chapter 4

Chapter : The Sound of Silence

The morning after the incident at the lake, the palace air felt different. It was thicker and colder.

Ria walked down the grand marble corridor. Her steps echoed against the high walls. Near the sun-drenched garden terrace, Lucy was already waiting and pacing restlessly.

“Ria!” Lucy rushed forward as soon as she spotted her, gripping her forearms. “Did your mother say anything about Bella? Is she furious with you?”

Ria shook her head gently, giving a small, practiced smile to calm her friend. “No. I told her Bella was perfectly fine and that there was nothing to worry about. The estate is calm.”

“Ah… thank goodness,” Lucy let out a long breath, her shoulders sagging. Then her eyes suddenly widened as she gasped and struck her palms together. “Ria! I completely forgot. My mind has been a total mess since yesterday.”

Ria tilted her head. “What is it, Lucy?”

“I received a letter from my grandmother last night!” Lucy’s eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and hidden reluctance.

“Oh, really? That's wonderful news, Lucy. You adore her estate.”

Lucy sighed heavily and crossed her arms. “Well, yes, it’s a happy thing for me… but it’s terrible for us. To put it bluntly, Ria—the royal carriage is being packed right now. I am leaving for her estate within the hour.”

Ria blinked, caught off guard. “So soon? But isn’t that a good thing? You’ll get to spend the turn of the season with her.”

Lucy reached out and gave Ria a light, affectionate tap on the forehead. “You absolute idiot! Think about our promise!”

“Promise? What…” Ria paused, her mind still clouded by Bella’s venomous words from the day before. Her memory felt fractured. “Oh. The temple festival.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes, a playful yet perceptive squint. “Did you just ‘oh’ me, Lady Rianide? You totally forgot, didn’t you? You’ve been in a trance all morning.”

Ria forced a soft laugh and gently patted Lucy’s hand. “Don’t worry about me, Lucy. Just enjoy your time in the countryside. The temple will still be there when you return. We can set a new date later.”

Lucy’s expression softened. Her gaze lingered on the faint shadows beneath Ria’s eyes. “Alright. But you look entirely too serious today. Promise me you won’t let Bella stress you out while I’m gone.”

“I promise,” Ria whispered.

Two hours later, the royal carriage rolled through the gates and carried the princess away.

With her went Ria's only shield.

Ria walked toward the guest wing to keep her promise to her mother and check on Bella. She had barely crossed the threshold into the sitting room when the heavy doors swung open.

Melvin walked in.

His usual relaxed, poetic composure was gone. His jaw was set, and his blue eyes were dark with a rare, controlled panic.

“Did either of you see it?” he asked, his voice low and vibrating with tension.

Bella, lounging on the velvet sofa with a silk shawl over her shoulders, looked up innocently. Ria stopped in the center of the room.

“See what, Your Highness?” Bella asked smoothly.

“My antique pocket watch,” Melvin said, his fingers tensing into a tight fist at his side. “The one with the silver-gilt casing.”

Both girls shook their heads in unison.

Ria felt a sudden, cold drop in her stomach. That watch wasn't just any jewelry. It was the ancestral piece gifted to Melvin by his uncle the day he was officially named Crown Prince. Melvin cherished his uncle's legacy and treasured that watch above his own life. Only two people in the entire capital understood its true significance—Lucy and Ria.

Melvin’s gaze cut past Bella, locking directly onto Ria. His voice tightened considerably. “Ria. Think carefully. Did you see it in my study? The one you used to ask to hold when we were children?”

“No, Melvin,” Ria said, her voice sincere. “I haven’t seen it since the winter gala. Why? Did a servant misplace it?”

“It’s gone,” Melvin said flatly. “It isn't in my desk, and it isn't in my chambers.”

Bella let out a small, delicate hum, a faint, mocking smile on her lips. “Oh, dear. Is that the very same watch from the high society rumors, Your Highness?”

Both Melvin and Ria turned sharply toward her. “What rumors?” Ria demanded.

Bella shrugged elegantly, twisting a lock of her curled hair. “Just the whispers among the noble ladies. They say the Crown Prince carries a sacred antique watch—one he intends to hand to his future Crown Princess as a marriage token. I hear about it everywhere.”

Ria felt a headache coming on. “Why are the people in this capital so obsessed with ridiculous fairy tales?”

Melvin’s brow furrowed deeply. “Where exactly did you hear that, Lady Bella?”

“Oh, from a few duchesses at the tea stalls. I don’t recall the names,” Bella said dismissively.

