“And what exactly is your plan?” Richard asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

  “I plan on going to the southeast to hide for a while. One of the maids made preparations. She has family in Reitag,” Alessia said, lifting her chin defiantly.

  “That is not a plan. That is just buying time,” Richard said coldly.

  “Well then, smart guy, what would you have me do?” Alessia yelled back.

  “I would first try to figure out what the end goal is. You realize that people might start talking when you suddenly start living with your maid's relatives? Or that those relatives will simply sell you out once the price for information about your whereabouts is high enough?”

  “Sheila vouched for them. She would never betray me, and she wouldn't send me into a trap. She’s been with me since I was little!” Alessia protested, leaping to her maid's defense.

  “I am sure she is loyal, but what about the relatives themselves? They owe you nothing, and the fact that they are distant relatives rather than immediate family makes the bond even thinner. I’m not trying to demean you, but you should have consulted with Antonio and Sienna.”

  He paused as a thought occurred to him. “Please tell me you somehow gave them a heads-up on this idea of yours. I know you care about them, as they are your guards. Losing you will cause them many problems. They’ll probably be jailed.”

  “You think I’m that stupid?” Alessia scoffed. “I left a note in my room for them. Sienna and Sheila are the first people I see in the morning, so Sienna will inform Antonio. I snuck out in the night. Sheila helped me go through the staff area unnoticed, and I escaped.”

  Richard rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing as he processed her story. “That would explain how you got away. But how do Sheila’s relatives know to expect you? Did she travel to Reitag personally to arrange this?”

  “No, obviously not. She wouldn't have had the time,” Alessia replied, confused by the line of questioning. “She simply wrote them a letter to make preparations.”

  Richard went silent for a minute. He stopped moving, and there was an awkward silence in the room. He then growled. “Please tell me you oversaw what the maid wrote to her family.”

  “I trust Sheila. She made an effort to convey the information without too many details.”

  Richard sighed, resigning from further questioning. “Alright, well, I have some news for you then. You shouldn’t go to Reitag, and your maid is dead. I also suspect Antonio and Sienna will be waiting for you there to take you back.”

  “What are you talking about?” The color drained from her face.

  “Letters from your staff are not private. They are read before being shipped. It is standard operating protocol to avoid your staff colluding against you. You got that little security upgrade when you became a princess.”

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  Alessia stood in silence for a long minute, trembling. Then tears started to stream down her cheeks. She barely whispered, “Sheila...” before she began to weep fully.

  “Way to go, Richard,” Lucia sneered, stepping away from the wall. “You seem to have a knack for making women cry.”

  “What are you on about? How is this my fault?” Richard snapped, looking genuinely baffled.

  “It is totally your fault. Are you that dense? No, stupid question. You obviously are. You could have approached this with a shred of tact if you actually cared.”

  “And how would tact change the outcome?” Richard countered, his voice rising. “She didn’t think things through, and you don’t need to be a genius to figure out that the military has already neutralized the threat.”

  He froze mid-sentence, the color draining from his face. “Everyone, we are in big trouble.”

  “What do you mean?” Almir asked, sensing the shift in Richard's demeanor.

  “If the military knows of this plan, they likely have people tracking her. Meaning they saw her with us. We could be branded as conspirators in a kidnapping.”

  “No, I’ll vouch for you! I'll tell them you were not involved,” Alessia cried, trying to salvage the situation through her tears, but it was too late. Richard’s mind was already spinning gears.

  “It’s too late for words. We need to find a way to get out of this unscathed.” Richard began to mutter to himself. “Our best hope is for me to contact the military and surrender her immediately. We can frame our actions—say we took the princess into custody to ensure her well-being and protect her from the alleged threat.”

  “Richard...” Irene warned, her voice low.

  But Richard was zoning out, lost in his strategy. “Yes, this is a good plan. It is the only logical path. I’ll go right away, rent a horse. There is an outpost not far from here; they may even have a voicebox connection to the capital...”

  “Richard!” Irene screamed with all her might.

  The sound was deafening in the small space. Heron hadn't known Irene for long, but she had always possessed a quiet appearance. It was a shock to hear her raise her voice like that. It clearly took Richard by surprise as well. He recoiled, staring wide-eyed at the sudden rage on his sister’s face.

  “We are not handing her over,” Irene said, with the sound of her voice slowly dropping. “Let’s calm down and think this through—together.”

  “What is there to think over, Irene?” Richard threw his hands up in exasperation. “We have two options. Either we hand her over, or we aid in her escape. And don’t forget that Heron hired us for a quest. We have obligations.”

  “I somewhat agree with Richard,” Icarus interjected, stepping out from the shadows near the bunk beds. “Though, from my point of view, we could simply let her go and report the encounter afterward. She has a higher status than all of us. Us detaining a princess, even for her own good, could be interpreted as kidnapping. That could cost us our lives.”

  Richard paused, his brow furrowing. “That is... not a bad point, Icarus. Alessia, you did say it would be best if we let you go. We could claim we lacked the authority to hold you, but we would have to report the sighting post-haste.”

  “It doesn’t really matter,” Alessia said quietly, staring at her boots. “Be it here, or in Reitag, I’m getting caught. The best you can do is report me.”

  “Alessia, no,” Irene said softly, reaching out to her.

  “It is alright, Irene. It is what it is.” Alessia slumped her shoulders. “Richard was right. I haven’t thought things through. And it is not like I committed a crime. They’ll just have tight security around me after this.”

  “Alright,” Richard said, his demeanor shifting back to normal. “Well, at the very least, you can stay with us while we are in Vincha. We can guarantee your safety until we get a response from the capital. I'd rather you be with us than wandering the streets waiting for the military police.”