It felt like being isolated.

She deliberately gave a lot of money to her lady-in-waiting Alice under the pretense of running errands. She purposely did not include perishable items on the list, so if Alice sold the things she was told to buy, she would have enough funds to live on for at least a few weeks.

That was her last consideration for her lady-in-waiting. Layla had Brian write a note for Alice to see when she returned.

Please get a refund for the items.

She deliberately left such an ambiguous message so that it could not be connected to “Layla Wessex” if someone else saw it.

She thought that Alice would be perceptive enough to understand with this much.

After sending her away like that, Layla dyed her hair black, took the self-defense tools Brian gave her, and set out on the road.

Honestly, Layla didn’t fully trust either her own escort knight or Millay’s knight. However, she was aware that acting alone when she couldn’t do martial arts or move swiftly would be suicidal.

So she carefully observed the knights by her side to see who would be the most trustworthy.

Fortunately, Brian seemed to be quite capable.

Whenever he had a chance, he meticulously reported the current situation to Layla.

The next evening, Layla stayed at an inn that Brian had looked into, just like before. When she requested a private meeting with him, he suggested a route that he said was the safest for escape.

“Barring any unusual problems, if you follow this plan, you should be able to reach Wessex within 2 weeks.”

The land route to Wessex was a much more roundabout path compared to the sea route.

“It can’t be helped that it’s relatively slower than the sea route…”

Arriving faster was important, but Layla was also worried that the money she had might run out along the way. Five people was a lot of mouths to feed, after all.

Brian quickly grasped the meaning behind Layla’s mutterings.

“You don’t need to worry. The current funds are sufficient.”

When Layla gave him a look demanding an explanation, he added,

“The most important thing Lord Lilburn prepared for me was the funds. And he also gave me advance instructions on what to do if the funds run low, so you don’t need to be concerned.”

“…Is there a way to get more while abroad?”

“It’s a last resort method. Of course, I believe His Lordship will take measures before it comes to that.”

Judging from the words he added at the end of each sentence, Brian seemed to have tremendous trust in Millay.

He believed that Millay would resolve this situation, so the crisis would not last long.

As if to prove that, both yesterday and today, before finishing his duties, he took measures to inform Millay of their movements. And remembering Lilburn’s requests to him, he used Millay as the basis for judging what actions he himself should take.

Even though Millay was not right beside him, Brian never faltered.

Layla knew well how difficult it was to give such loyalty. Because it was something her own father, who had once been on Hawkin’s payroll, had failed to achieve.

Not knowing how to react to Brian’s attitude, Layla changed the subject.

“Is there still no more specific news about Wessex?”

“It appears that Fitzroy’s First Princess has already penetrated deep into the royal castle.”

“…There must be a time lag in the news, so the situation is likely even worse.”

Both Layla and Brian knew what would eventually happen if the situation deteriorated after the castle was invaded.

Seeing Layla’s complexion darken, instead of offering clumsy comfort, Brian briefly recited what he could do for her.

“If any more stories come in, I will tell you immediately.”

“Thank you, Brian.”

Placing his hand on his chest, Brian calmly replied,

“Not at all. It’s my duty.”

With that, he placed one of his colleagues in front of Layla’s door and left.

Perhaps Brian had already been a leader somewhere before, as he kept the other three knights under his control and assigned roles to each of them. He also took care to stay close to Layla, but not let their presence be too conspicuous.

He also understood very well why Layla had left her lady-in-waiting behind. He too fiercely reprimanded the other knights if it seemed they might engage in any misconduct. However, perhaps because he was also wary of further personnel losses, he always gave them separate tasks and motivated them afterwards.

Just what kind of person was Millay to have someone like this as a close aide?

Moreover, Layla was amazed at how well prepared he was for the situation, as if he had seen the future. If Brian had not been there, Layla would have been much more at a loss as to what to do.

‘A mysterious person…’

So while this unfamiliar life on the run made her anxious, Layla was able to fall asleep nonetheless.

When she laid her head on the unfamiliar pillow for the first time, Layla recalled the memory of staying in Millay’s room at his residence.

The kind scent.

The generous hospitality of him giving up his own room.

That singular experience strangely gave Layla a certain trust.

Even from a distance, it felt like she was under Millay’s protection.

And just as Brian believed, she too began to harbor a subtle expectation that he would come find her someday.

A few days later.

Word came that Wessex had finally fallen into Fitzroy’s hands, the king there was dead, and all the princes and princesses had been captured.

That evening, after finding new lodgings and re-dyeing Layla’s now faded hair, Brian reported on the situation.

As she listened, Layla felt her hands begin to tremble. She tried to control it, but couldn’t help it.

“…They were taken as slaves?”

Rather than continuing right away, Brian paused for a moment, as if to give Layla time to process it in her mind, before answering.

“From what I heard, they decided right then and there which country to send the princesses and princes to and distributed them…”

Distributed.

An expression that should only be applied to objects was being used for her siblings. It probably wasn’t wrong. In reality, slaves were no different from objects.

Ultimately, they were the subject of transactions that could be sold for money if need be.

Upon hearing that everyone with the Wessex name had been forcibly sent to Fitzroy’s allies, Layla felt faint.

When Millay had told her that Wessex was in danger, she had never dreamed that the situation would unfold without her having any chance to intervene like this.

“Do you happen to know what became of the youngest prince, Cedric?”

“…It seems Cedric Wessex has become Isabella Fitzroy’s slave.”

Layla squeezed her eyes shut. The words she was hearing took her breath away.

But Layla didn’t have the strength to go look for them right now.

More than anything, it was difficult to predict what would happen to herself.

What would become of her now?

The moment she thought that, Layla got her answer. The words she had expected upon hearing that Wessex was in crisis flowed from Brian.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’ve heard that an order has been issued to search for Her Highness the Princess.”

“Has my location been specified?”

“At this point, there’s a very high possibility they’ll assume you’re not in Filmer. The date Your Highness originally planned to depart Filmer has passed.”

Moreover, before boarding Millay’s ship, in case the ship had a different purpose, she had sent a letter to the royal palace of Wessex.

That letter might now be in Isabella’s hands.

“I see…”

Seeing Layla’s complexion pale, Brian unusually showed a look of distress.

Perhaps conscious of it, he had never before frivolously made a fuss or revealed emotions like this in front of Layla.

But it seemed even he was at a loss in front of the unfortunate princess whose country had been ruined, father had died, and siblings had been captured.

Brian hesitated for a moment before adding,

“I’m not sure if this will be of any comfort.”

“Please speak freely.”

“Lord Lilburn told me in advance that he would arrange it to look like Your Highness boarded the ship you were supposed to take. So I believe that could buy some time…”

It was truly not comforting at all.

Even if the letter didn’t arrive, that was just a deception. It would only be enough to survive for a few days.

So Layla now had to face reality.

If her homeland, the Kingdom of Wessex, had been destroyed, she was no longer a princess. She had effectively become a refugee wandering other countries with her nation in ruins.

She had lost everything overnight.

Now all she had left were the things she possessed at this very moment.

Four knights, some travel money, and a few belongings.

With nothing to her name, the knights were very likely to betray her before long.