Chapter 206: A Puppet
Yanad stormed into his brother’s lab, the heavy door echoing his frustration as it slammed shut behind him. It had been a torturous three days since Melania’s trial. Despite the absence of a formal punishment, her once-spotless reputation lay in ruins, as if she had already faced the executioner’s blade.
The Crown Prince, his fists clenched with white-knuckled intensity and his jaw rigid with fury, advanced toward Valon’s desk. Each step reverberated through the room like the approach of a titan. With a forceful motion, he slammed his hands down upon the desk’s surface, his voice a seething growl, veins bulging on his neck and forehead as he vented his frustration.
"What in the world is happening, Valon? First, the princess is dragged into a trial without so much as a warning. Then, despite my repeated pleas, both the queen and king have evaded granting me an audience for days on end. And now, I find myself having to practically threaten your assistants into allowing me to see you. Have all of you collectively lost your minds?"
The second prince scoffed at his brother’s loud lament. With a calm expression, he gestured for Yanad to take a seat across the desk. Once Yanad settled into the chair, he leaned back, adopting a relaxed posture before he began to speak.
"My dear brother, your reaction seems a tad exaggerated. The princess may have committed a crime, and as usual, someone else bore the consequences. The trial was rushed to prevent the accused from tampering with evidence. Surely, as the Crown Prince, you’re well-versed in such protocols."
"Why resort to fabricating evidence then?" Yanad’s expression darkened. "I know Melania didn’t actually have an affair with that artist. What does the king intend to do with her?"
Valon regarded his brother with a prolonged, contemplative gaze before bursting into laughter.
"What does it matter now? The gears are already turning, Your Highness. Unfortunately, your input holds little sway."
The Crown Prince snapped at Valon’s audacious response, feeling as though he were being openly mocked—a sensation he loathed the most. In the presence of the second prince, Yanad always felt a gnawing sense of unease and vulnerability.