The Royal Contract

"I am Ms. Harlowe. I am here to see the duke. He is expecting me." She announced to the men, who looked at each other as if confirming with the other her declaration. 

"Did his secretary not inform you that I am coming?" She continued as if she was also surprised by the situation. 

Luckily, the desk that his secretary occupied was empty at the moment. Or else her cover would be blown. She wondered if it was just damn luck or fate working in her favor. Whatever it was, she had to work fast before it ran out.

"We were not informed that you will be joining the meeting." One of the men spoke up.

He looked at his partner for assistance, but he seemed to have no clue of her existence until now. He only shrugged his shoulder as a response to his silent question. 

"Of course, I am included in the meeting. In fact, I am already late." Eida said in irritation. "You can confirm at the gate that I have a meeting with the duke." She decided to play that card, hoping that it would work out.

It just confirmed that the duke was inside, conducting a session, probably about the files she gave him. She was now more determined to enter the room.

One of the guards pressed on his radio, contacting the security outside. He talked for almost forever as she stood there waiting. When she heard the guard confirm her appointment, she finally released the breath she was holding.

"It seems she checks out." The one on the radio told his partner. "You can proceed inside. Let me show you the way into the meeting." The other man opened the door and ushered her into the empty, massive office room.

She wondered where everybody was if there was a meeting. She had been inside this room before, but she did not have the privilege to explore it.

They had reached the far end of the room, then a narrow passageway was revealed to her, hidden behind a thick curtain. She always assumed that it was a window.

"Is that the room?" She asked when they neared a door at the end of the hall.

She suddenly felt the excitement of barging into a secret meeting. The hell with the consequence, she thought as adrenaline rushed into her bloodstream. 

She could not wait to enter the room and join in the gathering. Not that she was expecting that they would welcome her with open arms. But she was sure to think of something once inside.

"That is the bathroom." The security shook his head as if she was stupid. 

"Oh!" She was slightly embarrassed about her assumption. Of course, a secret chamber would not be so obvious, she concluded, admitting her mistake silently.

"Just follow me and don't touch anything." The man instructed.

He still could not believe that the duke had allowed a reporter to join them in the meeting. It was rare that the Council allowed just anyone to see the secret chambers.

However, he was just a soldier who had to obey orders. He could not interfere with the decision of the Council. If they thought her presence was necessary, he had no right to question it.

"Ok." She replied, suddenly cautious not to be caught with her lie.

She watched the man stop just outside the door but turn to his right. He moved a painting aside, revealing a keypad buried on the wall. 

She pretended not to look at the man as he keyed in the numbers. His hands were quick, so she was unsure if she had seen the pattern correctly. 

Anyway, it did not matter to her. In a few minutes, she would be standing inside the room. She would discover one of the secrets the Council was hiding from the masses.

Something clicked, and then a crack appeared on the wall. A small opening separated the two walls. Inside, a bright light could be partially seen compared to the dark hallway.

"I can take it from here. You may go." She confidently told the man, showing him that she was the one in charge.

She did not want him to catch her with her lie before she could even gather more evidence. She thought that he would not leave, but apparently, her act worked as he started moving back outside, leaving her by the door.

Once alone, she slowly opened the door by an inch, checking if someone would notice her. But everybody seemed to be busy to even detect her presence.

She decided to stand quietly by the door, listening to the activity inside. She could hear the exchange between the people inside. Several voices were talking at once. It felt like a war was ensuing with the argument going on. 

Her suspicion strengthened with each second that passed. The more she heard about the conversation, the more her interest peaked. 

"Hey, who are you, and what are you doing?" A man suddenly spoke behind her, catching her unaware. She jumped in fright, making her lean on the wall.

He was about to attend the meeting when 

Suddenly, her weight pushed the secret doorway open, causing her to tumble down to the floor in front of everyone. She quickly turned her head to the questioning eyes, forgetting about being embarrassed by her current state.

She was more concerned about the consequence of being caught spying on them. Although she had every intention of just wanting to help, still, the Council might not believe her.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Harlowe?" The duke finally spoke and walked towards her.

He was not expecting to see her again so soon. He assumed when he left the library, she would have left the palace too. Apparently, she was harder to get rid of than he thought.

"Do you need any help? I am Lance, by the way." The man who spooked her by the door offered his hand to pull her up. But she ignored him, helping herself up on her own.

He was intrigued, seeing her for the first time in person. He recognized her face from the media news he had watched occasionally.

"No need. I can stand up on my own." She gathered herself, preserving what was left of her dignity. If they were going to punish her, she would not cower down. She was here to do her job.

"What?" She asked when the man stood in front of her, as he kept staring her down. She immediately did not like him, seeing the amused smile on his face.

Of course, she recognized him. He was, after all, a member of the royal family. Although she did not have the opportunity to meet him until now. There had been no opportunity for her to interview him just yet.

"The duke asked you a question, remember?" The prince reminded her since she did not seem to notice the duke standing just beside her.

She was so lost in her world that she forgot that it was not just the two of them, he presumed, as her eyes focused on him with blazing intensity.

"Is the royal family in some sort of danger?" Eida snapped out of her trance, realizing that they were not alone in the room.

She decided to ask the question instead of answering a question that she did not hear. She turned her attention to the duke, ignoring the man right next to her.

"That is not any of your concern. I think you are dipping your nose into things that you should not be involving yourself." The duke responded.

He was growing alarmed with her stubbornness. It would seem that he underestimated her in terms of her nosiness. However, he was curious how she ended up inside their secret chamber.

However, he could not help but appreciate her tenacity. He could applaud her for her resourcefulness. She was indeed cut out for this job.

"I do not think so. In the first place, if not for my files." She pointed to the papers spread on the table. "You will not have anything to work on. So, either include me in this meeting or hear this story on the news in an hour."

She played hardball with the duke, refusing to back down from the opportunity to get in the middle of the story. Well, it was not just a story, but she genuinely wanted to help if someone was in danger.

"Where are Prince Alexander and Princess Daniella?" She finally asked, concluding her findings based on what she had heard so far in the earlier conversation. "Does Nick have anything to do with this?" She followed up on her question.

She had deduced that the duke had finally connected some of the dots. So, it was a matter of time before they finally solved the case. 

"I appreciated your help, Ms. Harlowe, but we could not allow you to join our investigation. We are grateful for your contribution, but rest assured that..." But the duke was not able to finish his sentence.

"No, you are not cutting me out of this. I want to help. I promise, if you let me stay, you will have full control of the narrative of my story and when it should be aired." She was putting her cards down, not wanting to be thrown out of the bullpen.

"Let her stay, Uncle. I will handle her." Lance spoke up again. "We can't do much about her at this point." He also pointed out that they were wasting valuable time. 

"Just don't speak unless you are asked." He whispered near her ears as he leaned down close to her.

He believed the Council should allow her to be a part of the planning process. Maybe she still had something she could contribute to the case.

She did provide the key that unlocked the case wide open. It gave them a lead to follow.. If not for her, they would still be searching for a needle in a haystack.