Her heart sank.

She wanted to run out immediately, call Isaac’s name, and confirm his safety.

Ariana stared at the letter, took a deep breath, organized her mind trying not to let it get tangled with ominous premonitions, and asked a maid outside.

“Has anyone entered while I was away?”

The maid avoided eye contact and hesitated.

“Why can’t you answer?”

Worry for Isaac’s well-being made her voice sharp. The maid mumbled, shoulders hunched.

“Uh, I’m sorry, Your Highness. While you were away, I also took a moment…”

Ariana didn’t need to hear the end to know that the maid hadn’t been guarding this place. Ariana sighed and entered the tent.

Sini spoke with concern.

“What’s wrong, my lady?”

“Someone seems to have kidnapped Isaac.”

“Kidnapped…”

Sini raised her gaze to the sky, trying to recall the meaning of ‘kidnap.’

“It means forcibly taking someone away for a reason.”

“Oh…! Then, is Sir Isaac in danger?”

“Seems like it. If we believe this letter.”

“My lady, if I eat the heart of a mouse or bird, I can quietly scout around here.”

Sini was aware that she possessed the power of Paganus. She was somewhat aware of what abilities the blood flowing in her body brought, having realized it to some extent since birth.

Ariana looked at Sini sternly and said,

“I hope you don’t use that power, Sini. And…”

Ariana glanced down at the letter.

“I need time to think.”

She almost rushed out in panic at the thought of something happening to Isaac. Her heart still raced, and on one hand, she found it strange.

“Harm Isaac? Not Isabella, and why Isaac, the closest aide to the Northern Heir?”

Everyone knew that the Northern Heir cherished Isaac so much that he always accompanied him. Nevertheless, touching Isaac meant declaring war on the entire Northern Realm.

“Touching Isaac to harm me is like burning the house to catch a mouse. I don’t know who sent the letter, but the claim that they have Isaac is probably false.”

Perhaps Ariana thought that as soon as she received the letter, she would be surprised and run out to save Isaac.

“Isaac might be in a hard-to-find place for me, but he’s not likely in danger. Even if they really attempted kidnapping, Isaac, who has traveled tirelessly with the Northern Heir, wouldn’t fall easily. There might have been a small disturbance.”

The forest was filled with nobles and their attendants for hunting. If a commotion occurred in such circumstances, it would be difficult to conceal.

Ariana was confident that Isaac wasn’t in immediate danger.
“Then, this must be a letter to trap me… Who could have sent it?”

The first person who came to mind was Wi’ona.

“No, Wi’ona wouldn’t orchestrate something like this. Then…”

Next to cross Ariana’s mind was Jeor.

“Even if it’s not Jeor, someone must want to turn Jeor into a rival for the Northern Heir. Could it be Duke Oveliere?”

Even though Jeor became the Northern Heir’s double, Duke Oveliere, Jeor’s biological father and a powerful figure in Dongryeong, held significant influence. While it was possible for him to covet the position of the Northern Heir, it seemed too early for Duke Oveliere to make a move, especially when Ariana hadn’t taken any significant actions yet.

“There might be a family collapse if things go wrong. Does Duke Oveliere have such great ambition? I haven’t done anything yet.”

Unless Ariana gained significant strength and popularity rivaling Jeor, it was too early for Duke Oveliere to act in this situation.

“The only way to find out is…”

Ariana took the letter and went outside the tent.

She called a nearby knight and informed him that there was urgent news for Jeor. The knight disappeared into the forest, and after about thirty minutes, Jeor appeared with the knight.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

Jeor asked with an ever-enigmatic smile. Without answering, Ariana entered the tent, and Jeor followed her.

As soon as Jeor entered, Ariana handed him the letter.

“What, did you write me a letter expressing your affection?”

Jeor took the letter with a playful remark, and his expression remained unchanged as he read it.

“This is a badly made joke.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, I see it as a bad joke. Isaac isn’t an easy person to kidnap, and even if he were kidnapped, he wouldn’t be taken away quietly like this.”

“What if I believed this bad joke and headed to the oak tree forest?”

“Nothing would have happened. With so many people around, what could go wrong? However, if the Northern Heir knows that the Princess received such a letter, your Northern Realm journey might be jeopardized. Wouldn’t it be better to take precautions for the sake of your Northern Realm journey?”

“I’m not sure.”

Ariana subtly took the letter from Jeor’s hand.

“It seems like we need to take precautions for the sake of the Northern Heir rather than for me.”

Jeor shrugged.

“What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter to me if the Princess can’t go to the Northern Realm.”