A/N: Hi, it's me again. Hope you'll like this update. Thank you so much for the new readers who favorited and followed this story. It really means a lot to me. Please stay tune and happy reading!

The air was thick with tension as the emperor glued his gaze to the reports before him. The man before him swallowed a lump in his throat as he noticed the emperor's face contorted into a frown as it hovered around the pile of reports. Despite his obscured figure in the shadows, it was apparent that he was startled as the emperor's hands clenched around the documents, crumpling them with a loud sound before throwing them aside.

"Are you telling me that Erschelle cast a spell and the children retrieved from the operation were mere enchantment of her magic?" Faust asked, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

"The archmage had confirmed it himself, Your Majesty." The man in the shadows replied.

"If that's the case, how can we prove the accusations against her family? I should've known better how much she's cable of using such tricks against anyone. That vixen, how dare she!" he heaved before continuing.

"None of this would've become a problem if you had succeeded in killing her that night, Cedric!"

The night of the wedding.

After waiting for an hour to pass by, Cedric moved quietly down the dimly lit hallway his footsteps were muffled by the plush carpet. If you truly want to help Jellal, kill Erschelle as she holds the true key to undoing the curse that Jellal has. She is the seal that bounds the spell that switches both Alexis and Jellal's magic. He steeled himself, as he approached the door to their room.

"Who sent you?!" a voice yelled in their room making his senses tense.

An assassin? He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he tried to press himself against the door wanting to hear more. Cedric's breath caught in his throat as he felt himself lean towards the door exposing himself before her.

"Cedric?!" Erza exclaimed as she loosened her grip on the assassin's limp body.

His mouth went agape, a pattern was drawn in blood on the floor and Erschelle was holding the bloodied knife against the assassin's neck while Jellal was lying unconscious on the floor.

Seeing her distracted form, the assassin took advantage and bit his tongue causing him to disappear before them. Puzzled, he held his breath and charged towards her thinking that the emperor had sent another assassin in case he failed to do it. Erschelle had easily parried the initial attacks but soon struggled as she felt her vision starting to be shrouded by darkness.

"What's the meaning of this, Cedric?!" Erza asked as she pushed him away.

The poison must've taken effect by now! Why is she still standing? He asked himself as he stared at her slightly dazed form. He had poisoned her drink before the wedding and the effect should've been potent enough to kill her after three hours of ingesting it.

"Did you really think I will take no action against the very vile woman who had manipulated my master?" He hissed as he brandished his sword in her direction again.

"I will not stand idly as you corrupt my master before my very eyes!" he yelled as he noticed her shaking her head, clearly trying to clear her vision.

Erza ducked by and later felt pinned against a corner in the nightstand; she could feel the cold sweat spreading to her entire body in seconds. The poison is now taking effect. Cedric retaliated and took advantage of her vulnerable state and lunged forward which she parried but resulted in her stumbling on her back against the nearby balcony.

"This is a misunderstanding, allow m-me to explain," she pleaded as she clutched her chest, struggling with the effect of the poison.

He wasted no time and pushed her off the balcony sending her to her death. Or that was what he thought. After subduing her, he immediately checked the prince but was shocked to see him unharmed. The glow of the magic circle on the floor fainted along with the blood written on it.

"A magic circle made out of blood?"

He had no intention of eavesdropping, but as he overheard their conversation, he instinctively paused as he heard Erschelle mention rodents to his master.

"That night at our wedding, someone broke in, he was a skilled assassin sent by the empress to kill you. She must've doubted me of poisoning you that's why she sent a different man to ensure that the work is done but he failed. I managed to kill him. However, to my surprise, I suddenly felt lightheaded and someone entered the room and attacked me." Erschelle stressed.

His eyes widened, hands trembling in horror. He's dead. If Erschelle mentions his name, he's sure that Jellal will have no qualms about killing him. The woman who had manipulated my master like a paper doll to her liking will possibly tell him to eliminate me. That fucking cunning woman always turns the table in her favor! He gritted his teeth in nervousness.

"The person behind that incident must've been someone you trusted." Erschelle continued.

Cedric's heart skipped a beat. He pressed himself closer to the wall, straining to catch every word she said. I'm dead, he thought to himself. His pulse quickened as soon as he heard her cleared her throat.

"I couldn't remember his face, I was drugged that night. That's why we have to be careful," Erza continued.

"Whoever this rat is, they know too much. I will kill him with my own hands after what he had done to you," Jellal responded making Cedric bite his lips.

