A/N: I don't usually do Author's Notes before the chapter, but I thought it would be good to have a refresher from the long break. Of course, I'd recommend re-reading the chapters if you're really out of touch, but here's a summary of the latest arc...

In celebration of the visit of Roy's aunt and horrible cousins, Queen Philippa and Princes Alex and Barney from the United Kingdom Commonwealth, King Merrick holds a ball. However, not only are Alex and Barney to stay for a month and does an elimination of Vanessa Hardy become awkward, but Roy is also drugged and forced to acquire documents for the Southern Rebels by two people called Satan the maid and Newton's Wife. Merrick and Queen Ji-Yu are suddenly called over to Brazil, leaving Roy as Prince Regent. His responsibility takes a toll on him, becoming so stressed he fires his valet Rudy and throws a wild rave. The party proves a disaster for himself and his relationships for his Selected. Taking new strides to improve, Roy apologises to everyone he can, rehires Rudy, and eliminates Riley Aldaine and Levinia Lefray to move on. Left with fourteen Selected girls, those who know about the spy come together and discuss a new plan of action: a direct stakeout against Camilla Daugherty, who has been caught mysteriously vanishing from the palace during the evenings...

Enjoy the chapter!

Twilight came faster than Roy could anticipate.

So did the plan to find out the truth about Camilla Daugherty. Where was she going, and was it for ulterior, malevolent intentions?

The earpiece was uncomfortably large in his small ears, blotting out the sounds to his right, but it hadn't taken him long to get used to it. The buzz of the mechanical din was hardly noticeable after he'd left it for a few minutes, and it at least dampened the riot Ji-Yu was making in the CCTV room of the guards' barracks.

"Is this on?" her voice thrust into his ear.

Glaring at his mother, who was standing at the other side of the room, Roy said, "I can't tell if I can still hear you out loud, Mother."

She scowled, straightening above the microphone attached to the control desk. "It was only a test, Jun. This needs to work."

Durante lumbered through the reinforced steel doors. He was still wearing the blood red guard's jacket, but had switched his white trousers for black slacks, as if he could blend into the night. Sweat layered him, and by his clunky and robotic movements, he was just as anxious about the stakeout as anyone else was.

"It's working, Your Majesty," he said.

Roy's gaze slid to the black strap fastened around his back. The assault rifle was only to be used in dire emergency – say, Roy's life in sudden danger – but still, Roy felt a chill skitter through him each time he noticed it, gleaming black and cold. Two handguns holsters were also attached to Durante's belt.

If Roy didn't know Durante, hadn't seen the many facets that made him the person he is, Roy would've been scared to even look in his direction.

He jerked his head towards his walking armoury. "If you have to use those, please don't miss."

Ji-Yu clasped her hands together with a clap. It bounced through both his ears at varying levels of loudness. "Good. It appears we're ready."

Captain Delacroix spun in his wheelie chair, an action that seemed at odds with his strict, stern face. "Main hallway CCTV is secure. We're ready when you are, Your Majesty, Your Highness."

This was it.

Ji-Yu crossed the room and patted Roy's shoulder, her face solemn. Her eyes were dim, like liquid pools of a starless, midnight sky. "Good luck. I hope very much that she is not the spy, and that this is all for nothing, but…" she wavered, "better to be safe than sorry."

Roy tried to picture the sheer bliss he would feel if he were exonerated from the problem, but the future seemed impossible to predict at the moment. If he could read a crystal ball, it would plume with a haze so thick, there would be nothing to discern.

"I know," Roy said.

"Now, then." Ji-Yu slipped her hand away, clasping them to her front. "Go on, now. If I need to talk to you, I'll use the earpiece."

Ignoring his personal feelings had been easy until now. His heart thundered with anticipation, with dread. He and Camilla hadn't talked very much, but it still pained him to think she could work undercover for the rebels. If she were the spy.

Boxing his emotions and squaring his shoulders, Roy made for the door. "Let's go."

He didn't look back.

Winding through the corridors with Durante had been a silent affair. Guards and staff raised their eyebrows at Durante's numerous weapons, but didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Roy's face burnt like the world was watching him.

