At the back of the castle.
Since the No-Man's land was covered with different terrain, there was a lake behind the castle.
However, the old saying forbihited the rest of the members to arrive here. The constant saying that this land was filled with the power of witches and strong natural black powers almost made them stay out of its contact.
But then, there was a lady, holding a lamp in her hand. Mrs. Ira, along with one of the closest maids, made their way to the bay of the river. "Lady Ira, do you think this will be right thing to do…?" the maid asked concernedly to which Ira didn't reply.
She kept on walking, until they arrived at the end of the land, from where the lake started. "This is the right time… to get me the title which should have been mine, I will go to any length no matter what."
"But if the Princess gets any hints about this, she might reveal this in front of the entire courtroom…" The maid was worried about the power that the Princess held in her hand.
But contrast to her fearsome behavior, Mrs. Ira appeared headstrong in her actions. From the far away, her eyes were staring at the lake that had the reflection of the moon on its surface.
The view appeared beautiful but her heart was already digging in the urge to see someone's presence. "Princess Alice has no clue to which level I can go…"
"For her, I might be a scheming person, but this scheming person will be the reason for her death and the grave situation in the future…" her eyes shined with the stubborn will and determination which somewhat made the maid slightly alerted.
Keeping herself at the back of the second lady, they waited, until their eyes caught the sight of a man appearing near the edge of the lake with a boat.
The maid did not mutter even a single word except to follow her mistress quietly. But inside her heart, the only request she made from God before stepping inside the devil's hole was, 'Please… God.. don't let this act be caught by anyone today…'
….
At the same time, the two soldiers removed their swords from the entrance of the chamber when Alice looked back at her brother and then stepped inside the chamber.
What came in her view was a lady, sitting on the bed with her eyes closed in the most relaxed manner.
Yet her relaxation came to a halt when she called her name, "Ava Fredrick. Am I right?"
Hearing her name, the lady opens her eyes to find none else but the princess in front of her eyes. "P..Princess..Alice.."
"That's me. I'm happy that you actually recognized me at a single glance." Alice passed her a bright smile, on witnessing the lady already frozen over her bed. Somehow, she managed to stand on her toes with hands already shaking due to the fear that placed over her head.
"I..I..can't describe my feelings on seeing you, Princess. It is such a great honor to actually m..meet you in person." Ava answered without tearing her eyes off in front of the princes of their kingdom, the known ones.
Who didn't know about her? The beloved princess of the Suzania Kingdom, for whom her father and brother are ready to give their lives. The most pampered, cherished, yet intelligent one. Beauty with a brain..
"It is nothing. I heard that my second uncle brought a lady with him. Thought of why not but paying my visit to you. After all, you are carrying our blood, our lineage lies in your womb." Alice kept some formality between, before she took a few steps, "You are beautiful."
"T-..Thank you, Princess. But..your beauty is breathing taking..." her statement made Alice blink her eyes in acknowledgment.
But then, her brother, Prince Dominic, also entered the chamber. On seeing Prince Dominic, the lady already felt the chills down her spine. Her face was covered with sweat, lingering down her eyes. "Cro..Crowned Prince Dominic." she bowed slightly, not too much because of her stomach.
Prince Dominic didn't say anything, except nodded his head. On his arrival, two maids also entered the chamber and carried the plates covered with a cloth. As Ava's eyes caught sight of the same, she looked back at the Princess with a bit curiosity, "Something urgent, Princess?"
"They are a gift from our side for you. Accept this as a treat from Princess Alice, for carrying one of our kind." as the words slipped out, disbelief was written over Ava's face.
She was surprised or taken aback on seeing the courtesy that they both provided, "This isn't needed at all. I'm happy that I can provide a child to the kingdom, A brave warrior and a royal. It is my privilege, Princess."
"Uncle has surely chosen a beautiful lady to carry his child. I must say, you are young, so probably you will be able to give birth easily.." the compliment over her health relaxed Ava to the next extent where she took all the efforts made by the Royals as her efforts to carry the child.
"This is nothing. I'm happy that you both personally came to my chamber to pay a visit to me.." Ava answered, but then, Alice only nodded but didn't utter.
Instead, her eyes shifted their focus to see a terrace out of the chamber, "Second uncle provided you with a chamber attached to a small balcony?"
"That is true Princess. H-he didn't want me to feel suffocation inside." Ava answered before she walked closer to the balcony and removed the piece of clothing covering it. "May I show you this."
Alice nodded her head. Her gaze flew back to her brother, who signaled her with his nod when she made her way near Ava to step outside the chamber, under the sky of darkness. "The view from here is also amazing, Princess. The second man made sure that I didn't come across any discomfort."
Keeping her hand in front of her body, Alice didn't seem to react much, only her gaze traveled to see the entire view from the place, 'It is really beautiful. But why is the second uncle doing so much for a concubine?'
Nevertheless, he wanted a child, a male heir out of her.
Rotating her head to face Ava, "It is nice but I hope that you take good care of yours." Her words carried a second meaning which was hard to guess already, "W-What does Princess mean to say?"
Alice's eyebrows raised from their original position at her innocence to say, "There are many in this palace, who don't appreciate your presence. Unlike me, there are many who wants the child in your womb to… be….removed alongside you, Ava Fedrick."