can become their puppet without knowing it, rather than because they think he will become a competent ruler in the future.

"So, what will you do now, Carlos?" I asked my brother, while his knight was unsure of how to comfort him.

"What do you mean 'what will I do'? Of course I'm going to apprehend them all!" he announced, with a voice filled with anger.

"Even though your reputation will be harmed if you do that?"

"What are you saying?"

"The Third Prince, arresting people of his own faction. I don't think people will find that too appealing regardless of the reason behind it, no?"

"But even if I don't do anything, my reputation will be harmed anyways. In that case, rather than caring about such a thing, doing what's right should my priority now, is it not!?"

Brother Carlos's eyes were still filled with fury. However, that emotion of his has not clouded his judgement. He knows what needs to be done. Not to save his skin nor to enact vengeance onto those he had allied with, but to make sure justice is served and that the safety of others is ensured.

"Well, I'm not qualified to lecture you anyways. So, you do you, I guess." I then stood up, ready to leave. "With that being said, I expect the rest of the payment to be made by the end of the month. You can take the documents as you so please for the arrest of your subjects. Now without further ado, I bid you two a good night's sleep. Farewell."

Our conversation ended then and there as I head for the door. But before leaving the room, I turned around and asked my brother, "By the way, when will that subjugation party of yours be ready?"

"Why do you want to know that?" my brother inquired back.

"Just curious~" I answered with a gleeful look. "After all, you said it yourself that a large subjugation party will be needed to tackle those three places and arrest the involved parties as well."

"Did I now?"

"Yes, you did. So? Do you mind answering?"

"I rather not." said my brother as he looks away. "That information from now will be confidential, so it'd be best that I not tell outside parties about it. No offense."

"None taken. And no worries. If anything, that's a wise move to make. So, I'll bid you two farewell for real this time. You may leave through the front door whenever you feel like that. So anyways, bye bye~"

*Bam!* The door slammed shut as Rosalina and I left the room, returning to my office where Jonah was waiting for me.

"So, what's the plan now, Princess?" Jonah asked.

"We wait. In the meantime, inform Leo and Vivian to be ready. I expect my brother won't take long with his preparations, now that he has the intel from us."

"And what about Eobard?"

"I'll inform him myself. It's been awhile since I had a drink with him and his boys."

"Princess, you're nineteen. You're not allowed to drink alcohol just yet."

"Grape juice! I drink grape juice with the boys! Don't misunderstand me, all right!?"

"Yes yes... My apologies, Princess..."

Goodness... Who let this sassy man be a butler? Oh wait. It was me.

"Haaah..." I sighed. "Anyways, go and do what I told you to do, Jonah! And return to the palace once you're done."

"As you say, Princess."

"Rosalina, you're coming with me to the Wild Card."

"Understood, Master."

So, after waiting for my brother to leave the Secret Garden, we departed from the premise as well and head for our respective destinations.

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