They went upstairs several flights until they were on the Selected's floor, and navigated through the labyrinth of corridors. Camilla's door was so close. What if she wasn't there? What if she'd already vanished for the night?

He turned the corner, mulling in his thoughts, and Officer Acketeer nearly ran into him, and, startled, let out a yelp.

He, too, arrested his walk. Wasn't she supposed to be following him around?

"Ah, Your Highness," she said, her pitch jumping, before she saluted. "My apologies. I nearly bowled you over."

The Selected wing was only down this last hallway, now. He raised an eyebrow. "Where did you go?"

She blinked, and a blush swept over her. "Where did you go?"

Her tone was so informal it was hard to believe she was a guard at all. "Excuse me?"

"By that, I mean, Her Majesty dismissed me earlier and when I returned, you had disappeared. I couldn't find Your Highness." She frowned. "I hope you haven't been consuming any alcohol in my absence, sir."

"I have not," Roy snapped.

Ji-Yu's sigh buzzed as if she was speaking through a fan, and Roy wasn't prepared for the loudness of the earpiece in the quiet of the palace. "Let her accompany you. More protection would be beneficial, I suppose. Just make sure you don't tell her the purpose of this stakeout."

Great. Now he had to drag Acketeer along. What was she going to think about following Camilla around?

Roy spun a lie in his head. "I'm going to… er, check on a Selected girl in a stakeout."

One of Acketeer's eyebrows rose, and her gaze pinned to Durante behind him. "With all that weaponry, sir?"

Roy peered at Durante – his mood had shifted from solemn seriousness to a tense tautness, coiled tightly around him like a thick wire. His eyes were no longer vigilant, but glued to Acketeer as if she might explode at any moment.

And no wonder. She'd shared the gossip about him and Rudy to the Twinces. He had every right to remain vigilant around her. To resent her. Durante didn't reply, though, which allowed Roy to clear the air as much as he could. They really didn't have time to squabble over personal issues, no matter how much Acketeer deserved it.

"I have reason to believe," Roy said airily, "that Lady Camilla Daugherty might be… seeing another man."

Acketeer's eyes popped open. He regretted lying, and the lie itself, but either it was that or hinting at the true purpose of this stakeout. If anything, finding Camilla with another man would be a total relief to what he expected.

"Are… Really?" Acketeer whispered.

"Yes. And I want to, er, catch her in the act. For the highest dramatic effect."

Acketeer's eyes once again focused on Durante. "And… you're planning to kill her for it…?"

Roy cleared his throat. Lying was so easy now. "No, but as a precaution, I have asked Officer Durante to escort me, in case the situation turns… ugly."

Though if he ever caught anyone committing such a treason, Roy could only imagine they would plead for mercy, rather than take on a trained guard who was armed to the teeth.

Acketeer's lips formed a thin line on her face. She'd bought the lie, but the reaction seemed extreme. At least, that's what he hoped.

"I see." She cleared her throat. "Then I must insist that I accompany you on your… mission."

Roy looked at Durante – he was as still as a statue, as wound as a screw, but he didn't say anything to dissent Roy. If it was his place, he might've reacted with a punch instead.

Roy looked back at Acketeer. "That's fine. Just please… stay quiet."

"Of course."

The group assembled, Roy, Durante and Acketeer made their way to the corridor outside Camilla's room. The guard posted at her door told them that she was still inside, so they crammed themselves into an alcove.

And waited.

And waited.

After an hour, Roy had sat down onto the carpet and was currently tracing the funny patterns on the plant pots. Durante, behind Roy, had kept watch the entire time, but it was obvious by his sagging face that boredom was gnawing at him too. Even peppy Acketeer, in the alcove opposite, was suppressing her yawns.

"What time is it?" Roy eventually hissed into the silence.

Durante checked his watch. "It's nearly eleven."

Lady Camilla always returns before midnight.

Surely she would have left by now, if she was going to leave at all today. If she had things to do for her evil spy seniors, how could she get them access if she was stuck in her room?

Roy stood up from his awkward squat. "I think I'm growing grey hairs here, waiting for so long. Do you think I should just knock? She's probably inside."

