"What do you mean you told them about my disappearance?" asked Lydia to Lady Aveline. She clearly wanted to scream at her mother, but the fear of the Queen's wrath forced her to restrain her emotions.
"It is exactly as you heard. A couple of hours after you ran away, I spoke to all three of them separately and informed them of your disappearance. Oh, don't worry, I didn't tell them the reason why," said the Queen, still as nonchalant as ever.
"But why, Mom?" Lydia was clearly frustrated.
"Why? So I could see what they would do to find you." The Queen put her hands on her hips. "I didn't have a clear picture of the problem then, but I knew that it had something to do with them. So it's only natural that I tasked them to look for you, don't you agree? Not that I expect them to find you. I just want to see their effort."
Lydia grabbed her hair in disbelief. "So you're telling me that they are looking for me right now?"
"I don't know," Lady Aveline shrugged. "Maybe. I hope so."
"What do I do now? I don't want to meet them. At least not yet."
"There's no need to panic, Lydia. You already planned on going abroad, didn't you? Well, if you don't want to meet them, be sure to pick your destination carefully. Think of it like a game of cat and mouse. That should make your trip a bit more interesting, don't you think?"
"MOM!" Lydia snapped.
"What?" said the queen with a cheeky smile on her face. "Anyhow, I need to go now, dear. Your father will be looking for me by now."
While the Queen and the Princess bickered in front of the house, which in itself was a bizarre scene that Mrs. March never imagined even in her wildest dream, she tugged her daughter's shirt.
"What's going on? Why the Princess seems so upset with the Queen?" whispered Mrs. March.
"Hmm...It's a bit complicated yet somehow quite simple at the same time," said Elara, acting like a nun who had reached enlightenment.
"What are you talking about?" said Mrs. March as she pinched her daughter's arm.
"Ouch...alright, alright, I'll tell you all about it later."
"Elara," called the Queen.
"Ah, yes, Your Highness?"
"I will send someone here to bring the credit cards and other necessities. Once you receive them, be sure to report back to me. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Highness," said Elara with a little bow.
"Alright then, it is goodbye for now, my dear child." The Queen embraced her pouting daughter. "You better call me often, you hear me?" The princess nodded as she hugged her mother tightly. "I suppose early morning tomorrow would be a good time for you two to depart. That is, if you want to avoid the prying eyes of any of those men."
"What? Do they already know where we are?" asked Lydia.
"No, at least not for now. But if you give them more time, they will certainly find you. Remember, they may be your childhood friends, but each of them is a man in an influential position," said Lady Aveline as she entered the car. "There are many things they can do to find you. So you two better plan your destination carefully." She closed the door and slid down the blacked-out window. "Have fun with your little adventure, Lydia. I'm already looking forward to hearing all about it."
"Yeah, thank you, Mom."
***
It was 7.00 p.m when Mr. Rine came knocking. Elara had been waiting for the Queen's messenger in the living room, so she immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran toward the door. The two spoke for a while. The royal guard gave an envelope to Elara and then left. She opened up the envelope, peeked inside, and smiled.
Lydia was busy packing her clothes when Elara knocked on the door of their guest room.
Lydia looked up. "Oh, hey, Elara. Have you finished packing yet? I can't for the life of me decide which clothes I should take. Any advice?"
Elara was flabbergasted by the piles of clothes on the bed and on the floor. "Lydia, you ran away from home," she said, "so how could you have so many clothes?"
"Oh, this, well, these were the ones that I brought from home," Lydia pointed to the pile on the bed, "while these are the ones that we bought yesterday," she pointed toward the pile on the floor.
"Wow, didn't realize you bought that many clothes." Elara walked inside the room and sat beside Lydia on the floor. "Anyway, Mr. Rine just left."
"Oh? So Mom really sent somebody here, huh? So? Did he give you anything? She said she would give us something, right?" said Lydia while still busy picking her clothes.
"Here, take a look at this." Elara showed Lydia the envelope and then poured everything inside it onto the floor.
"Hmm...some cash, a credit card, a phone, and, is that a car key?"
"Yeah, it is." Elara smiled.
"Mom gave us a car? Really? What sort of car is it?"
"Well, I'm not sure she gave it to us, but she did let us use a car." Elara stood back up. "Come, let me show you. It's parked in front of the house."
The two of them ran outside to see the car. It was a brand new Mini Sooper. Lydia's dream car. It was a small, compact car that was perfect for the mostly small roads in Montaire and its neighboring country. It would have been perfect if it were pink, or at least colorful, instead of black, but Lydia understood that the last thing they needed was to attract attention on the road. Besides, a black Mini Sooper was still cute, so it's not a problem.
Lydia and Elara hugged each other. They were squealing and jumping around with joy. After checking out the car for about thirty minutes, the two got back into the house and spent the rest of the night packing their clothes, deciding on their destination for tomorrow, and planning the best route. Needless to say, Elara handled most of the planning, while Lydia offered words of encouragement here and there.
The ladies only had about four hours of sleep when Mrs. March woke them up in the morning. Compared to the chaotic morning routine, the following breakfast was quite serene. It was just a regular, fresh baguette with butter and jam, accompanied by freshly-squeezed orange juice. But the Princess loved it very much.
When the clock struck eight, they were ready to go.
"Okay, girls. Be sure to check everything once again before you go," said Mrs. March.
"Yes, Mrs. March. Everything is in its right place," answered Lydia with a clear excitement in her voice.
"All's good, Mom," answered Elara.
"You two be careful out there, alright?" said Mrs. March. She then turned her attention toward her daughter. "Elara, protect the Princess to the best of your ability, ok? And don't forget to call me at least once a day."
"Ok, Mom. Don't worry, we're gonna be fine," said Elara as she gave a light hug to her mother and then opened the car and sat in the driver's seat.
Before she joined Elara, Lydia gave a big hug to Elara's mother. "Mrs. March, thank you very much for everything. You are like a second mother to me. And thank you for letting Elara travel with me for a while."
"Oh, Princess, the pleasure is all mine. You are also like a second daughter to me. So please don't hesitate to come to this house whenever you feel like it, alright?"
After that hug, Lydia entered the car. She sat right next to Elara.
"Alright, we're going now, bye Mom!"
"Goodbye, Mrs. March! Please send my regards to Mr. March as well."
"Bye, girls. Be careful on your way!"
"We will!" said both of them at the same time. And that was the beginning of the unlikely pilgrimage of Lydia Valenrose. She didn't realize it then, but this small journey would change her life forever.