How long had she been walking?
Where was she going?
Beyond the ribbon, the flicker of a torch could be sensed, but the light was too faint to distinguish anything.
Leni continued moving with her eyes covered.
A large hand gripping her wrist was pulling her forward.
“Where are we going?”
Leni asked with a trembling voice.
“Are we going to see my father? Do you really know where he is?”
Instead of an answer, the hand suddenly yanked her forward.
“Be quiet. Shut up.”
A threatening whisper echoed in front of her.
Leni flinched at the man’s breath, which seeped through the ribbon.
The hand that held the apple.
The hand that offered the gold coin.
And… the hand that landed on her head.
“Solenia Radelion, two days shy of twenty.”
Blayden’s words in the forest flashed in her mind, and Leni snapped back to her senses.
Her father had told her to stay with the princess until her birthday passed.
Her steps stopped.
Her arms stiffened before loosening.
Blayden’s warmth came closer, and a sharp voice echoed right in front of her.
“What is it?”
“Um… do you know where Princess Kiabel is?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well…”
She couldn’t just say that the prince was planning to poison the princess.
The red wolf wouldn’t believe her.
Even if he did, there was no guarantee he’d help her.
“She’s someone who might become my sponsor. My father insisted that I meet the princess today.”
Her father never spoke nonsense.
He had deep insight into understanding the political climate and had safely led the extremes even during the war.
There must be an important reason why he told her to stay with the princess.
If she ignored the fact that the princess was in danger, it could lead to a disaster.
“Do you know where the princess is?”
“Even if I knew?”
“You said you’d grant me a wish if we met again, right? If you know, please take me to the princess.”
“The princess is not someone you should meet.”
“This is a matter of life and death!”
The ribbon was abruptly torn off.
Leni squinted as the torchlight blinded her.
When she slowly opened her eyes, Blayden’s dark pupils gleaned right in front of her.
Had she said something wrong?
She shouldn’t have spoken so recklessly in front of someone whose loyalty was uncertain.
“What are you saying?”
Blayden’s tense voice carried an air of caution.
His hard expression and gaze focused on her were complex.
Even this person didn’t trust her.
He was probably calculating how to deal with her.
Leni felt like she was walking on thin ice.
Depending on whose side Blayden was on, her life could be in danger.
Although she claimed to have the king’s sponsorship, she was nothing more than a mere member of a troupe.
If Blayden decided to, he could kill her right here and now, and the reason for her death could easily be covered up with an appropriate excuse.
“I’ll speak directly to the princess. Just tell me where I can find her.”
“Do you think the palace is that easy to get into? Do you think you can just meet the princess whenever you want?”
“I have the king’s pass.”
Lenny spoke clearly despite shrinking her body.
In her mind, regardless of whose side anyone was on, very few would openly defy the king inside the palace.
For now, aligning with King Tigrinu seemed to be the safest option.
“My father gave it to me, so it’s mine. The royal adviser told me that with this, I can go anywhere in the palace.”
Having been with the king in his private chamber, Blayden couldn’t deny that.
“Martin Skalson gave this pass to you?”
“Yes.”
A look of disbelief flickered in Blayden’s eyes.
“What did he say when he gave it to you?”
“He told me to find the princess with this.”
Leni steadied her trembling heart and added, “It’s the king’s wish to stage a play with the princess as the main character.
Interfering with this would be going against the royal command.”
Would he get angry for her impudence?
Her heart pounded harder the more nervous she became, but she forced herself to steady her breathing.
Blayden, who had been watching her with narrowed eyes as if trying to gauge the truth of what she had just said, shifted his steps to the side.
“Then make a choice.”
A fork in the road appeared before her.
“If you go left, it’s my room. If you go right, it’s the princess’s room. My father is lying in my room. Which will it be?”
“My father is in the wolf’s room?”
Ah!
He knows where my father is!
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
Of course, she had to go to her father.
Leni took a step toward the left, then hesitated.
“Is my father alright?”
Blayden ignored her question.
She had to go to her father.
First, she needed to confirm he was safe.
No.
She had to see the princess first.
This was a matter of life and death.
If she hesitated too long, an irreversible tragedy could occur.
Father.
Princess.
Torn between the two, her body swayed.
Leni remembered King Tigrinu’s promise.
“If you stage a play with Kiabel as the main character, I’ll double the sponsorship.”
The servants had said the king had collapsed.
If something happened to Princess Kiabel, the sponsorship might be cut off.
Without the sponsorship, running the troupe would be impossible.