He was relieved but nervous at the same time that his cover was not burned yet but the menacing tone of his master was indeed a threat to him. I will find a way to eliminate you first, Erschelle, before my master knows the truth about that incident. He knew what he needed to do. He will do it even if it means fabricating things to erase her from this mansion, however, he had to be cautious—any misstep could draw suspicion towards himself.

"I have a plan." Erza suggested.

Present

'If you can't do it, then I will do it for you.'

The room was bleeding with silence. Erza's heart pounded as those words kept on ringing in her head. She stared blankly as she watched the physician tended her husband. The utter confusion in the physician's face made her uncomfortable

"I'm afraid I am uncertain what His Highness is feeling but may have been poisoned considering his state."

She closed her eyes and sighed breathily as she felt herself gripping the edge of a nearby table to steady herself. The physician's voice continued, but the words seemed distant, muffled as if she were underwater. Did my father really do this to save me from the empress's wrath? What did I do? She asked herself as she watched the physician exit the room leaving her with Caleb and Cedric.

The door gently closed. She sank into a chair beside the bed, her hands trembling as she reached out to touch his cold ones.

"Please leave me alone with my husband for the time being," she said as she brought his hand to her face.

Before Cedric exited, he looked back at her and saw her staring blankly at his master's face. She's sure a good actress. He thought to himself remembering their plan last night about this skit of fooling everyone about this incident.

"You don't have to ingest the poison, I can create an alternative potion with similar effect."

Erschelle's plan is convenient for him. He snickered as he stared at his pocket remembering how he had exchanged the real poison from her chambers for him to frame her up for this incident.

The minutes dragged on and after making sure no one else was around, she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Startled, she looked down to see Jellal's eyes fluttering open.

"Why are you crying? It was an act." he asked as he wiped her tears, washing herself with relief.

"Jellal," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You're awake."

Jellal slowly sat up and glanced around the room, making sure no one else was present. But before he could say a word, he felt her arms around his neck as she enveloped him in a tight embrace. Tears welled up in Erza's eyes as she held him tightly.

"I was so scared," she admitted, her voice breaking. "It felt too real to be an act, Jellal." She cried.

Jellal gently stroked her back, trying to console her. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Don't do something that reckless ever again." Erza said as pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. He tightened his jaw seeing her vulnerable state, he grabbed her waist inched the distance of their lips, and kissed her deeply. She fisted his blue locks as she felt his hot tongue against hers fighting for dominance.

After consoling each other with that long passionate kiss, it was Jellal's turn to embrace her tightly in his arms. She might've been scared knowing that the empress wanted me dead so badly. He thought to himself as her sobs subsided.

"Alright, what do we do now?" he asked as he loosened her in his embrace.

"Close your eyes," she ordered as she took a deep breath, gathering her strength as she clasped his hands.

He nodded and soon felt a warm sensation in his entire body, after a while, he opened his eyes as she instructed him. He gasped as he saw a replica of himself before her.

"This is an enchantment of yourself, he will take your place here so that you can freely go to Stella."

"What about you?" Jellal asked as he squeezed her hand, still hesitant about her plan. The crown prince's birthday is around the corner, and the safest place for her is to be near him. He cannot afford to be far from her in such a dire situation.

"The enchantment won't work if I'm not around. It will seem suspicious if I was the one poisoned instead."

"But the safest place for you right now is being with my side," he insisted.

"I'll be fine, Jellal. I will find that spy here before you get back and besides, the children that I've helped will tell you where the nightshades are when you get there. That's our last resort to undo the curse without anyone dying, so please. Listen to me, just this once."

"Alright," he nodded in retreat. "I'll be back within two days, I promise you that," reassuring her and before grabbing the teleportation scroll in the drawer, he kissed her one more time bidding his farewell.

As soon as he vanished from her sight, Erza felt the burden of the situation crashing down upon her. Her composure crumbled, and she broke down, her body shaking with sobs. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her head in her hands.

"I'll be back within two days, I promise you that,"

"You won't be back that easily," she thought to herself remembering that time flows differently in the place where the nightshades are. But, it's all for the best. She consoled herself, wiping her tears and taking a deep breath. She doesn't want to be alone, she is scared as the crown prince's birthday is only around the corner. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she reassured herself when a sudden loud bang echoed through the room. The door burst open with a force that made her heart leap.

