Second Arc (His Art of War) - 68. An Engagement, A Rebellion and An Ambush.

As Rose thought before, there was only her and Artheur in the dining hall. Even the servants had been ordered by King Eudon to leave them.
"I think this is too much," said Artheur, his eyes sweeping around the hall. Although he also wanted to get closer to Rose, he preferred to do it slowly, not like this.

Meanwhile, Rose, who sat across from Artheur, could only keep silent, saving her frustration.
"It's fine, we just need to wait for them," she said as she maintained her composure.

Artheur shifted his gaze to Rose.
"Are you really fine with this?" Even though Rose's face didn't show it, he knew she was upset.

"Yes," she replied simply. She took the teacup in front of her and sipped it, trying to swallow her annoyance.

"Since we still have to wait for them, why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

"What do you want to know about me?" Her hand put her cup back on the table.

"What do you do every day?" Even though Artheur knows that a princess' schedule was usually monotonous and boring, since Rose was different from the others, he wanted to know hers.

"Just some boring things, studying, helping my uncle, socializing with the nobles, sometimes I treat some people in the tower beside the castle."

"That's it?" asked Artheur in confusion. As far as he knew, she often led troops to take care of rebellions.

"Yes." Rose had decided that when she got married or engaged, that was when she put her weapon down. Even though she didn't act like a princess, she knew that when she was in a relationship with a man, whatever she did would  be related to that man's reputation. That's why she had to behave like a princess after this engagement.

Artheur sighed in disappointment.
"Why are you still giving me a formal answer?"

"That's not a formal answer. If you mean why didn't I say about my training schedule, it's because I won't be holding a weapon anymore after our engagement." After getting engaged she would go to Draconis, leaving her homeland. She wasn't sure she could get her freedom anymore, beside she didn't want to tarnish her family's and Zephyrus' reputations with her selfishness.

"Why?" Arthur had actually thought about setting up a special training ground for her.

"Didn't you say that you would protect me? That's why I would entrust my safety to you."

Artheur's heart beat fast when he heard her answer. He didn't expect Rose to put her trust in him this quickly. A smile immediately bloomed on his face.
"I promise, I'll always protect you."

Rose bowed her head slightly as she showed her gratitude.
"Thank you."
'This is my last fight to protect Zephyrus.' She could already imagine that after getting engaged, she would go to a faraway place without being able to return to Zephyrus anymore. But amid that thought, suddenly Angel's image flashed in her head, making her heart ached.
'I've lived in false hope for too long. I think it's also about time to forget him and give up. Beside… A dead person will not be able to live again. '

Meanwhile, in a small lodging room in Ironwall City, Ivetta and several men in black robes gathered to plan their attack.
"Are all the preparations finished?"

"Yes, I have taken those idiots and said they were given a secret mission by the king. We only need a leader to bring them into the castle."

"I will do it," said Duke Bartlet, one of the most influential dukes in Zephyrus. He turned his gaze to Ivetta.

"The most important thing is you have to do your task well. Because you are our only 'eye'," he added.

"Leave it to me," replied Ivetta. Her task was to spy on the castle and give them the signal to attack.

"Very well, we will attack tomorrow morning. We will take Zephyrus from the Heart Family before the King of Draconis' eyes," said Duke Bartlet.

"What if we fail?"

An evil smirk spread across Ivetta's face.
"If this attack fails we can leave those idiots behind. After all, they are really just a bunch of stupid villagers who know nothing about us."

At another inn in the city. Angel sat on the sofa while Frost and Flare stood in front of him.
"Flare, tomorrow you will clean up the gatekeepers and open the gates for our troops. but I hope you can carry out this task as quietly as possible, " he said.

"Quietly?" asked Flare in confusion. As soon as the gate opened, the noise from outside would be reaching the castle.

"I will help you to take care of the sound for reaching the castle." He had to make sure King Esteve, King Eudon, Artheur and Rose could not escape because if one of them managed to do it he would have a hard time getting the others to surrender.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Flare, lowering her head.

He turned his gaze to Frost.
"Frost, you will escort Queen Thea tomorrow. Take her to the castle and make sure she doesn't escape." Tomorrow he had to released his bound from Queen Thea. Because if he brought her in this state, it would only infuriate King Esteve and Artheur. Whereas Queen Thea was very stubborn, she would do everything she could to escape therefore she could only entrust this important task to Frost.
"I understand, Your Majesty," replied Frost.