If Sebastian did love the princess elect as his own sister, then he should have done everything he could to talk her out of her intent to join the contest. It was what Luke would have done if he was in the same situation as the informant and Cally would express her intention to join such a contest for whatever reason there may be. Poverty was not a disease, it was a temporary status that any person with the right state of mind could get out of. Being crowned princess elect, on the other hand, was worse than cancer, because the latter could be treated while the former was a voluntary submission to death. Therefore, if Sebastian loved Rhiane, then Luke doubted he would have the pleasure of talking to him on the phone.

He wanted to tell the commoner all the reasons why he believed that Sebastian was not being thoroughly truthful, but then again it would neither be helpful nor a productive use of time. Therefore, Luke settled with a straightforward, “These are all rumors to me.” The short statement told the person at the other end of the line of his mistrust for unvalidated information, especially one that came from a stranger’s mouth. Granted that every information was baseless at the beginning, but the source did matter. Sebastian had no credibility to bank on, and Luke was not about to put his trust in his fiancee’s relatives when he did not trust the woman in the first place. 

“I have a team who is thoroughly looking into this incident. There are parties, other than the rebellion, who have reasons to want Rhiane dead. I will not place bias on the investigation by assuming that this is the work of the rebels, as you are claiming. Nevertheless, whoever is responsible will not go unpunished.” A conclusion that early in the process would skew the result, which might be proven fatal in the long run when the real perpetrators ran free while the sentenced innocent suffered the consequences. “Unless,” the prince enunciated. “Unless you submit yourself as a witness against the rebellion, or the faction of it that you have access to, and help us resolve this once and for all.”

It was not ideal to work with somebody from the outside, someone who saw the world differently from himself, but in this case maybe he was willing to make an exception. It was not every day that an opportunity to work with a possibly trusted insider would present itself to him. “If you agree to work for me, and the information you give be validated through successful operations from my end, then the crown shall grant you a handsome reward. Plus,” he paused as if thinking his next words through before he let go of the offer. “You can have both your sister and the noble status promised to her and her family. Think about my offer, Sebastian Legrand.”

Luke kept the phone pressed to the side of his face while he exited the empty room and found his way back to the one being occupied by his fiancee. “She is recovering well and may be able to speak with you if she so desires,” he added as the sliding door opened for him.

“Doctor Villani, thank you for sitting with her. I’ll call you should we need further assistance,” the prince dismissed the woman. The medicine might have already taken effect. Though the way that the poison weakened her body was still evident in the princess elect’s eyes, at least her body had stopped throwing up whatever was left in her stomach. The doctor

“Rhiane.” Luke’s voice, whether or not Sebastian noticed, was much softer than when he was talking to the other man. “Your brother’s partner, Sebastian, is on the other line. Would you like to speak to him?”