Standing in the doorway was the emperor, flanked by a contingent of his knights, their armor glinting ominously. The emperor's cold gaze ventured in her direction.

"Your Majesty," she greeted as she quickly bowed before his authority.

"Arrest that scoundrel," the emperor ordered making her eyes widen.

"Your Majesty, what's the meaning of this? Please enlighten me-" she began, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her as soon as the knights circled her/

"There is no need for explanations," the emperor interrupted, his gaze hardening. "I had ordered my men to investigate the matters and it seems that you had poisoned my son!" the emperor stated as he drew nearer to Jellal's replica.

"W-what?" she raised her brows puzzled as the knights tried to restrain her. Erza used her magic to disarm the knights sending them outside as her magic created a blast as she defended herself from their advances.

Before she could react, the emperor appeared before her in a flash, and without a warning, his hand lashed out, striking her across the face with a resounding slap. The force of the blow sent her staggering back, a stinging pain radiating across her cheek.

"How can you explain this?!" he asked as he threw the vial that the empress had given to her.

"Your Majesty," she began, her voice shaking. "I can explain this-it is not like what it looks like," she tried to reassure as soon as the maids and other servants appeared before them.

Caleb's face turned pale as he watched Erschelle steady herself, her cheek burning red from the slap. He wanted to protect the princess but before he could take a step forward, Cedric offered another evidence pointing out that it was all Erschelle's doing as he gave the emperor the letters she had received from the empress.

"She was secretly sending letters to Duke Blanche about the prince's plans to expose their deeds, Your Highness." Cedric said as he frowned upon her pale face.

You are the rat all along, Cedric? It was the expression painted all over her face. She gritted her teeth and tried to say a word. She tried to retaliate but felt herself frozen in place, she couldn't move nor utter a single word. This binding magic?! Erza's eyes narrowed as she felt Acnologia's presence materialize from behind.

"What a useless knight." Acnologia commented before pinning her to the floor.

"I would've spared you knowing you look exactly like Irene, but you are Blanche's daughter after all, how dare you besmirched the memory of your mother, you shameful being?" the emperor asked as he grabbed her chin making her stare into his eyes.

The empress sat in her lavish chambers, a serene smile playing on her lips as she sipped her tea. She was delighted by the news that Erschelle had been thrown into prison. The chaos and suspicion within the mansion played perfectly into her plans, and removing Irene's daughter from the equation was a significant victory. Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash, startling the empress and causing her to spill her tea. She looked up, anger flaring in her eyes, ready to reprimand whoever had dared to intrude on her private time. But her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was.

Duke Blanche, stormed into the room, his face a mask of desperation and determination. The empress's anger quickly turned to annoyance.

"Duke Blanche," she said sharply, setting her teacup down with a clatter. "How dare you barge into my chambers unannounced?"

Rung dropped to his knees before her, his eyes pleading. "Your Majesty, I beg you, help my daughter."

The empress leaned back in her chair, considering his words. She smiled thinking that she had hit two birds with one stone. Even Rung was fond of your daughter, Irene? She was pleased to see such a powerful man begging her and saw this potential weakness to exploit him.

"Why should I intervene, Ruvelise?" she asked, her tone icy.

"You said you will spare my daughter is she succeeds in killing that bastard prince. Help her get out of that prison, I will do anything in return for her release."

The empress's smile returned, "You said you'd do anything, right? Make sure you do not forget it." She commented as she asked the servants for another tea.

Erza's feet felt the coldness of the damp floor of the basement prison, her body aching against the cold floor against her back. Her body had grown weary as her wrists and ankles were bound by the cold metal magic restraining chains biting into her skin. The sound of footsteps echoed through the stone corridors, gradually growing louder. Erza stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She strained to see through the dim light of the flickering torches.

"Erza," a voice whispered as the shadow emerged from the darkness.

Erza blinked and moved causing the chains rattling with her movements. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked staring blankly as the crown prince's face greeted her as he entered her cell.

"Look what at what he's done to you," he replied, as he unlocked the locks pinning her body against the wall, her body was so strained that she had no energy left, causing her to slump against him. Without undoing the magic restraints on her, he cradled her into his arms as he scanned her unconscious face.

With a heavy heart, he cupped her checks, hoping to ward her with his magic but soon frowned as she called out his brother's name.

"Jellal,"

A/N: Did you guess it right? WAHHAHA, I'll update soon. Thank you so much for reading. Please leave some reviews, omo.