Liscia and I exited the room and went to where Gale and Arthur were.
"Who's that?" Gale asked.
"I'll explain later. Let's head back to the inn for now."
Arthur was looking at Liscia intently while she tried her best to cover her face.
I closed in on Arthur and whispered, "You might want to stop what you're doing, Arthur. You're making her more nervous."
Arthur coughed and placed himself behind us as we went to the stairs. We exited the escape route from where we entered earlier.
Back at the inn, we went to the room where Ness and the rest were.
After they made themselves comfortable, I asked Liscia to come to the front and remove her hood.
"Egil, is that Lucia?" Ness asked with a puzzled look, and I shook my head.
"She resembles Princess Lucia, but there's something different," Arthur said.
"Hoh, so that's what your wife looks like," said Gale while looking at Liscia in amazement.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Liscia. She's Lucia's half-sister."
"Then, does that mean she's a princess?" Bree asked.
"Not exactly. She was born before King Eogan married Liscia's mother."
"Anyway, she'll be staying with us for a week. I'll ask the owner to prepare another room for her later," I added.
"M-m-may I stay here instead? I could sleep on the floor," Liscia finally spoke, her voice almost inaudible.
I was troubled by what she just said. What kind of life did she have before Brianne found her? Although, it did make sense to have her stay with them so they could keep an eye on her.
"Ness, do you mind sharing your bed with Bree? Liscia can sleep on the other bed with Aden."
Ness nodded.
I wanted to talk to Liscia and understand her better, but I should give her time to settle in.
I shared Brianne's plan with everyone and made adjustments with our own. After that, I went downstairs to cook us some lunch.
When I arrived at the kitchen, I was surprised to see how busy it was. It took a moment before the owner noticed me.
"Mister Egil, I'm sorry I didn't notice you sooner."
"Please, just call me Egil."
"The stir-fried noodle dish is a hit! Come and take a look."
I peered at the serving hatch and saw the dining area packed to the brim. There were even more people waiting in line outside.
"Business is doing well, owner," I said.
"Are you serious? It's doing phenomenal thanks to you!"
The owner knew I went there to cook, but they were flooded with orders and couldn't spare some space for me so she guided me to her private living space and asked me to use the kitchen here instead.
The owner then left while I started cooking, or rather, baking.
After about an hour, I returned to Ness' room and brought the dish I prepared.
"What's that Egil? It smells good," said Ness.
"It's called a 'pizza'."
"It looks like a giant flattened bread with stuff on top," Gale said, curiously looking at it.
"Help yourselves."
While everyone was enjoying the pizza, Liscia sat in the corner of the bed and didn't bother to get one for herself.
Bree noticed and handed her a slice.
She reluctantly received it, took a small bite, and stopped eating.
"What's wrong, don't you like the food?" Bree asked.
Liscia dropped her head and tried her best to hide her tears.
"I-I'm sorry. Everything's so sudden and I'm having trouble keeping up," she said while holding back her tears.
"Liscia, what was your life like before Brianne brought you here?" I asked.
She collected her thoughts and started to recount her story.
Liscia was raised by her aunt, who told her that both her parents had died after she was born. Unfortunately, she was treated harshly and made a servant. She had rags for clothes, slept outside with the livestock, and was only fed with leftovers.
She had already resigned herself to her fate, but Brianne appeared out of the blue and told her the most ridiculous thing. She said that her birth mother's husband, the king of Easton, ordered Brianne to take her there.
She was skeptical; but she agreed, thinking that she was only summoned because the king wanted to meet her, but when they arrived in Barta, Liscia found herself in a situation she never even dared dream about.
"I was a nobody just a few weeks ago, and now I have to act as my younger sister and convince the people to fight. It's too much," Liscia said.
"Do you resent your mother?" I asked.
She fell quiet.
"She may have already passed away, but use this chance to show her that she made a huge mistake in abandoning you."
The words I said seemed to light a fire inside her. She wiped the tears from her face and looked at me with eyes full of determination.
"Egil, please tell me more about my younger...about Lucia," said Liscia while taking a bite of the pizza.
Everyone looked at me and was also curious about the former princess. I let out a deep sigh and started to tell them about Lucia.
We used the week to teach Liscia about etiquette and Lucia's mannerisms. We also dyed her hair the same color as the princess.
The day before the operation, Maxen came to the inn, dropped a bag for Liscia, and instructed us to meet in the city square tomorrow before sunrise. Everyone started to prepare except for Ness whom I asked to stay with Aden.
We turned in early, woke up the following day before sunrise, and headed to the city square.
While we walked, I turned my attention to Liscia, who had not slept a wink. She wore the gown Maxen had left for her the previous day. If only I was unaware of it, I would think it was Lucia in the flesh.
"Remember what I told you?"
"I-I do."
"Good. Do your best out there and we'll handle the rest."
Brianne and the rest of his group were already there when we arrived. They all wore the same black outfit, the only difference was that they removed their face covers and equipped themselves with light armor.
"You're in time," Brianne said.
"Once the sun rises, we'll ring the bells and proceed with the plan," she added.
"We're out in the open but I don't see any soldiers patrolling the streets," Gale said.
"We already dealt with the ones assigned to this area, they won't notice it until later," Brianne replied.
She then approached Liscia and said, "Your role is vital for our plan to succeed."
"I-I understand," she replied.
Everyone was anxious as we waited for the first ray of the sun to appear over the horizon. Liscia slowly approached me and asked, "Aren't you afraid, Egil?"
"I'd be lying if I say wasn't," I replied with a smile.
"I-I see."
She sat beside me and asked another question, "What will you do after this is all over?"
"I have things to settle with the Apton Empire. Like I mentioned to Brianne when we first met, my party will leave Barta immediately when we're done here."
"O-okay."
"It's time," I said.
The sun finally showed itself and the bells began to ring. Brianne began to shout commands to his men while we kept a close distance from Liscia.
"Gale, Bree; prioritize protecting Liscia while Arthur and I deal with the enemy."
"Got it," they replied.
Slowly, a crowd gathered at the square, they whispered at each other as they curiously looked at us.
Brianne approached Liscia and said, "Give it your all."
Liscia began to walk towards the center of the square with fiery eyes.
The crowd began to notice her and one of them shouted: "Princess Lucia!"
The rest of them began cheering on Lucia's name. Something inside me began to feel warm, but then it was overcome by guilt once again.
"She would've cried when she saw this," I thought.
We followed Liscia from behind and kept a watchful eye on our surroundings. Brianne's men then surrounded the square, creating a perimeter to stop anyone from approaching Liscia.
Liscia stopped and looked to where the crowd gathered. Everyone stood silent as they waited in anticipation for Liscia's words.
She tried to speak, but her voice wasn't coming out. She tried again, but still nothing.
Before Liscia burst into tears, I ran towards her and held her by the hand. I smiled at her, letting her know that everything would be alright.
With a loud voice, I began to address the people:
"Everyone, Princess Lucia is alive and well contrary to rumors. She will now give her speech so I request everyone to stay silent and listen."
I looked at Liscia who finally mustered the courage to speak. She stepped forward and said:
"I am Princess Lucia, daughter of King Eogan and the crown princess of the Easton Kingdom!"