Chapter 11: North

Chapter 11: North

"What did you say?"

"He has recently been appointed as the Duke of Kingsley."

Now that that bastard has become the Duke, everything has changed. I've long expected that he'll become the Duke sooner or later but this is too much early.

I crumpled the piece of paper I had in my hand a while ago.

'I'll come and get you Emily, by hook or by crook. Then let's finish what we've started.'

-Mi Vida

"How about Teal? No news about her or from her yet?" Gray shook his head and he even can't hide his disappointment.

I've remembered Teal who failed to keep our communication lines open. Five years have passed and I have not yet heard a single word from her or even saw her face again. It was then, I assumed that she was either captured or she have forgotten that she had a mission to accomplish.

"Master, I've arrived."

"Crimson, report."

"Vannister Halsted is indeed the man with a dark blue hair and golden eyes. The unique features that can only be found in the previous imperial family."

Then a snap cracked in my head.

Imperial family? The Crown Prince died during the treason. He was executed along with his greedy father when the Kingsleys planned to overthrow them and they don't have a good reason to still keep them alive--

But there was only one Grand Duchy, he was the brother of the deposed Emperor. And…

"But the imperial family was executed, so it couldn't be them. More so the Grand Duchy who would be the next in line to the throne if something…"

"Master, it was the Grand Duchy of Halsted that helped the Kingsleys overthrow the previous imperial family and in return they retained their status even after changing the Emperor. However, most of the nobles protested and wanted to execute them so the newly established Emperor didn't have a choice but to demote them into a Duke's status and isolate them into the North."

"North."

"Yes, this story is only known to the Duke and some Marquis so there has never been a clear story about the Duchy of Halsted but I once heard that the Duke and his family can never step outside the North or even go into the capital unless ordered by the Emperor himself. The same thing goes for the nobles, they can't enter the Duchy unless the Emperor granted them, but that's not the case for women…"

"For they don't see us as threats.."

"Did you go up into the North?" She shook her head and I nodded.

"I didn't milady as you've instructed."

"Good." I can't bear to lose another person. It seemed hard to find a loyal one these days.

Now I understood why I can't see even a glimpse of his hair even if I stroll around the capital. It's because he was not residing there but was imprisoned in a cage where he can't even spread his wings to be free.

"You're dismissed Crimson. Thank you." I unconsciously said causing her to stop but I didn't had the strength to look at her. I was busy organizing my thoughts because things after things kept piling up in front of me and I'm getting confused.

A silence reigned inside the room but someone immediately broke it up.

"Milady can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Why did you spent your time on finding him?"

"Next question."

"Milady."

"And another thing, he's a person and not a thing."

"Alright milady, but was he your ex-lover? Or did he had a debt on you?"

A dagger flew passed his face and he instinctively avoided it. Fortunately, his face wasn't injured. After passing the Knights' Exam and appointed as my personal escort, he has became bolder than ever. I've been regretting why I have made him one.

"Making you as my personal escort is the one thing that I've regretting right now."

"But milady, you're the one who said that I could casually speak with you."

"Now you're even using my words against mine eh?"

He smirked but immediately bowed down and apologize. Despite him being my arrogant escort, it was also good to have a kind of friend with you whom you could exchange sarcastic words.

"Get ready, we're going on an outing."

"Where is it milady?"

"To the North."

He seemed to have a complaint but he knew that he can't stop me right now. With that bastard becoming the Duke and sending me creepy and bloody love letters everyday ever since, I have decided which course to take but I'm not confident about this because I might either get rejected or unfortunate. For he might not even recognize me or he has been married long enough since it has been 5 long years.

Wearing a plain white long sleeve shirt with a dark brown plain vest and trousers. I fixed my hat and made sure that my hair won't be visible. I chose an auburn hat which is the same with my hair so it won't be easily seen. Then I remembered my conversation with my parents.

"Where are you off to Lily again?"

"Just to Sylvia's estate father. She invited me to stay at their estate for 5 days and I'm asking for you permission."

Father seemed reluctant and my mother was quiet. So I was nervous whether they're going to let me go there. I'm so sorry Sylvia, I'll make sure that I'll make it up to you.

I have already prepared a letter and intercepted it with my father's so he would receive a request letter from Sylvia's family.

"We can't prohibit you from having fun but Lily, isn' t five days a little bit long? Can't you just return home after spending a day with them?"

"But mother, I want to spend more time with her."

"But your safety again Lily, it will be the first time that you will go out of the estate."

Thankfully, that my brothers were busy training the newly recruited knights so I won't have many people on the opposition side.

"I will be fine father since I'll be bringing my personal escort and I'll just be staying at Sylvia's."

