John wasn't sure how to react. He knew that the girl didn't come from a family of commoners. Judging from how she effortlessly entered the room, she is well-trained. John got up and laid on the couch instead. No matter how comfortable he was with this girl, It will never be alright for them to share a bed. That would only tarnish his name. As he was thinking about her purpose. He can't help but worry about his mother. Even though he knew that she will be taken care of. After all, she was the lost Princess, John was not sure if the Croglin is still the same.
Considering that the girl got something from his mother, then maybe her mother trust her. To John, his mother has always been mysterious. When he was five, his mother has told him not to reveal his hair. Also, he was instructed not to ever talk to anyone, especially the guy with blond hair. Aside from them, He also needs to stay away from strangers. Not the type of strangers from the kingdom but strangers whose clothes are different from the commoners inside. He have grown up believing that he was indeed a son of a servant mother. But everything changed the day he turned 16.
He was proven as the son of the king and a son of a princess from another kingdom. If this will be made known, his life will be at stake. The other enemy kingdoms will focus on him. He was the future king. The future king of the Alistair kingdom, but also that of the Croglin kingdom. Both kingdoms are equal in power. The Alistair kingdom is of the north whilst the Croglin is of the south. Alastair kingdom has a tropical climate, Croglin, on the other hand, is filled with snow. It is winter all year round. It's like fire and ice. And he was born out of it. He wasn't sure what he is going to do when it will be time to choose.
The girl woke up and walked towards him.
"What are you thinking?"The girl asked.
"Why did my mother send you? " I got up and ask the girl.
"I don't know. She just wanted me to give that pouch to you "she answered sternly.
"Then why aren't you leaving?"
"Well, she also told me to teach you the Croglin swordsmanship."
My eyebrows furrowed and realized that the girl may be sent by his mother. "
He wasn't sure if the swordsmanship style the girl meant was the same as the swordsmanship thought to him by his mother. Even though his mother is a servant, she has told him that she learned swordsmanship from his father. She also said, his father is a former general of the soldiers that guarded the front line. She looks proud while she talked about his father. He was then seven years old when his mother thought him to use a sword. He used a branch from a nearby stable and brought it to his room. The stunt was rather complicated but he was able to memorize it in less than two months. After learning swordsmanship, his mother has let him practice with her. He was always a bright kid, a fast learner, and build strength. He was both his godmother's child and his mother's child. His godmother has let him learn from his elders and reminded him to keep his body strong as he was keeping his mind strong. Unlike any other kid, he has grown up being pampered. He didn't have a single scratch.
His godmother used to study medicine, specifically Traditional medicine. He has seen and memorized all sorts of herbs that his godmother used to make tonics and identify the poison. He learned that the Duke met her on the front line. He wasn't a slave but rather a daughter of a noble family. Her whole family was killed during the war. The Duke managed to save her in time but he was gravely injured. So, she saved him. He was lost for almost a week but found with a lot of healing injuries. Brought along with him the only daughter of the Evans family. Jonessa Evans, the known physician that helped a thousand soldiers on the border. The duke's wife died giving birth to his youngest child. So after almost a year, the Duke married Jonessa Evans. He wasn't the first wife but she wasn't a mistress either. But in everyone's eyes, she can only be a mistress neither a wife nor be called a second wife.
Jonessa was almost killed by an assassin sent by the Duke's eldest son, Trevor. He hated the idea of his father getting married or him, having a second mother. The Duke was afraid that Jonessa will be harmed in any way by his son. So he can only build her a new mansion where she can be well protected. Marrying Jonessa was never for a romantic relationship but rather a political one. For Jonessa to inherit Evans's wealth, she needed a strong figure to scare the elders. Next to the king was the Duke. When she was almost killed, Jonessa was saved by Elizabeth Croglin.
Jonessa knows her. Her father has taken her to the kingdom and met the princess before. The Croglin kingdom was famous for its beautiful landscapes. It's not the typical mountains filled with Green trees and rivers but rather mountains made of ice. The coldness may be unbearable to some people from other kingdoms but the coats made there was a masterpiece. The number of tourists was, even more, higher than that of Alistair. But what made the Croglin Kingdom more famous was its royal family. For a hundred years, there wasn't a single daughter that was given birth from the royal family. But 34 years ago, a beautiful and enchanting baby girl was born. The first princess of the royal family. Also, the princess only comes out once every year. That is, during her birthday. It has been said that she can heal. But this remained a myth because the King confirmed it wasn't true. Still, the princess was loved by the whole kingdom because of the outstanding contribution that she made in terms of increasing the trade market gains. She displayed an amazing talent in terms of business and strategic planning. Her father doted on her too much that he had given her the right to directly lead the group of elders handling the marketing and trading of the kingdom. When Jonessa have seen her, she was dumbstruck.
Elizabeth saved her. But what he did not tell John was how she saved her. John never had any idea that his mother was that princess.
John was lost in thought so the girl snapped her finger at him.
"What are you thinking?" she asked confusingly.
He was rather sleepy. But he just knew that he needed to focus. The girl became serious.
"Don't tell me you're doubting me. Haha, your mother is right. All right, I'll tell you my real reason."
John was confused.
The girl tied her hair and sat opposite John. She yawned.
"What?" John asked.
"My name is Samantha Saphiree. My father is the King's right hand and next in command. He was also the former fiance of your mother, Princess Elizabeth. He helped her escape their marriage. Now, my father wants me to protect you. He was worried that you weren't trained enough to counter assassin attacks so he sent an assassin to protect you. That's me."
"I can protect myself."
"I know. But, I need to uphold my promise to your mother though. Your existence wasn't made known throughout the whole kingdom. You are considered as the lost Prince. Only the King, my father, and some of the royal advisers knew. As for me, I was groomed and raised with the responsibility to protect the Princess' child. Who could've thought I am even younger than you are."
John looked at her with amazement. He can't even begin to think how this girl was trained by his own father to become an assassin. When Samantha saw his questioning gaze she speak again.
"There is an assassination competition held in the underground force of Croglin Kingdom and my father happened to rule it. The King was the invisible head though. I have grown up under the care of those assassins and forced my father to allow me to train with them. Even though my mother doesn't want to agree, my father made me swear to protect the Princess' child in the future. "
"That's it? How'd you get the pouch from my mother?"
"She gave it to me. Also, the moment she arrived at the kingdom, I was there. My father introduced me to her and she became my god aunt." She told me about you and gave me this. Also, she told me where to find you. I haven't told my father where you are but I told him I will find you to protect you."