Julia arrives at the dress shop. Dismounting her horse the young adviser goes to the back, knocking on the door. She's unaware that Zuzu has followed him. On the other side, hearing the knock Lulu drops the many fabrics she has stacked in her arms on a nearby table and goes to open the door. She's only footsteps away when the door opens revealing familiar long black hair.
"Julia, you found my ring!" The princess beams. "Good girl." She praises Zuzu who entered the shop after Julia, going straight to her princess. Zuzu then turns her dark blue eyes towards Julia hissing angrily causing the purplenette to wonder what has gotten into her companion.
Julia smiles sinisterly before regaining her facade. "Princess, you must come with me quickly. You can explain everything on the way back to the castle."
"Yes, but first let me-"
Julia grabs Lulu's wrist. Hushing her by telling her there was no time and dragging her out of the shop, closing the door quietly behind them. Out from a different room Saya appears calling out for Lulu with no response. Thinking that Lulu might have stepped out for a bit of fresh air, Saya returns to work.
Lulu can see her home in the far distance, but as she and Julia and Zuzu continue their ride an unsettling feeling settles in her gut. They are going in the opposite direction of her home and towards the old mine. The young Princess can't help but flinch on the inside as she thinks about the mine. Because of the gold shortage she is having to marry for political and not for love. She is marrying a stranger instead of her heart's keeper.
"What are we doing here?" She wonders as they stop in front of the mind. She doesn't want to believe what is starting to form inside her head. Julia could never, would never. . . . but if it's not Julia then who else. . . .
"Just making a little pit stop."
"You're behind this!"
"Look who's clever. Especially planting that double to fool me." Julia then grabs Lulu by her bicep pulling her down from the carriage and dragging her down in the mine. Zuzu following behind. Once they are deep enough Julia throws her on to the ground. Two familiar voices catch Lulu's attention, she looks up to see Grace and Gloria.
"I don't understand Julia, why would do this?"
"Underestimating me? That's just like a royal."
"To be Queen." Grace reveals, voice calm and gentle like a spring wind.
Lulu turns to face her brother's adviser. "And how would you get to be Queen?"
"Well, she was going to marry you," Gloria confirms, voice smooth and cool like a cube of ice. "But now she's got a new spouse in mind."
"What?" Lulu can feel her heart pounding, hoping that she isn't going to say who she thinks she's going to say.
Julia pulls Lulu, informing her that Shay is a very beautiful man. The Princess's heart drops to the pits of her stomach at the confirmation. The adviser takes her over to a room to reveal Yuto sitting on a wooden crate, hands tied behind his back. She cries his name in shock, he says her in disbelief. She's thrown into the room.
Rising to her knees, her hunger and tiredness starting to come forward, Lulu glares at the soon-to-be former adviser and her minions. She is unaware that during her fall to the ground that Julia took out her wing hair clip, the black-hair woman placing it in her pocket.
"What a tragedy, it will be when they discover you died in a horrible accident." Julia explains.
"They won't ever stop looking for the Princess!" Yuto growls calmly. Julia objects, showing the clip before exiting the room with Grace and Gloria in tow locking the door just as Lulu is done untying Yuto's hands. The two best friends jump up and try to open the door with no lock.
Outside, Gloria and Grace have sealed the door and are using pickaxes on some of the rocks until water starts spouting up. Julia laughs as she sees more water coming out; demeaning it worthy enough she and her minions leave. On the other side Lulu is starting to feel her blood heat as the events of the past few moments starts to come crashing down. She wants to scream, cry, and do everything she shouldn't in front of another because of her royal upbringing, but the person is Yuto and he always knows what mood she is in.
At the royal palace Shay is finishing is overview of the papers unifying the two kingdoms. "Thank you, Ambassador," the King finally says after he finishes his reading. "The two kingdoms will officially be joined tomorrow after the wedding. Are you ready, sis?" The hazel-eye young man turns to his sister.
"Ready. . . . I. . . . uh. . . ." Serena stutters. This wasn't supposed to last this long! Where is Yuto with Lulu? They were supposed to return by now so Lulu can carry on with her royal duties and she can return to her horrid life as a seamstress for Madam Camula.
Yuri coughs to break the tension. Bowing the young neighboring king holds and indigo colored box in his left hand. Opening it up it reveals a beautiful silver necklace with purple and blue gems. "For my bride to be."
Serena can feel her heart stop, her breath catching. The necklace is beautiful! She would like to take it and put it on, but it's meant for Lulu. Not her. The pauper is hoping that perhaps late tonight the princess and her tutor will show up and Serena can give them a quick low down of what is happening before she goes back to the village. Lifting her head just a little she looks into Yuri's purple-pink eyes. He's a good guy, a good King. In that moment Serena wants to take him aside to confess everything to him. Then Shay. Neither of them deserve this facade and the need to know the truth. As she looks between Yuri and the necklace, the feeling of Shay's eyes on her and her heart suddenly beating rapidly in her chest, only one word escapes her mouth.
