Chapter 247 - In Dire Straights (6)

"What do you mean the princess was taken away, your highness?!" Amanda's voice echoed inside the throne room. Anger lacing her tone of voice as there was a bewildered expression in her face. She wasn't believing what her ears have heard, she was immediately greeted by that news as soon as they arrived in the palace as they were called by the emperor. It was unusual for the emperor to call them, it would usually the princess who would ask for their presence and they would spend time together like the friends they are.

Alexander was sitting on the throne and only stared at the girl who was a very close friend of his daughter. Of course, they would be shocked and angry when they heard the news. How do you expect them to react after hearing that their friend, the princess, was taken away by this person? Be happy and celebrate?

It was only supposed to be Maribelle to be here but he figured that Amanda should also. It's better that they know the current situation of the princess even though they would panic, become worried, overthink, and such rather than them worrying about the princess as they are wondering on what happened to her as there weren't any sign of her and they have to keep on lying about the princess' situation. Even though it has just been three days since the princess was taken away.

I mean, if they did the latter, they would get angry. Their reaction would be worse than now.

They could have also told them the news through the letter but he preferred telling them face to face. Explaining everything in just one whole sheet of paper is pretty tiresome and they might have some questions. They might even just go straight to the palace instead of replying with another letter.

It seems like Amanda realized the disrespect in her tone of voice as she shouted at the emperor. "Pardon me for I have raised my voice and became disrespectful, your highness. It's just that the news greatly shocked me and I couldn't help it," Amanda said after she cleared her throat and calmed herself down, relaxing her features as she does so.

"It's fine. I completely understand that you will react like that, it's quite a normal reaction," Alexander only responded. After the discussion or more like interrogation with the maid, Lillianna, she told them to not just call some kind of pharmacist but Maribelle. She didn't tell them the reason though and just told them to have Maribelle help her in creating the antidote.

Well, aside from them learning about Lillianna learning how to create the antidote and her being a female assassin that was hired by Mark Devan, that creepy palace wizard who managed to infiltrate their palace before and bring a dead person in his office then forcing them into complying his requests and such just to be imprisoned underground then escaped afterward, they were also able to learn where did she get the poison and some other information that they need.

No wonder Klaus felt the other trace of mana familiar aside from the princess' when he went to the garden to investigate. It was Mark's mana.

Lillianna wasn't from the Queenilia Empire, she was from the Empire of the Apollo. Their archenemy. That's why she was able to get the poison of the Staff of Caelian pretty easily though she wasn't able to have the antidote because she didn't expect that this will happen. She could have lied to them, to be honest. That she was stabbed by the princess after she mistook that she was an enemy and Mark was the one that stabbed Carlos or that she was forced in doing that.

--

[Flashback to what happened]

"Is there any particular reason why you aren't lying to us and instead, helping us?" Klaus asked as he stood in front of Lillianna who was still sitting on the bed, leaning against the headrest. Normally, they would take the interrogation or this kind of discussion in the cell or something but this was somehow a different matter. Well, in case Lillianna did something, they could take her down even though she's a skilled female assassin or something like that.

She's against the emperor, the captain of the royal knights, a powerful healer, an assistant who is skilled at either magic or fighting physically, and the most powerful in the Elders. Even before she could attack, she might be taken down already. Only an idiot would dare go up against the 5 of them.

Lillianna was expecting that they would ask her that, however, even she, herself, doesn't know the reason why. Alexandra's face with a gentle yet bright smile plastered in her lips was the only thing that would pop up inside her head. Normally, if she would have to kill a person, she would do it real quick. The usual thing that she would do is to talk to them, lure them, and kill them. But it was different for her, she has to spend months in this palace.

Well, her target was either the princess or Carlos. However, she was only able to stab Carlos and stared at his body, telling him the effects of the poison and she did nothing after that. It was like she was frozen still in her position and she just couldn't move. As if she was stuck and everything that has happened for the past few months came rushing inside her head.

'Right, this is my job. Being close to the princess is just to make the process and everything easier. The happiness and the closeness that I have felt her was all just an illusion, my mind is only playing tricks with me. This is my life, I can't change it.'

That was what she had thought as she stood there still while staring at Carlos' unconscious on the ground after she has stabbed him. It was like she was thinking and regretting all of her life decisions. '

'Being a maid is better than being assassin'

That is also what she would think when she would be with the princess. It feels like she was being tricked or put into another reality where she isn't an assassin and was just a maid who was working in this palace, having a shy personality. That reality, the illusion of herself being another person, was nice.

But life was cruel.

