Sol forced herself to remain calm in front of the woman. She didn’t dare to extend her spiritual awareness. Her two dainty hands moved to her dress hems and she performed a well balanced curtsey. Despite doing so, Sol continued to feel the invasion of the woman’s spiritual awareness.
What willpower Sol had left was funneled into her own strength to hold off the woman’s pressure. While she was able to prevent herself from collapsing, the strain on her mind and body appeared to increase incrementally.
Sweat started beading across Sol’s body as she attempted whatever resistance she could manage. The woman’s gaze turned more intense and Sol felt the spiritual awareness focus on the organ near her heart. The laser-like precision of that awareness nearly halted Sol’s heart in fright.
Such a situation continued only for a few seconds, however Sol felt as if hours had passed. Eventually, the woman drew her spiritual awareness back and released Sol from her analysis. The pressure disappeared and Sol scrounged up enough energy to see the scene around her.
The Knights traveling with Sol had collapsed to their knees and were gasping for air. Even Duke Reviarra wasn’t spared from the pressure, and yet Sol only let out a sigh in relief. The results were rather clear. Had the woman wanted to kill her, there was nothing anyone could have done to protect her.
The momentary inability to even beg for her life left an indelible mark on Sol’s heart. She made sure to carve that moment of helplessness into her memory as a reminder for any future arrogance she might develop.
“What’s your name?” asked the woman without much respect in her tone. Her eyes remained fixed on Sol like she was trying to decide upon something. “Sol Reviarra, Lady of Arcgate. Might this Lady receive the Lady’s name as well?”
“You can call me Dorothy. I’ll call you Sol from now on. There’s no need for fancy language or courtesies.” After Dorothy’s comment, Sol felt her body relax quite a bit. The stress from their initial meet started to melt away.
“Then Dorothy… Why have you catapulted An?” Sol asked a moment later. Her eyes failed to even see An’s figure, yet there were several trees with shattered trunks near the ridge of the Revierra estate. Part of Sol worried about An, yet there was a subtle joy in her heart to see him get blasted after defeating her so handedly a few days prior.
“That idiot failed to send a proper message to us. Not to mention, I’ve heard from your mother how he treated you this entire time. Hump! This idiot! If it were Master, he might have been killed instead. Taking a shot from me can be considered saving his life in a way.”
“Master? You and An’s Master? Is he the one looking for me?” Sol’s voice shook a little as her thoughts raced. An was never up front to Sol about who his Master was. At best, he would leak details that Sol had to painstakingly derive conjecture from. With such an open woman before her, how couldn’t Sol take advantage of it?
“I still don’t know if you’re the one we’re searching for, but in general, yes. Master should descend with an avatar in a few months if preparations all go well. We’ll know for sure if you’re the right person then. Consider the idiot put in so much work though, there’s a pretty good chance of it being you. The questions can wait till later, I still need to release a bit of stress.”
Saying so, Dorothy’s figure flickered from view and a rather loud explosion sounded from the depths of the remote forest. Sol’s smile twitched for a while before finally choosing to ignore the situation. She had just returned from a mixed bag of failure and success.
After helping her father off the ground, Sol entered the Reviarra estate. Her first task was to rush to her mother and hug her. Like mother, like daughter, Duchess Reviarra ended up meeting Sol halfway. The two ended up taking a bath together before turning in for the night. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Sol fell asleep.
While Sol fell into a deep sleep, Prince Roland was in the middle of his escape from the capital. What Sol was unaware of was that Prince Elric moved to assimilate Prince Roland’s forces as soon as he took power.
Originally, Prince Roland was inclined to agree to Sol’s terms and join forces. He understood his position well and knew that Sol’s means nearly destroyed his means to maintain his army. Without sufficient reason to remain enemies, Prince Roland found the idea of an alliance as worthwhile. Unfortunately, his response came late. Prince Elric took control over the throne and used his first taste of power to command the local forces. Prince Roland was forced to scatter his forces and escape underground.
Ironically, the primary reason Prince Elric didn’t chase down Sol was due to Prince Roland scattering and escaping so efficiently. There simply weren't enough men under Prince Elric’s control to divert his attention and Prince Roland’s army was frankly, too enticing to ignore.