"Whoa."
Not a second passes after the word leaves her mouth does the doors to the room slam open revealing Julia and some guards. Julia has a look on her face showing that she has not come to mess around, causing many of the occupants to wonder what has gotten her so riled up. "Seize her! She's an impostor!"
Serena's heart instantly drops to her feet, her body feeling hollow. "Let me go!" She protests as two guards grab her arms placing them behind her in a tight grip.
"Julia, what are you doing?" Shay demands blood boiling because his most trusted adviser is arresting his sister!
"Release the princess!" Yuri agrees, not sure why his future spouse is under arrest.
"She's a fake!" Julia informs. "A common pauper!"
"Are you telling me I don't know my own sister?" Julia goes over and takes off the wig revealing Serena's indigo bands and mid-back length hair with blue side tails. "So Lulu cut and dyed her hair? She probably used the wig because she didn't know how anyone would react. That doesn't prove she's a fake."
"Ah, I just discovered the truth myself, Your Majesty. Have you wondered why we haven't seen Yuto lately? HE was conspiring with this-this impostor! Together they hid the Princess in the Royal mine so-so she could take her place, marry King Yuri and take over the kingdom!" Julia explains.
"What proof do you have of this ridiculous story?" Yuri wonders.
Inside, Julia smiles taking out the hair clip but keeping her face sorrowful on the outside. "Once I discovered the treachery I tried to save the princess, but I was too late. They sabotaged the mines. I'm afraid this is all I've found."
Seeing the hair clip, Shay can start the feelings of fear and grief start to etch inside. "No! It can't be!" Julia then asks him to check Lulu's shoulder, that that is her reassurance that the young lady standing before him is not his sibling. With heavy feet the King makes his way over and pulls down the left shoulder of her dress. He sucks in a breath. Where there is usually two wings, the shoulder is bare. "It's true."
"Wait! I explain!" Serena pleads. "I'm not the princess, but I never hurt her or anyone else!"
"Throw her in the dungeon!" Julia orders.
"I just wanted to the princess, from her!" Serena points her finger at Julia.
"The dungeon!"
With that the guards escort Serena away, she wants to voice her side of the story but she can't. What proof does she have to show that Julia is the real traitor?
Once Serena is out of the room, Shay makes his way to his throne taking a seat. This past week he has lost his best friend and sister in the shadows (can he still call Yuto his best friend? How long has he been planning this-this takeover? He knows that Lulu must have been heartbroken when finding out Yuto was a traitor. Lulu may be good at hiding her emotions but around Yuto it's like she just forge-forgot.), and has been living with a pauper.
Yuri and Dennis leave their fellow King alone, walking out of the room down the halls to their rooms. "Unbelievable! What an outrage!" Dennis says, his usual calm and happy and jokeful tone having a slight edge to it. "What do they take us for? Fools? Trying to marry you to a mere pauper!"
"It just doesn't make any sense." Yuri states in a daze, hand around his chin as he often does when he is thinking. His most jumbled thoughts going to what has just happened moments ago. The young woman pretending to be Lulu has seemed off all week. Always glancing over her shoulder as if waiting for someone to come through the door. Eyes always lighting up just a little when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She may have been pretending to be the Princess, but Yuri is sure that she was telling the truth when she said that she never hurt Lulu. Or anyone for that matter.
A thought pops into his head as he hears some of the guards talking about how Julia plans on proposing to Shay as she has apparently found a way to the Kingdom. If Julia has a way to save the kingdom, then why didn't she present this to King Shay sooner? Even with the young pauper pretending to be the princess I wouldn't have thrown a fit if she had come out and said it. I would have asked to at least try and be friends with the Princess as I left. It would have been understandable.
Yuri leaves Dennis to their rooms as he says that he wants to be alone to clear his head and gather his thoughts. That's his excuse, in actuality Yuri wanders down to the dungeons to try and talk to the girl, find out her name and her side of the story. He knows that he should be skeptical about her, everything she has said and done with him could all be lies but his heart is telling him to trust her.
Down in the dungeons he stops as sees a few guards surrounding her cell, no way will he be able to convince them all or get pass them all to talk to her. Staying hidden behind a corner he can hear her clear and beautiful voice cracking as tears are undoubtedly running down her face.
Serena: Do a pliƩ and never fall. Don't ever stray from protocol. All through the day there's just one way, you must behave. Do keep a grip and never crack, Stiff upper lip. . . Stiff upper lip . . .
Yuri leaves as Serena bursts into even more tears. Serena unknowing of her fate while the King goes back to Dennis to discuss his plan to break the pauper out of prison.
