Lara had long been gone, yet Alaric’s gaze remained fixed on the door as if sheer will alone could summon her return. Shadows flickered in his eyes, a silent yearning buried beneath his stoic facade.
When Agilus entered, carrying a steaming bowl of fish soup and a pogranate, he found the prince sitting in eerie stillness, lost in thought.
"Alaric, why do I get the feeling that the way you look at Kane is... different?" Agilus asked, setting the tray down. He narrowed his eyes. "Don’t tell —you like him? Is that why you’ve never touched your concubines?"
Alaric’s head snapped up, his sharp, obsidian eyes cutting through Agilus like a blade.
"Alright, alright, no need to glare holes through ." Agilus raised his hands in the air.
Ignoring him, Alaric reached for the small folded parchnt Lara had handed him before she left. He unfolded it carefully.
It was a map.
’This is the map of the mountains—Ourea, Roca, Verda, and Graza. I marked the safest and shortest routes to the road.’
Agilus, ever curious, peered over his shoulder. "Is that a map?" His brows furrowed. "I’ve never seen one this detailed. Did Kane give this to you?"
"Yes." Alaric’s voice was quiet and thoughtful. He held the parchnt out. "Make a copy. There’s ink and paper on that shelf."
Agilus didn’t hesitate. Snatching the map, he hurried to get the brush, paper, and ink and used the small table as a writing desk. He was more than eager to replicate it.
Agilus barely looked up from his work. "You know, I still don’t trust Kane. There’s sothing off about him. I checked the northern section—there’s a shed filled with strange devices. I’ve never seen anything like them."
"What kind of devices?"
Agilus hesitated. "I... don’t know how to explain. You need to see them yourself when you’re better. But listen—this house is too well-kept to be abandoned. The supplies, the way the garden is maintained—it’s like soone only just left. What if the real owners co back? What if Kane set us up?"
Alaric’s gaze flicked toward the window, where the leaves of the mango tree rustled from a breeze. "Whoever owns this place is no ordinary man," he mused. "The watering system alone is remarkable. They’ve redirected water from the waterfall using bamboo channels to supply the northern fields. It’s clever."
Agilus glanced toward the entrance, then back at Alaric. "I think four people lived here, including a child."
"Four?"
"There are four pairs of slippers behind the door."
The realization struck Agilus like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened. "Wait... that old man with the long white hair—what if he’s the hermit who owns this place? There was a child too and that other man."
Alaric studied his childhood friend. Annoying as Agilus could be, he had a sharp mind for details.
...
Lara moved swiftly through the dense forest, following the quickest path to the village. The crisp morning air filled her lungs, but her progress was hindered by the occasional pause—waiting for Aramis to catch up.
Aramis, a trained guard with exceptional martial arts skills, was ashad. He could not believe he would make a young soldier wait for him.
"Sir, I apologize for slowing you down," he muttered after finally catching up to her at the riverbank.
Lara barely acknowledged his words. Her attention was fixed on the water ahead. Though narrow, the river roared with life, its current twisting violently around jagged boulders.
She reached for the coil of rope at her waist, tying a small knife to one end. With a practiced flick, she swung it overhead, letting it fly.
The blade found its mark, wrapping the rope securely around a sturdy tree branch on the opposite bank before sinking into the bark with a solid thunk.
"I’ll go first," she said, tossing the other end of the rope into Aramis’s hands. "Watch my footing—one misstep here, and you’ll be swept away."
Without waiting for his reply, she leapt onto the first boulder, then the next, her movents precise and effortless. Within seconds, she was across.
Aramis exhaled sharply. Damn. Was that kid looking down on ?
Determined, he followed suit, mirroring her steps. He landed on the other side faster than she had.
A slow, smug grin spread across his face.
Lara arched an eyebrow. What’s he so pleased about?
"Aramis," she said, already moving ahead, "we need horses and supplies. Go into town and purchase everything on this list. We’ll et at the inn where you stayed last ti in two hours."
She handed him the list and the gold and silver ingots Agilus had given her.
With a curt nod, he strode off, and Lara wasted no ti jogging the remaining stretch to the village.
Lara jogged all the way to the village.
It was nearly noon when she arrived. She checked on Darius’s wounds, relieved to find the inflammation had subsided. After handing Delia a bamboo tube filled with ethyl alcohol and grabbing a quick al, she was back on her feet.
The siblings looked disappointed when she said she could only stay for half an hour, but they understood. She had a mission.
...
At the rented courtyard, Lara placed a small wooden chest before her master, recounting the details of her journey—how she had saved the soldiers on Mount Ourea, them recuperating at their house in Galeya’s Throne, and, most importantly, the urgent letters that needed to reach the generals in Hainai.
Jethru sat in silence, absorbing the information. His expression darkened.
Outside, Reya had been eavesdropping. Unable to contain herself, she burst in. "Miss, isn’t that where your father and brothers are?" Her voice wavered with excitent. "Let co with you!"
Lara and Jethru exchanged a look before rolling their eyes in unison.
"You’d only slow down," Lara said bluntly.
Jethru frowned. "Perhaps I should go instead. The frontier isn’t safe for a young woman."
Lara shook her head. "I won’t be alone, Grandpa. One of the general’s secret guards is already on his way to et at the inn."
Jethru sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Just be careful."
Lara turned to Reya. "Take care of Sandoz and the twins. And don’t cause trouble."
As she reached the door, Reya called out one last ti, "Miss... if you haven’t recovered your mory, and you et your father and brothers... will you recognize them?"
Lara hesitated. Then, with a small, wry smile, she said, "If I don’t recognize them, wouldn’t they recognize ? My disguise isn’t much—just a mustache and n’s clothes."
"You don’t look the sa anymore, Miss. You used to resemble the general so much. Now... you look like both the general and the madam at the sa ti."
Lara’s expression remained unreadable as she turned and exited through the door.
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