"I want to say that I basically don't mind if you have a relationship with my son, miss. It's just that I want to ask something from you."
"What can I do, ma'am?" she asked a little tensely.
"Please don't get my son into trouble. Settle your business with the royal family first."
"Ah, I understand, ma'am. Of course, I don't want to put Matias into trouble."
"He is very fond of you, Miss Nivea. For a long time, since you were class. I just pretended not to know in front of him. He's always hiding it."
"What ma'am? So was it true all along?"
Countess Victoria smiled, "I'm telling the truth, miss."
"Ah, well ma'am. I believe you."
"When your affair with Prince Edmund is concluded, I will convince my husband not to worry about anything."
Nivea could only answer that sentence with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Matias Vander Lawrence arrived at the right time, when the time His Majesty and Prince Edmund were in a conversation. They were discussing their plan to make an formal proposal to the daughter of the duke Eduardo.
Matias and Rodrigues' plan to confront Prince Edmund in front of His Majesty seemed to be going smoothly today as well.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty. His Majesty has a visitor, a son of count Antonio Lawrence has come to see His Majesty."
"The son of Count Antonio? What is the need for me?" asked His Majesty.
Meanwhile, Prince Edmund, who was sitting opposite him, began to frowning. Swallowing his displeasure that the man had dared to come to the palace uninvited.
"Let him come here to see me!" he ordered the bearer of the news.
After his nervousness subsided, Matias finally found the courage to start take a step. Following the footsteps of a palace guard to His Majesty's study.
"Greetings, may blessings and happiness flow to you, His Majesty and family." Matias bowed slightly before him.
"Thank you, sir...."
"Matias Vander Lawrence."
"Ah, forgive me for not memorizing your name well. You are the first son of Count Antonio?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Matias' eyes were fixed only on His Majesty. It was as if he didn't care about Prince Edmund's presence there.
"Hmm. Can you tell me now? What do you mean by coming to see me?"
"I want to show His Majesty something." the hand began to reach into the inner pocket of his black suit. Then handed over the photographs he had printed the other day, into His Majesty's hands.
And what was his surprise, as his gaze caught one of the figures of the young man in the photo. He understood, did not immediately react to his son. It was as if he was not surprised to find his son in the photo. And instead continued his questioning of Matias.
"Can you explain what these pictures mean, Mr. Matias?"
"Of course, Your Honor. In the beginning, Mr. Carlos, the manager of the wine estate owned by the government. Where I work, he complained of irregularities in his financial statements concerning taxes."
Prince Edmund flinched when he heard the word tax at the end of Matias' sentence. But the man who was still sitting on his sofa, tried to control himself to remain calm. He did not want to appear panicked.
His Majesty was still nodding at Matias' words, "Then?"
"Mr. Carlos said that every month he routinely gives money to Mr. Benedict to be deposited with the tax authorities. Mr. Benedict is the of our estate. But, Mr. Carlos received information from the tax authorities that we have been in arrears for many months."
"Hmm. Alright! So?"
"At first I didn't want to get involved in this at all, Your Highness. Let alone investigate it. But unexpectedly, I caught Mr. Benedict talking to a strange man at the estate. That one-eyed man and Mr. Benedict are in one of the pictures, Your Majesty."
His Majesty sighed, "Did you hear their conversation?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. I had to eavesdrop because they seemed suspicious."
"What were they talking about?"
"The one-eyed man is called Mr. Keith. He helped Mr. Benedict to make a fake tax bill. And then destroyed the original tax bill. After that, Mr. Benedict gave the fake tax bill to Mr. Carlos. After that, Mr. Benedict would make a profit that he would share with Mr. Keith."
"What, in a government-owned wine estate, there is such a practice?" His Majesty began to get angry. He shook his head. "And then what?"
"Again, I accidentally caught the two men meeting in front of the tax office in the morning. And it just so happened that at that time I was renting a photographic equipment that I would use to make family documentation. So I decided to take a picture of them that morning, Your Honor."
"That's right, this picture is set in the tax office building."
Over there, Prince Edmund was getting anxious to hear the rest of the Matias' next story. He also thought about how to make the man end his speech.
"A friend of mine helped me to investigate who Mr. Keith really was. And it turns out that he is a worker in charge of making and printing bills at the tax office."
"Ah, amazing. Even in government agencies, it turns out to be a rat's nest. Then, Mr. Matias?"
"Mr. Keith has committed many such frauds, Your Highness. Not only in our vineyard. And he can freely carry out his actions because he has protection."
"Protection?" the king asked in surprise.
"Enough, Mr. Matias! You have taken up much of His Majesty's time with me."
"Shut up Edmund! You are not polite at all! Let him continue his explanation!" His Majesty reflexively shouted. Until finally making prince Edmund bow in silence.
"Whose protection are you referring to?" he continued to ask Matias.
"Your majesty can see it in the picture."
"Ah, so you are Edmund? Answer me, Edmund!!!"
The crown prince, still refused to open his mouth.
"How much profit have you taken Edmund? Where did all the. You can't talk, Edmund? Answer me!!!"
"How can you believe everything he says, Father? Just a few pictures in your hand right now, you already believe it?"
His Majesty turned to Matias. To his mind, the prince's words Edmund had a point. Matias, who understood the meaning of His Majesty's gaze, hurriedly opened his mouth before he king's gaze, hurriedly opened his mouth before he was accused of making up stories.
"My friend brought a witness, Your Majesty. Your Majesty can ask the witness directly to the witness about this matter."
"What did you say, a witness? You paid someone to make up a story in front of His Majesty?"
"Shut up, Edmund! Where is that witness now? Bring him before me immediately!"