The soup is ready. I scooped up some of it and poured it into a ceramic bowl. I placed the bowl on the tray alongside the bread and a cup of warm tea. Normally, I would prepare a more filling meal for dinner, but I believe a warm soup would calm Lady Carine best once she learns of the news. I cleaned the leftovers from cooking and then picked up the food tray and headed outside of the kitchen.

The hallway is lit only by small candles and lanterns. It occasionally gets brighter as lightning flashes outside the window, and the sound of the rain hitting the windows is almost calming. The first floor is mostly empty, while the second floor has no one around. The knights are mostly helping Lord Kyrat, while those who remain stand guard at the gate. The only active maids and butlers are the night shift ones.

Carrying the tray with both hands, I carefully walked upstairs and headed for Lady Carine's room.

As I was walking down the hallway, my eyes caught a glimpse of Lady Peyna watching the garden through the window. She appeared lost in thought, with her head resting gently on her right hand and her left hand tucked under her chest. I approached her and greeted her.

"Lady Peyna."

I bowed my head while still holding the tray. Lady Peyna raised her head and looked at me.

"Leila..."

I saw her face clearly now that she's facing me. Her expression is one of worry, with her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly downturned.

When she noticed the tray of food I was carrying, she asked me a question.

"Is that for Carine?"

"Yes, my lady."

"It might be silly of me to ask, but do you happen to have any left?"

"Yes, there is a pot full in the kitchen, and they are still warm. Shall I carry some to your room after I gave Carine hers?"

"That won't be necessary, I will go down to the kitchen myself. Thank you, Leila."

Lady Peyna walked past me, hiding her anxious face with a smile. She headed down the stairs and I was left alone in the hallway.

It might not be obvious to everyone, but to me, it's clear. She's worried about Feyt too.

If even Lady Peyna is worried, I wonder how Lady Carine will react once she learns the news.

I resumed my walk through the hallway and eventually reached Carine's room. I balanced the tray on my left hand while I reached into my pocket with my right to grab the key. After inserting the key and twisting it, I turned the door knob and pushed the door open. Inside, Lady Carine was still sleeping.

I entered the room and placed the tray on the desk beside the bed. I noticed some drawings that Lady Carine had made spread out on the table, so I bundled them together and placed them neatly in the inner corner of the desk.

I should wake Lady Carine up now. She has been sleeping for quite a while, and the soup and tea might get cold if I wait.

I wonder how I should tell her about Feyt. Perhaps being straight with it is the best option.

I gently grabbed her shoulder and shook her.

"Lady Carine? Wake up, it's time for dinner."

"Hnngh..."

She groaned slightly, still asleep. I shook her again.

"Lady Carine?"

Her eyes opened slightly and then shot wide open. She sat up abruptly and exclaimed,

"FINALLY!"

"Eh-"

I didn't have enough time to respond before Carine turned her head to me, panic visibly etched on her face.

"Leila! Feyt is in danger!"

I was taken aback. She knows? How?

"Hurry Leila! We don't have much time!"

I tried to soothe her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Lady Carine, please calm down!"

"We can't! Feyt is in danger! We need to hurry! Where's father and mother?!"

Carine stood up from the bed, but I held her from leaving the bed's side.

"Lady Carine, there is no need to worry. Your father is going to save Feyt."

"...Really?" Carine asked hesitantly.

The panic in her eyes slowly receding as she looked at me for confirmation.

"Yes, he is heading out to save him as soon as he can."

"I see..."

Carine sat back down on her bed, her look of panic was replaced with the look of anxiousness.

Perhaps she's still worried. I let go of her shoulder and stepped back from the bed.

"Lady Carine, I've made some warm soup for you. Perhaps you'll feel better after eating it."

She looked at her desk and saw the tray.

"O-Oh, thank you, Leila."

Carine stood up, more calmly this time, and sat down on the wooden chair in front of her desk. She started eating the soup and bread slowly.

Growing curious, I just had to ask.

"If I may, Lady Carine, how did you know Feyt was in danger?"

"PFFFTT!!-"

Ah, she spit out her soup.

I quickly handed her a napkin and the cup of tea from her tray, watching as she took a few deep gulps to clear her throat.

"I-uh, cough cough!" she managed to choke out, wiping her mouth with the napkin.