If the princess was going to become the queen, it might be wise to secure the same promise from her.
But if something happened to her father, what good would the sponsorship do?
No, her father had to come first…
As Lenny took a large step to the left, the face of the princess she had seen in the victory parade appeared in her mind.
She had been shining with joy, returning home alive.
She couldn’t let someone like that die.
It wasn’t the princess’s fault that she was taken captive.
Leni didn’t want to see innocent people getting hurt.
Moreover, her father’s plea was earnest.
“The princess is in danger. You must never leave her alone. The fate of this kingdom… no, the entire continent depends on it.”
There must be some story behind it.
To be honest, Lenny didn’t care much for the kingdom’s fate.
She secretly despised the wars kings waged to expand territories.
But she had to prevent her loved ones from falling into trouble.
If the princess dies, it could affect my own safety too.
Helping the princess is the best way to help everyone.
Leni took a deep breath and stepped onto the right path.
She heard a mocking laugh above her head.
“Foolish.”
And then her body was lifted into the air.
“Ugh!”
Leni struggled.
“Stay still. Keep your mouth shut.”
Blayden, who had thrown her over his shoulder, walked into the darkness.
Without a torch, like a wild beast dominating the night forest.
***
Leni didn’t know how they managed to escape through the unknown passage.
Blayden carried her like a sack over his shoulder, pushing through the darkness.
She could hear the sound of stones moving, and after a while, they arrived at the end of a wide corridor.
A tapestry with an eagle design hung along the stone wall.
Blayden, who had placed her down in front of it, gestured toward the far end of the corridor.
“There it is. Princess Kiabel’s quarters.”
Four soldiers with spears stood guard by the door.
“Thank you.”
Leni bowed her head in gratitude.
Blayden extended a white ribbon.
Ah. Lenny moved her hand behind her back.
Her hair had come loose.
When she wiped her forehead, dark dust came off.
“You look awful.”
That seems to be the case.
Lenny tightened her eyes and replied, “Thank you for telling me.”
“You got your wish, so we’re even. Let’s not meet again, kid.”
Showing off.
She had wanted to thank him properly, but he was as impatient and prickly as ever.
As she realized she had survived and escaped danger, Lenny found herself too angry to even bother resenting Blayden.
She glanced at his retreating cloak.
At first, he had seemed like he would kill her, but now he lets her go just because she wants to meet the princess.
The power is terrifying.
As Blayden walked away, Leni tied her hair with the ribbon.
She wiped her face with the sleeve of her dress and straightened her crumpled skirt.
She wished she could tidy herself up somewhere, but time was of the essence.
Walking with her back straight and gazing ahead was the only elegance she could afford to show.
As she walked toward the princess’s quarters, a pair of crossed spears blocked her path.
Leni raised her pass and showed it to the guards.
“I’ve come to see Princess Kiabel. Please tell her I have urgent news.”
One of the guards checked the pass, then looked at her in surprise.
The crossed spears were moved, and the path was cleared.
***
Lenny was led into a room covered with a thick carpet and seated on a long chair draped with velvet.
Princess Kiabel sat in an elegant chair with a backrest, waiting for her.
Kiabel Olaus.
The princess, who was favored by King Tigrinu, wore a soft green dress that shimmered with a faint glow.
The cuffs and collar were adorned with gold-threaded lace, and pearls were embedded along the square neckline.
Her gray eyes, sharp with determination, and her slender lips gave off a cold aura, but her long golden hair softened her appearance.
Kiabel moved the book from her lap and fixed her gaze on Leni.
“I am Solenia, daughter of Martin Skalson, the leader of the Skalson Troupe.”
When Leni revealed her identity, Kiabel motioned to her attendants.
The princess’s searching gaze fell on the pass Leni held in her hand.
“Did His Majesty send you?”
“No.”
“Then was it an errand for Lord Skalson?”
“It wasn’t an errand, but…”
Hesitating, Lenny lowered her voice.
“I’m worried about the princess and the child.”
At once, Kiabel’s face stiffened.
The color drained from her face, and her dark eyes trembled with unease.
In the heavy silence, Kiabel sat upright, her body encased in her dress, unmoving.
Only her thick lashes seemed to stir.
Her tightly closed red lips and graceful neck resembled a sculpture.
Finally, the hem of her dress rustled, and Leni swallowed nervously.
Kiabel raised her hand from the armrest, beckoning her to come closer.
“What did you hear?”
Leni approached Kiabel and told her what she had overheard in the dark passage.