âWhat the hell isâ¦â
There was no such thing as sudden suspicion.
âAre we dying here like this?â
Valerâs head was down, feeling gloomy. I couldnât say we would survive because of it.
Uhm, what was really going on?
Could it be that Bureti, who figured out my identity, was up to catch me and hand me over to my dad?
They didnât have a reason to put me down in jail. If they knew that I was a princess, they wouldnât treat us so lowly.
Before entering the capital, we were caught up by soldiers and placed in jail.
At first, I thought Havel or Assisi would rage against them, but again, because there were so many soldiers around us, neither moved nor did anything risky. If we clashed swords with another countryâs men, they would just kill us right away.
We were all waiting for someone to come over and tell us the reason for catching us. It could be that they knew I was Ariadna and grabbed me.
However, if that was the case, how did they find out?
âRia, have you done anything wrong with someone in Bureti?â
âValer, canât Bureti just be mistaken?â
I looked with doubt, but Valer sighed.
When one lived, they went through numerous things. But a prison?
I felt different coming to a place where I didnât have any bond with. Yes, after all, bad things needed to happen for good⦠shitty stuff!
Ahhhhk, this bloody situation!
How the hell did this happen!?
I could feel my brain collapse. I looked at Ahin and Havel. They didnât seem troubled except for the awkwardness around them.
Why? How were they so casual?
They both grew up sheltered like me, right? Oh, Havel didnât get to grow up like us.
âBut the treatment isnât that bad, considering weâre their prisoner. Is this how prisons usually look like?â
âMaybe not?â
Valer touched the spear and tilted his head.
I sighed. Was our treatment really the problem here?
Did we break some kind of law in Bureti without our knowledge? I was getting strange thoughts. If we violated a law, we were planning to sell Valer and bounce off. Suddenly, the armed soldiers approached us and looked through the bars before saying.
âFollow us.â
I walked out, but I was anxious as hell.
Looking at the soldiers before us, Valer and I exchanged glances.
Valer, what was I supposed to do?
Huh? Were they going to poison us? Ugh, what a troublesome thing!
Hey, I raised him!
Well, it seemed like we wouldnât be rewarded for doing good things. We were like people walking alone in a desert!
âWhere are we going?â
âI donât know.â
However, although we were anxious, we werenât worried since we could always reveal our identity.
Even getting arrested and being escorted to Agrient seemed better than dying.
It seemed like the one with a joker in hand was the one to win.
We thought they were escorting us to a judge, but we went to another fancy palace after leaving the prisonâa residence closest to the Royal Palace of Bureti.
Why were we escorted to such a place? Did Bureti conduct its trials like that?
While the luxury mansion seemed captivating to our eyes, on the other hand, we were nervous about not knowing the reason why we were sent here.
We all thought that we committed some kind of crime, not knowing the law, but would a guy in Bureti recognize and release me?
Huh? Unfortunately, no one would know me in Bureti.
When we arrived at the lobby, the soldiers left us, and the questions amplified in my brain.
âWe brought them.â
âUh, did they come here?â
âYes.â
Even when I focused on the noises outside, I couldnât hear any familiar voice.
What? Did someone really know me?
Maybe it was someone I forgot while growing up, but that thought made no sense.
âOh?â
As the door opened, our attention went to the person who entered.
He didnât seem like a judge, and he didnât seem like military personnel either. He looked more like a local administrator.
The one who entered was an elderly gentleman. Huh?
The old blond man looked at me in shock. His green eyes firmly held my eyes.
âEzelan!â
Ezelan? Who the hell was that?
Was that supposed to be me?
That was the first time I heard that name. Before I could even respond, the old man ran over and hugged me.
Valer, who was shocked, was about to respond, but I asked him to stop by shaking my hand. There was no hostility from the old man; he was just thrilled.
âOh, god, thank you so much.â
It was just embarrassing to see him with tears in his eyes.
Why, why was he looking like this?
Maybe he mistook me for someone else?
Oh, his robe was falling off. It seemed like he was a noble with high status, but it was evident that he appeared to have mistaken something. I was puzzled and wanted to get out of his arms. What to do?
Luckily, the old man released me, and I asked right away.
âW-who are you?â
At my question, the old man smiled while looking down with a regretful face.
His face was ecstatic, but there was some sadness in his eyes. He didnât seem like someone who had mistaken me for another.
He looked at me. The old man smiled brightly, wiping away the tears in his eyes.
âYou might not know me at first glance, probably because I am old now.â
The old man arranged his robe and looked at me. I stood still, unable to move under the warm gaze of his green eyes.
Finally, the old man introduced himself to me.
âI am your grandfather, Ariadna.â
Ahâ¦