True to Anastasia’s words, Steward Gray had the caravan driven to the house at the outskirts of the village. There, Anastasia left a message for him to arrange the goods.
A quarter of the supplies was left behind, as agreed between Anastasia and the commander.
Anastasia, on the other hand, arrived just when the group was ready to continue their journey. She joined the carriage, using the time before Miss Magdalene entered to explain everything to Rosa.
"My lady, I want to follow you," Rosa said, unwilling to be separated from Anastasia.
"No, there cannot be both a fake princess and her servants. We are not sure if there are traitors among these men. We have been traveling together for two days. That lady will pretend to be me, and you will help her when needed. If possible, I don’t want Miss Magdalene to be aware of the situation," Anastasia explained.
Although she worked well with Miss Magdalene, now that even the king had been poisoned, it was better to trust fewer people. The reason she had asked Steward Gray to lend her his caravan was so she could leave a few clues behind. She believed this was an extra layer of protection.
"I will listen to my lady," Rosa said. Although she still felt reluctant, she had accepted the plan. She also remembered that her lady had dreamt of drowning, so Rosa felt it was best if Anastasia did not travel by sea to the north.
After everything was planned, Anastasia followed the group to the shore. While their belongings were being moved onto the ship, she found Elfrida to switch identities.
Then Anastasia returned to the village with the two guards.
When they arrived, they saw that the caravan was already prepared to leave. Anastasia felt that if anything went wrong, she could not reveal her identity. At that moment, she recalled a historical account she had read about a knight named John, who was actually a woman.
She had been born into a general’s household, but war broke out when she was young, leading to the destruction of her entire family. Knight John, whose real name was Catherine, was disguised as a boy by her mother to escape.
At the time, she was only eight years old, but to survive, she continued living as a boy until she was ten. Even after the war ended and the real traitor was identified, Catherine did not receive the news in time. So she continued living as a commoner and was nearly sold into slavery at the age of twelve. Seeing that most girls from refugee camps were kidnapped and either sent to inns or given as concubines to men of status, she did not dare reveal her gender.
In the end, under her male disguise, she joined the royal army. She loved fighting and was exceptionally skilled. So, even when people suspected her, they never imagined she was a woman.
Her talents were recognized by the king, and she became one of his most trusted knights.
It was only after she died protecting the king that her true identity was revealed. Even then, only a few people knew the truth.
Anastasia had read this history because she had access to the royal library. She had deeply respected Catherine’s story when she first learned of it. Now, she saw an opportunity to use the wisdom she had gained.
So, she chose to disguise herself as a man.
The two guards were surprised by her decision, but she was the princess, and they could only obey. They went to fetch a set of men’s clothing for her.
These guards had also begun to trust her more, having witnessed how she handled the issue with Steward Gray. They also liked her because she was kind. She had even stayed up to help prepare medicine for the injured guards previously.
The guards who had been injured earlier were also left behind by the commander. He felt that just two guards might not be enough to protect the princess and the supplies they were transferring. Moreover, apart from one soldier, the rest were not seriously injured, so they could still fight if necessary.
Thus, Anastasia had been traveling by land at the fastest speed possible for the past six days. They had not heard news of the attack on the ship on the first day.
This was because Anastasia had cut all contact with the commander. They had agreed to meet only at the entrance of Lowe’s Village in the north.
Only six days later did they finally hear the news that the princess had been kidnapped.
"Did you find out how the princess went missing?" Anastasia asked after a pause.
"I heard it happened at sea. Some say it was shortly after they set sail. Others say they encountered pirates, but these pirates are suspected to be spies from Gube disguised as sea raiders. But in any case, the princess has been missing for five days. She was said to have disappeared after falling into the water," the guard explained.
When Anastasia heard this last part, her face turned pale with fear.
Just like in her dream, she had fallen into the sea. She could not help but wonder if she truly would have drowned had she boarded the ship.
It took Anastasia a few minutes to calm herself from the shock of the news.
"We must keep things as they are so we can reach the north safely. Moreover, I want them to follow the clues and find that girl," Anastasia said.
She had no intention of abandoning Elfrida. Furthermore, only by finding her could they uncover who had attacked the royal guards.
This might also be connected to the king’s poisoning or at the very least, it could provide clues about how the king was poisoned.
Hearing her words, the guard bowed and left the carriage. Since following Anastasia, he had seen her make wise decisions. Moreover, her willingness to continue pretending just so she could rescue a slave girl touched his heart.
He himself was a commoner who had joined the army. Seeing that the princess cared about the lives of ordinary people moved him deeply. Dıscover more novels at novęlfire.net
"Our kingdom would be blessed if we have such a kind queen in the future," the guard whispered to his companion when he returned.