“Come in, Griet.”
The door opened. Griet stood at the entrance with thirty guards. He glanced at the blood on the floor but did not enter right away.
“Princess, are you alright?”
Osha leaned against the wooden chair and shook her head slightly. She looked confused.
“I’m fine. Why did you bring so many people?”
Griet bowed and apologized. “May the True God protect you. Last night, your door guard was killed. The castle guards outside were also killed. It must have been the half-orcs you brought from outside the city. They’ve already escaped.”
“I was incompetent. I allowed the princess to be placed in danger.”
Osha gave a soft hum. Her gaze fell on the blood-stained floor outside the door.
“Last night, I was with this…”
She looked up at Zhe Zilin and asked, “What should I call you?”
“Zhe Zilin.”
Osha was silent for a moment, then smiled with a hint of playfulness.
“He told me stories all night. Although his stories were terrible and lacked any sincerity, I believe he never left this room.”
Griet scanned the room. He didn’t see any bloody footprints. He gave a cautious order.
“Lift your feet, vagrant.”
Zhe Zilin lifted his feet one after another so Griet could check.
After confirming that Zhe Zilin had not left the room, Griet lowered his head.
“My apologies, Princess. I’ve disturbed your rest. I will deal with the corpse and the blood immediately.”
“Bury him properly. Remember his name. After we return to the capital, compensate his wife, children, and parents.”
Griet bowed deeply again. “Princess, your kindness will surely be known by the True God. I thank you on his behalf.”
Osha nodded. She stood up and walked to the bedside. For a moment, she seemed to forget what she was doing.
She had come to the North to find Leibang Ed. Now she had found him — only it was a Leibang Ed who had lost his memories.
So… should she return to the capital? Yes. There was no reason to stay in the North anymore.
Osha turned to Griet and gave an order.
“Make preparations. We’ll return to the capital tomorrow.”
Griet hesitated before voicing his thoughts.
“Princess, the King of the North has not yet been buried. They have already held the city entry ceremony. If we leave now, it would be too disrespectful to the Gares family.”
“Besides… are we no longer searching for Leibang Ed?”
The North was extremely important to the kingdom’s rule. The Gares family had been loyal to the Lanli royal family for generations. They needed to be given face.
If the kingdom’s princess left casually during the funeral, it would damage the dignity of the King of the North. It might even cause discontent throughout the entire North.
Osha nodded.
“We’ll leave after the funeral. As for this Leibang Ed… we won’t search for him anymore. Even if we found him, what if he claims he has amnesia and refuses to acknowledge anything from the past? How heartbroken would I be?”
Zhe Zilin frowned slightly. He knew Osha was deliberately needling him.
Griet’s gaze landed on Zhe Zilin and lingered for a moment. He seemed thoughtful as he turned around and muttered under his breath.
“Leibang Ed… doesn’t seem to have a beard.”
He closed the door and ordered the guards to clean up the second floor.
Outside, the guards carefully carried the corpse downstairs and used water to wash the floor.
To prevent any further threats to the princess, Griet arranged for at least five guards to stay inside at night. The rest would take turns patrolling day and night around the castle.
Once the noise outside died down, Zhe Zilin thought for a long time. He was truly exhausted. Even though Osha clearly looked displeased, he still spoke up.
“Can I leave now? I just want to get some sleep.”
Osha was now extremely sensitive to the word “leave.” Her tone left no room for refusal.
“No. From now on, you are not allowed to leave my side even half a step.”
She was afraid. Afraid that if she wasn’t careful, Zhe Zilin would disappear from her side again.
No matter how decisive she sounded, her body was honest. Only when Zhe Zilin was with her could she feel at ease.
Osha sat on the edge of the bed and quietly stared at the sleepy Zhe Zilin.
She knew he was very tired, but she still wanted to punish him a little. She wanted to punish him for leaving her side without permission.
But as she looked at his face, she remembered how gentle he used to be when he tolerated all her mistakes. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.
Osha lifted the blanket. Her voice was very soft.
“Sleep in my bed.”
“Huh?” Zhe Zilin was startled. His heavy eyelids lifted a little.
