Bibliophile Princess, page 13
Numerous secret meetings had followed that initial report, leading up to this morning.
Considering the amount of snow on the ground, it would take half a day to reach Hersche from the earl’s estate. I had taken into account all the information trickling in, alongside current circumstances, and had decided this plan was the only possible one I could go with. The moment I’d proposed it, I was prepared to shoulder whatever happened. The man I had called after must have steeled himself as well, having accepted that proposal. There was no need to say anything more to him.
Shadows hung thick across the land, waiting for the sun to creep up.
The man’s eyes were empty, save for the reflection of the torchlight that illuminated them. Just as I rallied myself, ready to say something, he beat me to it by saying the very thing I had wanted to.
“Alexei, be careful out there.”
When I’d first arrived in the Ralshen Region, he had welcomed me with hate and animosity. Naturally, I was taken aback by this shift, and my shock must have shown on my face.
His expression soured, his tone turning bitter as he continued, “There’s still a lot more I have to say to you, so don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily. You have an obligation to hear all the resentment I’ve saved up for you. So live, Alexei Strasser. Live and come back here safely.”
My lips cracked into a smile for the first time in a very, very long while. I never would have dreamed when I departed for Ralshen that I would one day be able to smile here again. Nor did I think I would be able to speak to him as casually as I was now.
“You be careful too, Carl. You still need a lot of improvement when it comes to managing your territory.” I paused, then added, “When I return, I will whip you into shape.”
Carl pulled a face at me, displeased.
We were both riding off into danger, but for some reason, my shoulders felt so much lighter. We each prayed for the other’s safety as we parted ways. I opened the door to my carriage, and for the briefest moment, I hesitated. I knew I was being watched, but I pretended not to notice.
In the early morning, as the snow stopped temporarily, the clatter of carriages and the beat of horse hooves echoed around the earl’s estate, announcing our departure.
~.~.~.~
Damn it! I couldn’t even count how many times I’d cursed under my breath at this point. For the past five days, we’d divided into groups and either kept a lookout or gathered information.
The town of Hersche was known for its many inns; lanterns glowed there day and night. A steady stream of people were coming and going under the threat of snow. Many of them had come by the horseload from neighboring areas, so it was quite easy to slip into the crowd, but we still couldn’t locate our target amidst the clamor. The minute I thought I’d spotted them, some other disturbance would spread the people through the streets like a piece of boiled cloth unfurling in a cauldron, and I’d lose sight of them.
To put it simply, everyone was in the way. I wanted to burn the entire town to the ground multiple times over, due to the way my target kept weaving through the crowd. It was my job to track them, but it was turning out to be a nightmare. That would all end today, however.
“Watteau.”
I gave Jean a look, acknowledging his signal. It’d been incredibly difficult to pinpoint my target in the crowded town, but I’d received some very valuable information from a guard posted at Earl Ralshen’s estate. Alexei Strasser, one of the crown prince’s closest confidantes, was leading a group of guards toward this very city. In addition, a wagon carrying Earl Ralshen’s supplies was following close behind Alexei’s carriage.
I could surmise two things from that information. One, the objective of Alexei Strasser and his band of guards was to both secure and protect the crown prince’s fiancée. Second, Earl Ralshen’s wagon was carrying medicine to treat the Ashen Nightmare and was heading to the Urma Mines. Naturally, that meant our target must have realized that we were after them, and since they were still moving forward despite this knowledge, that must mean...
I’d already reached a conclusion long before I noticed the glint in the eyes of the unpleasant man beside me.
“The young miss is headin’ for the revolt,” Jean explained.
Spiteful thoughts ran through my head. Did that mean Alexei Strasser’s guards were only a diversion so that Earl Ralshen’s supplies could sneak through?
Jean then asked me what I thought, and I replied, “We’ll just have to see for ourselves.”
