The Suburban Safehouse Belongs to This Prince
A small smile played on Cassidy's lips. "Dad, what are you even thinking? We're so close. Why would I ever suspect you?"
She leaned in and whispered in her father's ear, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's go together. If we run into any trouble, we can just let the Onyx Guard take the lead."
The Fourth Princess, who had been listening intently, quickly chimed in. "Good point. For our own safety, we should definitely let them go first."
Vaughn, whose name had just been so casually thrown around, felt his eye begin to twitch. He really, *really* shouldn't have come to the palace today.
*Growl.*
A sudden, loud rumble from someone's stomach shattered the group's fiery determination.
Cassidy sheepishly rubbed her belly. "An army marches on its stomach," she declared, as if making a profound military proclamation. "Let's go. We'll hit the Imperial Kitchen first. Once we're fed, we can get down to business."
Under the Emperor's stunned gaze, the three of them threw their arms around each other's shoulders and strolled out of the study, heading straight for the kitchens. Just as she reached the door, Cassidy spun around to face the dumbfounded Emperor.
"Uncle, just you wait," she announced with the air of a conquering hero. "I'm going to clean house for you. You'll get that golden age you've always wanted."
And with that, she was gone.
When Steward Payne returned with a tray of food, he found Prince Ashworth gone, leaving only the silent Lord Garrison and an Emperor who seemed to be frozen in place. Payne had no idea what to make of it. What on earth had happened in the fifteen minutes he was gone? Why did the air feel so strange?
The Emperor finally snapped out of his trance at the sight of the steward.
He turned to Vaughn, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Go. Keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't get themselves killed."
He was genuinely worried that his reckless brother and niece would stir up so much trouble that the villains lurking in the shadows wouldn't be able to resist taking a shot at them.
Vaughn was speechless. He was in way too deep with this family.
If he didn't know for a fact that the prince and princess of Ashworth Manor had zero interest in the throne, he'd swear he was now part of a coup.
It was like they were planning to take out the entire imperial court just so Prince Ashworth could waltz in and take over.
Meanwhile, the trio who had just arrived at the Imperial Kitchen had completely forgotten their earlier passion. The only thing on their minds now was food. After eating their fill, they all fell into a collective carb coma and, without another word, went their separate ways to sleep it off.
The next day, just as the well-rested father and daughter were trying to decide which noble family to investigate first, Vaughn showed up at their door with news that sent a shockwave through the entire manor.
The documents found at the suburban safehouse the Onyx Guard had raided were signed with Prince Ashworth's name.
Upon hearing this, Cassidy subtly shuffled a few feet away from her dad.
*This is terrifying,* she thought, her mind racing. Her father was a playboy on the surface, but secretly, he was a mastermind calculating every move. He'd already laid the trap, just waiting for the right moment to take over the country. *This is so exciting!*
Wait. Wouldn't that mean she, the sole heir of Ashworth Manor, would go from inheriting one estate to inheriting the entire country?
Could she even handle being on the throne?
Should she go to his study and look for books on how to run a country?
Should she start by learning how to read official reports, or how to manage the people's welfare? What a dilemma.
As soon as the System came online, it was greeted by the sound of its Host fantasizing about becoming empress.
Host, no. How did we get to you taking the throne? the System asked, bewildered. I was only offline for one morning. Did the Emperor already abdicate?
Cassidy touched her flushed cheeks, giddy with excitement. She was about to step forward and tell her dad to hire her a tutor to study governance, but just then, Prince Ashworth spoke, a completely baffled look on his face.
"When did I ever own a house like that?"
Seeing his daughter edging away from him as if he were a bomb about to go off, Prince Ashworth felt a surge of irritation. Could his own daughter seriously suspect him?
He shot a glare at the steward standing nearby and gritted his teeth. "Clifford! When did I ever buy a house?"
Steward King looked just as confused. He lowered his head, thinking hard for a long moment before answering hesitantly.
"My lord, a few years back, cockfighting was all the rage in Argent. You spent every day at The Cockpit and would sometimes try your luck at the back-alley gambling stalls. For a while, your luck was quite good. You lost a fair bit of valuable property but also won a mountain of junk.
We have a storeroom half-full of it. This house was probably one of those winnings."
Cassidy stared, stunned. "Dad! So *you're* the reason we're broke!"
Hearing the steward's words, Prince Ashworth's mind flashed back to those gambling dens.
Cockfighting had been the talk of the town, and he'd won all sorts of random junk, but he had absolutely no memory of who might have bet a whole house.
After a moment, he decided this whole mess had to be connected to that old scoundrel, the Duke of Crestfall.
He was the one he went gambling with the most, after all.
Prince Ashworth pocketed the deed the steward had found. "I'm going to see the Duke of Crestfall," he said, looking certain. "He must have been the one who lost this to me."
Cassidy quickly ran to catch up. "Dad, where are you going?" Was he making a run for it now that his rebellion was exposed? Was he going to leave her here all alone? She'd be a dead woman! *If we're running, we're running together!*
Her father didn't seem to notice the panic in her eyes. He just glanced at the deed in his hand. "He has to be the one."
Cassidy nodded. "Sounds about right to me."
When it came to blaming the Duke of Crestfall, father and daughter were suddenly on the exact same page.
Vaughn couldn't understand how they'd both become so convinced the house belonged to the duke, but seeing them so sure of themselves, he hurried after them.
He was curious to see how the Capital Inspection Bureau's "investigative methods" differed from the Onyx Guard's.
After all, they'd managed to crack the Marquis of Stonehaven case in a few days, a case the Ministry of Justice had been stuck on for months.
Eager to learn, he followed them to Crestfall Manor.
When the Duke of Crestfall saw the three of them arrive, he remembered the thrill of investigating the Donovan family with them the night before and immediately lit up.
"Did you find another lead? Count me in! I'm ready to go."
In perfect unison, Cassidy and Prince Ashworth pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You've got a lot of nerve, framing us!"
The duke just stared, completely baffled. What were these two troublemakers talking about?
Prince Ashworth, who knew his way around Crestfall Manor, made himself right at home, plopping down in a large armchair and barking an order at a nearby servant.
"What are you just standing there for? Get me some tea. And bring some snacks. Actually, I was in a hurry this morning and skipped breakfast, so just bring out the best food you've got."