Durante said, "It's up to you, Your Highness," the same time Ji-Yu buzzed in, "Absolutely not."

Chewing his lip, Roy pressed his finger to his ear. "Why not?" he whispered, so as not to alert Acketeer to their secret conversation.

"If she is the spy, Jun—"

"She would have left by now. If I knock and she's still in, we can try another night when she does leave her room."

"And risk causing suspicion? No."

Roy grumbled, "Do you have a better option than me waiting here until I'm as wrinkled as you?"

She made a grunt that sounded like she wanted to retort the jab, but didn't comment on it. "Very well. Knock. But Officer Durante must go with you."

Obviously, Roy wanted to snort, but he was already testing his mother's patience long enough.

Roy and Durante stepped out of the alcove, and Acketeer's gaze zeroed onto them. "We're going to knock," said Roy.

Acketeer's lips seemed to thin, but she nodded and followed.

Roy dismissed the guardsman and poised his knuckle over the creamy wood of the door. This was it. He hoped equally to be rid of this sickening spy business once and for all as he did for Camilla to be an innocent party.

He knocked. Once.

After beats of silence, he knocked again. Three times, like the beginning of a song rhythm.

Roy's stomach began to churn when another full minute passed, and no response.

"Lady Camilla?" he called, knocking once more.

No response again. Roy's brain began to roil along with his stomach.

If she wasn't answering him… if she wasn't responding…

But they'd be standing there for nearly an hour. There was no way she could have left without being caught.

He swallowed the knot of nerves that had crawled up his windpipe. "I'm going in."

Ji-Yu didn't reply, so she was clearly on edge just as much. If not more.

Durante readied his hands over the assault rifle. Acketeer tensed.

Roy opened the door.

Camilla's room was well-kept and clean, but also had an air of untidiness to it that Roy couldn't pin. Her bed was made and the floor was free of articles of clothing, but the walls were also plastered with numerous sketches, drawings and blueprints of buildings and architectural designs. He could see it even in the darkness.

"Camilla?" he asked again, but her bathroom door was ajar, with the light off as well.

She was definitely not here.

He groped for the wall light and switched it on. The first thing that caught his eye was a jar of rocks on her bedside table. Why she had a jar of rocks, Roy had no idea. And he wasn't sure he wanted to.

The second thing that caught his eye, was the flurry of curtains dancing in the wind.

Coming from the open window… and abandoned balcony.

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Without thinking, Roy scrambled to the balcony and peered down.

The Selected wing was on the third floor of the palace. And each floor had a generous space between the ground and the ceiling. It wasn't exactly a nice hop down to the ground. From here, the fountain in the back garden courtyard was about the size of his hand.

So, had Camilla… climbed her way out?

The churning in his stomach turned into a tornado, raging and pillaging his entire body.

She'd decided to skip being caught on cameras today, and just went full-on spy mode.

"Look at this," said Acketeer from behind.

Roy ripped his gaze away. She'd picked up a roll of white tape from the top of her dresser, amongst a cluster of rolls of different widths. This roll, he discerned with incremental horror, was nearly used up to the cardboard frame in the centre.

Acketeer dragged a finger along the material. "Athletic tape, to help prevent injury and support muscles." She put the tape back on the dresser. "Can definitely be used for climbing."

Roy tried to straighten. So if he did actually believe that Camilla Daugherty had scaled half a palace wall just to meet with the rebels… where had she gone after that?

Squinting his eyes, Roy searched the garden desperately for any ghost of a figure. The garden stretched back acres and acres, but they were high enough to see the border between here and the forest, poking up from behind the thick brick wall like tower spires. Guards patrolled frequently at the perimeter, and there was a guard stationed at the gate, but if she managed to exit the palace without being spotted, she could surely do the same leaving the entire complex.

And then he saw. Just a pinprick in the vastness. By that very wall.

The shape of a girl.

Scaling the wall around the grounds.

Roy's jaw dropped open. He had no idea Camilla was capable of such a thing.

But of course she was. Spies were trained in this sort of thing, right? To hide their skillset and use when most needed? Roy felt his lungs crackling like a fire desperate for oxygen.

