Seeing the movement of the water beneath, as well, the distant boat that came across in their eyes was the clear cut indication that there is surely someone…trying to escape or..go somewhere else
"We will have to see, brother. We can't let anyone go out.." saying this, Alice stared at her brother to see him already in a daze, "Who knows what uncle is planning. He is dangerous."
"This place is forbidden to go, Alice. If we go, and anyone gets the hint about this, we will be doomed, remember this as well.." Dominic didn't want to create any burden on his father, who was at the crucial stage of his life.
But then, he met Alice's eyes which depicted that she knew what's right and wrong. The face of hers held the confidence and the will, which was lacking in his.
"Alice…"
"If you aren't going, let me do the honor then.."
Saying this, she turned around to go back inside the castle, on the way which leads to the backside of the entire castle.
"Alice! Don't! We can't r-" Dominic's voice was interrupted when Alice kept moving without showing any hint of stopping in her steps, "I will do everything which will protect my father from those kinds of evil people." she muttered in between her breaths.
Lifting her gown from both other hands, she stepped on the stairs to come to the end of the castle. There stood two soldiers, who were placed to guard against the back gate.
However, her mind worked differently.
'If these guards get to know about me leaving from here..then… the worst thing will happen. Father will be informed and will ask his soldiers to come after me…' She wasn't interested in letting anyone else be aware of their family's disturbance.
Her eyes twisted before she bit her lower lip. As her eyes roamed in all directions, only to end up disappointed since there was no other way which would lead her to the back, except the door that was blocked by the soldiers.
"We do have a solution, Alice." a voice entered into her ears from behind.
Turning around, she looked at her brother at a certain distance who walked closer.
Without tearing his gaze off from her eyes, he said, "I know one place which will only make us go to the back of the castle."
"What is that?" Alice asked in a hurry, to which Prince Dominic didn't reply instantly. Rather, he simply told her, "Follow me."
Keeping his sword in his hands, Alice blindly followed his lead where he took her. Through the dark corridors, to the dim ones, she felt some kind of different air present.
Yet her mind fully functioned when she arrived at the right place.
"So…you mean to say that there is a way from the stable… which will open the way to the lake behind?" Alice asked as her eyes fell on the nothing but horses who stood in their respective places.
As expected, Prince Dominic nodded his head to only go ahead and open the small passage like the way which was leading to the undersky, "If we go from here, it will hardly take us a few meters to reach there. This is an indirect way.."
"But will you come with me?" She highly doubted this.
His reluctance over going against everyone was a bit high as compared to her.
Moreover, she might be just a Princess…but he? He is a Crown prince, whose reputation is associated with many things, unlike hers.
Staring at his face with her worried look, she found his jaw harder on her questions. Not only that, what she caught was the bit of conflict that might be occurring in his mind.
"You don't have to. I can manage myself…"
"Your instincts are right, Alice. If…we can save our kingdom, and our King from those people, we will have to take some risk." rotating his head in her direction, "After all…for us, King Vilas isn't simply our king, but our father. As his children, it is our duty to never let him be down from his place."
The lingering seriousness that covered his speech amused her. Not because she hasn't seen him acting like one, but probably, he isn't a risk-taking favorite.
"But now are we going?"
"With the help of these horses." bring his hand near his own horse he caresses its head, "Take yours. We don't want to be left behind."
Prince Dominic immediately stood over his legs to come on the back of the horse, signaling Alice to do the same as quickly as possible.
Without wasting any more time, Alice chose one of the horses, since her favorite wasn't present here.
Taking a brown colored horse, Alice kept one of her feet on the downward pader to climb over it as smoothly as possible. Making her grip tighten around the ropes, she gave her brother a nod to start riding.
On getting her affirmation, Prince Dominic immediately did what was supposed to be done. He kicked the other side of his horse making the horse start walking. Coming out through the small door, they were already under the sky.
Despite that, Alice simply kept her horse moving in the direction where her brother did. The only worry that constantly lingered in her mind was to catch the people as early as possible.
'I hope that they haven't gone too far… who knows what they are planning.…' This thought instantly squeezed her heart.
At the same time, Prince Dominic finally brought her to the back of the castle, near the lake to look at the beautiful view of the moon that fell under the moon. Standing on its edge, they found the boat to be already out of their sight.
"They were fast…" Alice mumbled to find no trace of the boat which they saw earlier.
"They weren't fast. But I'm more curious, who will dare to actually come to this side of the castle?" Prince Dominic's institutions were as progressive to realize that the only person to arrive would be someone against them.
'The saying must be true then….there lives a lady who curses..' The old tales weren't unknown to him either but he didn't raise his thoughts through words.
"What shall we do brother? We don't have any boats to go ahead…"
"Alice…"
She heard him calling her name sweetly, to look at her with a different kind of expression, which was hard to read, 'Why is he giving me those different vibes?' She found it extremely strange.
"Yes, brother?"
"We can definitely go through the first route if you want. But…that is highly riskier and…dangerous. We don't know what kind of things reside in that thick forest. Snakes…and whatnot."
His tone was very much alarming but Alice knew that she wanted to learn very much. Without breaking eye contact even for a mere second, her lips curled into a straight line to rethink the entire circumstances in which they have ended up.
On the second thought, her heart grew tense of the situation, 'Is this worth trying?' her brown brows and face crumbled down with coldness already growing around them.
But then, Alice only ended up saying, "Let us go brother….we have to take the risk…"
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