With the seals still in place, Alexander and Matheas escorted Arthur and Isolde and locked them in the Palace's designated room.
Matheas immediately called Arnold and explained to him the terrible thing his sister had done to Prince Elias.
Arnold's voice was instantly tight with fury. "I'll let my parents know what she's done," he promised. "Even if she's divorced and hasn't physically harmed Prince Elias, she will not have a place in our house," he stated with cold finality. He bowed sharply and left the palace, heading directly to his parents' manor.
The next day, Arnold returned to the palace, carrying a sealed letter for Isolde from their parents.
"What is that?" Elias asked, his posture tense as he stood before the door. Caelum stood protectively at his side, a silent, imposing guard.
"A letter to Isolde from my parents," Arnold replied, immediately sensing the suspicion and caution glinting in Elias's eyes as the prince scrutinized the envelope in his hands.
Elias stretched out his hand in a silent, firm demand to read the letter before it was delivered.
Arnold handed the letter over without hesitation. "I've already read it," he assured the prince. "There is nothing in there that could upset you. Only Isolde," he finished with a wry twist of his lips.
Elias nodded, his expression unreadable. He slid the paper out, unfolded it, and quickly scanned the contents.
He let out a long, heavy sigh, placed the paper back in the envelope, and returned it to Arnold. "We'll be coming with you," he announced, pushing himself away from the wall where he had been leaning. He gently took Caelum's hand into his own, a small gesture of comfort and bracing for the confrontation with Isolde and Arthur.
Arnold offered a simple nod of agreement.
Caelum pushed the heavy door open and then closed it securely behind Elias and Arnold once they had walked inside. He then took up a position standing directly before the door, a clear physical barrier, making sure the two confined nobles didn't try to escape.
Not that they could have, with two fully armed knights already guarding the door on the outside. Matheas had given a direct, absolute order that no one was allowed to let the individuals inside leave the room without His Majesty's explicit and direct command.
"Arnold!" Isolde exclaimed in a burst of relief and affection as she rushed toward him, attempting to pull him into a hug. Arnold stiffened and took a deliberate step back from her, a gesture that made her face instantly crumble in confusion and hurt.
"Mother and father wrote you a letter," Arnold said, his voice flat and detached as he extended the envelope toward his sister.
She snatched the letter and began to read it with a sudden, misplaced enthusiasm.
Elias stood back, patiently waiting for the inevitable emotional outburst, and he was not disappointed.
"How dare they!" Isolde shrieked, her voice echoing shrilly off the palace walls. "How dare they disown me from the House of Solas!"
"Because you went against our family motto," Arnold said, his eyes blazing with a cold fury that made him look ready to strike. "We don't harm our own blood, no matter what," he finished, his voice icy and completely devoid of familial warmth or emotion.
"But Arthur is also my son," Isolde snapped back defensively. "He deserves the love from me when Elias gets the love from His Majesty," she argued, trying to justify her actions.
"Is he really your son?" Arnold asked, a deep, knowing look spreading across his face. "Or is he Aurelius's blood brother, who was cast aside by his own mother, and you took him in because you felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy for him?" he pressed, the questions hanging heavy in the air.
Arthur looked desperately at Isolde, his eyes silently begging her to refuse Arnold's damning statement.
Isolde remained utterly silent, her eyes darting away from her son.
"He isn't my blood brother?" Elias asked, his voice low with confusion as he looked back and forth between Arnold and Isolde. He instinctively leaned into Caelum, who had moved subtly from his position by the door when he sensed two distinct magical signatures approaching from outside.
Alexander walked inside the room, with Matheas entering right beside him. "What does Arnold mean, Isolde?" the King demanded, his voice stern and commanding.
Isolde still remained silent, her lips pressed into a thin, stubborn line.
Alexander then shifted his gaze to Arnold. "Can you explain what you mean?" he asked his courtier.
Arnold immediately turned toward the King and went down onto one knee in a gesture of profound respect. "Arthur is not Isolde's by blood, Your Majesty. Your former consort and Isolde both became pregnant at the same time. Isolde, sadly, lost her child. It was a stillbirth. When she heard that the former consort wanted to abandon the child she gave birth to, Isolde conspired with her maid, Emma, and had the babies swapped. Isolde received a healthy, living son, and the former consort was able to discard a child who was already dead," he explained the terrible deception in a clear, measured voice.
"When did you learn about this?" Alexander asked, his expression grave.
