Everyone, except those who already knew, gasped at the revelation.
Brianne looked at Ness and the others, perhaps looking for confirmation. Ness smiled and nodded, signaling to her everything I said was true.
"If what you're saying is true, then this changes everything," Brianne whispered to herself.
Then, one of her men came in and whispered something to Brianne.
"It seems we're out of time; we'll meet again very soon," she said, as they hurriedly vacate the inn.
The owner finally showed herself, apologizing for what had just happened.
"I didn't expect the vice-captain would suddenly attack you, I'm truly sorry."
"It's fine. I understand why they would be suspicious."
"Here, I wrote down the recipe for the noodle dish while I was waiting," I added.
"Thank you!" she said as she read the recipe with eyes sparkling.
"If you have new information for me, please let me know. I can trade another recipe if the information is valuable."
"Really?"
I nodded and returned to my room with the rest of the group. There, we discussed what just transpired before they rushed outside to help.
"That woman was something," Gale said.
"I didn't expect she'd be able to stop my attack with one hand."
"Do you think we can trust her?" asked Ness.
"It's too early to tell. I still have questions for her that need answers."
"Maybe Arthur has an idea who this woman is," Gale said.
"Let's ask him tomorrow. For now, let's get some rest and head to the adventurer's guild as early as possible."
The next morning, Gale and I went to the adventurer's guild while we left Ness and the others at the inn. We arrived at the guild branch and found numerous adventurers arguing with the guild officers.
We then saw Arthur already waiting for us in the corner.
"The number of quests available isn't enough," he said.
It was unfortunate, but the guild couldn't do anything about it. We went somewhere quiet and talked about how yesterday went.
Arthur shared that they had a touching reunion and was glad to see his family again. They were fine but struggled to make ends meet in his absence. He left them all the money he earned and said it should be enough to last for a while.
He then pinched his brow when we told him what happened last night.
"Do you know her?" I asked Arthur.
"Brianne is a former general of the kingdom and very close with King Eogan."
"Former? Did she leave her position or something?" Gale asked.
"It was never disclosed. Brianne then left the kingdom and was replaced by her sister and second-in-command, Griseld."
"The hero of Easton?" I asked.
"That's correct. The war then broke out a few weeks after her departure."
With the information Arthur provided, more questions began to fill my head, and only Brianne could answer them.
While we were talking, three Aptonian soldiers suddenly approached us and were looking at Arthur intently.
"You, is your name Arthur?" one of them asked.
Arthur avoided eye contact and remained quiet. Gale then stood up from where he was sitting and asked, "Gentlemen, what can we help you with?"
"We're not talking to you, old man. Get lost."
That struck Gale's nerve, but he remained calm and backed away.
They then turned their attention back to Arthur.
"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!"
Then, without warning, stones came flying from behind the soldiers and hit their helms.
I looked at where those stones came from and saw two individuals in black throwing more stones at the soldiers before running away.
"Stop right there!" the soldier shouted before they gave chase.
Then, a figure appeared from behind us, it was Maxen.
"Follow me," he said.
He led us to a maze of alleyways until we arrived at a dead end. A little push on a brick wall and a secret passageway was revealed. We walked down the spiral stairs lit with torches until we reached the bottom.
We found ourselves in a well-lit cave with several doors and passageways.
"This is one of the escape routes made hundreds of years ago in case of an attack on the castle," said Brianne who sat on top of a wooden crate across the hall.
"Only the royal family and a handful of people they trust know of its existence and how to navigate it," she added.
"Brianne, where have you been all this time?" Arthur asked.
"Hello to you too, Commander Arthur," she sarcastically replied.
I looked at Maxen and said, "Thank you for helping us back there."
He seemed surprised at first but instantly looked away without a word.
"Don't mind him, he doesn't know how to deal with compliments."
"Leader!" Maxen shouted and walked out of the scene.
"Brianne, I demand answers!" said Arthur, his tone laced with frustration.
"You haven't changed, Arthur. Very well, I'll tell you everything."
According to Brianne's story, King Eogan tasked her with an urgent mission. She vacated her post and her sister Griseld took the mantle of general. She then traveled south for several weeks to the Republic of Aberystrosia to find a certain individual and was strictly instructed not to return without that person.
"Since you're here, I assume you already found that person?" I asked.
"That's correct, and I want you to meet her."
"Why do I have to meet with 'that' person?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Brianne asked me to follow her to one of the passageways while Gale and Arthur stayed. They wanted to tag along but Brianne stopped them from doing so.
We entered a room behind a wooden door at the end of the passageway. Inside, a silhouette of a person was standing behind a curtain.
Brianne closed the door and approached me.
"Once you meet this person, you'll understand," she said.
I gulped in anticipation. Is this person a powerful being?
My eyes widened when Brianne slowly pushed the curtain away and revealed the person's identity.
I was lost for words. There was no mistaking it; except for the hair color and timidity, it was definitely her.
"Lucia!"
My body unconsciously moved forward as I saw her face but immediately stopped at the sight of Brianne shaking her head.
"Lucia, it's me Egil!" I called to her.
She looked at me for a second before hiding behind Brianne.
"Brianne, what's the meaning of this?" I was outraged.
"I'd like you to meet the late queen's other daughter, Liscia."
"Late queen, you mean Lucia's mother?"
"That's right. The king tasked me to seek out her late wife's first daughter and put her on the throne if the royal family ceased to exist."
I calmed down and started to assess the situation.
"If you're wondering, the queen and Liscia are of common descent. The queen's first husband was a soldier of the Republic who passed away from illness."
I'm sure there was more to that story, but it was something we could discuss at a later time. Right now, I need to deal with the person before me.
"The plan was to make Liscia pose as the princess to rally the citizens and push the Aptonians away from our lands," she added.
"I believe you have Lucia's blessing, am I right?"
Of course, she would assume that I had Lucia's 'Appraisal' after I told her I have the 'Transfer' blessing.
"Indeed, I have it with me."
"I'm not demanding you to pass Lucia's blessing to her; instead, I need you to act as his husband."
I kept silent and looked at Liscia as I thought about it.
"Hmm. I expected you'd agree immediately, but it's understandable. Let me guess, you're thinking why it has to be you, right?"
She was spot on.
"Of course, I thought about having someone else do that role, but that punch from yesterday convinced me that you're the perfect fit."
"You were holding back, weren't you?" she added.
She's sharp, it was almost like she could read my mind.
"So, what's it going to be, Egil?" Brianne asked.
I was conflicted. I didn't want to be a part of her plans; but on the other hand, something inside me was telling me to do it. Perhaps I was seeing it as a way to repent for my failure back on the island, even if this person only resembled Lucia in appearance.
"Before I agree, I have one condition," I said.
"Name it."
"I'll play the part only until Liscia takes the throne."
"Is that all you ask? You'll be risking your life, you know."
"That's all I ask."
"Very well. We have an agreement."
Brianne then took a hooded mantle and gave it to Liscia.
"Wear this," she said.
As Liscia put on the mantle, Brianne continued: "Egil, your first day as husband and wife starts now. I expect you'll take good care of her."
Our eyes popped at what she just told us.
"Are you kidding me?" I asked.
"What? We already agreed, didn't we?"
"We need a week's worth to make changes to our plans, and you two use that time to get to know each other. I want you to look natural when the day comes."
She got me good.