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"How long has it been since we've slept? Have you eaten anything yet?", Charlotte suddenly questioned me.

I lifted my head up from my plate of steak and potatoes. "Not hungry", I responded.

"Come on, this is our first night in this kingdom. We should be celebrating! Don't tell me you're not enjoying yourself here!" She exclaimed with excitement in her voice.

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. I knew she wanted me to enjoy ourselves; she wants me to live for the sake of the children who have no choice in life. But, she doesn' t seem to understand that we can't afford to take breaks. Not only that, but we've lost too many already.

"Are you really so eager to celebrate?", I asked.

Her expression softened. She lowered her head and sighed softly.

I sat there staring at her, waiting for her to say something else.

But all she did was keep staring at her food.

So, I decided to change the subject. "What exactly do you hope to gain from these events? What did it take for the king to get you to join? I mean, what does he want?".

She glanced up at me through her bangs before taking a small bite out of one of the rolls.

"You know he always uses the same old trick, don't you? He tries to bribe you with land ,popularity and gold whatever it takes for you to join him. Even if you refuse to join, you'll be rewarded with riches and power. That's his way of trying to lure people to his side." Charlotte blurted.

That's why she was doing this. It must be what she wanted in the end.

Money, popularity, whatever it took to become queen. All she wanted was power. So selfish... she was just using me to further her own agenda.

"He always ends up losing interest in you when you realize he's never gonna give you what you want. And whenever he gives you what he thinks will make you happy, he makes sure to remind you that you've already failed.

He doesn't care enough to make sure that nothing happens to you. He just cares about himself." Charlotte continued, looking straight in my eyes.

I frowned slightly at what she said.

"He may have succeeded every other time but it's getting harder and harder to believe that he will succeed next. No matter what he tells you, I know he's capable of doing horrible things. You mustn't trust him too far."

She stared at me with those piercing greenish grey eyes.

Those piercing eyes that could easily hurt and break people's hearts. The gaze seemed to pierce right through my soul. My heart felt like it was burning inside of me.

"Do you think he will tell me about my parents?" I said desperately, desperate to ask her why she would risk her freedom over such useless information.

However, I didn't dare to look away as she gazed deep into my eyes and spoke. "No", she said simply.

"And why would he?", I replied, feeling completely hopeless.

But I wasn't expecting her reply to make me feel better.

"Because he'll want to test you. If he thinks that you won't betray him or refuse to join him. Then, he might reveal more of his plans than he intended to. You don't want him to do that, do you?" Charlotte replied.

I shook my head sadly. I couldn't imagine ever being involved in an evil plan.

Especially one like this.

Charlotte put her hands on either side of my face and gave me a comforting smile. She leaned towards me until her face was mere centimeters apart from mine.

"There's still time", she whispered quietly while holding my breath.

The room suddenly felt colder than usual.

Goosebumps covered my skin. I shuddered violently. The atmosphere made me feel uneasy. Charlotte had a strange vibe around her, almost as though she possessed some kind of magic.

Although it would not be abnormal if she did.

Almost as though she were a spirit, or an angel, and yet, it wasn’t that which drew the attention of her companions. No, no it wasn’t any of these things at all; what did pull their attentions from her was something far more mundane than anything else.

However, I didn't dare speak or move. Instead, I watched her closely, hoping for something to happen.

After a few seconds of silence, Charlotte moved back and smiled at me again. As soon as she sat down, she started to eat.

She continued eating until the plate was empty. After she put the fork down gently on the table, she placed both of her hands on top of her thighs.

"Well done, sweetie". She looked proud, like she had achieved something great.

Then she stood up.

"Come on, let's go outside for a bit."

She walked past me and went towards the door without even giving me a chance to answer. I followed after her in silence, not knowing what to expect.

Just the thought of leaving the warmth and safety of the castle to walk through the chilly cold wind, filled me with dread.

Yet, Charlotte didn't seem to care about the cold breeze. When she reached the doorway, she turned around to face me, making me stand still and silent.

With that, Charlotte stepped out into the freezing air and started walking briskly. I followed her as fast as my body would allow me to. Soon, I realized that she wasn't actually walking; instead, she was running. With each step, my breath hitched and I began to feel lightheaded.

This was ridiculous. This is the exact reason why I shouldn't do any sort of exercise ever again. Why am I being forced to run for the entire kingdom's safety?

Suddenly, I came across another person, probably someone I had seen earlier in the day.

They were standing in front of a huge iron gate. They wore simple grey clothes and their hair was cut short. Their face wasn't visible, hidden by a large white hood. They were holding a sword in front of them and was looking down.

It took a few moments before they sensed my presence.

They turned their head towards me and immediately removed their hand from where it rested on the hilt of the weapon.

Once I could see their face, I have not realized I'd stopped moving until their eyes locked on mine, demanding answers.

"You look familiar", I said.

They're eyes narrowed. "Really? Who are you?".

The question seemed to irritate them.

"Oh, you know, nobody. Just passing by. Sorry". I quickly excused myself as I made my way backwards, still keeping a close eye on them.