Durante came behind him. "If we want to follow, sir, I think we're going to have to gain access to the forest behind the gates."

The forest was tricky, large and foreboding. Darkness seemed to congregate there like a social gathering. It was the perfect place for rebels. He vaguely recalled his ancestors having trouble with rebels in the forest too, and this time, it would be no different.

He psyched himself up. Though he was nearly close to being sick, he had to follow. Had to see. Where she was going, who she was meeting.

He marked her place on the wall mentally. "All right, let's go."

They hustled out of her room and into the garden, but by the time they'd crossed the garden to the wall, which took about twenty minutes, Camilla had completely disappeared.

Luckily, Roy had access to the gates into the forest. His mother had always discouraged going beyond the gate, since it was technically open to the public, which included all sorts of questionable members of the human race. But since she'd given him her permission this time, the guards let him through the four wrought gates without hesitation, and the gates opened one-by-one.

The darkness swelled around them as they departed the safety of the palace walls. The canopy of the forest was so thick, that only the faintest spots of moonlight could filter through, and the pine would have been a comforting smell if Roy didn't have an ulterior purpose than smelling the sweetness of the trees. There weren't any snooping paparazzi, luckily, but somehow Roy found the idea of other people's presence more comforting, even if they were nosy and unrelenting.

Durante stayed in front of Roy, his assault rifle and its attached torch poised, whilst he'd – reluctantly – parted with one of his handguns and given it to Acketeer, who held up the rear. Soil and twigs crunched beneath Roy's feet, and the silence enveloped them like a wintery bow. Apart from the occasionally chirp of an animal and their own footsteps, there was nothing to be heard. Nothing to be seen.

Roy felt like adding his voice to the harmonious, yet ominous, quiet was almost a crime. "How are we even going to find her? She could be anywhere in this place."

For once, Durante seemed to be at a loss. "I'm… not sure how to proceed, if I'm honest, Your Highness."

"Surely there is a sign of her movement?" Ji-Yu provided unhelpfully through the comm.

Roy mumbled, "I don't speak broken twig and tree whisper, unfortunately."

"Wait," said Acketeer.

Roy and Durante halted, and they both watched as Acketeer overtook them and carefully monitored where she placed each crook of her booted toes. She'd holstered her gun to survey the ground, the forest floor, with a sudden, intense eye that Roy hadn't seen from her before.

"You're not searching for alcohol, are you?" he joked, but for once, she ignored him, and crouched down the ground, digging her hand through grains of soil.

"All this spore," she said, "is an indication of movement."

"Spore?" Roy asked. "You mean those seed things?"

Acketeer shook her head. "No, sir. S-P-O-O-R, spoor. It's traces of animals that hunters use to track them." She jiggled her head. "Well, in this case, trace of a human."

She dropped the soil and stood up. "The soil is more compact in this spot, suggesting someone stepped on it. The ground isn't wet enough to compress the soil into a solid footprint, but it's too big for any regular forest animal." She pointed just further on. "And here. These twigs are broken. Someone stepped on them, too."

"It still could be an animal," said Durante – with the most unimpressed tone Roy had ever heard.

"It's winter. The best this could be is a wolf or a fox, but again, those footprints heading in the same direction are too big." She gestured down a path where the roots of the trees burst free from the ground like a gnarled obstacle course. "Her lady probably went this way."

Roy followed her gesture with his eyes. If Acketeer was right, Camilla had dove straight into the heart of the forest. Durante seemed inclined to disagree, judging by the frown lines crinkling his face, but he looked to Roy for guidance. After all, it was Roy's decision.

"When did you learn to track?" Roy asked, the question suddenly coming out as accusing.

Acketeer lowered her arms. With the light on her face, her blush was bright and illuminous. "Oh, well. I pick up a few things now and then."

Roy rolled his shoulders and stared down their path of mystery again. "We're not exactly flooded with options, here." He jerked his head. "Lead the way."

Acketeer beamed and armed herself with the gun again, heading their search party. Durante stayed behind Roy, and they followed in total silence.

