The ball was held in a huge hall which was extremely extravagantly decorated. The King obviously wanted to show his power and wealth. That was understandable though, since the ball was held in order to find the future wife of his son and that meant the future Queen.

The room was colorful and full of nobles. From young boys and girls to old men and women, everyone was well dressed and looked distinguished in their overly expensive dresses and suits.

In the middle of the hall, Kris was dancing with a young girl, Julia. He missed the steps often though, since his mind was somewhere else.

"Father, you can't do this. Rory didn't kill that woman. You can't execute him," Kris said loudly. He had tried hard to keep his voice low, since the man standing in front of him wasn't only his father but also the respected King. But it wasn't easy when it came to his best friend.

"Kristian, I have delayed this execution for years, giving you the time to find evidence that Rory is innocence. But, look, son, I can't delay it any longer. People are talking behind my back," the King explained.

"But, father, you know he is innocent. You've known Rory since he was a baby. He would never hurt anyone and you know it," the young Prince argued.

"It's not up to what I believe in, but what the evidence tells us. We found Rory next to the dead body, covered in blood and a with knife in his hand. If he wasn't my nephew, he would have been hanged years ago already. I only adjourned the execution because it was you who asked me to. But I can't do it anymore. I'm the King and if the King doesn't regard his laws, who else will?"

"But, father..." Kris was trying to say something but his dad cut him off.

"I'm sorry, my son, but Rory's execution will be in a month. And that's the end of this discussion."

"No, please listen to me," the Prince begged in frustration.

"I don't want to talk about this topic anymore. Leave. I want to rest now."

"Father..." The Prince tried again, but was interrupted by the King once again.

"Kristian, go back to your chamber," the King commanded. The Prince noticed the anger in his father's voice. He bowed and left the room immediately.

Kris slammed the door of his chamber loudly behind him. Madly, he threw everything he saw against the wall. What the hell should he do? He couldn't let his friend die like this, could he?

A girl's whining cut off the Prince's thoughts. Just then, Kris realized he was so deep in his thoughts that he unknowingly squeezed her hand.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, my lady. Did I hurt you?" He apologized.

"No, my Prince, I'm fine." Julia answered, faking a smile.

"Please excuse me, I have to leave now. I hope you'll enjoy the ball," Kris said before leaving a pouting Julia behind. He walked toward his friend Liam, who had been standing in the corner the whole night observing everyone closely.

"How is it going? Have you seen anyone suspicious yet?" he asked.

"No," answered Liam simply. "And why would it be someone with a medallion given by the King?"

Why? And once again Kris sunk into his memory.

"Rory, I have to tell you something," the young Prince said, looking at the boy behind the holding cell with sad eyes. It was a private cell, and it was actually more like a simple bed room with a locked grille than a prison.

"I already know, Kris," Rory replied calmly. "And you don't have to feel sorry about it. I know you tried your best and I'm really thankful for that. As long as you believe me, that's enough. I'm not afraid of death, you know?"

"Listen to me. I am not giving up. I'll prove your innocence, no matter what it'll cost. So don't give up on yourself and help me. Do you hear me?" the Prince told his friend.

"How? I've already told you everything I can remember," Rory said.

"You have to remember more details. There must be something else that can help us. Anything, even the smallest thing, tell me. What did you see? Didn't you notice anything abnormal when you found the dead body?"

"I... I've told you everything, really. There wasn't any- Wait." Rory stopped himself as something came to his mind.

"What? Do you remember something? What is it? Tell me," Kris questioned in a hurry.

"Oh god, why hadn't I noticed it earlier?" Rory murmured.

"Stop talking to yourself. Talk to me," Kris said impatiently.

"Kris, you have to look for a noble, someone who works for the King."

"Why that?" the Prince asked.

"Listen, I remember something. When I found the woman, there was a medallion next to her, the one your father gives to noble families that work for him," Rory finally explained.

"But that doesn't mean anything. It was hers. She was the wife of George Rosewall, a noble, remember?"

"Yes, but there was a second medallion on the floor. It was lying in corner. There were surely two when I found her. That means another noble had been in that room and who else should it be, if not the murderer?"

"Are you sure? Because we only found her medallion."

"I'm sure, Kris," Rory said. "The murderer must have turned back for it when I was leaving to look for help."

"But there are too many people with that medallion. I've never been able to count how many families got it from your father," Liam said.