Our number one target was the crown prince’s fiancée, Elianna Bernstein, and our primary objective was to get rid of her. That wouldn’t change, but...
“If the Bibliophile Princess is headed to the Urma Mines with the supplies,” Jean added, “then Alexei Strasser’s guards must have the medicine, and they’re headin’ to the capital with it. That ain’t good, is it, Watteau?”
I replied back with irritation. We’d been given an order beforehand, in case of an emergency: if someone developed a cure—however impossible that might be—we were to steal it before it could spread throughout the world.
The Ashen Nightmare was a deadly plague feared by all. Not even my master could’ve imagined that someone would find a cure for it. Still, we’d been ordered to erase all clues leading to one and focus our attention on the capital in order to boost the Saint’s popularity, but now it felt like all of that was about to be undermined. Our master’s orders were absolute. We must steal the cure and then deliver it to the capital so we could solidify the Saint’s status as a hero, the messiah of our realm—a Saint they would extol in legends. Nevertheless...
“Got no choice but to split up,” Jean said. “We’ll be a bit shorthanded, but nothin’ else we can do, is there?”
“Shut up, Jean!” I growled.
I glared at the sullen man, who dully responded, “Right, then.” That just made me curse under my breath even more. He never pushed back, never even shrugged. Everything I said was just air that blew past him. No matter how I took my emotions out on him, he was always like this.
Jean had always had that cool, listless way about him. He lacked tenacity, and you could never tell what he was thinking. Nevertheless, he steadily plugged away at his tasks, so perhaps in that way he was well-suited to be one of the royal family’s Shadows. Like a shadow, he was lifeless and lacked substance. Although we were of equal skill, the other Shadows continued to compare my abilities to his. My master had brought him to the forefront and into the light.
As long as I could remember, this detestable man had been a thorn in my side. Just looking at him made me annoyed. A hatred for him churned inside of my stomach, and I couldn’t stop it. This mission would be his final chance. If he screwed up this time...if he failed to finish off our target, it would be a breach of trust. If that happened, I could finally get rid of the source of my annoyance. I imagined how much relief I’d feel in that moment.
I kept a close eye on Jean and signaled to my associate. I’d already figured out which road the guard’s carriage would be using. I hated that Jean was right, but it was true—this was our only choice. I ordered the others to their positions; we would act as the main unit and lie in wait to ensure we got our target.
Even though it was late afternoon and snowy in the town of Hersche, it was still bustling with people traveling to and fro. I’d watched this inn for some kind of opening so many times, wondering if we could ambush them. All the residents were focused on that spot, so our target must be using it as their base.
Just then, Alexei Strasser’s band of guards arrived at the inn, and a woman emerged from within a carriage. She was wearing simple clothing and looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. She concealed her face so as not to be recognized. The woman named Mabel—her attendant—was at her side.
“That’s her, all right,” I whispered.
As I watched her closely, I received news that Alexei Strasser had gotten back into his carriage and that the woman, who seemed to be acting as a decoy, had not joined him. Another woman did join him, though. I saw a lock of hair spill from her hood before Alexei got into the carriage—her signature platinum blonde hair which fell to her waist in waves. I watched as she and her attendant climbed into Alexei Strasser’s carriage, which was surrounded by bodyguards. I let out a scornful chuckle.
“Looks like your ‘young miss’ values her own life over that of the rioters or the ill.”
I’d expect nothing less from a sheltered, spoiled little rich girl, I thought with another jeering laugh. Only this one time did I actually feel relieved that my colleague remained unresponsive.
Now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense. She was a naive, sheltered girl from a rich family who’d come far from the capital to a place ridden with a terrible disease everyone feared, under the threat of constant attack. Why wouldn’t she be afraid? She had a lot of responsibility as the crown prince’s betrothed, but she was still just a young noblewoman. It’d be no wonder if she’d sat trembling in her room at the inn until someone had come to save her.
