When Leticia was accused of attempting to murder Evangeline Bennet, almost everyone instantly abandoned her. No one believed in her nor even tried to listen to her pleas.
Except for one.
"Why are you here?" Leticia gasped the moment she saw a familiar face upon arriving at the Kingdom of Beryllos.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" The man replied. A relieved smile appeared on his face after seeing Leticia alive in front of him. "You are here."
Leticia could not believe her eyes, right in front of her is the second prince of the Kingdom of Carnelian, Prince Lawrence. He has been Leticia's friend for almost her entire life, and despite being the younger brother of the first prince who made Leticia's life miserable, Prince Lawrence has always been the one who stayed beside Leticia, and perhaps, the only person who treated her kindly without any hidden agenda.
And seeing his face in an unfamiliar place made Leticia's eyes glisten with unshed tears.
After almost a week of traveling, Leticia finally arrived at a town near the border between the Kingdom of Beryllos and the Kingdom of Carnelian, and despite the fact that she could finally be free from the chains that tie her to the Kingdom of Carnelian, Leticia was scared of what she might encounter in a strange and unfamiliar place.
Without anything in her that can be used for trade, Leticia feared that she would not even last a month in this new place.
"But you should not be here," Leticia protested, her voice laced with apprehension. Despite the relief she felt from seeing Lawrence, Leticia could not help but worry for his well-being. Lawrence's position in the royal family can be affected if someone found out that he visited a criminal banished to another kingdom.
Prince Lawrence is the son of the first queen, but because of the first queen's weak constitution, she was not able to bear a child in the first few years of her marriage with the king, in turn, losing his favor. The king then was able to impregnate a concubine, Prince Anthony's mother, and being the firstborn son of the king, Prince Anthony has always been the favored one, even after the birth of Prince Lawrence.
"We should not talk here," Lawrence said. He raised his hand and touched Leticia's cheek lightly, making sure that she is really in front of him, and that he is not merely dreaming. "We should go to an inn first."
Prince Lawrence led Leticia to a small inn in the middle of the town. He arrived a day earlier than Leticia, and upon arriving, he immediately searched for an inn where Leticia could stay for a few days before she could find a place where she could permanently reside.
Upon seeing the battered state that Leticia is in, Lawrence could not help but feel guilty that he was not able to stay by her side during the trial, but despite that, everything that he did was simply in order to help Leticia.
Once Leticia's case arrived in court, the immediate decision of the judge was to sentence her to death, thinking that it would gain him the royal family's favor, but because of the strings that Prince Lawrence pulled, he was able to make the judge believe that stripping her off of her title and banishing her away from the kingdom might be a better option if he wanted to gain the royal family's favor.
It was a gamble for Prince Lawrence. It was either the court would follow his suggestion or would go through the execution, but Lawrence prayed almost every day that by the end of the trial, he would be able to see Leticia alive, and despite hearing the news about her banishment, the moment he saw her arrive at the Kingdom of Beryllos, relief washed over him, and it took him everything not to run towards her and engulf her in a tight embrace.
Prince Lawrence knew Leticia and his brother well, and upon hearing the news, he instantly knew that Leticia was merely being framed. He knew how his brother treated Leticia, and with the wicked witch, Evangeline Bennet added to the equation, Prince Lawrence immediately realized that it is not impossible for the two to plot against Leticia.
And they were successful.
They were able to remove Leticia from the scene, and Prince Lawrence hated himself for not being able to protect her. He was aware of her suffering, yet he was helpless and could not even do anything to protect the only person whom he cherished.
For now, it might be hard for Leticia to live in an unfamiliar place as a commoner, but at least, for Lawrence, she finally escaped the clutches of his brother and Evangeline Bennet, and perhaps, after proving her innocence, he could help her return to her rightful place in the kingdom.
Leticia and Lawrence were led by the inn attendant to a small room, fitting enough for a single person. Upon seeing the bed at the corner of the room, even though it looked rather uncomfortable compared to what Leticia used back in the mansion of the Duke of Vermilion, the exhaustion from a week of continuous traveling suddenly washed over her, and all she wanted is to lie down and sleep for a while.
