"Natalie?"
She ignored Daisy's call. Natalie was silent, staring out the window. Her forehead was furrowed as if she was thinking about something serious.
Daisy, sensing that Natalie hadn't heard her call, immediately went over to her, leaving Martha and Jane, who were still chatting about Martha's new dress. They hadn't noticed Natalie's sudden strange behavior.
When Daisy reached Natalie's side, she gently patted her friend's arm from her wheelchair.
Natalie snapped out of her reverie and turned to Daisy, who gave her a worried look.
"Is something wrong, Natalie?" Daisy asked softly, not wanting to alert the other two noisy friends behind them.
Natalie blinked a few times before shaking her head gently, "Ah no. It's nothing," She replied with an awkward smile. She didn't know why she was daydreaming all of a sudden either.
Daisy was still looking at her worriedly, "Are you sure?"
Natalie nodded, "Very sure." She gave Daisy a bright smile to make her stop worrying.
Although she wasn't sure of Natalie's answer, Daisy didn't ask any more questions. She returned Natalie's smile with a soft one of her own.
Their interaction was interrupted by Martha's loud call and Jane's happy shriek.
"Hey, you two! What are you doing over there? Come over here!" Martha shouted as she waved her hand.
Natalie chuckled, "Coming!"
She pushed Daisy's wheelchair and approached the two, who were acting very excited at the moment.
Next to Martha, Jane jumped for joy and shook Martha's body to reassure her, which was rewarded with a big smile from her. They hugged each other with loud laughter echoing through the room.
Daisy shook her head with a resigned sigh, "They're acting like children."
Natalie giggled at Daisy's quiet grumble. Usually, she was also part of the rambunctious group, leaving Daisy alone to bemoan the insanity of her friends.
To be honest, she was not in a good mood tonight. She tried hard not to let her friends notice. Natalie didn't want them to think she wasn't enjoying any of this. The truth was that she was really enjoying it.
It was just that her gut feeling was a little different than before. It was as if she wanted to hug her children tightly for protection. But since she didn't want to spoil the happy atmosphere tonight, she suppressed her feelings.
She believed that as long as Arsen was there, everything would be fine. There was no way her husband would let anything bad happen to their children in his own kingdom. That would never happen.
Without Natalie noticing, chaos was actually quietly taking place in the palace. The room Arion was in was entered by an unknown person who could be dangerous. The twins ran to get their brother without telling the knights or servants guarding them.
Unfortunately, without the five children realizing it, no knights were seen chasing after them. It was very quiet, and only their running footsteps echoed in the corridor. They were too distracted to notice such a small thing.
"Do you have anything to say, Eric?" Noam asked between their runs. He was a bit out of breath. His small body could not keep up with Noam's fiery spirit.
Eric, who was also out of breath, swallowed before answering, "I'm suddenly not feeling well.''
"And it's related to Arion?" Zane asked from next to Noam.
Of the three, Eric was the one who ran the fastest. Noam and Zane had the same speed. Behind them, Hana and Rose were also running at the same speed, although Hana looked more tired than Rose.
Eric bit his lip slightly, "Maybe the other babies too."
Everyone fell silent again and concentrated on running, even though some of them were already exhausted. The distance between their starting point and their destination was quite long, especially for their small bodies.
"Don't we have to tell Mom and Dad?" Hana asked after she had caught her breath. She had never run so fast and for so long!
Eric shook his head, "Too long. Dad's office and the room Arion is in are across the street. We'll just waste more time."
They paused to catch their breath. Sweat poured down their foreheads. The supposedly cool night atmosphere was now hot for them.
Zane wiped the sweat from his cheeks, "I guess it doesn't matter. Surely the servants and knights guarding us have already reported our sudden escape to the kings."
For the first time since their escape began, Rose spoke up. She snorted, "If they're smart, they'll split up to follow us and inform the kings and queens."
Noam, who managed to catch his breath, chuckled at that, "Pretty sharp comment."