“Waste of my damn time,” I cursed at Jean, then signaled the others. I left a line of guards to prevent our target from escaping in the meantime and took the main unit with me to circle around to the spot where we would launch the attack.
We’d have to be careful of Earl Ralshen’s guards when it came time for me to give the signal to steal the medicine and attack, but this time, we’d get rid of her for good. Even though I was a bit worried about the number of people there, we had only one target. We had no reason to engage with the entire band of guards or to compete with the other Shadows of the royal family, which I was sure were there somewhere as well. We had only one goal, and that was to get rid of Elianna Bernstein.
The mountain pass which led to Hersche was piled high with snow. It was very narrow, so it was difficult for horses and carriages to turn around, which would greatly restrict our target’s movement, but it was ideal conditions for us. Since we weren’t on horseback, we had the advantage.
We were far away from any neighboring cities, so I was certain that this mission would succeed as I gave the signal to attack. I’d make sure to keep my eyes on the man next to me and watch his actions very closely. I’d wait for a moment’s hesitation, then get rid of him. My heart beat with anticipation for that very moment.
~.~.~.~
Alexei Strasser and the others resisted the ambush more than I’d expected.
We waited until right before they’d made it to the main road, just where they’d let their guard down, and attacked. Confusion spread through the guards, and we took advantage of the disruption in command to move around as we pleased. We advanced like the Shadows we were—or used to be—circling around behind them.
All of a sudden, something echoed in the distance. How had I heard that sound among the chaos of angry shouts and clanging swords? The reason was that it was an unusual noise—that of a flare used in case of emergency. I knew in an instant that it was a smoke screen, but only afterward did I realize that our side was the only one startled by it.
I narrowly avoided a decisive blow swinging down at me as I heard the sounds of my comrades getting hit. But just as I tried to right myself, the edge of a blade drew closer.
“Watteau...”
I sensed the wordless presence of someone nearby and cursed in pain as my irritation grew. I managed to strike back at them, but mine wasn’t a shallow cut. And I recognized the swordsmanship. The organization which had existed for as long as I could remember—this was the same way those who’d undergone such training attacked without hesitation—the royal family’s Shadows.
The moment I realized they were with the guards, I knew without a doubt that my target was there, inside the carriage that the Shadows and the guards were protecting. I thought I was just close enough to my target to act, when suddenly the carriage door burst open and a figure appeared, descending one of the steps. They had a noble air to them that commanded the attention of everyone around them. It was a small young woman—our target.
She cast aside the cloak which had concealed her identity thus far, and with it the signature platinum blonde locks, which she now held against her chest. She looked like a female general shouting in triumph.
“You foolish attackers fell for our trap. I am Lilia Storrev, the cousin of Lady Eli—Elianna Bernstein, the fiancée of the crown prince of Sauslind. You may be after Lady Eli, but she is not here. My condolences.” She let out a haughty laugh, and a strange sense of confusion rolled through my associates.
Behind the triumphant girl with the chestnut hair was Alexei Strasser, who looked quite exasperated, and the attendant Mabel, who should have been with the Bibliophile Princess, but was here wearing a look on her face similar to Alexei Strasser’s.
The carriage was surrounded by guards armed with shields to protect against flying daggers or arrows. I wondered if our target was still there, behind those three. We had no reason to believe the girl who spoke, and so we began fighting again, trying to aim for our target. When the girl saw this, she looked at us with a mixture of sympathy and anger in her eyes.
“You know, I’m really mad,” she cried. “I had to crawl into the hidden compartment in Lord Alexei’s carriage! It was cramped and cold and hard to breathe, and did I mention it was cold?! Honestly, I thought I was going to become a living ice sculpture! So not only did I have to put my dignity aside and crawl on the floor like a rat in the hidden compartment, but then, when we got to the inn...”
