Espionage Starts Early ( With her at the stables ).

 Kevin Montreal's plan still lingered disturbingly in Chelsea Springtide's mind as the added the last touches of make up on her cheeks . Lan had asked her to meet him at the stables early in that morning and she did not want to disappoint him in anyway by being late .

 " The only way you will get the prince all to yourself is if Hazel Marjorie is out of the picture , that has to be your first step . But accomplishing that is easier said than done . We need to give my older brother a good enough reason to hate her so much that she is the one who ends up divorced . You will have to call in all the favors you can get and dig into Hazel's past . If we search deep enough , some dirt we can use against her will surely pop up , " she recalled how Kevin had explained his scheme to her on the night before . Failing to make a decision at the time , she had asked him for more time to ponder things through .

 " Chelsea Springtide , this is your great day to spend time with Lan Montreal . Do not ruin it by thinking about that double timing pervert and what he told you to do ," Chelsea chastised herself after noticing how much time she was wasting , while Lan could have already arrived . Making sure everything was done , she called in her personal maid and they left together for the royal horse stables .

 When they arrived , Chelsea was shocked to see Lan with one of the workers busy hauling blocks of dry hay grass into the troughs the horses used for feeding . After this was done the two men picked up some buckets and used them to fill up the water troughs . It was at this time that Lan saw Chelsea standing at the main door , shyly waving at him . He asked the worker he was with to carry on as he took off the overcoat and gloves he had been working with .

 " Thanks for coming , though I have to say it's earlier than I had expected ," he said walking over to where the two women stood. 

 As he approached , Chelsea dismissed her maid but insisted that she not wander off just in case she needed something from her. 

 " It's a good thing I came early , getting to watch you get dirty working with these workers is a treat . Maybe you should get back there and I'll have a painter summoned to capture the moment , " she casually mocked him to start up a conversation. 

 " I wanted to talk about some plans I have regarding the ministry of finance , which your family is in charge of . I recently sent out a commercial proposal to your mother Abigail Springtide , the minister of trade , detailing some changes I want implemented in the markets in the coming months . It has been a week and she still has not given me a reply , which leads me to believe that your mother is stalling for time . Before I engage her , I needed to ask you if you had any idea of what may be holding her back , " Lan brushed aside her light insults , shooting straight at business .

 A little upset at Lan for not indulging her , Chelsea grudgingly followed his lead , " My mother is a strong person , having held the family together ever since the death of my father . She is not a person who backs away from a fight and if something is indeed holding her back , then you can bet she fighting her hardest to settle the matter . Perhaps if you tell me what that proposal said , I might be of better help."

 Lan thought long and hard about what she had just said before continuing , " Unfortunately the matter is so sensitive to public interests that I can't just go around disclosing it to anyone .To show you how serious it is , I have only told one other person , besides the king and your mother , about the stuff discussed in the proposal ."

 His words instantly triggered an insecurity in Chelsea whose magnitude he had wanted to observe. 

 " Hazel Marjorie , that's who you can tell and not me ! You know what , I'm done helping someone who doesn't know how to appreciate the efforts of others . I woke up early in the morning , dolled myself up and even missed breakfast so that I could be here early , and this is what I get ? A selfish man who is only interested in me as long as I am of some use to him. I cannot stand for that and until you are ready to apologize , stay the hell away from me ! " she attacked all at once and then when she was finished , stormed out of the stable shouting curses at all the workers in her path .

 As he quietly watched her disappear , Lan could not blame her . Everything she had just said was true and all he could do was pity her because she would still come running to him with an apology for going out of control.

 The meeting had however achieved its goals . He had planned to learn more about Abigail Springtide from her daughter and also help out Hazel rush her divorce plans by increasing Chelsea's hate and loath for her. Having accomplished that , his mind then leapt into the next matter at hand .He started planning on how the Springtide family could be removed from their political position as head of the Trade ministry .