CHAPTER 56 **Meeting the Crowned Prince**

Having his Princess more docile now, Matthew had the courage to smile and say, “Did you come up with anything else, my dear?”

Sahara put her head to the side, covering her face with his clothes, mumbling.

Matthew let out a laugh, kissing her head, “I didn’t hear you.”

She grabbed onto his clothes, into her fist, and mumbled again.

“Sahara!?”

She let out a laugh and sighed, “You! You really have no idea!”

Stroking her face, Matthew smiled, “Then tell me. Tell me everything.”

An idea struck her then, so she smiled cheekily, “I won’t be able to tell you everything, because I don’t plan to stay in Green Haven. So, marrying you will be a stupid idea!”

Haha, that’s right! Wouldn’t he look like a fool staying here when I leave! Shouldn’t he give up after this!?

Stubborn Princess!

“I had already thought to leave anyway, so now it makes even more sense to only marry you!” Matthew said, smiling like a winner.

Sahara widened her eyes and looked at him in shock!

This…Wasn’t the reaction I was looking for...Shit! I haven’t got anything else at the moment!

Putting his forehead against hers, Matthew cheekily said back, “Anything else? I feel we’ll have plenty of time ahead of us, so…”

“Ah! No! You’re a bully, cutting me down every time!”

Matthew looked at her, stunned and not understanding her words.

She tried to sit up, and then got out of his embrace.

Sighing, Matthew let her go and watched her stand up and stretch…

She was just…So damned beautiful!

When Sahara was stretching, she looked over at her friend and remembered the golden eyes, so, she turned to Matthew and asked, “What’s with people having golden eyes? What does that mean?”

Matthew looked like he knew about it but didn’t speak, his silence was more stunned to hear of the subject, instead of hearing about golden eyes for the first time…

Sahara narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands on her waist, “So, now you stop speaking?”

Clearing his throat, Matthew stood up as well, “Who…Who did you see had golden eyes?”

“Well the one chasing my friend here had golden eyes, he had other buddies too, but…” Making a guilty face, Sahara didn’t continue. She has a lot more healing to do now, because she had caused more deaths…

“He was being chased by a golden eyed person?” Matthew looked over at the man and went to him.

Matthew touched him, but after the briefest of moments, the other man scooted away and was a few metres away from Matthew within seconds.

Upon seeing those golden eyes, Matthew fell into shock.

Now that he saw his eyes, he looked at the rest of him…There was someone that came to his mind, someone by the name of Steven, who was from Blue Haven…

“Hey! How are you feeling?” Sahara asked.

She brought out some food and water for her friend and stood there, waiting for him to take it.

The man was skittish, like before he had meditated, and Sahara got angry. Looking back at Matthew, she laughed, “Pretty cool uh!? They are so pretty!”

Slowly, Matthew turned to her, and his shock turned into something else. “Pretty?”

“Mmm.” She turned back to her friend and shook the food and water impatiently.

The man looked from her to Matthew and suddenly saw something in Matthew that made his eyes widen, and he even walked a step back in fright.

When Sahara saw this, she turned back to Matthew and said, “Go away, you’re scaring him!”

Matthew grumbled and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

Sighing, she said, “Come back tomorrow then.”

Smiling, Matthew walked up to her, kissed her on the forehead and then left.

It wasn’t easy but he felt like he had done the right thing. She was slowly opening up to him, that’s all he could ask for at the moment.

“…Don’t worry about him, he’s an idiot!” Sahara said.

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The man looked at her strangely, making it her turn to pout. “Dammit here, eat, drink, take it!”

Taking the food and water promptly, the man couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, like last time.

Shaking her head to ‘men’, Sahara sighed, “I will sleep and go to the Academy tomorrow. Do what you want.”

After a moment of silence, she added, “This place is the General’s, you should be safe here.”

Then she disappeared into the horse stable.

Having Naruto snuggle up to her, the man held no intentions to do anything bad. Honestly, he was very warm inside and took up the invitation to sleep in another area of the horse stable, after he had consumed all the food and water...

***

Matthew didn’t leave the estate straight away, instead, he went directly to the General and asked that he was to watch the other man very closely.

Unable to get those eyes out of his head and the words that Sahara had said, Matthew felt like he might have gotten a piece of the puzzle that he’s been trying to finish for ages.

Pretty, uh? Makes me feel like hiding my own seems ridiculous!

The other golden eyed person must be here to get rid of this golden eyed person…Matthew sighed to the knowledge of the long term type of ritual that the golden eyed people seemed to have and wanted no part in it!

Knowing that someone strong was behind the Crowned Prince and that ‘others’ had been with this other golden eyed person…The ‘other’s’ that Sahara mentioned…Must be the Crowned Prince’s men!

This man that Sahara brought to the General’s estate, shouldn’t pose as a threat…But, just in case, he wanted the General to watch him.

The General had cheekily wanted Matthew to watch him instead, but Matthew was very close now to clearing his name, in fact, it was only a day or two away now…

All this time, he hadn’t been seen by the populace and stayed in several different places, as he had spoken to and seen several different people and items.