Considering that the travel duration to Sylvia's estate would take about 3 days at most. However, since our original destination is the north, it would only take a day to reach that and another day to return.

"Thank you father and mother. But how about my brothers?"

"Don't worry Lily, I'll be the one to talk to them so go and enjoy with your friend." Mother said while father just nodded. It always felt as if mother is the head of the family and that father was just a figurehead. Is it wrong to think this way though?

"Gray how far are we from the Northern territory?"

"We just have to pass through the Labyrinth Forest then we'd be able to reach the mouth of the territory."

"And how much days would that take?"

I never thought that we'd need to pass a forest so we could just get a sneak on their territory. Guess it would take at least another.

"A day and a half, milady."

"Then we will go through it without resting."

"That… Milady. Are you sure? You might not keep up with me."

"What do you think of me? A little girl?"

I immediately had my horse ran through the forest. I snuck out my dagger since I've felt a sinister feeling.

"Gray, do you think there are some monsters in here?"

I turned my head when I received no response. But he wasn't there. Shit. Fortunately, I blocked an arrow that was aiming at my direction.

Then a second one came to attack me but failed. As if a surprise attack, two people sneaked at my side and attacked me at the same time.

"Eli!" I called my horse to move so I was able to avoid their swords.

They both glared at me but I was wondering who they were because they're not bandits and they're somehow wearing a knight's uniform. But where the hell did Gray go?

Without giving me a time to think, they immediately dashed towards me so I was put into a defensive position. Then as if teasing me, an arrow went into my direction.

I was going to avoid it but the bastards kept me preoccupied. I felt a pang of pain when it grazed my arm.

"Get him."

Letting their guard down because I got injured by their friend, I sadly hit bastards leg and arm with my favorite daggers. You will be missed my babies. They were surprised and groaned in pain because my dagger has some paralyzing effect so they have given me the chance to get away.

I may have learnt the art of swordfighting but fighting with a swordmaster or two are exhausting and suicidal.

Even when his friends are injured, he still has no care for them because the man with the arrow kept on pursuing me. Although I can't actually see him but only feel him, I knew that he's far greater than the two so fighting with him would be the last thing I would do. Doesn't he feel tired or annoyed already?

So I just kept on pressuring Eli to go on faster. Go on Eli or both of us would die a crazy death.

That's when I heard another pair of hooves coming from behind me. So he's also riding a horse. So be it.

I continued on making my horse faster when it immediately freaked out. Shit. I held onto the reins and cupped his face to calm him down but an unexpected monster or should I say a hug bear suddenly came into the picture. What the hell?

I prepared my dagger and positioned for a quick attack so I can quickly hit its vital organ. However, I felt a fast presence behind me and without a second, he immediately knocked out the bear with a swift sword swing. For a second, I thought it was him because of the dark hair but the moment his red eyes landed on me, I immediately realized that I got the wrong person. So i instinctively hid my dagger.

"Who are you?"

A cold sharp metal was pointed on my neck and from that moment, I knew he was bad news. But who is this bastard?

"I'm asking who you are." I sighed and put my hands up as a gesture of voluntary surrender.

"I-I'm looking for my brother. H-he entered t-the forest not long ago and I got lost…"

I bit my lip when I felt the tip of his sword plunged a little deeper into my neck so I felt blood trickling down my neck.

"Brother, but you're the only one who's here right now. So who's the brother your talking about? Get down your horse." He said so he's lucky that I was following his orders despite my blood rising to the very top of the mountain.

"You must be an experienced fighter for you to easily knocked up my subordinates. But what is a lady like you even doing in this place?"

Shit. I saw him focusing his eyes on my chest. How could he even know such when I used two bandages to cover it up and even wore a vest.

"A cross-dressed lady who went up into the North with only a horse and a dagger on is telling me that she got lost and is here to find her brother. Do you expect me to believe that bullshit?"

"I've seen a woman like you trespassed this forest and turned out to be a spy. So I got her executed right here at this very spot."

The reason why Teal wasn't able to return was because of this bullshit.

"So tell me are you also a spy? A spy sent by that imperial bastards? So they could take my estate away?"

'My?'

My eyebrows raised with the word he used. Did he just claimed the North as his fief? What a bastard? What is he a Duke?

"Now it seems like you've got no voice to spare so don't expect me to spare your life."

"Felix."

The moment he turned his back, I was prepared to knock him out and escape right then but that familiar voice stopped me.

Riding on top of the black horse, I saw a dark blue haired man with his golden eyes focused on me. But the thing that got my attention was the vertical half mask he has on. Why is he wearing that thing?

5 years must have been that long for the both of us.