Sometime before, behind all the scandals inside the Central Kingdom.
Prince Caster declared, breaking into the silence of the room, "I have fallen in love with Lady Lovelle." Everybody fell silent as he reiterated,
He is waiting for her reaction.
"We don't care," Princess Shannon finally answered.
Prince Caster chuckled. "How cold," he said.
"It's addressed solely to his fiancée," Princess Beatrice mumbled and sighed.
Ignoring them is the best action for this scene because it is not something new for everyone.
"I fell in love with Lady Bridgette," he confessed the other day. What a playful bluff and a delayed cold response that will randomly come out after each line.
"I don't care," Princess Shannon stated.
Then another,
"I am in love with Lady Prella," he declared last week.
Prince Orion murmured, "Again?" rolling his eyes away.
Princess Shannon reacted, "Nobody cares."
and again.
"I'm in love with Lady Abigail," he said during the royal feast.
and
He said, "I'm in love with Lady Midori."
"I don't care; do whatever you want," the princess sighed
and...
"Hey, I'm in love with you," the prince said to Princess Shannon when they had no other choice but to share the same carriage.
"Are you not done with your silly jokes?" She cast a glance outside the window with an irritated expression.
The prince grinned. "Is that the only expression I can get out of you? Won't you get flustered, jealous, or concerned even a little? Would you honestly show that you hate it when I like somebody else and like it when it is you? Would you show your real reaction in the slightest?" he teased.
"You want an honest reaction to lies?" the princess points out the irony.
It was followed by minutes of silence and then the prince spoke again.
"I'm in love with the imperial princess," he said.
The stillness guides the way of the truth. The young princess spoke.
"I know," said she.
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The two arrive in the country of West Constantine and assign themselves accordingly to the expansion of the reliefs and medicinal needs. The lives of two noble ladies will be put at risk.
It's a suicide mission, but these two royals still went. Did they have any choice? When the news came into the kingdom, it was tossed aside by the tyrant after a few mumblings of unbelievably false promises and then a post of accreditation.
The new ruler amended the original law and assigned new people in power, so when they gave off a task, they placed a ton of money and it will be distributed among those corrupt subordinates and not to the people.
"You are determined to do this?" Princess Shannon asked Lady Sarang.
They went for a short stop; the coachmen went to fix things in the baggage trunk at the back of the carriage.
Lady Sarang is skimming the place when the sound of horrified surprise interrupts her.
The coachman jolted. They went there to see what's happening, and to their surprise,
"Lady Lianes," they uttered simultaneously. She sneaked into the carriage without anyone knowing.
Way too impossible. Did Jonathan, the first prince's butler, just let her slip? He will surely inform Prince Howard about this. But maybe Emperor Howard just doesn't care. What does a harmless little girl do? Neither her presence nor her absence is beneficial to him.
Why is Lady Lianes Lovelle there? Lady Luxiel will be worried sick looking for her but this young lady is not really interested in this suicide mission. She is more interested in meeting Duke Oliver's fiancée. Of course her infatuation was a secret that only Lady Luxiel knew and these two ladies, who thought that her boredom must have been killing her—that's why she does this dumb act—decided to drop her off and let her stay awhile at the estate of Lady Minerva, in the land of Gemma. They'll drop her off and send a message to the honorary lady to lend them another carriage and bring her back home.
She was still given an ounce of authority to send one carriage, at least. Since the tyrant is out on a business trip. However, it is quite limited; the air around her is heavier and breathing is similar to being strangled.
Meanwhile, a warm, thick cloak was placed on Hidelga's shoulders. Her gaze met the eyes of the man who was taking care of her like her body was a sacred, fragile treasure. His lips went towards hers for a wet kiss.
Is marriage always this warm? Something satisfying and quenching. When she was married off young, Sur was always too busy with clan talks and lectures on how to be a reliable chief for two uniting tribes, while she received lectures on how to be a loving wife and mother and keep the household. He just appears once in a blue moon and acts sweet and kind; he is more like a brother or a friend than a husband. The first night is really painful and awkward to consummate and everything feels like a duty. She has carried it out so well and then Sur disappears. After how many weeks then the mighty betrayal happen. She was months pregnant that time. Excited with a cute little smile from small lips, cute innocent eyes that will love her unconditionally, two little hands that will reach for her fingers and two little feet that she will kiss. A small little life that she will cherish.
'So, was marriage always this warm? dependable? safe? Like you are placed beneath a stable moving roof, and you are secured, safely fed and treated. Was it really supposed to be like this? 'The thought stirs in her mind like the thoughts are bringing her realization and emotion that plow into her mind and heart.
"How was my brother?" Hidelga asked. "Is he doing well?" she asked him. It was the main reason why she went with him in the first place and that is to see her brother. Who would have thought this man who had made her drawn to him and addicted to him would take it to his advantage and own her?
Her brother's dagger was hidden inside the carriage with her belongings. Well kept and treasured. It was a token of hope for her to continue.
The place is getting colder and colder, which is very unusual and he started saying things about Oran.
"He is a very diligent soldier," he said. "very stubborn yet strong-willed."
Hidelga leaned on his arm, listening. A smile outlined her lips. It is indeed her brother. He is describing him correctly. There is no doubt this man met her brother.
But the next words surprised her.
"Maybe that's the reason why his sacred weapon chose him as a threader, and also the emperor elected him to be one of his high-ranking soldiers." She pulled away and stared at him in shock.
"He is..." She stopped midway.
Leon nodded. "He is a high-ranking soldier of the emperor, personally chosen for important missions."
"I'll bring him to you; he wouldn't like to see you on his mission. It is very dangerous," he said. "I'll just request to meet him after I fix my household's issues," he added.
Hidelga hesitantly nodded. He mentions little about himself.
A sudden voice calls their attention. They've met a family travelling along the road. "Are you heading westward?" The old man asked. "Better go northern to Gemma instead because most of the western country is experiencing severe plague. Please reroute for safety," the man said.
When Hidelga found Leon, he was taken eastward so he is obviously at the eastern part of the empire. Now, when they left, they started to travel to the west.
Hidelga thanked them as they left, but Leon's facial reaction left her puzzled.
How vague? Why all of a sudden make a difficult expression like he is dealing with or carrying something she cannot see or she doesn't know?
"Let's reroute to..." he said. "Let's head to Gemma," Leon directed.
Why are they heading to Gemma when he looks so concerned about something ahead?
"What's going on?" she asks in frustration.
Leon gave her a solemn stare and spoke. "Do you trust me?"
"I... do," the words that are meant to be good but were really a lie.
They both knew that.
"You will bore me a son a day so we need to avoid that place," he said. It may seem convincing but is rather so limited that it feels like he is keeping a lot of things from her, like an iceberg.