After a moment, Carine composed herself and looked back at me.

"E-Eh... I got a-a.... a dream! Yes, a dream!" she said, her voice still a bit raspy.

"A dream?"

I raised my eyebrows, skeptical.

---

 

So, father's on his way to save me already, huh?

That's a big relief. But will he be there in time?

I play around with my soup while thinking about what to do.

My only goal is to be rescued by father or someone else, or at least get away from the battlefield when it starts. The last thing I want to happen is to be killed there, so if father won't make it in time, I think I can run and hide from the battlefield until he is there. I can just filter his voice out from the battle with [Enhanced Hearing], that should work, right?

But what if the battle was too loud? Maybe I won't be able to filter out father's voice at all and just end up with a very painful ear. I need a back up plan, but what else can I do?

My attention focused back on Feyt, as the carriage carrying me suddenly bumped against something, causing me and the other people in the carriage to jolted upwards.

I couldn't see anything clearly inside the carriage since there was no light source or windows. The only visibility was through small gaps between the wooden walls, roof, and floor. Moreover, it was nighttime, so there was no natural light coming in through the gaps. But judging by the number of breathing in here, there should be eight people here, including me.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. "Hey," said one of the men inside the carriage.

Another man responded confusingly.

"What?"

"Are we seriously going to war? How did this happen anyway?" asked the first man.

"The hell if I know," replied another man, joining the conversation.

"Should we escape?" proposed someone else.

"How? You've seen those knights, especially that brown-haired chick."

"We should at least try! I don't want to die now! I'm supposed to be married next week!" exclaimed someone, their voice filled with worry.

Oy, that's a death flag. I commented internally.

"Yeah, I agree with him. We should try to hide at the least. Not to mention, there's a kid with us here," said yet another man.

Ah, he was referring to me.

"Hey kid, you okay?" he asked.

"It's alright if you want to cry. Even I want to bawl my eyes out right now," he comforted me.

"I-I'm alright! I just want to go home..." I replied, my voice trailing off.

The voices stopped, as if they're pitying me. The first man broke the silence.

"That settles it! We'll work together to escape, or at least hide! How's that?"

"I agree."

"Me too!"

"I'll go along."

One by one, they all agreed to the first man's plan to escape or hide from the battle, and the only one who hadn't given their answer was me.

"What about you, kid?"

Working together, huh? That might work out. No, that might be my only choice. I agreed to their proposal.

"Yes, I'm in."

The first man spoke up again, his voice determined. "Alright then, we need to make a plan. We can't just jump out of the carriage and run blindly. We need to be smart about this."

The others murmured in agreement, and they started to discuss their options. I listened intently, my heart pounding in my chest. They talked about hiding in the nearby woods, or trying to sneak past the knights and escape through a different route.

As they spoke, I couldn't help but feel grateful that they were including me in their plans. Despite being a kid, they treated me as an equal, and I felt a sense of camaraderie with them.

In the end, we settled on the plan where we will escape as soon as the battle starts. When the knights are busy fighting, we'll gather as many of the drafted villagers we can and head to the nearest woods.

Before we could work out further details however, the carriage suddenly stops.

Are we here already?

The carriage door was opened and we were greeted by the bright light of a lantern. The lantern was set aside, revealing a knight holding it.

"Get off the carriage and follow our directions!"

The knight's booming voice echoed through the carriage as he gestured for us to step out. We all follow his instructions and get off the carriage one by one.

Since I was at the back of the carriage, I was the last one to get out. Once I exited the carriage, I was greeted with muddy ground on my bare feet, light rain hitting my hair and face, and the sight of countless tents spread across a wide plain. All around me, I can hear steel being sharpened with another steel, boxes being picked up and drop and people yelling out orders. Everyone seems to be preparing for the battle, and the people I can see looked nervous.

The drafted villagers that are already in the camp before us are ordered to carry heavy boxes filled with weapons, armors, and scrolls to various tents.

The men from same carriage as me were walking together towards one of the tents led by a knight. But when I try to catch up to them, someone grabbed my shoulder firmly and held me in place.

I turned my head around to see who was holding me. I was met with a pair of cold icy brown eyes staring down at me. It was none other than the brown-haired knight from before.

"You're coming with me."

Haha, I'm really screwed, huh?