"Lucia, I am here solely for my mission and not to fall in love. Besides, I haven't seen him since the ball, where he, as you just confirmed yourself, was flirting with another woman. It would be better for all parties involved if we didn't complicate it further. – Never mind me, tell me about Henry. Have you seen him the past couple of days?"
Lucia's mind immediately drifted to her crush. "No, he came by to see Nate but didn't come by to say hi."
"Do you think Sarah will only invite girls to her birthday party?"
"No, Nate, Henry, and other high noblemen are invited. Hmm, I see what you are getting at. Should I try to seduce him that day?"
"I wouldn't say seduce, but you could ensure he gets your attention." Amelia winked at her, and both smiled happily.
--
The following day, reports said there had been an attack by the border to Helveda. Two farmer families were butchered, and the villagers were scared.
They didn't know what had attacked the families, but they had found them brutally murdered and scattered around. It looked like creatures did it, but it was the first time for something like this to happen.
This kind of situation had to be handled by the best, which was why Nathaniel himself had taken on this case and left to check what had happened right away, taking five knights with him.
He had been so busy the past week that Amelia hadn't seen or spoken to him. Although it should have annoyed her that he left without saying goodbye, she was only worried about the families. Some of her concern was also regarding his well-being because she knew those beasts could be dangerous.
She would have loved to accompany him to see if there were any similarities between this attack and the one on Aurora, but she was not allowed to as a princess. Hence there was nothing more Lucia and she could do other than keep themselves busy and not worry.
After a week of no news, a wounded soldier arrived at the castle, telling them they had followed the tracks to a tunnel leading to caves underneath the Helveda surface. Apparently, they were attacked there, and he was separated from the others. When he couldn't find them, he returned here to get help.
He couldn't describe what had attacked him, but it was a giant creature with massive claws because his back scratches were deep and had to be taken care of immediately.
Everyone was shocked and scared for their prince. The king and queen immediately dispatched another group of soldiers, who would search for the prince and the other knights.
When Amelia heard of the awful situation, she decided not to wait in the palace anymore and to go there herself. She had exceptional skills that could be handy and could be why the others would be saved. Additionally, she would finally be able to satisfy her curiosity and investigate the case.
"You cannot be serious! Planning to go to the market secretly is one thing, but trying to rescue my brother yourself is another." Lucia was outraged by Amelia's idea.
"Lucia, I am the best knight in all of Rodea, and if I could prove my skills here, I would probably be one of the best of Lavia as well. Trust me I can take care of myself, and per my experience traveling by myself is faster. It is much easier for me to hide, disguise or escape than for a whole group." She was determined to go through with her plan.
"Yes, but that makes you more vulnerable because you have no backup! Moreover, what excuse do you intend to tell my parents?"
"Look, I could take one of my guards with me as a backup. I already did a heist with them. Regarding my excuse, I will say that I am sick – something that is contagious so that no one wants to enter my room. I had already acted accordingly when my maids were here. The next step would be to let your mother know and then rest in my room."
Lucia started laughing. "What?! That is your genius plan? You really think my mother will not come by to check on you?"
Amelia suspiciously looked at Lucia, making her understand what Amelia was implying. "No, don't drag me into this! I am a bad liar, and if this gets out or worse, you get hurt, I will be in crazy big trouble."
"Lucia, do you want your brother to be safe?" - The answer was obvious.
"Then let me help him. You need to trust me on this. I am competent and will be able to get him home safely."
"Let's say I could pull this off, and you survived your crazy suicide mission. Don't you think my brother will find it odd that a princess has the skills you have? He looks like an idiot, but believe me, he isn't."
"Oh well, I didn't think of that. What about wearing a mask and pretending to be a good Samaritan? I must move quickly and ensure that others understand I am an ally. But I think I will manage to convince them."
"Goodness. I can see that you are stubborn and won't yield. But Amelia, this is all very spontaneous and has many loopholes that could become troublesome. I want to trust you because I want my brother to be safe. Are you sure you can do this?"
"Yes, I am sure. I have implemented dozens of missions and led some smaller battles. I know what I am doing, but I will need your help. You must make sure that nobody enters this room."
"Alright, I will do my best." Amelia hugged Lucia tightly and went ahead to pack her bag.
She prepared everything so that she could leave during the night, making it easier to slip away from the castle.
Lucia had explained to her that there was a secret passage she would be able to take. So, the plan was to ask Julius to take her horse and wait with it in the forest. As a guard, it was easier for him to roam around freely without awaking suspicion.
Then during dinner, Amelia would act sick and ask to rest in her room. Probably the queen will ask a physician to come and check on her. She will have to stay for that and lie about her symptoms. Once the physician is done and reports to the queen that it is contagious and that she needs a lot of rest, she will be left alone, at least for the night.
After that, some pillows underneath a blanket on her bed will suffice as a decoy, while Lucia will handle the staff and her mother with excuses to look after Amelia herself.
Amelia hoped it wouldn't take her longer than two days to return, but in the worst case, Lucia would have to find new ways to occupy the others.
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Check out my Instagram, daz_elda, for visuals of our two heroes :) Also, comment on your thoughts about how the story is evolving. Are you enjoying it?