This job, this task. She was only in for the money. Mark offered her a huge amount of money and told her that he will give her whatever she wants after this job. Of course, the offer was tempting but it was sketchy that it took them hours to discuss it. She was shocked when she learned that the person they are targeting is the princess of the other empire. She was reluctant but the man has reassured her that he has the perfect plan and they aren't going to kill the princess, he was only asking for help just to execute this job perfectly.

She even asked him why did he choose her and the man only responded with a chuckle.

'Just don't ask. Take the offer and do the job, help me with this task. It's much easier if it would be you. I know that you need this money. This is enough for you to continue living your life and retire as an assassin. I know what you want. You want to escape this destiny or life of yours and be free, right?'

That's what he responded after. To think that he knows that, he might have done some investigation or did some research about her. Then you know what happened after that, she was tempted and she agreed.

"I don't know," She responded to Klaus' question. Hanging her head down low with a muddled expression in her face which they can't see. Klaus hummed before he spoke once again. It seems like he was the one that took over the interrogation as he was the only one that kept on asking Lillianna so many things continuously but from time to time, Alexander would ask her some things.

"Do you have any clue on where Mark, the person that you are working with, took her majesty, Princess Alexandra?" Was what Klaus asked. Lillianna hummed as she lifted her head to look at Klaus before she responded.

"I also asked him that before and I think I recall him answering that he'll take the princess to a tower or something like that. He didn't specify what kind of tower. I'm sure that he might be talking about one of the towers here in this empire. Well, he can't teleport to the towers in the Empire of Apollo as there is a barrier preventing him from doing that," Lillianna said with an expressionless look in her face.

There's this thing called barrier or something that prevents a user or a person from teleporting to places outside the empire. It wouldn't allow you to teleport to another empire and only the places inside this empire. It's really helpful as it prevents some criminals on loose in escaping from outside the empire. The barrier ends at the sea and in the mountain ranges that separate the two empires, Apollo and Queenilia.

"I see, thank you. I guess that's all we need to ask today, you'll be moved to the underground prison later. Even though you've been honest and is planning on helping us, there wouldn't be any special treatment for you. We have to do this."

"It's fine, I understand."

--

Alexander has assigned Klaus in looking and pinpointing the towers where Alexandra and that bastard, Mark could be. There are many towers in this empire, most of those are abandoned and there's a high chance that Mark could be in one of those. Since Klaus is one of those people who are able to identify traces of mana and could tell whose mana is those, this job is perfect for him. He could go from towers to towers and check if he could sense a trace of mana that is either Mark or Alexandra's.

They would do that tomorrow as he figured that he along with Sir Friyedor and Sir Louise who volunteered in helping him was still planning and pinpointing all of the towers in this empire. Well, Friyedor and Louise are also like him who is able to identify and tell whose trace of mana that was. Although they aren't as good as Klaus.

"Your highness, may I ask what's your reason for calling us here?"

Maribelle snapped him out of his trance when she took a step forward and spoke, grabbing his attention. Alexander looked down before he responded, "I need your help in creating this one antidote. Along with the princess who was taken away, Sir Carlos was also stabbed with a knife that is coated with poison," He said.

"I don't specialize in those kinds of things, your highness, though I have some experiences where I was able to create poisons and antidote," Maribelle said.

Her love for botany and such, she got that from her grandfather who taught her about it. Well, yeah, she was young back then when her grandfather taught her about those things. He would even ask for help in creating this medicine made out of raw ingredients and materials, sometimes it would even be poison or antidotes.

Her grandfather wasn't this kind of lanky or skinny man.

In fact, he doesn't even look like he was an old person or something.

Her grandfather has this cottage or something filled with all kinds of herbs, plants, flowers, and such along with books that are related to those.

However, Maribelle stopped from going there when her grandfather passed away when she was 13. The cause of his death, poison. How ironic.

She doesn't remember crying at his funeral back then. She was happy, to be honest. No, not in some kind of way that you are thinking. She was happy that he is finally able to rest and is in a better place now. Her grandfather suffered so much when he was alive and would always isolate himself. After his wife died, he was only interested in plants and only plants. Not until she started approaching him and he would teach her about it. She became close to him because of that.

"What was the poison, your highness?" Maribelle asked Alexander.

"Staff of Caelian."

Maribelle's eyes widened for a moment when she heard his response. Her expression then became serious after that.

"I know how to make that antidote and I might have some experience in making it. I might also have the ingredients that we need in order to make that. I could go back and get the ingredients then return, it's still early in the afternoon, anyways." Maribelle responded, the same expression in her face. Alexander blinked his eyes multiple times before he nodded and said.

"Please do."

Great.