Rose shrugged indifferently and wiped away the sweat that was still falling. Hana took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth. She repeated this until her breathing slowly stabilized.
Hana let out a tired sigh, "I don't want to be pessimistic, but if something happens, what are we going to do? We don't have magic."
Eric, stretching his legs to start running again, replied briefly, "We've learned to protect ourselves."
Hana frowned disapprovingly, "Do I have to remind you of our small bodies? If the problem is adults, I doubt we can keep up with them."
Eric took a deep breath before exhaling, "No need to beat them. Just bide our time until Dad arrives."
Everyone fell silent as they looked at each other. They also realized that if there really was an adult opponent waiting for them, the chances of them winning were very slim.
Forget that they had learned self-defense. If their opponents were better trained and used strong magic, they would not be able to survive even 1 minute.
Hana bit her lip nervously, "What if we fail?"
Eric looked at his sister, "Have you forgotten?"
Hana blinked, not understanding, "What?"
Eric looked at his friends who were waiting for his answer. Although they seemed to be hesitant about the plan to buy time, they still trusted each other. No one hesitated to move forward.
Eric smirked, "Dad's the fastest."
Then he ran again, leaving the four of them, their eyes widening as if they remembered something. Without waiting a second, they ran to catch up with Eric.
As the five children rushed to the source of the chaos, the kings were still having a serious discussion in Arsen's office.
Arsen had explained his plan to the other kings. They were all silent, trying to seriously reconsider the plan.
Arsen tapped the handle of his chair with his finger, "What do you think?"
Philip crossed his arms with a serious face, "As you said, it's risky, but the chance of success is high."
Edric frowned uncertainly. It wasn't Arsen's plan that made him unsure, but the consequences. Someone would get hurt if this plan failed. He worried about the children.
"But..."
Edric's words were cut off by the door opening loudly. One of Gewitter's royal knights stood there, breathing heavily.
In a hurry, he bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty!"
Arsen looked at him sharply with a cold aura surrounding him, "Have you no manners?"
His cold words suddenly made the knight tremble with fear. But he swallowed nervously before speaking boldly, "Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty! But I have something to tell you!"
Arsen clicked his tongue unhappily before calming down, "Tell me."
"It concerns the princes and princesses."
This remark suddenly made Arsen and the other kings give their full attention to the knight.
"What's wrong with them? Aren't they playing together?" Edric asked calmly. His hands were clenched tightly.
Just a moment ago he had been worrying about the kids getting hurt, and now something was happening to them. It seemed he would have to control his thoughts next time.
"Yes, Your Majesty. At first, the princes and princesses were playing quietly. But suddenly they were acting strangely. Before we could figure out what happened, they had already run away," The knight explained firmly after straightening up.
"According to the pursuit team, they lost track of the princes and princesses. I swear we weren't too far away. But it's as if His Highness and her Highness just disappeared," He continued in a somewhat doubtful tone. He would also think that his last words sounded impossible.
The princes and princesses were only 5-year-old children. It was impossible for the five of them to simply disappear in front of the adult knights who were highly alert.
Arsen paused for a moment, "Did you check the babies' rooms?"
The knight nodded, "We have tried, Your Majesty. I'm not sure, but it's as if something is preventing us from finding the right way. None of the team made it to Prince Arion."
Arsen stood up suddenly, "We have to go," He said seriously with a hardened look on his face.
Oscar, Edric, and Philip followed in Arsen's footsteps. Their magical aura came out and surrounded them so strongly that the knight took a few steps back in fear.
Arsen looked at the knight, "Contact the queens. Tell them to be vigilant. Also, pass this information on to Reiga. "
The knight immediately bowed in understanding before scurrying out of the room, unable to bear being there any longer. The aura of the kings was too strong for an ordinary knight like him.
Arsen stepped out, followed by the other kings. Their robes blew in the wind. The cold night breeze did not affect their already hot mood.
Now there was only one thought in their minds, which made some of them silently curse.
"The children are in danger.''