Laurenn led Leticia out of the warehouse, settling her carefully into the royal carriage. As they waited for Aleph, Leticia, exhausted by the trauma, fell asleep leaning on her brother's shoulder.
"After she heard the bandits were arrested and that you were safe, she relaxed and fell asleep," Laurenn explained to Aleph as he approached the carriage.
"Your reaction was... unexpected," Aleph commented, recalling Laurenn's controlled fury in the warehouse.
"When it comes to my sister, I... lose control," Laurenn admitted with an embarrassed smile. "Thank you for stopping me. But I didn't expect you to know her."
"To be honest, I didn't imagine she was your sister," Aleph replied thoughtfully. "The princess is quite different from what you described."
...
Earlier, Dagmar, Leticia's personal assistant, had noticed the princess's unusual departure and, concerned, had alerted Laurenn. Immediately, the prince gathered a group of Royal Knights and set off in search of his sister. Sir Hector, Laurenn's most loyal knight, had discreetly followed Leticia's steps and, upon witnessing her kidnapping, rushed to inform the prince.
Meanwhile, Aleph was walking through the city when a desperate Veronica intercepted him. Between tears and sobs, she told him about Leticia's kidnapping and begged for his help. Without hesitation, Aleph followed Veronica's instructions, running toward the indicated location.
Arriving at the abandoned warehouse, he came upon Laurenn and Sir Hector, ready to storm the place.
"Prince Laurenn!" Aleph exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Laurenn replied, his voice tense.
Aleph explained that he had been alerted by Veronica about Leticia's kidnapping. Laurenn stared at him, suspicion evident in his eyes.
"So you came to rescue my sister?" he questioned with a tone of uncertainty.
Before Aleph could answer, a muffled scream from inside the warehouse interrupted the conversation. Without further delay, Laurenn and Aleph exchanged a look and, guided by the urgency of the situation, invaded the building. Laurenn ordered Sir Hector to call for reinforcements.
...
Leticia awoke but kept her eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. Curiosity consumed her, and she wanted to hear the conversation between Laurenn and Aleph.
"Princess Leticia invited me to be her official knight," Aleph confided, a hesitant tone in his voice. "But I don't know the proper way to respond to this request."
"If you were to accompany her to the Autumn Kingdom, just to ensure her safety..." Laurenn began with a sigh of relief. "I would be much more at ease, especially after what happened today. I fully trust your abilities, after all, you are..."
Aleph interrupted Laurenn with a discreet gesture, casting a meaningful glance toward Leticia.
"...a great friend," Laurenn concluded, changing the sentence at the last moment.
"Wait... what was he going to say?" Leticia thought, intrigued. "Why did he change his mind? What is Aleph, anyway?"
"Princess Leticia?" Aleph called, lightly touching her arm. "Are you feeling well?"
"How did he realize I was awake?" Leticia wondered, surprised. "Did he notice the change in my breathing?"
Opening her eyes slowly, Leticia sat up and thanked Aleph for his help, apologizing for the trouble. Aleph shook his head and, with a gentle gesture, placed his hand on hers, conveying a sense of calm.
When they arrived at the castle, they found King Hayden waiting for them, his face marked by worry. Laurenn, as always, felt intimidated by the king's imposing presence.
The main hall was bustling with servants and courtiers, alarmed by the news of the kidnapping. Hayden, sensing the commotion, hugged Leticia tightly, conveying both relief and apprehension.
"Leticia! Don't do this to me! What would I do if something happened to you?" he exclaimed, his voice thick with emotion. "From this day forward, one of my best knights will be assigned to protect you!"
Calming the crowd with a wave of his hand, Hayden dismissed everyone, ordering them to return to their duties. His gaze, however, fell upon Aleph, who remained by Leticia's side.
"Who is this young man?" he asked in an inquisitive tone.
"This is Aleph, Your Majesty," Leticia replied. "He is a city knight and the one who rescued me."
"In that case, I owe you my gratitude," Hayden said, shaking Aleph's hand with unusual strength. "Your hair... is quite unusual. There is no one with that hair color in our kingdom."
"He is from the Autumn Kingdom, Your Majesty," Leticia intervened, touching the king's arm discreetly in a warning gesture.
"From the Autumn Kingdom?" Hayden observed Aleph more closely. "Your face is familiar... Have we met before?... He reminds me of... that person I hate so much..."
Laurenn opened his mouth to intervene, but Aleph anticipated him, bowing in a respectful reverence.
"I do not recall having met you before, Your Majesty."
"If he had any connection to Ryuuji, he would never bow before me," Hayden thought, his suspicion diminishing. "Well, since you did an excellent job, tell me: what reward do you desire?"
"If Your Majesty permits, I would like to serve as Princess Leticia's official knight, protecting her from any danger that threatens her," Aleph declared, meeting Hayden's gaze with a firm and challenging look.
"If that is Leticia's wish, I do not object," Hayden agreed, turning to his daughter.
A smile lit up Leticia's face. The hope of having Aleph as her protector was reborn.
...
In a dark and isolated corner of the castle, far from the curious eyes of the court, General Shineid raged, frustration evident in his voice.
"Incompetent!" he roared, casting a furious glare at the man cowering before him. "I ordered you to get rid of Leticia! But you hire a bunch of useless people just like you!"
"General, I couldn't have predicted that Prince Laurenn would appear and rescue her," the man justified, his voice trembling with fear.
"I don't care about your excuses!" General Shineid snarled, his anger intensifying. "Leticia must be eliminated before she reaches the Autumn Kingdom. If you fail again, the consequences will be... unpleasant."
Ambition corroded General Shineid. In the service of Queen Risny, he planned to use Leticia's death as a springboard to rise through the ranks of Risny's kingdom, consolidating his power and influence.
✧ Chapter Notes ✧
Just as Master Yoshi manipulates the positive energies that sustain the balance of the dimension, Queen Risny controls the negative energies, an antagonistic and equally powerful force. Her kingdom, an isolated and impenetrable fortress, is ruled with an iron fist, a dictatorial regime where the queen's word is absolute law. The geographical distance separating her domains from the territories influenced by Master Yoshi is no mere coincidence, but a necessity imposed by the conflicting nature of their powers.
Risny is the creator of the shineideas, shaping them to her will through various methods. One of these involves the direct infusion of negative magic into human beings, corrupting them and transforming them into instruments of her ambitions. Her ultimate goal is total domination, the conquest of neighboring kingdoms through political destabilization and systematic oppression. She seeks to destroy everything Master Yoshi has built and everything he represents, annihilating the balance he strives so hard to maintain. A silent war, waged in the shadows, pits these two against each other, their power capable of determining the fate of the entire dimension.