To hide her identity, Neriah was made to go out using a carriage that palace kitchen maids used to purchase food items for the royal household. It was normal for these kinds of carriage to head to the port with empty carts following behind them in order to carry goods that had been purchased in foreign lands back to the royal castle.
No one would give such a carriage a second glance.
Indeed, no one did. Not a single soul looked suspicious. They all went about doing their business as usual.
Farhan was in charge of making sure that Neriah reached Avelah safely. So he was disguised as a coachman and was the one leading the carriage.
In no time, they arrived at the port and Neriah, who wore a long black cloak to hide her identity, stepped out of the carriage with the help of Farhan. Aria and Riri followed after her.
Aria had no reason to hide her face so she wore no cloak.
Swiftly, Farhan led them toward the ship that had been prepared for their journey. Just like Bashan had promised her it would be, everything was going smoothly.
In fact, if she didn’t have other plans of her own, everything would have been flawless.
However, unknown to the ones who escorted her, while they made their way to the ship, Neriah was busy noting her escape routes.
"This will be your cabin while on this voyage, your highness." Farhan noted and she nodded. "I just need to oversee some things and then we will be on our way."
"Do not worry about me." Neriah said as she saw the mixed expression on his face as though he was dreadful of leaving her. "I shall be fine, and besides, I have Aria and Riri with me. Go on, attend to what you must so we can be on our way." She urged him.
His gaze shifted between Aria and Riri, then he let out a sigh as he stared back at Neriah. "Alright. I shall return shortly." He assured her.
"Come my lady, sit." Aria said. "I was worried for nothing, this cabin is even better than the one you stayed in when you first came to Trago." She noted.
"I agree." Riri flapped her wings and flew around the place. "Tis bigger and much warmer."
Indeed, they had clearly tried their best to make her comfortable and Neriah would have been feeling grateful to them if she really planned on using the room.
"Aria," She had to set her plan in motion.
"Yes, My Lady?"
"I suddenly have a craving for honey bread." She lied. "I suppose it is because I saw a woman selling some in the port."
"Oh, will you like me to get some for you?" Aria asked, pleased that her mistress was actually craving something. It was a hassle to make her eat anything, so to hear her say she was craving honey bread, Aria was ready to go to the moon to get it.
"Oh please, I would be entirely grateful." Neriah said with a soft smile.
"No need to be grateful. I am just so happy you actually crave something. To show you how happy I am, I shall gift the seller with extra coins for selling such appetizing bread that was good enough to catch your attention." Aria laughed and Neriah joined with a fake laugh of her own.
"Thank you. Please hurry, this little one seems to want it more than I do." Neriah lied again flawlessly as she rubbed her big stomach.
"No worries, young highness," Aria said and patted Neriah’s stomach gently, "I shall be back soon."
"Oh take Riri with you." Neriah said.
"Nay, I cannot leave you alone." Aria protested.
"I shall be fine. Nothing to worry about. Take Riri, you know she knows how to pick the bread with the most honey in it."
"But my Lady—"
"Aria, just make sure you come back in time. Do not keep me waiting for too long, I will be fine."
After a long while of thinking, Aria finally agreed to go with Riri, but promised to return as quickly as possible.
If only she knew Neriah had lied about seeing anyone selling honey bread... If only she knew Neriah’s plans.
Neriah stared at the small pouch Rakavi had given her, then she stared at the door again and said, "Farewell Aria... Farewell Riri... I hope you can both forgive me someday."
...
"How on earth did my lady see the honey bread seller behind all those stalls?" Riri said as they climbed onto the ship again.
"I know, right?" Aria agreed.
At first they had thought the woman selling honey bread would be easy to locate since Neriah claimed to have seen her. But once outside of the ship, there was no honey bread seller in sight.
They had to run around the entire port searching for a woman selling honey bread. Asking various people for directions and getting almost no words as a response. The port was a busy place, people rushing to make it to their designated boats, so as not to be left behind and others trying to make money by selling what they could.
No one had time to answer the questions of anyone who was looking for what they were not selling.
However after running round the port for a while, a savior in the form of a little boy came their way and led them to a small stall that was close to being hidden from sight.
There they found honey bread, but not being sold by a woman, it was a man selling it.
Since they could not find any other person selling it, they concluded that Neriah had made a mistake of seeing a woman when it was actually a man.
"I am just happy we didn’t return empty handed." Aria noted.
"Are you just returning?" It was Farhan who had seen them running out to get the honey bread.
"Aye, it was hard to find." Aria explained and he nodded.
Aria and Riri continued into the ship, making their way to Neriah’s cabin.
And with a loud joyous and victorious voice Aria cried out, "My Lady, we finally got it! We found the honey—" she pushed the door open, "—bread" the enthusiasm with which she had first spoken died as she met an empty room.
"My Lady," Aria called out, making her way to the bathroom. "Are yoh in there?" She knocked on the bathroom door and asked, but got no response so she opened the door.
Empty.
"A_Aria!" Riri screamed, causing Aria to instantly turn around.
" What is it Riri?" Aria rushed to her side and Riri pointed to a sheet of paper that rested on the table. A piece of Neriah’s hair ornament was used as a paperweight.
Aria needed not pick up the paper to read what was boldly written on it.
"I am sorry, forgive me for always causing you both trouble. But I cannot return to Avelah. Do not look for me."
Aria could do nothing but choke on a scream that tore through her lips.
Neriah had disappeared.