"Don't nag, Liam," Kris said, hitting his friend's arm lightly.

"Says the person who has been dancing with countless beautiful girls the whole night," Liam said playfully.

"I was only observing them. I would never dance with them voluntarily. Don't you know how superficial they are?"

"So you're saying you are not having fun?" Liam asked, smirking.

"Not at all," the Prince answered. "But maybe you will. Go, dance and have fun. I'll do the observing for the rest of the night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I have had enough of those annoying people. I'll just stay here," Kris said, pushing the other boy aside.

Liam shook his head, laughing at his hopeless friend. For a Prince who was going to be the King one day, Kris was too unfamiliar with all these royal activities. He liked a simple life better and he was always friendly and polite to everyone, even to the lowest servants. That was actually what made Kris so likeable.

Liam walked towards a young boy he had been watching earlier. He had observed everyone, yes, but somehow this boy had caught his attention. He had been standing in the same corner the whole night and hadn't danced with anybody, even though a lot of girls had asked him to. He was so shy and so cute, and Liam swore he wasn't gay. This boy was just different, a little-brother-like boy and Liam had always wanted a cute younger brother.

"You're at a ball and don't want to dance?" he asked the boy. The younger boy seemed to be surprised that a stranger would suddenly talk to him.

"I... I can't dance," he said quietly.

"I can show you, if you want to," said Liam, smiling, causing the younger boy to look confused. And within a second he noticed what he just said.

"At another time, I mean. And that's if you want to. Of course not here, not now... I wasn't asking you for a dance, you know. I mean..." Liam explained nervously.

Awkward, Liam. So awkward.

"Sure, I'd love to. I'm Alexander, Alexander Albinson, but you can call me Alex," the boy said, grinning.

"William Payne. You can call me Liam."

Kris smiled when he saw his friend talking with an adorable boy.

"Liam, that man, complaining about not being able to dance with the girls and when he gets the chance to, what does he do? Talk... to a boy," he murmured sarcastically, laughing at his silly friend.

Suddenly, the Prince noticed a suspicious person who had arrived with the waitress, but immediately separated from them as soon as she got in. The person had been looking around, checking the hall, and was now about to leave. Kris' eyes lit up as he walked towards that person, blocking his way.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

About an hour ago, Amelia appeared at the castle, but she couldn't get in - as she had expected. The guards hadn't let her in, since according to them, who dressed as simple as her could never be a noble so she wasn't invited.

The poor girl was standing outside for over 30 minutes, looking for a way to get in, when she saw a group of servants going inside. Quickly, she ran after them, acting like she was talking to one of them as they walked by the guards, getting into the castle. Such irony that now she could pass as a servant but not the noble she actually was. Amelia breathed out in relief when she was finally inside. Following the servants, she found herself in the ball hall.

When she was about to leave, her eyes widened in shock. Julia and Diana were walking towards her. Did they see her? They would kill her if they knew she was here. She panicked. Just then, she saw Alex standing before them, blocking their views. He said something that caused them to turn around and walked in another direction.

Amelia placed her hand on her chest, breathing out. With her lips she formed the word "Thank you" to Alex, who smiled at her before leaving with his mother and sister.

"What have I done to you, Alex? What did I do wrong?" Amelia said, throwing the dish full of lentils and ashes against the wall as tears ran down her face. Yet, despite the tears, she saw something shining under the ashes. It was a key. Amelia quickly took it and tried to open the door. It opened. It was the right key, but how come that it was in the dish?

At that second, she remembered what Alex had done a few minutes ago. Did he do all that to give her the key? Her stepbrother who had ignored her for years had helped her?

Then Amelia found a small piece of paper. It said, "I prepared a simple dress for you. It's in my room, under my bed. Sorry I couldn't find something better than it. But please go out and have fun. Alex."

Reading those words, she was having a hard time fighting against the tears. Knowing that Alex was still the same warm hearted and helpful boy warmed up Amelia's heart. Why had he acted so different the last few years?

As soon as her stepmother and stepsister reached the other side of the hall, Amelia turned around to leave the hall too. Well, that was what she had planned to do, if she hadn't bumped into a handsome boy who was accidentally blocking her way.

"Where are you going?" the boy asked with a smirk on his gorgeous face.

"Kris?"Amelia shouted in shock.