The Princess' Harem-Chapter 29: The Evidences

The servants promptly brought tea and refreshments into the prince's study, where the two of them sat across from each other on the luxurious sofa in the room.

Once all the servants were done, they exited the room, as did Reyes and Joel. Viana specifically asked everyone to leave her alone, so now she and Prince Rayne were the only ones left in the study.

She glanced several times at the area above the prince's head, but since her arrival until now, the Love Percentage bar she was hoping to see hadn't appeared. She quietly sighed in disappointment.

Prince Rayne was one of the strongest candidates of men she hoped could rescue her from the grasp of Count Lazarus. 'I guess I shouldn't expect too much,' she thought to herself.

"Your Highness Princess," called the prince, snapping her out of her reverie. "Now, I want to discuss the slave trade case we are working on."

The prince's words disrupted the princess's daydreams, and she quickly adjusted her sitting posture and replied calmly, "I would like to learn more about this as well, Prince Rayne. In your private letter yesterday, you mentioned there was evidence of involvement from some nobles of Elysia, and that the discovery of this evidence was made in the Valendale Empire?"

Prince Rayne nodded. "Yes, we have found evidence that points to the involvement of several Elysian nobles here."

Then, he clapped his hands once, and suddenly a door behind the bookshelf on the wall swung open. Two figures wearing dark hoods entered the prince's study.

They removed their hoods and bowed to the two royals. Viana recognized one of them as Sam, who had previously delivered a letter from Prince Rayne to her room. However, she didn't know the woman who had entered with Sam. It didn't take long for her to learn the woman's identity.

"Lysandra, I want you to assist Princess Viana in investigating the slave trade in Valendale," said Prince Rayne. "Share what you know with her, so this case can be resolved more quickly."

Lysandra nodded and greeted Princess Viana, introducing herself. "Princess Viana, I am Lysandra. I am ready to help with all my strength."

Viana observed the woman with her natural dark brown curls and intelligent green eyes. Instantly, she took a liking to her, and then said, "Thank you, Lysandra. I'm pleased to have your assistance in this investigation."

They discussed matters until lunchtime, with Lysandra planning to disguise herself and accompany the princess as one of her servants while she stayed in the Valendale palace.

***

During lunch, the princess conversed with the entire royal family, including the emperor, empress, Prince Rayne, and Prince Arin, Rayne's younger brother.

They exchanged stories, which made her feel that the emperor was a wise and friendly person. However, she also sensed hostility from the empress and her son, Prince Arin.

A year after the first empress passed away following the birth of Prince Rayne, the emperor remarried, and with this new wife, he had Prince Arin, who was then established as the second empress.

Finally, the exhausting lunch ended, and Viana quickly excused herself to her room, citing the need to rest.

After changing clothes and resting for a while, Viana summoned Lysandra to her room, along with Reyes and Joel. The four of them sat on the sofa in the guest room and discussed their investigation findings.

Lysandra presented the information she had obtained during her investigations, and Joel, with his own mercenary network, also shared suggestions and insights.

"I have this evidence," said Lysandra as she placed a worn-out book on the table.

"This book is a log of the shipment of goods to and from Valendale," she explained.

Viana picked up the book and flipped through its pages. It contained records of shipping invoices from a noble merchant in Valendale.

She read that shipments from Elysia to Valendale occurred twice a week, including fabric and wine. However, she didn't find anything suspicious, so she asked Lysandra, "I don't see anything odd in this book."

"Yes, we wouldn't notice anything if we only examined this book, Your Highness," Lysandra replied. "But we'll find discrepancies if we compare it to this book."

She pulled out another book bearing the emblem of the Valendale Empire's military. "This book is a record of people and goods entering through the gates, documented by the soldiers."

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Lysandra said as she took the book the princess had been reading and placed it on the table side by side with the military logbook.

Matching the dates on the pages of the two books, Lysandra pointed to a line in the merchant's book.

"Here, it records a shipment from Elysia to Valendale: twenty rolls of silk fabric and one drum of wine."

Then, she pointed to a corresponding entry in the soldiers' logbook on the same date, "Shipment: twenty rolls of silk fabric and eleven drums of wine."

Viana gasped and murmured, "So the ten drums of wine..."

"Yes, Your Highness. The ten drums likely contained enslaved women smuggled into Valendale," Lysandra confirmed the princess's suspicions.

Joel, who had been quietly listening, also pulled out a book he had been holding onto for some time.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

This book also documented goods shipments to and from Elysia, although Joel hadn't yet understood its connection to the slave trade.

Approaching the table, he opened the book to the page matching the dates in the other two books.

It stated, "Shipment to Valendale: twenty rolls of silk fabric and one drum of wine."

Joel turned to the princess and said, "Apologies, Your Highness. I hadn't shared this book earlier because I wasn't sure of its relevance. I got it from one of my subordinates."

"It's okay, Joel. At least now we know its purpose," the princess replied while crossing her arms.

After a few moments of silence, Viana said, "Give me the names of the merchants responsible for these shipments."

Lysandra quickly responded, "The merchant receiving the goods in Valendale is Count Demos, and they were sent by a Count named Richard from Elysia."

Viana nodded, memorizing the two names, then turned to Joel and asked, "Where did you get this logbook?"