Prince Roland’s current plight was due to being of higher value to Prince Elric. This night, Prince Roland managed to slip out from the Blonsall capital using a hidden tunnel. He spent the past few days gathering travel resources, hiding his actions, and setting up randevu points for his army.
He left his tunnel and stayed in the shadows while moving from spot to spot and avoiding any moonlight. As part of his escape plan, he had a horse setup in the forest to speed him up. Although Prince Roland understood the risks with hiring another while on the run, he had little choice but to rely on others.
His eyes flickered to the shadows and trees searching for hidden forces, yet nothing stood out to him. Without enough sneaking, Prince Roland eventually found his horse situated in the forest and tied to a tree however…
“Are you not going to come out?” Prince Roland asked to a seemingly empty area. He wasn’t sure if there was an enemy there, however the possibility was rather high. His eyes drifted to his horse once more and confirmed it was tied to a tree that ‘just happened’ to be isolated from the nearby trees.
The open range that circled it was perfect for laying a trap and the surrounding forest was dark and thick enough to hide any forces interested in him. It was, in fact, so obvious that Prince Roland almost laughed at the comical trap. The only shame was that he was forced to make a move despite knowing the danger. He had the option to retreat and escape on foot, however the obvious trap left him curious about who was trying to trap him.
He understood his brother rather well and the trap ahead of him didn’t match his methods. Prince Elric would never tempt another into his trap. He wasn’t that clever. Social manipulation, showboating, bribing, and flaunting power. All traits and techniques that can make the appearance of cleverness, but nothing substantial.
That was why Prince Roland was willing to step out of the shadows and into the open range. He felt the trap before him wasn’t a normal trap. His eyes jumped from shadow to shadow however the night was too pervasive and the nature was too loud. He simply failed to understand who would set this up. Step by step, Prince Roland closed in on his steed. It was only when he was within 10 meters of his horse that he noticed the shadow leaning against the side of the tree it was tied to.
To his dismay, he also noticed the pair of eyes trained on him as if they were watching him the entire time. Despite failing to detect the individual up until now, Prince Roland relaxed a bit instead of raising his alarm. Clearly, someone wanted to discuss terms with him.
The figure in the shadows stood up from their rest and brushed the few leaves and twigs that stuck to them. Upon completion, the figure didn’t even bother to greet PRince Roland and instead jumped straight to the point.
“Boss has determined you’re no longer able to complete your end of the deal. I’m here to sever our connection.” The shadow’s voice was androginous yet laced with killing intent. Prince Roland instantly figured out who this faction was.
“This Prince has a greater chance of completing the deal than Prince Elric.” Although nervous, Prince Roland couldn’t afford to die here. He had too many plans in motion and his goals were still within reach. He had to plead his case.
The shadow remained still and silent for a few seconds until a talisman slipped into view. It ignited and released a dense smoke in the air. Prince Roland watched in awe as the smoke assumed the form of the gentleman he recognized.
“You say you have a greater chance than your brother? Explain.” The foggy figure skipped introductions and jumped straight to the point. Prince Roland could feel the lack of respect this party had for him and knew his life was at risk. It was clear his next few words would determine his fate.
“Prince Elric is actively gathering his forces to assault the Arcgate territory. The only method available to him is to conquer the territory and capture Sol Reviarra in the process. This Prince finds his odds of success to be abysmally low. Sol Reviarra has shown the capability and intelligence to predict Prince Elric’s plans and has likely already developed counterplans. By this Prince’s prediction, it will be years before Prince Elric whittles down the Arcgate territory enough to capture the Lady.”
“How are you any different? Your brother has already driven you into a corner.”
“This Prince? Hahaha, of course this Prince is different. This Prince has something Prince Elric doesn’t. This Prince has shared interests with Lady Reviarra.” After saying so, Prince Roland retrieved the document Sol sent to him negotiating terms. Moments later, the shadow and fog dispersed leaving Prince Roland by himself drenched in a nervous sweat. His eyes drifted to the document in his hand and a wry smile spread. His genuine plans just became tainted. What a shame.
