I fell on my butt when a carrot hit me right on the forehead. I rubbed on the sore spot and expected Custard or Viex to come running to me.
But then I remembered that they weren’t there. I sighed solemnly.
Nate stretched out his hand in front of me with a laugh. “Sorry. I thought that you would be able to hit that one too.” I grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull me up. “But you know? You hit 9 out of 10. I have to say that I am impressed.”
“Thanks. Can’t say that my forehead is that happy though.” I said and I changed my grip to turn my whip back into a sword.
“Well, it is good that you’re back. At least you can continue with your training.”
‘Princess,I am sorry but we must disregard our initial plan. The king has learned about the secret passage. He knows about the map and even as a copy of it. Furious is already expecting your arrival. We have to take precautions. I have another plan in mind. But for this to work, I need your cooperation. At the back of the castle head in the opposite direction. There, you will find a lake. Please meet me there in a few minutes.’I read the lines over and over. Surely this Leo guy couldn’t have sent the note. I mean, I believe that he wrote the note, but I don’t think that he was the one who sent it to me.It was probably Ace. But why would he send me the note that Leo passed on to him?I st
I went back into my room and changed into a clean shirt before I headed to my study desk and wrote down the names that Nate and Ren gave me. I just about finished writing their names when I saw the little box that Ace gave me.I almost forgot about it. I was too preoccupied with worry to even be bothered by the fact that Ace gave me a gift. But instead of grabbing the box, I just looked at it. Ace said that I should open it as soon as he leaves.My eyes narrowed in suspicion. He never gave me a gift before. Why even bother now? And the last thing that he said to me regards it was very alarming as well. Why can’t I open it in his presence?It’s not a bomb, right?I poked the box with the feather pen.
My hand clasped at my wrist to get my whip when I noticed that King Luke’s focus wasn’t even directed at me. Instead, he pushed me to the side and hissed in pain. When I looked back, I saw that the liquid that was boiling over an alcohol lamp fell down and spilled over his arms.Then it dawned on me that I must have knocked the breaker down when I hit the table. And King Luke pushed me so that I wouldn’t get burned.With a pained look, my uncle winced while forcing a smile as he looked at me. “You’re not hurt, are you?”“King Luke!” I gasped as I looked at the nasty burn on his arm and how the skin seemed to peel either from the chemical or from the temperature. “I’m sorry. What should I do?!” My first instinct was to call for Cust
******[KINGDOM OF TEREAU]********Viex and Ace finally reached the other end of the hidden passage. For Viex, it was a long and agonizing process because he could feel the elf prince glaring at his back to hurry. It wasn’t Viex’s fault. Kaya was taking his sweet time floating around them.As soon as they got out, Viex was more than happy to see a friendly face. Kellar helped them out by removing the covering of the wall. Ace was dusting his clothes and giving the younger prince a look. “First, you made me wear those cheap and obsolete armors. And then, you made me crawl into a very narrow secret passage. What’s next? You’re going to make me act polite?”Kellar was taken aback at his words. “Aren’t people suppose to be polite in the first place?” He asked. It wasn’t sarcastic. He
“Have you guys done your part?” I asked as soon as I met up with Ren and Nate. The both of them nodded.“Yeah. My father scolded me for saying it. And I think he wants to talk to you about your weird hiding locations.” Nate says and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.I tried not to react or panic about the fact that Terrence wants to have a chat with me. Instead, I focused my attention on Ren. “How’d it go with you? They didn’t suspect anything?”Ren smirked and crossed his arms. “I pretended to be Dan and spilled the beans. They didn’t react when I told them about it. But they did wonder what Dan was doing in Thalia.” He says. “What about you?”“My aunt seems busy and sh
****[KINGDOM OF TEREAU]****The elf prince is brutal and crazy. Viex badly wishes that he can morph right now. Because he would rather walk on his own than try to hitch a ride on the prince’s shoulder.Viex saw Ace glaring at him when noticed him burying his claws into his coat. It wasn’t his fault. The guy was all over the place as he sliced, parried, and stab the rogues coming at him. There was also a time when he balances on a rail just to climb up the stairs.It was a fighting style common to elves. They would never stay in one place for far too long. They were very agile and slick.Ace would often use the wall as leverage to bypass the rogues, then he would attack the ones at the back, where they least expected it. Viex almost felt sorry for them.
As I woke up, I saw and heard Ren and Nate whispering to each other. I squinted my eyes at them. They haven’t noticed that I have already woken up. “What are you guys talking about?” I was curious why they have such an expression on their faces.By the looks of it, Nate was grabbing Ren’s arm like he was stopping him from doing something. I rubbed my eyes awake and noticed how the sky was still dark. Dawn was still breaking.My brows furrowed as I switched my attention back to them. “What are you guys doing-” Then a thought suddenly occurred to me. Why was I asleep? How long was I asleep?Then I remembered the pain that I experienced and started to hug my stomach and clutch my eye. “Guys, it’s Ace. I think…” I trailed off as I looked at them.
“What’s wrong?” Ace came to my side and studied me. “I thought that you would be...happy?”I looked up at Ace, my lips tried moving and forming the right words out. “She’s...I…” I turned my attention back to Stella, who seemed uncomfortable whenever I looked at her. My heartache especially when she tried to hide behind the queen. “She’s different...she’s...older.” I muttered as I pictured what Stella looked like the last time I saw her.My legs began to move all on their own. Viex jumped onto my shoulder while Custard simply walked with me as I approached her.Queen Siera moved to the side so I would be able to see her. “Go on, child.” She gently pushed Stella towards me. Stella hesitated for a bit, but came to face me l