After finalizing their plans regarding the tulips, the group of three people and one cat soon arrived in Ruen. Under the cloak of night, the city lacked Nolan’s characteristic thick fog. This northern tropolis stood quiet and serene, seemingly untouched by the turmoil thousands of miles away.
The young princess had been waiting for them for so ti. Dolores's confidants and supporters in Ruen had also been notified and were gathered at the young princess's residence.
Dolores went with her sister to attend to matters of state, while Jenkins took Alexia and soared into the night sky.
Following the intelligence they had gathered, they scanned the snow-capped mountains around Ruen and indeed found traces of military forces. On the surface, the kingdom's southern armies were retreating north, but in reality, the first to arrive near Ruen was the main force that had been assembled in the north to combat the Snowman Legion.
The army had only recently reached the outskirts of Ruen, concealing themselves in the mountains to the east. This elite unit, directly under the Crown's command, numbered around ten thousand soldiers and was equipped with the most advanced firearms and artillery. If Jenkins hadn't known they were controlled by King Salsi II, he might have assud they were there to lay siege to the city.
According to information Dolores had received, armies from all corners of the Hamparvo Kingdom appeared to be converging on Ruen. But this was rely a smokescreen; the only force that had actually been ordered to approach the city was the one before them.
This intelligence had co from Miss Windsor. One of her spies was on good terms with a duke from a vassal state of the Hamparvo Kingdom, and this invaluable information was obtained through that connection.
“Salsi II isn’t planning a massacre, is he?”
Jenkins asked hesitantly, mounted on his unicorn.
“To create a stable environnt for his successor, he first engineers the illusion of his absence, luring out any destabilizing elents. Then he brings in the army to slaughter the rebels, paving the way for the next king once and for all...”
Alexia agreed with Jenkins's assessnt. As cruel as it sounded, it was exactly the kind of thing Dolores's father would do. The king had always been ruthless; now, with his life drawing to a close, he wouldn't hesitate to tarnish his reputation if it ant securing stability for the next generation and the kingdom as a whole.
Taking the heirs with him was likely a move to protect the royal family’s reputation, ensuring they couldn't be linked to the affair.
“He’s a terrifying man.”
“Aren’t all kings? Once you hold power, you must be willing to make sacrifices and understand the hard choices that co with it.”
Alexia remarked, gazing down at the faint lights below. The army was exceptionally skilled at concealnt, lighting no campfires in the dark. If not for her and Jenkins’s extraordinary vision, they would have seen no trace of them at all.
“That's why I don't think I'm suited to be a king...”
Jenkins muttered, descending with Alexia. As they did, Alexia used her abilities to cloak their forms, ensuring they would remain unseen even as they flew low over the ground.
After a brief period of observation, they returned to the city and updated Dolores on the situation outside. She, in turn, had learned from her loyalists that the atmosphere in Ruen had grown strange. The newspapers had fallen completely silent on political issues, their pages now dominated by society gossip and sensational stories.
It was as if the city had been completely cut off from continental politics and dostic intelligence in a matter of days. This was not a good sign.
“A duke, one with real power, entered the city yesterday,”
the young princess, Angelina Stuart, reminded them.
“Was it our uncle, Duke Rodebale?”
Dolores asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.
King Salsi II had no biological brothers, so this "uncle" was a paternal cousin, but still a close relation. The duke, nearly forty, was in the pri of his life and held considerable sway within the military. He was known as the most unyielding of all the current dukes.
“Let's go see him,”
Dolores said after a mont of thought.
“As Dolores Stuart?”
Jenkins asked.
“Yes, as my true self. At this stage, no matter how many plans my father has laid, he can’t travel between Nolan and Ruen at a mont’s notice like I can. We can afford to be more direct. I trust the duke will understand the implications.”
Alexia supported her student, and Jenkins had no reason to object, so he decided to tag along. They weren’t worried about the duke revealing their presence in Ruen. For one, it was doubtful anyone would believe him. And even if they did, it hardly mattered. The ti to lay their cards on the table was fast approaching.
This wasn’t to be a formal eting, so only Dolores and Jenkins went—their presence alone would be enough. The duke was staying at his residence in Ruen, a lavish mansion near the hill of the royal palace. Despite being in the heart of the city, the estate was sprawling.
Jenkins and Dolores departed on the unicorn. The princess’s adoration for the creature was so overwhelming that the little beast could barely stand it. Upon landing, it nuzzled its cheek against Jenkins in a show of discontent before vanishing.
Their plan was to infiltrate the duke's residence directly. Dolores would then try to persuade the duke, question his reasons for being in Ruen, and uncover what contingency plans King Salsi II had put in place. It was hardly going to be easy, which was precisely why Jenkins was there.
“Wait a mont. Let first check if the duke has any Enchanters with him,”
Jenkins whispered by the wall, his eyes blinking once as he peered over it. Given Duke Rodebale's status, hiring Enchanters for protection was a distinct possibility, but Jenkins figured that even if there were any, they wouldn't be particularly powerful.
“Oh?”
He suddenly murmured, a flicker of surprised confusion in his eyes.
“Sothing might be wrong...”
Uncertain of his assessnt, he lifted the cat from his shoulder and set it on the ground.
“Wait here for . I’ll be right back.”
Before Dolores or Chocolate could object, he vaulted over the wall.
“He's always like this,”
the princess comnted with a hint of annoyance. She glanced around, bored, and after a mont, her gaze settled on Jenkins’s cat.
“ow, ow, ow~”
Lifting the hem of her dress, she crouched down, mimicking a soft ow to coax Chocolate over. Dolores knew how fond Jenkins was of his pet, and having a rare mont alone with the cat, she wanted to get closer to it. Besides, Chocolate was an undeniably adorable creature.
“ow~”
Chocolate let out an ordinary-sounding ow in response but paid Dolores no further mind. Instead, the cat stood obediently in the shadows of the wall, patiently waiting for Jenkins to return.
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