The Duke of Ovelier was inviting the family of Duke Lancester White to spend a good time together.

Eversor, the son of Duke Ovelier, along with Piersin and Fiona, headed to the stables to see the horses. Meanwhile, only the two couples of the dukes remained in the reception room, enjoying a chat.

Observing Lancester talk about the events in a certain territory, Duke Ovelier swallowed a laugh inwardly.

‘By now, my nephew is probably dying, unaware even in his dreams.’

Duke Ovelier had no intention of sending Ariana willingly to the Northern Command.

Already concerned that Ariana maintained a close relationship with the Northern Commander, even the Emperor couldn’t easily interfere. The Northern Commander, who the Emperor couldn’t easily touch, might someday become a significant force for Ariana.

If Ariana went to the Northern Command and strengthened her ties with the Northern Commander, then whenever the Eastern Command faced a crisis, bringing the Northern Commander to overcome the crisis might become possible.

‘Ariana’s popularity will skyrocket.’

The position of the Geoar was not yet secure.

People knew that Geoar was not the biological child of the Eastern Commander. Rumors were circulating that the Eastern Commander’s position might change soon. Geoar, indifferent to such matters, seemed to have no interest.

‘So, I have to make a move.’

The farther away from the capital, the lower the loyalty to the king. People in the capital were more concerned about living and surviving than the affairs in the palace. They might not know about the king regaining his daughter, the color of her hair being sky-blue, or that she was heading to the Northern Command.

‘Just 10 gold.’

With a small amount of money, Duke Ovelier could manipulate them.

He moved the peasants just in case things went awry.

A capable assassin scrutinizes a lot, and to prepare for unexpected situations, they prepare various documents. Before handling the job, they thoroughly investigate the client.

Even if he had a messenger handle the request, eventually, they would find out that Duke Ovelier was behind it.

But the commoners who move for a few coins were different.

They didn’t know who the messenger was who came to commission the job, and they didn’t care who was behind it. All they saw was the shining gold coins right in front of them.

Since he promised to give them 2 gold first and an additional 8 gold upon successful completion, they were blinded by greed, and they would surely kill Ariana.

With a faint smile, Duke Ovelier spoke to Lancester, who was Ariana’s uncle.

“By the way, it must be a great concern for you, Your Highness, that the princess is leaving on a long journey.”

+++

The men carried Ariana on their shoulders and moved through the secret passage behind the fireplace. The boy’s mother and the boy were also with them.

Through the conversation they shared while escaping, Ariana could tell that they were just ordinary peasants.
Someone promised them a large sum of money and asked them to kill a girl with ‘sky-blue hair.’ That someone knew that Ariana would arrive in the city today, that many knights would be mobilized, and that she would be accompanied by a girl with golden eyes.

The underground passage was long.

It seemed like it was created to avoid enemies’ eyes during a war.

‘What should I do?’

In a situation where she couldn’t move, she found herself surrounded by people targeting her life. She never dreamed of setting traps using even commoners and children.

‘What should I do in such a situation?’

It seemed like those guys were determined to kill Ariana.

The opponent promised to give an additional 8 gold if they succeeded in killing Ariana. With the 10 gold they received for handling this job, they were excitedly shouting and walking through the passage.

‘I was foolish.’

She should have been cautious, thinking that there were enemies everywhere.

‘But… How can you live thinking there are enemies at every moment, everywhere?’

Cyrus came to mind.

‘Is the Northern Commander living like that? Has he always lived like that?’

According to Isaac, there are still many people in the Northern Command who covet Cyrus’s position.

‘What would the Northern Commander do in such a situation? No, he probably wouldn’t end up in such a situation in the first place. He wouldn’t have foolishly helped a child like me, nor would he have drunk the tea they offered without suspicion.’

It was a painful mistake.

It was a mistake to drink tea given by someone she didn’t know. She let her guard down, thinking that the opponent, as the weaker party, wouldn’t harbor ill intentions.

‘In the end, it’s my foolishness that led to this.’

They hurried their steps and walked through the underground passage for a while. Once out of the passage, there was a forest. Except for the sound of birds, there were no voices of other people.

Nevertheless, they carried Ariana for a while before finally putting her down on the ground.

The boy’s father spoke to the boy’s mother and the boy.

“You stay here.”