The news broke within the dead quiet room. Zeno came back with information, from his work in the magical side of the world. Katalina waited with her hands clasped together. Meanwhile, the princess awaited the news with anticipation.

“I have found where he is.”

“Well?” Haein asked.

“He is, or should I say was, in the possession of the Arcane Tower. But he is now currently with Angelica, a witch living in the forest. She has a large mansion to the south of the palace, and we should be able to reach there within 4 days.”

“Then it's settled.”

Haein stood up. Even in the dead of night, she still looked respectable. Her blonde hair had a slight glitter as it shone within the grace of the moonlight.

“We set off tomorrow,” she said.

The princess turned her heel and walked away. After all, she did mention about this meeting disturbing her sleep. The door slammed shut, and Zeno and Katalina were left alone in a small room. Even then, the court mage left shortly too. The room had 2 entrances and exits, one to the left of Katalina and the other to the right. Both of them left through the one on the right, presumably to return to their posts. Katalina took the left. She had a guest to meet.

“How was it?”

Edmond Ren leaned against the wall. Sweat dripped down onto his chin, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. The sword rested on his shoulders, though being made of wood, it didn’t seem to weigh that much. Even in the moonlight, his abdominal muscles glistened.

“Some good news. We found where he is.”

“Great. When are we going?”

“Tomorrow. Or the next sunrise, to the more precise.”

“Good to know. So it’ll be you, me, the court mage, anyone else?”

She nodded. Would Francis have been happy that she went to Edmond Ren for help? He was an Arcleus, sure, but the hero of the beastlands agreed to help out. But not Benjamin Wynt though. All she felt from him was malice.

Edmond patted her on her shoulders. She shook him off, and walked away. There was no agreement, no exchange of goods or services. But when she made a request to him, he accepted immediately. Just knowing that someone he knew, albeit more as acquaintances or even as an enemy, was kidnapped, that gave him all the motivation he needed.

The next sunrise rolled by. Zeno was the de facto leader of the party. A finely carved wooden staff fitted his hand nicely, with ornate accessories. Edmond Ren and Katalina wore light clothing. Thick and heavy armour in this weather was suicide.

Katalina greeted her help. In fairness, all of this was her fault. There was no need for Zeno, or Edmond Ren to assist her in fixing her mistake. Regardless, they were here. Be it malicious, or goodwill, they were here. A failed knight, a potential emperor, and a court mage. All they needed to form a full adventuring party was a princess, but she was busy with the court.

“First thing’s first, how are we gonna get there?” Edmond asked.

It was a valid question. Katalina had consulted a map earlier, and the approximate location of that mansion was far in the woods. And since the entire area was wooded, troops weren’t suitable for the mission.

“That’s a very good question. We’ll be going straight there,” Zeno said.

Edmond nodded. It was simple enough. The fastest way to get to a point was a straight line. Anyone knew that. Time was of the essence, after all.

The warm morning sun was bright. Birds sang their mating calls. It was a good day to have fun. But fun was not in the cards. Not with what was at stake. A kidnapped potential emperor? Princess Haein had to stay back because she wanted to do her investigations. After all, this capture probably had a political motive behind it. Francis Rayleigh was a distinguished member of the Rayleigh family after all. It wouldn’t be strange if a rival family wanted to get rid of their competition. But nonetheless, Katalina had to thank the princess. She kept it all under wraps, and so far, no one outside of the most important individuals knew of his disappearance. Not even the emperor himself knew of it. The princess, Edmond Ren, Zeno, his sister Estelle, and Katalina herself. The total number of people the secret was divulged to could be counted on one hand.

Just before they were about to leave, the princess walked out. Two guards followed her closely, obviously just for her safety. Strange. Katalina raised her eyebrows. Why was her highness here? This wasn’t part of the plan. In her hand was the miniature version of the Quartz Screen. And she didn’t even dress up, and she walked out in what looked like a loose one-piece dress.

“Your highness?” Katalina asked.

“Haa... I just got some more information. Um, could we speak in private?” Haein asked.

The two guards nodded, and made their way back towards the palace gates. Meanwhile, the group stood in the middle of a well paved road of cobblestone. They were probably out of earshot then. The princess motioned for everyone to get closer, which was a privilege not many got to experience.

“You highness, what is it?” the knight whispered.

“I think it’s best if you heard it yourselves.”

She held out the miniature Quartz Screen in her hand. It seemed like it was already connected. Who was on the other line.

“Estelle, if you could.”

“I found something. He was kept in the Arcane Tower.”

“That was what I thought as well, my lady. However, it seems like he was transferred over to another location in the forest South from there.”

“South checks out. This compass is pointing there too.”

“Compass?” Zeno asked.

“Yeah. Magic one. A blood soaked paper attached to the arrow, and it’s pointing South.”

“Hmm. Then most probably, it points towards lord Francis. I’d suggest you follow it, lady Estelle.”

“That is what I’m doing.”

“Great. Then we’ll convene at the mansion.”

Zeno turned towards the group. All of them nodded. It was decided then. Katalina grabbed her sword, ready to bring him back.

