Fortunately or unfortunately, Yeffa’s scream didn’t attract much attention. Bawitgol was already filled with various loud noises.
“Get him!”
“Get your act together and block properly!”
“Commander, more enemies are coming!”
Surrounded by various sounds of weapons clashing, battle cries, and signal shouts, Yeffa tried to calm her startled heart.
The soldiers, who seemed dead but had inexplicably risen, took out the arrows stuck in their bodies. Anticipating blood flowing abundantly, Yeffa was surprised to find not blood but black skin revealed from the pierced holes.
‘Wait a moment, why is their skin black?’
Looking into the holes pierced by arrows, Yeffa squinted her eyes.
Upon closer inspection, the skin was smooth and shiny, reflecting light.
‘It’s not skin!’
Yeffa’s face flushed with horror.
The soldiers had metal plates under their clothes. They had walked for hundreds of kilometers with those heavy things hanging on them!
Realizing that this was no ordinary march for common soldiers, Yeffa naturally understood.
‘They are knights, not mere soldiers!’
Oh my goodness, why would the royal knights, who should be guarding the palace, be escorting someone like herself?
‘Did they really come to rescue me…?’
To mobilize the Imperial Knights, an order from the Emperor or someone with equivalent authority was required.
Currently, the Crown Prince holds that authority, and most likely, it was Crown Princess Rohiriel who moved Crown Prince Julion.
Though Yeffa wasn’t sure what had happened, it seemed they exerted efforts for ‘that plan.’
[We will find a way to keep you out of Roxis’s hands. Don’t worry about safety; just make your choice.]
[What choice are you talking about?]
[The destination you want to go to. Whether you want to ride the carriage and go to the labor camp or…]
‘This is no time for this; I need to escape.’
Shaken by the shock, Yeffa quickly regained her composure. The knights, disguised as soldiers, were taking down the attackers.
If the tide turned in their favor or if the fight ended quickly, there would be no chance of escape.
‘I can’t rot away in a labor camp for the rest of my life!’
While the knights were engrossed in the battle, Yeffa subtly slipped outside the carriage. No one seemed to pay attention, so she stepped out onto the ground.
Coincidentally, the carriage Yeffa had ridden was stopped at the edge of the road as the soldiers collapsed.
The road behind it led into the mountains.
[Hiding in the mountains to avoid people’s eyes is something I can’t assist with. That’s something you have to do.]
[I can manage that. But if I’m caught quickly, how can I escape?]
[Just go there. I’ll send help in advance.]
She was surprised that Rohiriel, who she thought could only make some medicine, had someone working for her separately.
‘Well, it’s good as long as they don’t catch me by the ankle.’
Entering the mountains, Yeffa licked her lips anxiously, glancing around restlessly.
A massive rock formation blocked various paths, making it challenging to navigate into the mountains.
Yeffa wondered how her supposed helper could find her in such a vast and obstructed place. Anxiety welled up within her, yet all she could do was run further away from the site of the battle.
‘My stomach is too hungry; I can’t go on!’
As she gasped for breath and stopped, a shadow loomed over her, and a dark figure dropped down abruptly.
“Ah!”
It was a man in a black robe. Since the attackers who had ambushed her earlier were dressed similarly, Yeffa thought she had been caught, and everything went dark before her eyes.
However, the man pulled down the hood that concealed his face, revealing a slightly annoyed expression.
“Geez, I can’t believe I have to do this… You’re Yeffa Cassian, right?”
Despite the tension, Yeffa nodded her head as she looked at the man with tied-up blonde hair and slightly furrowed crimson eyes, finding his face vaguely familiar.
“Well, it’s sort of right…”
“Then why are you running? Couldn’t you just stay still? It’s pointless to run; you won’t get far.”
The man glanced around, then took a robe from his bag and tossed it over Yeffa’s head.
“Put this on first, then follow me.”
At this point, Yeffa sensed that this seemingly rude man was her helper. She put on the robe and mumbled.
‘He knows who I am, and yet he treats me with such disrespect?’
Normally, she would have come out strong and made him beg on his knees. However, now was the time for her to bow her head and follow.
He wondered if there was another reason why he was acting so bold.
‘Anyway, so far, it’s been going well, just like my sister said.’
She thought, ‘I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.’
After all, that’s what got her out of that shitty cart.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“What on earth is happening, Captain of the Knights?”
The palace was in an uproar. An unidentified group attacked, and Yeffa Cassian escaped.
The imperial knights disguised themselves as regular soldiers to provide a solid defense. But the urgent report that came back was that they had lost track of the culprit.
“Are you reporting this to me right now!”
―Bang!
Julion slammed the desk and stood up with an unusual display of anger, causing the knights in front of him to break into a cold sweat.
However, some among them were subtly exchanging glances.
‘Isn’t he terrible at acting?’
‘Exaggerating like that might raise suspicions.’
‘I wish he’d just stay silent with his usual stern expression!’
The senior knights, who pretended to be Yeffa’s escorts, had received separate instructions from Julion.
[Keep up the act and let her escape when the time is right.]
[What? Are you suggesting that we let the sinner go?]
[She will be used as bait. Don’t leak any of this to others.]
Even though it was for the greater good, it did not make them feel good to deceive their colleagues and allow the sinner to escape.
“Control the rumors and search meticulously to bring her back immediately!”
Julion shouted, his voice rising to the last word. Then he turned and walked out of the pack.
While everyone sighed with self-reproach, only Ferom and his friends, who knew what was going on, awkwardly smiled.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
“Julion, what happened?”
Julion walked in as I was resting in my office, drinking tea. Hemion poured tea for Julion as well.
“Everything happened just as you expected.”
“Good.”
With a smile of reassurance, I took a sip of the warm chamomile tea, making my body feel relaxed.
After drinking tea, I was craving for something sweet, so I picked up the chocolate cookies placed nearby.
“Julion, have some too. They’re delicious.”
Instead of drinking his tea, Julion stared at me and asked.
“How did you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“Where the attack will be, the strength of the forces, and that Roxis won’t appear in person.”
At the mention of Roxis, Hemion, who was tidying the teapot, visibly flinched.
Julion continued,
“How did you know all that?”
With a serious expression, I set the teacup down and responded.
“I came to know through in-depth research.”
“…Are you saying you delved deeply into someone like Roxis?”
I nodded my head, acknowledging it wasn’t entirely incorrect, though I didn’t understand why the emphasis was on Roxis name.
“Well, yes. Roxis’s fighting style, preferences, personality, habits, everything. Not just Roxis, but also Liliana….”
That’s when it happened.
Crack! With a sound, the armrest of the sofa was torn off.
…By Julion’s hand.
“What… Why are you tearing that apart?”
Looking at Julion in bewilderment, he nonchalantly placed the torn piece of wood back in its original position.
However, as soon as Julion let go, the broken armrest thudded onto the floor.
Observing the fallen piece of wood, Julion remarked,
“The sofa where the Crown Princess sits is too weak. We should replace it with a new one.”
So, he tore it apart just now to test its strength?
Julion 😂😂😂