Miss Magdalene was surprised to hear this. After all, Rosa didn’t seem to know anyone in the group. Throughout the journey, she had kept to herself and hadn’t gotten close to anyone. Read full story at novelꞁire.net
In fact, apart from eating and sleeping, Rosa hardly spoke to anyone. Seeing her suddenly refuse to go to the camp made Miss Magdalene wonder once again if Rosa truly had something to do with the missing box.
"Why? We’re of no use here. It’s better to assist Physician Dorothy later in the camp for the injured," she emphasized the word assist to Rosa.
Rosa bit her lip. She remembered that Anastasia had told her not to reveal the truth about the swap until she returned. She really had no valid excuse to remain behind.
"I’m not feeling well, and I don’t think I’m fit to travel. I was just afraid I might slow others down," she said, coming up with a random excuse.
Miss Magdalene looked at her. Rosa didn’t look sick. In fact, she had been fine all along. It seemed strange for her to fall ill at such a time.
"If you’re sick, you should come with us. Lowe is just a small village—you might not find many skilled healers here. Why don’t you let Dorothy check on you and treat you along the way?" Miss Magdalene suggested. Although she said little, Rosa could sense the woman doubted her excuse.
"It’s not a serious illness. I’ll just come along," Rosa replied quickly. She walked away to pack her things. She would never allow Dorothy to examine her.
If anyone suspected she was faking, letting Dorothy examine her would expose the lie. That could cause either minor or major trouble. Rosa wasn’t willing to take that chance, so she joined the second group to leave Lowe.
"Do you want me to examine you?" Dorothy asked once they were seated in the carriage. Since there were only three ladies in the group, a single small carriage had been prepared for them.
Dorothy was pleased—she no longer had to ride a horse.
"There’s no need. I just feel a bit uncomfortable, and I’m sure it’ll pass. I was only worried it might get worse on the road," Rosa said with a polite smile.
Dorothy smiled back. She didn’t care much about Rosa. As long as Rosa didn’t interfere with her plans, it didn’t matter to her whether she was sick or not.
Shortly after the second group left, the news of the king’s death reached the camp. Commander Eldric was shocked. When he had left the royal city ten days ago, the king had seemed in good health. He couldn’t understand why he had suddenly died.
He summoned the entire camp and announced the news. The soldiers fell silent and mourned the king as they should.
That night, there were no usual gatherings among the men. They spoke only in whispers and went to bed early.
The news of the king’s death came at a terrible time for Nixel. Gube was launching heavy attacks along the border, and if not for their current defensive position, the army might not have lasted more than a few days.
Commander Eldric returned to his tent but couldn’t bring himself to lie down. He paced from one end to the other. By his calculations, Anastasia’s group should arrive in Lowe by the next day at the latest. But the king’s death changed everything—no movement was allowed for seven days until the funeral rites were complete.
Thinking about everything made him anxious, but he couldn’t decide what to do.
"Should I just report the truth to the royal palace?" he wondered. While that seemed like the best decision, he might lose his head for lying to the king.
"Should I find an excuse to leave the camp tomorrow and look for the princess?" he considered—but quickly dismissed the thought. If the king weren’t dead, that might have worked. But now, with the travel ban, no excuse would sound reasonable. Besides, the ’princess’ had gone missing under his watch. He didn’t dare make another move that could land him in more trouble. If he left and found her, that would be good. But if he failed, the consequences would be dire.
The commander thought late into the night but found no solution. Just when he decided to give up and rest, he heard the sound of a bird outside his tent.
Commander Eldric’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurried out. The sound was from the carrier bird he had given to the two guards for emergency communication. They had agreed that messages would only be sent in urgent situations.
Outside, he saw the bird waiting at the entrance. He gently took it into his hand and examined it. There was a small note tied to its leg. He quickly untied it and let the bird fly away. Anxious, he opened the note without going back inside—everyone was already asleep anyway.
The message from the guard asked him to come and identify their caravan as a supply convoy for the royal army. Eldric let out a sigh of relief.
He knew new checkpoints had been set up across the kingdom to find the princess. Although the note was vague, he could guess what was happening.
Commander Eldric went back into his tent and dressed properly. Since he wouldn’t be able to sleep, it was better to take a horse and leave immediately.
After changing, he called a nearby guard.
"I’m heading toward Kansas. The supply we sent by road has arrived, but because of the king’s death, I may need to collect it myself," Commander Eldric said.
"Yes, Commander," the guard replied. The supply cache was not a secret among the men. The guard was only slightly surprised he hadn’t known the commander had arranged to send it overland. He’d assumed it would be sent later.
Commander Eldric nodded and walked to the temporary stables to pick a fast horse. With a clearer mind, he rode off to find the princess.
Unknown to him, his every move was being watched.
After Eldric left, the man who had been secretly observing him also mounted a horse and began following him.