When they reached the largest tree trunk Roy had ever seen, easily the width of a small house, and the unloved colour of an abandoned shed, Acketeer held out a hand for them to stop. Branches splayed from the trunk like spindly hands, as if reaching to seize the hazy air, and webbed up the tree in a network of leafless, speckled wood.

A flimsy messenger bag hung on one of those low branches. Roy was tempted to plunder it for notes, but as Durante aimed the torch in its direction, the only thing he could see was sandwich bags filled with peanut butter bars.

Then Acketeer tapped Roy's shoulder, and pointed upwards.

Roy followed her gaze.

He didn't need Durante's torch to see, because Camilla Daugherty had wedged herself so high up in the canopy that her whole body sparkled in the moonlight. Sports tape was wrapped around her hands, her bare knees, and her bare elbows, and she somehow balanced herself on two branches with such expertise that she even had a sketchpad and pencil in one hand, and one of her peanut butter bars in the other. A low light emitted from a small torch that she'd jammed behind her ear.

Roy was too startled to say anything for a minute. She was, again, nearly the full way up this tree with no guards, no safety nets. Nothing, but herself, her sketchpad and a chocolate bar. It was a genuine snapshot of Camilla Daugherty in the wild.

She didn't notice them, even as they approached the very trunk of the tree, with her in full view. Her gaze was solidly stolen by something far away – Roy guessed she was facing the palace. No doubt she was at a height not even the palace walls reached.

He finally found his voice, and it came out choked. "Lady Camilla?"

She yelped, dropping her peanut bar into the milky darkness, and her head whipped to face him, the shoulder cut of black hair following like a silky ribbon. Her eyes glinted.

Like an, oh, crud, I've been busted, glint.

"P-Prince Roy!" she squeaked, in the guiltiest voice he'd ever heard come from her mouth. She hastened to tuck the sketchpad under her chin and the pencil behind her other ear as she started to climb down. "I-I'm sorry. I'll… climb down now."

He watched with a mixture of awe and shock as she effortlessly descended the tree with easy swings of her arms and the bounce of the branches. Not a scratch was on her, even if some leaves and twigs had caught in her clothes and hair. She landed onto the soil with a solid thud. Durante shined the light on her, and it only accentuated the tautness of her shoulders, the bow of her head in shame. She turned off her torch and clenched her sketchpad in her hands.

He'd never seen her express so much emotion.

"What…" he began, but his mind was too full of mingling thoughts. "What on earth?"

She winced, keeping her eyes squared on the tree next to her. They were the same shade of deep brown. "I… I'm sorry," she managed again. "I like… climbing."

"No kidding," he murmured. "But… why were you in a tree, in the dead of night, in the middle of a creepy forest, that I'm pretty sure the Selected are forbidden from entering?"

Her eyes slid to the assault rifle in Durante's hand, then the handgun in Acketeer's, and she swallowed. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I just… I like to climb, and I like to sketch buildings, and this tree" – she awkwardly patted the trunk – "provides on the best views of the palace."

Implying she'd done this a dozen times.

"That's the only thing you do when you come out here?"

She nodded tentatively. "Yes, Your Highness."

He could've been angry at this development, but the only thing he could feel was relief.

Camilla wasn't the spy.

At least… for now, she wasn't. Her disappearances into the night could be attributed to a wild desire to climb, rather than a taming desire to see the monarchy fall. There could always be more evidence to suggest otherwise, but for now… she was innocent.

He loosed a breath, and gestured for Durante to lower his gun. He detached the torch and held it with his now free hands, scanning the foliage for any possible surprises. Acketeer, too, seemed to relax.

"It's a false alarm," Roy breathed out in a sigh of relief, more to himself than anyone else.

He'd forgotten Ji-Yu on the line. "Yes, I can hear the conversation, Jun," she muttered. He could almost hear the cogs of her brain turning. "Fine. But the girl needs a stern talking to about her priorities. Meet me in the control centre when you return to the palace."

He toggled the communicator off.

But Acketeer stepped forwards. "It might not be a false alarm, Your Highness." She faced Camilla with a stern frown. "Is it true you're seeing another man?"

Awkward silence.

Roy could swear he heard his stomach drop to the forest floor. Why did the lies he made up to spare him on one situation always come back to bite him in the butt?