He had a dozen witnesses, that have seen the cruelty and plots of the Crowned Prince. He had stacks of evidence that explained his traitorous ways and he had spoken to the emperor on how they were to finally free him from the false crime of murdering royalty.

Since returning, what he had found, he had handed most of it straight to the emperor, to either hide or guard. Having not gone to the eastern hideout, yet, to get the rest of the evidence, Matthew was waiting until the last moment, just in case something was to happen.

Very soon, Matthew was going to bring it all forward and the Crowned Prince should be in a situation where he was unable to be saved!

With the Emperor personally helping him now, Matthew knew that it was only a certain amount of time…

Leaving the General’s estate, Matthew headed towards the north hideout. There was one thing left to do, and that was to get rid of the person that was following him at a large distance.

Knowing that they probably wouldn’t go into the General’s estate, Matthew had felt pretty safe.

The General had been out to see the emperor today, so everyone knows that he has come back and is just as strong as before.

Having been told to do this, the General grumbled about it, but Matthew had wanted two things from him by coming out to the public and showing that he was healthy.

He wanted the Crowned Prince to fret, thinking that even a curse isn’t even good enough to stop him…Well, that was the idea, and with this, the Crowned Prince may calm down and give Matthew peace for a little while. The second reason was the ‘idea’ that the ‘Divine Healer’ was on their side…

And with the General being all better, the follower that Matthew knew about, probably won’t take the chance to step one foot into the estate!

The problem was, when Matthew got to his Northern hideout…The Crowned Prince was also there…He had been there for a whole day, waiting and knowing, that this was a hideout that carried evidence. Yet, Matthew hadn’t come here until now…

It was just an old looking commoner home. There were no luxurious things anywhere and there was no garden or anything nice outside. They had put the false evidence in the backyard, in the ground, and kept a close by guard and a guard further away. All up, there was probably only six guards here taking shifts, always having three or four awake and on the lookout.

Matthew had on purpose used this many people to ‘look’ like they didn’t want to get attention, and it seemed to have worked. At the southern hideout, he had done the same thing, and it was also similar, by having an old commoner home…

They were somewhat surrounded by trees, slightly hiding the place, and the closest commoner house could be seen in the distance, if one looks around the trees…

Strangely enough, the eastern hideout was very different. It wasn’t a commoner’s house, nor surrounded by trees, it was instead a popular eating place that had been renovated in the last couple of years to become quite splendid. Even though it was right against the eastern wall, inside of the capital, it didn’t seem to give off any kind of feeling that it could indeed be a secret hideout. But…A lot more than six ‘slayers’ were there, to protect the rest of the real evidence!

“Greetings, Brother. I’ve come with an offer.” The Crowned Prince said.

Matthew silently looked at him, he had traveled here on purpose, just like the southern hideout, basically having them out in the open…

Having someone following him, he wasn’t going to take the chance of the Crowned Prince potentially knowing where the real evidence was…Yet he wasn’t completely sure when he had picked up this follower…

“Have nothing to say? Isn’t this one of your hideouts? I believe you even hold…Something valuable here…”

The Crowned Prince smirked. He’d already told a few people to go and find the evidence, as he leisurely waited here.

He had been told by the Supreme Sovereign to come here, to get this evidence back and put Matthew in a position where he can’t do anything.

Having gotten clues on where the evidence was in the last couple of days, the Crowned Prince had come here prepared.

Matthew remained calm and silently watched the Crowned Prince think that he was onto something.

He wanted to laugh at him but kept this amusement out of his eyes and face.

“I’ve come to make a trade.” The Crowned Prince stated, getting annoyed to Matthew’s silence.

Glaring at the Crowned Prince, Matthew knew that a trade would be very bad. He was sneaky and cruel, whatever he had to trade…Will not be good!

Matthew had originally thought that he would just take what he wanted, did the Crowned Prince know that perhaps there was more evidence then? Or did he know this ‘evidence’ was fake?

“I have something to give to you, for your evidence against me. Will you take up on this offer, Brother?” The Crowned Prince asked, making a wave with his hands.

Matthew watched as a person left and did another sign and then others came into view.

“Your Highness!”

Matthew stared at Gabriella, trying to understand what was going on.

Seeing him like this, the Crowned Prince was pleased, “The love of your life, for the evidence. Make your choice! I will only hold her for a day, for you to give me everything! This includes the witnesses that I know you have!”

His words, and the prospect of a hostage, made Matthew unhappy…

‘Love of your life’.

Suddenly, Matthew thought of Sahara and thinking if she was in Gabriella’s position right at this moment.

Her legs were in chains, giving her red marks around her feet, then her hands were tied. Her clothes hardly covered her, so if her hair was done up, she really would look like someone from a brothel.

There was even some makeup on her face…It really was a strange picture, making Matthew frown.

“Oh, I believe she is still quite alive. As you see, not skin and bone.” The Crowned Prince lifted his eyes to Matthew, hiding a special meaning.

Matthew was shocked.

What if this was Sahara!? What if!?

The despair that showed on Matthew’s face, was indeed real, which gave the Crowned Prince more confidence.

“The evidence! Bring it out! And I expect a visit with the rest tomorrow!” He yelled.