"Thank you so much for your help Laurie," Leticia said, smiling widely at him.
Seeing Leticia's smile after a few weeks of not being able to see her almost made Lawrence flustered, and to hide his nervousness he cleared his throat before saying, "I have to leave soon since I've been away from the castle for too long."
"You risked your life by helping me," Leticia said, an expression of concern replacing the previous smile on her face. "I don't know how I could express my gratitude for all your help."
"You don't have to worry about that," Lawrence said with a comforting smile on his face. "You are my best friend. Of course, I would do anything for you."
Lawrence led Leticia to the old wooden coffee table on the other side of the room. He pulled one of the chairs for Leticia and took the other one opposite her. Lawrence then placed on top of the coffee table a rather large suitcase that he has been carrying and said, "I got some of your belongings from your cottage. I was not able to pack much, but these could help you settle down somewhere."
As if visiting her like this was not enough, Lawrence had to go out of his way to help her get her belongings from her cottage. Leticia, after saving enough, bought a small cottage near the border between the Kingdom of Carnelian and the Kingdom of Chrysoprase. She bought the cottage almost two years ago as a place where she could run away and forget her miserable life even for a few days, and there is no other person who knew about the existence of the cottage except for Lawrence.
The Kingdom of Beryllos, where she was thrown by the royal guards, is at the western side of the Kingdom of Carnelian, while the Kingdom of Chrysoprase is at its northern side. If Lawrence went to get her belongings at the northern part of Carnelian and went straight here to Beryllos, he must have been traveling nonstop for more than two weeks.
'All just to help me,' Leticia thought, and her heart warmed at the realization that there is still someone who would go out of their way to help her.
Everyone Leticia knew turned their backs on her, even her family, and the kindness that Lawrence showed her after everyone chose to abandon her is something that would permanently be etched in her heart.
"Laurie," Leticia trailed off, her voice slightly trembling.
Before Leticia could continue, Lawrence interrupted, "I know you are innocent Leticia, and it might take a long time, but I will definitely prove your innocence and help you return to Carnelian."
After hearing his words, Leticia shook her head and said, "I am very thankful for everything that you have done for me, Laurie, but you've already helped me so much. I don't want you to endanger yourself for me again."
"But--"
"I am honestly glad that I could finally leave Carnelian," Leticia interjected, staring straight into Lawrence's blue eyes, hoping that her sincerity could get through him. "I might be scared at first, but because of your help, I think I could finally live my life and attain happiness."
Lawrence knew Leticia too well, and he knew that once she set her mind into something, no one would be able to stop her, and right now, that she is finally free from her parents and Prince Anthony, no one could stop her from fully achieving her dreams.
After sighing, Lawrence said, "Just promise me that you would always take care of yourself, and please don't do anything rash."
Leticia chuckled at the defeated tone in Lawrence's voice, and while staring at the brown-haired man in front of her, Leticia thought that if Lawrence would ever need her help one day, she would not hesitate to extend her hand, even if it would cost her her life.
'What did I ever do to deserve someone like Laurie as a friend,' Leticia thought, a smile unconsciously forming on her lips. 'One day, I hope fate will let us meet each other again.'
***
For Leticia's first night after her arrival in the Kingdom of Beryllos, instead of seeing herself pleading for her innocence in front of so many people, she dreamed that she was traveling and laughing with a group of people.
In her dream, Leticia was following a carriage while riding a horse, laughing at something someone beside her had said. When a sudden gust of wind blew past her, she caught sight of a black flag with a drawing of silver wolf fangs fluttering on top of the carriage in front of her.
It was a flag that she has never seen before, but there is an unexplainable feeling in her chest that made her think that that flag is something meaningful for her, and perhaps, it might lead her to somewhere she could only hope for.
For Leticia, she never truly understood the meaning behind her dreams. She believed that dreams are merely dreams and it will never materialize into reality, but after what happened, when she was accused of attempting to murder Evangeline Bennet and saw how her dream came to reality, she finally realized that perhaps, it might not be too bad to look at her dreams in a new light.