Osha turned her head away and said resentfully, “Aren’t you very sleepy? There’s only one bed here. Where else are you going to sleep?”
Zhe Zilin pointed at the floor. “I’m dirty. I’ll sleep on the ground.”
“I don’t mind.” Osha looked away, deliberately hiding the softness in her eyes. Her tone still carried a hint of temper.
Zhe Zilin looked at her awkward expression and felt a slight tug in his chest.
He understood clearly. This high and mighty royal princess wasn’t really scolding him. She had simply been bitten by a snake once and was now afraid of ropes for ten years.
The shadow of past departures and disappearances had wrapped around her for too long. Now she had to be extremely cautious.
He stayed silent for two seconds, then stopped insisting. He compromised softly.
“Alright.”
Zhe Zilin walked to the other side of the bed, took off his dirty outer clothes, and tried his best not to dirty Osha’s delicate bedding.
He also removed his shoes. Fortunately, there was no strong smell, so he felt at ease as he slipped under the blanket.
Just as he was about to lie down, Osha suddenly pushed his back.
“Take off the beard.”
“Oh, I forgot.” Zhe Zilin removed the fake beard, revealing his originally flawless face.
Osha stared at him in a daze.
“Ed…”
She murmured softly. After countless days and nights, she was seeing this familiar face again.
Time had passed for too long. The person in her memories had gradually become blurry. But now that she saw him again, her heart seemed to skip a beat. The missing piece of the puzzle had finally been filled. It felt even more unforgettable than before.
Zhe Zilin suddenly realized that Osha was calling him. To be honest, he still wasn’t used to this name.
“What’s wrong?”
Osha came back to her senses. Her voice became much softer. The earlier dominance was gone.
“Nothing. Move over a bit. You’re dirty.”
Zhe Zilin shifted toward the edge of the bed and lay down immediately.
In the cold North, the warmth of the blanket quickly invaded his consciousness. He could no longer fight off his drowsiness and slowly closed his eyes.
In his half-asleep state, Zhe Zilin felt something soft press against his arm. He heard breathing near his shoulder. A hand quietly slipped around his waist and pulled him into an embrace.
Zhe Zilin fell into a peaceful sleep. He had no strength or awareness left to open his eyes. But he knew it was Osha.
He heard her extremely soft murmurs beside his ear. It was as if she was afraid of disturbing him, yet also as if she had held back these words for several years and was finally brave enough to say them.
“The flowers in the capital have bloomed. I really wanted you to go see them with me. A Flower Knight arrived in the Eastern Plains. Everyone says he’s handsome and elegant, but I think he’s not as good as you. You once said you would take me to the South Island to see the sea, but you broke your promise… I won’t blame you anymore.”
Osha’s eyelashes trembled slightly. A satisfied smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“Ed, I won’t give you another chance to leave.”
……
At the gate of North City, a horse carried a person and quietly made its way toward the castle.
Because all the guards had been killed last night, Airigo had brought over ten soldiers and was personally guarding the entrance.
When he saw the approaching figure, Airigo strode forward and took the reins.
“Lord Leon, we’ve been looking for you for a long time. Thank goodness you’re safe.”
On the horse’s back, Leon lowered his head.
“What happened last night?”
Airigo habitually met his gaze. Those deep eyes were completely different from the lust-filled ones he remembered. He looked away in surprise, then stared again.
It was clearly Leon, but his eyes looked like they belonged to a completely different person.
Airigo lowered his head and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Yesterday, the half-orcs brought back by Princess Osha escaped in the middle of the night. They killed the princess’s door guard and the castle guards.”
“What about the princess?”
“The princess is fine. For some reason, the half-orcs only killed the guards. The princess is currently in her room. She seems to be with the witch’s servant.”
Leon dismounted and asked carefully, “Why would the witch’s servant be in the princess’s room?”
Airigo told Leon everything he knew.
“I’m not sure why the witch’s servant stayed in the princess’s room all night.”
Leon sensed something unusual. A cunning light flashed in his eyes as he smiled and walked forward.
“Airigo, come with me to check on the princess’s safety.”