***

Once again, he was chained to the wall in a high tower. Perhaps it wasn’t all too surprising that the mistress of the house didn’t quite like being slapped in the face. But then again, something commanded him too. Never happened before. Regardless, all Francis could do now was to look outside the window longingly, like a princess from an old fairytale.

“My lord. I have brought your meal.”

Then again, he was treated like a princess. If getting thrown in here was unsurprising, the fact that they still treated him rather well was surprising. Grey pushed the trapdoor open from beneath. So far, by choice or not, she was nice. Owing to the fact that his hands were chained up, she fed him his meals.

“Is she still angry?” asked Francis.

“My lord... Why did you do that? That is all my mistress wishes to know.”

“Haaa. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. I don’t know. Something just snapped.”

“Please, my lord.”

“I told you. I didn’t really want to. Just... something happened.”

“My lord. Please.”

“It really wasn’t ‘me’. It was like something possessed me.”

“Possessed you?”

Francis nodded. He opened his mouth for the next bite, and Grey complied. Whilst he chewed, he thoughted. Besides, he had been doing quite a bit of thinking while trapped within the tower. Without the ever looming dread of torture, it was surpsingly boring being chained up. Aside from thinking, what else could he do? With the rather pleasant backdrop of a wooded forest in summer, he looked out the window in a contemplative silence.

“It’s complicated to explain.”

“Is that so, my lord.”

To be perfectly honest, that didn’t sound understanding at all. The way that those words left her mouth was all too familiar. Something that he didn’t ever want to bubble up again. That was the way they treated Francis Rayleigh. Not Francis, but the actual Francis.

“I’m full. Thank you as always.”

He bowed his head a little. Grey looked at the moderate amount of food left on the plate. He ate about three fourths of the total portion served. With a somewhat dejected look on her face, she stood up.

“Was it not to your liking, my lord?”

“It was amazing, not going to lie. But, since I haven’t moved much, my metabolism rate has gone down by quite a bit.”

“My lord? ‘Metabolism rate’? What is that?”

“Ah. Right. Don’t worry about that. But it was absolutely delicious, Grey. Thank you. I admire your cooking.”

“You could tell, my lord?”

The spoonfuls of lunch shoved into his mouth weren’t super different from what was usually prepared. But, compared to how same everything was, it was evident that today’s meal was prepared by someone else. Though, it really was small. Only a 10% or so difference? Even so, Francis could tell with his tongue and taste buds. It was like a comparison between a head chef, and their sous chef.

“Of course. It was amazing. Although, perhaps try to experiment for yourself?”

“Ah... Duly noted, my lord.”

Grey nodded, and her unsurprisingly grey hair swished by down her neck. She lifted up the trapdoor, and carried the tray out. Once she left, Francis was again alone.

“Princess. Hm, not bad if I do say so myself.”

He titled his head down. The loose silk dress fitted surprisingly nicely on his body. Light blue, and somewhat breathable. There was enough room in between limbs and fabric for air to circulate around.

“You were saying?” Haein asked.

“Right... So, before I got interrupted, I’m in a forest looking area. I came in from a flying carriage, but passed out on the way.”

“Alright, but are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Not them, so far. The previous one, however, yeesh.”

“And what did he do?”

“I think he tried to replace my veins or something? Either way, it was painful.”

“WHAT?!” someone’s anger burst from the other side. It sounded like Katalina. Were they together?

“Is that my knight?” Francis asked.

“Haa... Yes. Miss Knight is with me.”

“Tell her I said hi. And that I’m alright, for now.”

“Well as long as you’re currently okay. We’re coming to get you out.”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

A blinding, searing pain took hold in his right temple. He tried to clutch his head. The chains pulled as he tried to move his hands.

“God damn it!”

“Is the something the matter, my lord?” Grey shouted as she rushed back.

“Urg. Do you happen to have any medicine for headaches?”

“A headache, my lord? I’ll fetch my mistress. She can take a look at it.”

“Ah... Thank you. Please, quickly. It's incredibly painful.”

Grey’s footsteps echoed up into the tower room. Francis sighed. It wasn’t the first time he had this searing pain.

The first time wasn’t that long ago. Just quite recently, actually. Right after delivering the swift slap, it took root. Aggressive, and painful. Like a white hot knife thrust into his temple. And it spread, too. As if the blade extended and pulsed. Sharp, incredibly so, and it got hotter.

Close to 10 minutes later, Grey lifted the trapdoor again. Accompanying her was the average looking woman. Beads of sweat dripped down from their heads as they inspected him all over.

“Nothing much seems off on the physical side, my lord,” Grey reported as she observed his body.

“I’ll cast some healing magic to ease the pain.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he muttered as he closed his eyes.

Out of the corners of his eyes, he spotted a soft green light enveloping the mistress’ hands. She placed her hands on the sides of his head. A warm feeling fought against the pain. Almost as if she had rubbed a herbal ointment onto his veins.

“What the hell?” she shouted out.

A strong flapping approached. The other two seemed panicked, but Francis couldn’t care less about that. Darkness crawled in at the perimeter of his sight, as a large shadow covered the tower. A cloud? No way, not this low. A dust cloud formed outside the window, and something dropped and hit the ground with a loud thud. Francis closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.