All of a sudden her rage exploded. “She wasn’t there! Lady Eli had cut a lock of her hair according to the plan and entrusted it with Mabel, but she wasn’t there! Listen, I know that was the plan, but I was fully intending on seeing with my own eyes that she was safe and sound, then tugging on both her cheeks and ears and yelling at her! Honestly!”
We were dumbfounded that this girl was taking her anger and frustration out on her attackers. This Lilia Storrev was steaming mad, and we were her targets.
“You made Lady Eli cut her hair! But most of all, you tried to kill her, and for that, I will never forgive you! In the name of Prince Christopher, I shall give you fools your divine punishment!”
This sounded less like a well-thought-out sentiment, and more like an emotional description of the current circumstances, which made it clear what was going on. I couldn’t deny the possibility that she was all talk, but given the mood in the air, our instincts, which could sense the location of our target, told us that the girl was indeed telling the truth: Elianna Bernstein was not here.
“Watteau.”
I was angry at the owner of the voice, who was urging us to retreat. He had been right all along. Elianna Bernstein wasn’t here; she was with Earl Ralshen’s wagon of supplies.
“Damn it.” I gave the order to retreat and to go help with the other attack, but I heard a cold voice quietly say, “It’s no use.”
I looked up to see that the energetic Lilia Storrev had been pushed back, and now Alexei Strasser was looking over us with an icy glare. “If you’re thinking about attacking Earl Ralshen’s supply wagon, it’s no use.”
He sounded as if he was just stating a fact. I frowned, and a smile spread across his cool countenance, one which indicated it was likely an unusual sight.
“It’s only natural that you would be targeting Lady Elianna, but the medicine... Your master, the one who ordered you to assassinate Lady Elianna, thought a cure was impossible, yet we still found one. Do you really think he’ll overlook this?”
He answered his own question in a voice colder than snow piled up on the mountaintops.
“We took preventative measures with the supply wagon as well. If you didn’t attack it, then it would be nothing more than a smoke screen. However, if you did try to target her and attack the wagon...”
He paused meaningfully, and my mind raced as I wondered what he was trying to say. His cold gaze froze us all to the spot.
“Well, let’s just say you did split into two groups to attack both. If that were true, then the other group has either been captured or killed by the Black Wing Knights hidden inside the wagon. Ever since the Knights lost their beloved General Bakula, their grief has turned into rage. One hot-blooded person is already more than enough for me to handle.” His tone indicated he was at a loss for what to do with these soldiers, who were burning with anger.
The Black Wing Knights. The mention of them reminded me of something I’d completely forgotten about. After losing General Bakula, I’d figured they would’ve gone back to the capital with his remains to protect them on the journey. I hadn’t thought about just how heavy the sadness of losing their commander, a national hero, would’ve weighed on them. I cursed myself for not considering this as Alexei continued speaking in a wholly unabashed voice.
“I didn’t expect for you to fall for it so marvelously.”
With that, I was now certain that it was us who’d fallen into a trap, though there’d been no behavior from anyone so far to make me suspect it. Not once since the countess, Earl Ralshen’s wife, left the earl’s estate to negotiate with other territories did I suspect there was a trap.
I thought it over, then came to a realization. They hadn’t shared their plan with anyone—not even their comrades—so even though there were so many moving parts, none of the players had seemed suspicious to us.
“Impossible!” a voice scoffed from our side.
Alexei let out a laugh so deep it sounded like it resounded from the belly of the earth. “If you don’t believe me, go ahead and search the carriage from top to bottom. Then once you’re satisfied, go join up with Earl Ralshen’s supplies. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied once you see for yourselves that Lady Elianna is not in either place.”
So where the hell is she? I wondered, but then I immediately put two and two together. The flare that was shot immediately after we attacked—we’d heard it from a distance. And right after that, the Bibliophile Princess’s stand-in and cousin had proudly revealed her identity. The guards had only hesitated at the very beginning, but they hadn’t been surprised by the sound of the flare. Plus, Alexei Strasser looked supremely confident right now.