This seemed to dizzy Camilla too. "Pardon?" she stuttered.

"Because that is an act of the highest treason, my lady," warned Acketeer.

Camilla raised her hands immediately. "Your Highness, I promise, I am definitely not seeing anyone out here." She pressed her lips together in that guilty way again, and her voice came out strained. "Honestly, I… just come here for some peace and quiet and sketch time, is all."

A pang of his own guilt crawled through Roy's lungs, and he had to fight the urge to ask about it. They thought she came out here to see rebels, but really she came out here… to be alone.

That was… quite sad.

He tried not to let it show when he rubbed his temples. "I'm not going to lie then. I'm confused," he said.

"No kidding," said Camilla.

Then her face went white.

Roy remembered that small conversation they had when he was completely drunk at his party. Camilla did have a sort of snarky humour locked up there.

He stuck out his tongue. "Touché." When she lifted her head slightly, he found himself grinning. "Sorry for the scare, Lady Camilla. I thought you were doing something suspicious out here. I thought…" he gulped. Well, he wasn't going to tell her exactly what he thought. "I thought something weird was going on."

Her eyes focused on Durante, who was still scanning the trees. "And you decided to solve it with… guns."

Roy shrugged. "A prince can't be too careful now."

Camilla watched the gun slung over Durante's back like a hawk as she retrieved her messenger bag from the branch. "Then I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble. I… won't do it again."

That same guilt festered within him. She came here to get away, which was understandable, at the very least, and a harrowing realisation of the stressful nature of the Selection, at most. She didn't seem to be doing any harm out here, and if it helped her find some inner peace, who was he to stop her?

"No need to apologise," he said, noting that she tended to apologise a lot. "How about this: you can come back here whenever you like, but from now on, you bring an escort, you go when its lighter outside, and you bring safety equipment. Deal?"

Her eyes widened a fraction, as if she'd never been offered something so generous. "I… are you sure, Your Highness?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I'd be a hypocrite if I were to stop people doing what they like. Case and point: me and parties."

She cracked a grin – enough so that a shard of Roy's mind was momentarily distracted by it. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

Acketeer cleared her throat. It didn't seem like she'd dropped the secret tryst idea yet. "Would you like me to check the surrounding area, sir? Just in case there is another man around?"

Camilla blanched again, looking like she wanted to argue, but biting her tongue. Roy watched each of her features change to dissent – he supposed that was a sign that she was telling the truth. She was out here alone.

"Er, all right. But make it quick."

Acketeer sped off like a wolf hunting prey. Roy supposed she was exactly that.

They stood in silence for a moment, Durante still conducting his search of the immediate area, until Camilla awkwardly cough. "Your Highness, may I… may I request to go back into the tree?"

Roy frowned, though he wasn't sure if Camilla could see it. "What? Why?"

"I left my spare sketchbook up there."

Well, it would be pretty awkward to leave it. "Oh, sure. Go ahead."

At once, an assertive attitude seem to flood her, and she approached the tree like a challenge to overcome. Each branch, each grip, was precise and experienced, and she ascended the tree like she'd done it a million times.

It sort of made Roy jealous. She made it look so easy.

"Hey, can I have a go?"

Camilla paused. She was halfway up already. "I— pardon?"

Roy had climbed a tree once when he was thirteen. Well, tried. He'd tripped on the root before he'd even managed to touch the trunk, and he'd run crying to Rudy over his scabbing knees.

But Roy was now a brazen nineteen year-old, and the adrenaline from the situation had yet to fizzle out.

"It looks fun," he said.

She wavered on the branch. "It is, Your Highness, but… I'm not sure if it's a wise idea."

Roy laughed. "I'm the prince. Everything I say is wise."

"Arguably, not everything you do is wise," she quipped back.

He grinned with challenge. "Wisdom comes from experience," he piped. "Officer Durante, if you could shine the torch over the tree branch for me, please."

Durante seemed inclined to agree with Camilla, but he angled the beam of the torch, allowing Roy to see where to place his feet. He felt another wild kick of adrenaline rushing through him. Oh, boy, Mother would kill him.