Before the conversation could go on, a young maid stepped into the room, shaking so violently that the tea tray in her hands rattled against the porcelain.

“Y-Your Highness…” the maid stammered, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. “I… I think I know who went into your private study this morning.”

Melvin turned instantly, his voice sharp. “Speak.”

“I saw… I saw Lady Rianide entering your chambers while the servants were downstairs, Your Highness.”

The room fell into a terrifying, breathless silence.

Melvin’s eyes narrowed into icy slits as his gaze swung back to Ria. “Ria. Did you go into my private quarters today?”

Ria kept her chin high, her voice perfectly steady despite the sudden rush of adrenaline in her veins. “Yes, I did. But—”

“Cousin!” Bella gasped dramatically and pressed a hand to her chest as she sat up. “You went into the Crown Prince’s private chambers alone? Why on earth would you do that?”

Melvin’s voice lost all warmth, dropping an octave. “Yes, Ria. Why?”

“Why else would I go?” Ria's eyes flashed with quiet anger as she stared back at Melvin. “I went there looking for *you*, Bella. A guard told me you had gone to the Eastern terrace, and his study was on the path. I knocked, saw it was empty, and left immediately.”

Bella let out a soft, venomous chuckle. “But His Highness just stated that his precious marriage token has vanished. And you were the only one there. Cousin… do you really expect us to believe it’s a coincidence?”

Ria’s patience snapped, her dignity flaring. “What are you implying, Bella? Are you calling me a thief in the middle of the royal palace?”

Ria turned her back on her cousin and looked directly at Melvin, her eyes searching his face desperately. “Melvin, tell her. Tell her how ridiculous she is being. You know me. You *know* I would never—”

“Well,” Bella interrupted smoothly, her voice cutting through Ria’s plea like a knife. “If our dear future Crown Princess is truly as innocent as she claims, she wouldn’t mind a simple inspection of the room she has been occupying, would she?”

Ria kept her eyes locked on Melvin, waiting for him to dismiss the maid. Waiting for him to scoff at the accusation. Waiting for the childhood friend who had promised to protect her to say something—anything—to defend her honor.

But Melvin stood still. He didn’t look away, but his eyes were filled with terrible doubt. He was hesitating.

Ria’s heart cracked violently in her chest.

“Fine,” Ria said, her voice cracking slightly before hardening into iron. “Inspect the room.”

The head guard stepped forward, checking the area around the couch where Ria had been sitting moments earlier. Within three seconds, his hand reached into the deep crevice of the velvet cushions.

He pulled his hand out.

Clutched in his white-gloved fingers was a shining, silver-gilt antique pocket watch.

Ria stared at it, her face draining of color. “What… how did that get there?”

Bella stood up, her sweet facade dropping to reveal a sharp, venomous tone. “Cousin, you stand there and play the victim, yet the prince's future marriage token is hidden right beneath your seat. Did you take it because you were afraid the rumors of you becoming Crown Princess wouldn’t come true?”

“Shut your mouth, Bella!” Ria turned to Melvin, her lungs burning as she fought for breath. “Melvin, look at me. Look at my eyes. Do you honestly believe I did this?”

Melvin looked at the watch in the guard’s hand, then at Ria. The uncertainty in his eyes solidified into distant disappointment.

“It’s not that I don’t want to believe you, Ria…” Melvin murmured, his voice trailing off into heavy silence.

Ria felt a cold, hollow sensation sink into her chest. It wasn't anger that filled her—it was a her—it was a profound, shattering grief. Ten years of shared laughter, promises, and absolute trust, evaporated by a single hidden trinket and a maid's whisper.

She didn't need him to solve the mystery. She didn't need him to arrest Bella. All she had needed from him were four simple words: *No, I believe you.*

But all she received was his silence.

A faint, bitter laugh escaped Ria’s lips. She stepped back, away from him, away from the palace line. “I understand. You can think whatever you want. I know exactly who I am, and I know I didn’t do this.”

Melvin finally averted his gaze, looking thoroughly exhausted by the drama. “I do not wish to pursue this matter any further. The watch has been recovered. Everyone, you are dismissed.”

Ria froze. He wasn’t even going to let her explain. He was just brushing it under the rug to avoid a scandal, leaving her reputation permanently stained in his mind.

As the guards and servants filtered out, Ria stood entirely alone in the quiet room, realizing for the very first time that silence could wound infinitely deeper than any sword ever could.

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