"Last night, when I went to the manor," Arnold replied. "Emma had escaped from Emerald Manor and taken refuge in Solas Manor, where her sister, Jasmine, worked as a maid. I cornered Emma when Jasmine explained to me that her sister had done something terrible for Isolde and was asked to take that secret to her grave. Emma then explained everything to me, down to the last detail."
"I could have actually had a sister?" Elias asked, his voice trembling slightly as he looked at his uncle.
Arnold shook his head, his expression regretful. "According to Emma, the child was already dead when the swap occurred."
Elias looked profoundly sad at the news. He tightened his hug around Caelum, silently mourning the sister he never knew he had lost before she could even see the world.
"What about Aurelius and the former consort?" Arthur asked, his voice barely a whisper as he looked at Arnold, pleading with him to say that they did not know the truth.
"The former consort had no idea," Arnold admitted, "but Aurelius knew the truth. Emma had told Aurelius so that he would stop his attempts at killing you," Arnold explained. "But, ironically, his attempts became more frequent and lethal after that, and Emma deeply regrets ever telling Aurelius about the secret."
"Grandma and grandpa?" Elias asked, looking up at Arnold with wide eyes. "Do they know?"
Arnold nodded slowly. "They were listening to Emma's confession from outside the door, not wanting to miss a word," he said. "That was when they wrote the letter," he finished, pointing to the envelope still clutched tightly in Isolde's hand.
"What do they think of me?" Arthur asked, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks in distress.
"They said they would forgive you only if Elias forgives you," Arnold stated, his voice flat. "They have also cut you out of their will completely," he added, delivering the final blow.
Arthur's gaze shifted to Elias, who was still hugging Caelum, seemingly preoccupied and mourning the sister who died before she could ever draw a breath.
Arthur knew forgiveness was impossible now.
He knew Elias was utterly done with him and Aurelius and would be perfectly happy to simply toss him into the imperial prison to be forgotten.
He looked at Alexander, making a firm decision. "I will confess," he stated clearly. "I don't care if I have to be sent to prison for what I've done, I'll confess everything," he said.
Alexander looked at Arthur for a long, silent few seconds and then gave a slow, measured nod. "Confess, and I'll see what I can do about your sentence," the King promised.
"Strip him of his royalty and let him live his life away from the capital city," Elias suggested, lifting his head from Caelum's comforting shoulder. "He's good with his sword, so maybe he could make a respectable living as a knight and a mage in the provinces," he said, surprising everyone with his mercy.
Arthur stared at Elias, utterly speechless. He did not know what he could possibly do to thank Elias for this unexpected act of clemency.
"Are you sure about that, Elias?" Matheas asked, walking closer to the prince.
Elias nodded firmly. "I think he's been completely brainwashed about me being evil. Just look at him now," he said, pointing to Arthur, who looked utterly ridden with guilt and genuinely ready to atone for all his previous actions. "I don't know what the Ravenlofts told him to turn him against me. He was only twelve years old and just a child. Children are very easy to manipulate, Father."
Arthur stood up and walked toward Elias, but respectfully stopped at arm's length. He then dropped down onto one knee. "Make me your knight," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion.
"I have Caelum," Elias reminded him gently.
"I know that," Arthur said quickly. "I meant a knight for your division of knights. You will be gaining your own unit when you are officially named the Crown Prince after the upcoming trials," he explained, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Please, Prince Elias."
Elias looked over at Caelum, who offered a soft, encouraging smile and a subtle nod. "He wants to redeem himself, Elias. And it would be better if he's close by. I can keep a better eye on him," Caelum whispered to the prince.
Elias sighed softly and finally nodded his acceptance. "Father?" he asked, looking to Alexander for final approval.
Alexander was smiling warmly at his children. He gave a simple, affirmative nod.
Elias looked back at Arthur and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll accept your pledge, but you must finish school first," he stipulated.
"You said…" Arthur began, his voice catching in his throat, unable to form the words of his objection.
"I take that back," Elias said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Besides, Father hasn't sent the letter to the headmaster of the academy yet, so you can still attend and complete your studies," he reasoned.
"Thank you, Prince Elias," Arthur said, looking up at him with genuine gratitude. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, tears falling freely down his cheeks now. "I'm so incredibly sorry for everything I've done to you, my Prince."
"As long as you genuinely know that you were wrong, Arthur, I forgive you," Elias said, and with an unexpected gesture, he pulled Arthur into a gentle, compassionate hug, allowing him to weep away the heavy burden of his guilt.