"Yes, the information they have is exactly what we needed. It also seems more beneficial to us to accept her proposal than to reject it," Arabella admitted.
[My companions couldn’t find the Prudencians either, so this is necessary. The Princess knew this, which is why she approached Her Majesty. It could be a ploy by Crux, possibly even using the Princess herself. But as long as the locations they provide are accurate, we can handle the rest later.]
"It does offer significant advantages. However, we must remain cautious in case it’s a trap. Are you certain you haven’t heard any suspicious thoughts from them?" Alwin inquired.
Arabella understood Alwin’s vigilance.
After all, caution was paramount; the Prudencians could easily be used as bait to lure them in.
By now, everyone in Crux likely knew that Valeria sought the Prudencians’ return, making the location of even one Prudencian in Crux extrely valuable.
Consequently, many feigned to have had such precious information to claim rewards, only to provide false locations in the end.
Arabella had already considered such a possibility, which was why she insisted on verifying a location first.
Despite having heard the truth through their thoughts, it was prudent to show they wanted to ensure that Princess Seraphina and her faction genuinely possessed the information.
Fortunately, Princess Seraphina had been forthcoming, showing no signs of deception when asked for verification. Her concern lay more in the possibility of other nobles discovering the exposed locations and relocating the Prudencians they had.
"No, they are simply desperate to make the eting successful since the situation in Crux is dire. As she thought about what she had witnessed in the past, it was so much worse than the scene we saw in Prudencia when we visited," Arabella explained.
"What did you see?" Alwin inquired.
"It was heart-wrenching," Arabella sighed deeply, recounting the harrowing scenes she had seen through Princess Seraphina’s recollection.
Alwin shook his head in dismay and sighed deeply. "No wonder they have resorted to such drastic asures to bring about change in their kingdom."
The atrocities happening in Crux demanded desperate asures to counter and halt them. Hence, Princess Seraphina and her faction would rather they beco a part of Valeria and pay taxes than let the cruelties in Crux to persist.
"Yes," Arabella continued, "They’ve gathered as much information as they could about Valeria recently and are aware that living conditions here are significantly better than in Crux. While there may also be less affluent territories within Valeria, at least slavery is nonexistent."
The ruling system in Valeria was so much better than Crux as well. In the empire, they look after all their people and not only of the nobles.
Arabella and Alwin continued to chat over the situation in Crux before Arabella retired to her room to wait for an update of when she could speak with Ferdinand about this.
In the quiet solitude of her chambers, Arabella mulled over the revelations from her eting with Princess Seraphina.
The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the window, casting gentle shadows upon the tapestries adorning the walls. Seraphina’s words echoed in her mind, stirring a mix of intrigue and apprehension.
"Seraphina’s engagent was a sham to escape Crux," Arabella murmured to herself, pacing the room with asured steps. The revelation had been unexpected, yet it explained the princess’s unorthodox approach and her desire for a strategic alliance with Valeria.
Their conversation had delved deep into Seraphina’s motivations. She and her twin had planned to use their marriages as a ans to escape Crux, bringing their closest allies and cherished ones with them. Fate had intervened when they saved soone from assassins, forging an agreent that changed their trajectory as that person beca Seraphina’s fiancé.
Lost in thought, she did not hear her door open.
"Oh my goodness!" Arabella gasped as she suddenly found herself enveloped in soone’s arms.
Just as she moved to push him away, Ferdinand’s familiar voice reassured her, "It’s ."
Relieved, Arabella sighed and said, "Ferdinand! Why do you always have to startle like that?"
She complained but turned around and hugged him tightly. She had missed him dearly since he had left. Especially after all the work she had been up to.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t an to sneak up on you," Ferdinand apologized. "I knocked on your door three tis, but when there was no response, I decided to co in. But you still didn’t hear calling out to you."
"Oh, I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t an to ignore you. I was just distracted," Arabella apologized, holding him even tighter.
Ferdinand smiled warmly at her gesture and kissed her forehead affectionately. He returned her embrace much tighter. "What am I going to do with you if you keep getting lost in thought like this?"
[Thank goodness she’s in her chambers. This is exactly why I instructed everyone to guard her closely, especially when she’s preoccupied or lost in thought. She can beco so absorbed in sothing that she doesn’t hear anything around her. It’s good to be focused, but it can be dangerous if soone manages to sneak in. Should I bring her to Estrella and enhance the protective spells?]
Ferdinand’s worry resurfaced as he contemplated the situation.
"You don’t have to. I’m safe and sound with everyone guarding ," Arabella assured her husband. "Did you just arrive?"
She suspected he had been busy but had taken a mont to visit her after she sent Riley to him.
"Yes," Ferdinand confird.
[It had been more than an hour though. I took multiple baths before heading here to her chambers because I reeked of smoke from all the burning.]
Arabella arched an eyebrow when she caught his thoughts, noticing he indeed slled fresh and wore an indoor coat.
She leaned in to sniff his hair cascading down his chest and remarked, "You sll nice."
Ferdinand swallowed hard and warned, "Don’t tempt . You said we needed to talk."
"Right," Arabella chuckled, understanding what he ant.
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