The palace courtyard descended into a controlled, yet profound, panic. The assassins lay still, either defeated by Maya's ferocious defense or subdued by the belated arrival of the loyal Royal Guard. The air was thick with the scent of smoke, spilled wine, and blood.
Maya stood over the fallen bodies, the ceremonial dagger now secured by a guard, her chest heaving. She was physically spent, but the sheer adrenaline of the fight—the primal roar of the Lioness—had left her hyper-alert. She was no longer simply Maya. She was Anansi, the Princess, revealed through the crucible of combat.
Crown Prince Dong-jin, shaken but unharmed, was immediately surrounded by his own loyal guards. He ignored their cautious hands, his gaze fixed solely on Maya. He walked toward her, stepping carefully around the bodies of the mercenaries. The nobles who had watched the fight now stared at her with a mixture of terror and grudging respect. The xenophobic propaganda had been incinerated by the truth of her actions.
"You saved my life," Dong-jin whispered, his voice thick with emotion and disbelief. He didn't ask how she knew how to fight; the question was irrelevant. He only knew she had risked everything for him.
"It was my duty, Your Highness," Maya managed, her voice steadier than her legs felt.
Just then, Lady Ji-su appeared, her composure restored despite the chaos. She offered no praise, only a sharp, crucial instruction, delivered in a low, urgent tone only Maya could hear: "Afiya is secure. We have the decree. Get Choi into the Gifting Chamber now! Use the chaos!"
The assassination attempt, though unplanned, provided the perfect cover. Maya knew she had to exploit the chaos before Prime Minister Choi could regain control of the narrative.
Choi, who had been cornered near the entrance of the Gifting Chamber with the terrified Council members, now attempted to seize the moment.
"Do not be fooled, Your Highness!" Choi shouted, pointing a furious, trembling finger at Maya. "This entire incident is a diversion! She is foreign sedition! She brought these men into the palace to sow discord and claim a title!"
"Silence, Prime Minister!" Dong-jin's voice cracked, but the authority was clear. The sight of the defeated assassins—the men paid by the foreign power in Choi's ledger—had galvanized the Prince. "These are not mere thugs; these are professional mercenaries, and they were here for me. Guard, secure the Prime Minister and the Council in the Gifting Chamber until this plot is uncovered!"
The Crown Prince's decisive action sealed Choi's fate. The Council, terrified by the near-death experience, offered no protest. They shuffled into the chamber, which now served as a high-security holding room.
Dong-jin turned back to Maya, his eyes searching hers for answers. "I will not let you leave my sight. You must tell me what you know of this plot."
"I will, Your Highness," Maya promised. "But first, we must confront the plot's architect."
Under the pretense of providing security for the Council, Maya and Dong-jin entered the Gifting Chamber. The large room, designed for ceremonial displays, was now crammed with the highest authorities in Joseon. Choi stood alone, radiating suppressed venom, realizing he was trapped.
Maya's Lioness cell was already moving: Afiya, cloaked and moving like shadow, slipped through a side door—a servant's entrance—while the guards were distracted securing the main entrance. She moved directly to Ji-su, placing the tightly rolled, massive parchment—the Original Signed Decree of Cession—into the commander's hands.
Ji-su, her face set in grim relief, made her entrance. She strode confidently to the center of the room, facing the Council and Prime Minister Choi.
"My Lords! Your Highnesses!" Ji-su's voice was sharp and clear. "You have witnessed an attack on the Crown. But the attack was not merely aimed at the Prince; it was aimed at Joseon's future. The Prime Minister's plot did not end with those assassins."
Choi scoffed, his voice rising in practiced indignation. "Matron, you exceed your authority! This is the girl's foreign madness!"
Ji-su ignored him. She unrolled the large, official document, stamped with multiple seals, and held it up for the Council to see. "This is the document the Prime Minister was rushing to have ratified three nights from now. The Treaty of Coastal Cession."
Maya stepped forward, moving beside Ji-su. This was her moment. She spoke directly to Dong-jin and the assembled Council, presenting the evidence in a clear, undeniable sequence.
"Prime Minister Choi claimed this treaty was a strategic resource deal. But it is not. It is an act of treason." Maya held up the small scroll from Scholar Aisha. "I present this transcription of his personal ledger. It details massive payments made to the foreign envoy, Baron Vance, and, critically, to three border generals whose loyalty he purchased."
The room erupted in gasps and furious murmurs. The nobles recognized the names of the generals.
"He created the propaganda to distract you, to divide the people, and to ensure no one would question this treaty," Maya concluded, her gaze unwavering as she met Choi's murderous stare.
Choi, realizing he was cornered, lashed out, desperately trying to discredit her last piece of evidence. "Lies! The ledger is a forgery! The girl is a spy from the barbarian West-Seu kingdom, seeking to destabilize us!"
Maya did not falter. She reached for her neck, pulling the heavy, dark Sankofa pendant out for all to see.
"I am not a spy," Maya declared, her voice ringing with the authority of her long-forgotten heritage. "I am Princess Anansi of West-Seu, heir to a kingdom Choi's allies usurped. And I am here to tell you that this 'barbarian'—who you vilified and whose allies sought to murder your Prince—will stand as the only one willing to save your land!"
Choi was silenced, utterly exposed. His network was dismantled, his treason laid bare by a fisher-girl who had revealed herself to be a princess, a warrior, and a protector.
Maya stood tall and victorious, the Lioness who had saved the Prince and exposed the traitor. The price of her victory was the final, devastating choice that lay ahead.
es, where Maya must navigate diplomacy and choose her crown.