It was harder than he expected. Each branch taunted him, asking his body to stretch in ways he wasn't used to. He greeted each hold with determination and grit, and pulled himself up.

"How far am I?" he yelled, feeling like he'd just scaled a mountain.

"About two branches up," said Durante, monotone.

Roy grunted. Durante wasn't even yelling.

Camilla reached the top, grabbed the spare sketchbook – which was hidden within a niche in the trunk – and began to climb back down. Roy pulled himself up higher, shoving away the protest in his limbs, until Camilla reached the spot he was in the tree.

Up close, he could see a glistening of amusement that eased her muscles. The sports tape around her hands, knees and elbows was spotted with dirt and grime, and there were streaks of grime running down her legs, as well, but she'd still stayed miraculously unscathed.

"Can you, erm," she hesitated, "manage?"

He felt his upper lip draw up. "I'm the prince. Of course I can."

That same amusement seemed to betray the frown that followed. "Okay, Your Highness, but… please be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"No, you're not," said Durante, still not needing to yell.

"Rudy is rubbing off on you, I swear," Roy mumbled, going to look down.

Only to discover with dizzying realisation that though Durante didn't need to call up to him yet, he was still quite a ways up. At least four metres off the ground, which was at least a floor in palace terms. He quickly faced upwards, nearly suffering whiplash, and tamed the small part of him rallying for the earth beneath his feet.

As he climbed, Camilla easily keeping pace, she whispered, "Your Highness… you're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"Pffft. No," Roy responded.

Which was true. He would happily tatter by the edge of a breezy balcony.

What he was afraid of was falling.

Camilla didn't look like she believed him – which was fair; he hadn't exactly said it convincingly – but didn't argue as he grabbed the next branch and hauled himself upwards. There had to be something cool in his tenacity, right?

He planted his foot onto the next branch.

Camilla said, "Ah, I wouldn't—"

His foot immediately slipped and Roy felt himself tip sideways. He screamed, grabbing the nearest thing – another branch – until he was dangling off the side with only one foothold.

"Your Highness! Are you all right?" called – called! – Durante.

"I'm fine," Roy replied, but he was pretty sure he'd sliced something down his leg. Pain blossomed on his shin, and he felt a slow trickle of blood seeping through his clothes.

Camilla only fixed him with a pitying look. "Do you need… help, Your Highness?"

"No," he said stubbornly, waving his injured leg around. Where the heck were all the branches?

Her face was so unimpressed he could take a photo, print it, and send it as a birthday card to Alex and Barney. "Is it because you're the prince?"

"Now you're getting it."

Not missing a beat, Camilla replied, "With all due respect, I'm the freeclimber."Pause. "And I can see blood on your leg."

"… Touché." Then, in a smaller voice. "Halp."

She chuckled, before climbing down to his level and holding out a hand. "Okay, give me your hand, and I'll swing you over there."

He reluctantly released the tree branch that probably had dents in from his extreme grip, and took her hand. It was undeniably warm, but chapped and scathed in the areas uncovered by sports tape. But her grip was solid, and she helped to manoeuvre him to another branch for him to latch onto.

Eventually, he landed back on the ground. The pain had become an annoying ache, so much so that Roy leant against the tree trunk for support, and he hissed as Camilla inspected it.

"It's not deep," she said, coming back to the stand. Of course, not a scratch on her. "It'll probably just need plastering."

Durante sighed, drawing his hand down his face. Sweat had since veiled his forehead. "With all due respect, sir—"

"—you're not going to say anything respectful, are you?"

"—this was a stupid idea."

He was definitely getting bolder.

Roy tutted. "Wisdom comes from experience. I have learnt well from this, er, experience." He paused. "That I never want to climb another tree again."

Both Camilla and Durante laughed. It was a strange harmony. And he found himself laughing too.

Acketeer came stomping back then. She looked more frazzled than when she left.

"No sign of any hidden affairs, sir—" she cut herself off, staring at Roy's leg. "Goodness. What on earth happened?"

"Not on earth. In the air, on a tree." Roy waved her away before she could comment. "Let's get back to the palace."

