Preparing everything for their departure, Queen Mica embraced her daughter and whispered something in her ear.
Fiona simply smiled and mounted her horse, ready to set off.
Delighted that she would finally be rid of her biggest problem, her acting had indeed paid off.
Venturing deeper into the forest was a lengthy journey on horseback, but Fiona, a level 5 light-born, could traverse the terrain in a matter of seconds.
It would still take a day before they reached their destination.
"My Lady, it would be wise to rest here before continuing," advised a level 7 shadow-born Grand guard.
"No, we must press on," declared the princess.
"Princess, continuing on would attract robbers, and we need to stop here for the night to regain our strength,"
The guard explained, met with an irritated gaze from Fiona. "No, I insist we move forward." Waste no time, she urged her horse onward.
"Did you hear the princess? Now, let's get moving. We won't be resting here," the grand guard commanded.
Though he was angry, he concealed it, knowing he had to follow the King's orders.
Earlier, the King had instructed, "Obey her every command. I believe one day she will make an excellent Queen. Don't you agree?"
"Your Highness, I cannot decide at this moment, but I believe Princess Fiona needs sufficient time before assuming the throne," the guard had replied.
"Wise words," the King had smiled.
In the present,
Grand guard Philip rode his horse forward to catch up with Princess Fiona.
"My Lady, why do you intend to forgo resting?" he asked, his expression serious.
I hope my sister recovers soon, so that the wedding can proceed," she replied, her expression unchanged.
"I understand, Grand Guard Philip. You were only looking out for our safety, but there's no need to worry," she continued.
"Then we will continue moving, My Lady. This means we won't be camping for the night. As we go further, we can find an inn to stay at,"
He said with a smile, sending two guards to find a suitable inn and prepare their rooms.
Inside the carriage, Jasmine held Lily's hands, gently rubbing them to warm them up. Lily's body was cold at the moment.
"Lily, we may not be close, but I wish you a speedy recovery," she said, smiling.
In the darkness, Lily felt the warmth and began to relax.
"Yes, I remembered. To escape from here, I need to chant the fallen spell," she whispered to herself.
The fallen are those who have lost control and won't regain consciousness until they chant the spell or are taken to The Pool Of Lethe.
Some outbursts can lead to death, and if not taken to the tree in time, one will die. It's a matter of luck or the mother's blessings if she wills it.
Lily had read about this in secret visits to the library, as she was often ignored. She knew a lot, which could get her in trouble if anyone found out.
All she had to do was create a void, just like she had done before, and chant the spell. She was ready to try it.
"If my father had given me a chance, I could have been something," she said, smiling. It was painful to watch her father treat her as nothing, but she no longer believed she was worthless.
She was determined to prove to herself that she was not what they believed her to be.
"If he doesn't accept me as his daughter, then from today, he is nothing more than a man who provided for me," she said, wiping away her tears and smiling.
"Why should I cry when I have sister Fiona? My light, I will always be grateful to you, sis, and anything that belongs to me will always be yours,"
She smiled, feeling relaxed and happy. While everyone else looked down on her, her sister Fiona was different.
She believed that to truly know a sister's heart, they must face challenges.
Loyalty and love must be tested.
Only through difficulty can a sister's bond be fully embraced. She had never thought about it before.
Back in the other realm, the Grand Guard informed Lady Fiona that they had found an inn and it would be best to hurry there to avoid attracting attention from robbers.
"Understood. Don't worry, tell the others to pick up the pace," she replied.
Together, they reached the designated inn, where their rooms were already prepared.
"Grand Guard Philip, I will stay with my sister. Get another room for Jasmine, and make sure there are enough guards stationed there," she said, turning to leave.
"But, My Lady, you can't be alone. I will assist the few guards in guarding your room," he insisted. His words made her pause.
"Don't worry, I will take care of myself and my sister. Just protect Princess Jasmine for now, because if anything were to happen to her, your head might end up on the King's table."
Grand Guard Philip sensed the danger and felt a level 5 light-born threatening him. He could only bow his head and head to Princess Jasmine's room.
Seeing that she had scared the Grand Guard, Lady Fiona left for her room and closed the window. She then held Lily's hand, leaving a red mark.
At this moment, she was ready to kill her, but her mother had advised her
to exercise patience. She was doing her best, but it was difficult.
Her plan was to wait until midnight and give a signal to the assassins her mother had prepared to kidnap her and Lily.
That's when she would kill Lily while she was still unconscious. An evil smile crept onto her face.
"Lily, the beautiful delicate weak fragile flower, who will soon be uprooted. You know, sis, I did love you a little. No matter how weak you were, Father still gave you what I always wanted,"
She said, her eyes filled with a murderous intent.
"Lord Ariston isn't made for you. He's mine. I saw him first," she continued, losing control.
Her mother's words echoed in her head, and she managed to calm down.
She lay on the bed, waiting for midnight to come. Looking at Lily, she felt a growing impatience.
Everything was calm, and it was time to execute the plan. She used magic to create an arrow and shot it out.
The assassins received the signal and quickly entered the inn, killing some guards in the process.
They hurried to the spot where the arrow had been shot and covered the princesses' heads with cloth bags.
Sensing something was amiss, Grand Guard Philip hurried to the other room and discovered that the princesses were missing.
He saw some masked men carrying them and was about to attack when he sensed it was a trap.
The assassins realized that this old man had evaded their trap. The remaining assassins, who had been hiding, emerged and began to attack.
Meanwhile, the others who had abducted the princesses disappeared without a trace. The mission had been successful.
Grand Guard Philip couldn't help but kneel down, feeling like he had failed.
He returned to Jasmine's room to check on her, and she was unharmed. She was holding onto an assassin who was near death.
"My Lady, you did a great job," he said, gripping the assassin's neck and removing the mask.
He was shocked to see that the assassin didn't have a mark on his neck but instead had a Scorpion tattoo on his right cheek.
These were dangerous individuals in Gultan, and no one wanted to cross their path. Did the king have an enmity with these people?
Checking the assassin's hand, he discovered that he was a shadow-born.
"What's the matter, Grand Guard Philip?" she asked, noticing the surprise in his eyes. "Nothing, my princess.
We need to return to the palace since Lily is not with us. Let me create a dark void. It will be the fastest way to reach the palace," he said. And they both left.
Torturing the assassin was pointless since he wouldn't reveal anything and was near death.
They were well-trained and couldn't be made to talk unless someone with the same level of power as the king intervened.