Rieta was about to say, ‘I entrust this to you’, but quickly stopped herself.
It seemed like an inappropriate topic. After all, Knox had been protecting the two Princes for much longer than Rieta.
“. . . I understand the Princess’s intentions.”
Knox responded, bowing as if making a solemn oath.
“There is nothing more precious to me than the well-being of the two Princes. Perhaps… even more so now than before.”
“I know. You have been guarding the lives and hopes of the two children for a long time. So, Sir…”
Rieta straightened his body, indicating that he should save such gestures for another.
“Return to your masters.”
Knox, giving her a silent salute, spoke.
“Then, I will go ahead and wait. Princess.”
“I won’t keep you waiting long. Let’s meet at the agreed-upon location.”
He nodded once more in farewell to Rieta and departed.
A day passed after Knox left.
When his accompanying soldiers finally arrived, there was an expectation of a touching reunion. However, judging by their pale and distressed expressions, something seemed amiss.
Furthermore, some of them had visible injuries.
“What happened?”
Rieta and the soldiers supported them, asking urgently, and they explained their situation in a hurry.
*
The soldiers were following the traces left by Knox without any issues. However, in the Hoover region, they witnessed Craig Wagner capturing people.
Upon hearing the news that the king was detaining young individuals in the castle, Craig Wagner decided to capture some youths from this region as well, even though he knew the king intended to sell them as slaves.
Some of the soldiers, fueled by anger, rushed forward immediately. However, after days of forced marches, they were unable to muster much strength and found themselves captured along with the others.
“Some were left in the village to observe the situation, and we came this far to find Sir Knox…”
As a soldier looked around as if searching for him, Rieta explained the situation with apologies.
With Knox already gone and nowhere to be found, despair was evident on the soldiers’ faces. It was clear they had come with vague hope, thinking that somehow everything would be alright once they found him.
It was when Rieta was about to reassure them not to worry that Noel spoke up in his quiet voice.
“Princess, you know how to prioritize, right?”
Noel’s words left Rieta momentarily speechless.
Prioritize… what?
While the soldiers tended to the injured, Rieta pondered Noel’s words. She knew what needed to be considered first to achieve her goals. The most important thing was security. The fact that Rieta, along with the soldiers, returning without going to the border, must be kept away from the ears of the King or his followers at all costs. It was essential to avoid anything that might reach the King’s ears, no matter what.
War would only escalate if they did.
Therefore, Rieta and the soldiers should not play an active role here. It was impossible to silence everyone.
Noel, aware of this, had undoubtedly brought up the word ‘prioritize’ to remind her of that.
But…
Rieta couldn’t shake off the unease about the promise she made with Knox. He wasn’t able to fully enjoy the joy of meeting the two Princes, because he was concerned about the well-being of the soldiers who would follow him.
If things continue like this, I would be lying to tell him that I’ll take all the soldiers to reassure him.
Rieta let out a deep sigh.
“Princess.”
At that moment, a soldier approached her from behind. It was the same soldier who had condemned Taylor by thrusting a sword into his body. He had a thick rope tied around his waist, and behind him was Moody, also bound.
It was a peculiar combination, and as Rieta observed, the soldier explained the situation.
“A short while ago, the soldiers who arrived complained and were trying to hit Sir Moody’s head. Since their noisy begging was annoying, I decided to move around like this for the time being.”
Considering how much he must have tormented the soldiers ro end up walking around with everyone threatening to twist his head, Rieta couldn’t help but think it must have been severe. However, Moody seemed dissatisfied with the explanation. He added his own commentary.
“It wasn’t just hitting! They looked like they were going to burst my skull open! It was terrifying!”
He trembled, clutching his head, but from the looks of it, he didn’t have any visible injuries. It was undoubtedly an exaggeration.
“Thank you for your hard work. It must be bothersome.”
Rieta congratulated the soldier, giving his arm a reassuring tap.
“Yes, extremely bothersome.”
“Bothersome?! Do you even know who I am?!”
“Who? You’re just a halfwit who paid for a noble position.”
“How presumptuous! I am the descendant of a noble family. If only my great-great-grandfather hadn’t sold the land!”
He shouted from behind, reciting his entire family history, and the soldier continued his report to Rieta.
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