Durante and Acketeer took Roy's sides, to help him limp back (which was probably an overreaction on his part, but he wasn't going to complain), as Camilla lead the way to the wall gate. It was obvious she'd trekked here before, since she knew where to step, when to bow under a low tree branch, and the direction they were going in.

In no time, they'd returned to the palace. Ji-Yu chewed him out, as expected, whereas she'd only given Camilla a stern talking to about her secret excursions (Camilla had understandingly become mute during this tormenting experience), and hustled him to the infirmary so one of the stationed doctors could see to his cut. Indeed, it was cleaned and sealed with bandages, and before long, the ache dissolved into only a prickle on the surface of his leg.

Durante and Acketeer parted ways with them both, leaving Roy to escort Camilla back to her room for the night. The guard by her door paled at the sight of them, but Roy dismissed him for the moment. In the light, Camilla looked more tired than he had seen in the forest. Her light brown skin was darker under her eyes. Her loungewear T-shirt and shorts were scuffed up (he wasn't entirely sure where she'd procured such casual clothes, but decided not to question it), and her hair was frizzing, into slight waves, around her face.

"That was fun," he said.

She opened the door to her room and passed the threshold, suppressing a chuckle. "Was it? I mean… for you…" Her eyes slid to the bandage, hiding underneath the now-ragged cloth of his trousers.

True, it wasn't the night he expected, but he certainly preferred embarrassing himself trying to climb a tree to discovering she was a rebel spy – or, heck, discovering she was engaging in forbidden love.

"Sure," he said. "If I'm honest… we haven't talked much this Selection, have we?"

The realisation seemed to steal her, too, and she shook her head. "No. That's true."

In a weird way, this was another date. Another bonding experience with a Selected girl.

If one ignored that it was the dead of night, he busted his leg, and his bodyguards were along for the ride.

He grinned. "I'll be sure to remember this night for a long time." He wiggled his eyebrows. "You're still the Official Stage Double-Checker, remember?"

Camilla's snort made his heart patter strangely.

"Yes, I remember. I doubt I can forget, Your Highness."

He tipped his head in reverence. "Just Roy, is fine."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure? After all, you are the prince."

It was his turn to snort, and they ended up both laughing at his stupidity. Well, at least he could afford to laugh at himself like this, now.

"I'm sure," he said, spinning on the spot. "Goodnight, Camilla."

She nodded with one final, sheepish smile. "Goodnight, Roy."

The door closed as he limped away.

Now Roy felt stupid that he'd suspected her. Camilla was quiet, but she wasn't capable of being a rebel spy. At least, he hoped so – now with even more desperation than before, when he didn't know her as well.

His mind seemed to fog. With Camilla crossed off the list for now, who did that leave?

The next name of the list. Elise Belmont.

Like Camilla, she'd had mysterious trips in and around the palace. Like Camilla, these vanishing acts left her suspiciously unaccounted for at times.

And like Camilla, Roy was going to have to stake her out. And find out whether she was friend… or foe.

A/N: So Camilla is innocent... at least, for now... Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Boy, it's been a while. I hope you've all been well! I'm pleased to say I graduated from university and am now enjoying my summer before I start job-searching! It's been a loooong haitus, but a good thing is I went to see tons of real-life castles and palaces, and they provided really great story inspiration! I always struggled describing the Angeles palace's interior, but now I have a better sense of what they could potentially look like.

(Windsor Castle was surreal because I kept imagining Alex and Barney living there lololol.)

Genuinely, thanks so, so much for your patience and sticking with this story. I really appreciate it, and I really love that you take the time to read and write your reviews and reactions and theories. That you are all as invested as I am is far more motivating than I can explain. I can't say I can return to the weekly schedule atm, but it'll definitely be more frequent from now on. Let's look onwards to the future!

As for the story itself, I've certainly strung you all along for a while about the identity of the first spy! I have it mostly worked out now...

IT ALL BEGINS. 38.

Please leave a review if you can! I love reviews like I love the sound of rain (so... calming... Zzz). Favourites and follows also appreciated! Thanks for reading!

~ GreenWithAwesome

Next Time Teaser: "What could they be arguing about that would break their annoying twin bond?"