The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 156: Wild hunt

Chapter 156: Wild hunt

The captain thought he had a valid point. If this was the box, it was better for it to reach the crown prince earlier to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"You will take the box and ride to the military camp of lowe. Then seek an audience with the crown prince," the captain said.

The guard assigned to the task got up and bowed. "I will obey the captain’s order." Just as he moved to pick up the box, the captain stopped him.

"You, go," the captain said, pointing at his deputy. He would have delivered the box himself, but he felt he still had to manage the situation within the camp. Moreover, the deputy was better with words and should be able to explain the situation to the crown prince better than a guard.

The deputy saluted, picked up the box, and obeyed the command. He then requested that one of the men who found the box accompany him. If the box was indeed the one that should be in the crown princess’s care, they might need to explain to the prince where they found it.

The two moved quickly and were soon on their way to find the crown prince.

They rode fast horses, reducing the time it would have taken them to reach Lowe. When they passed by the temporary camp where the supply team had stopped, Gavin, who was hiding at the entrance, heard the sound of fast horses and saw them.

He recognized them as the soldiers from the checkpoint who had stopped their caravan from the clothes. Seeing them headed toward the military camp, he was quite surprised.

Then his heart began to race. He had not yet received a reply from Aldan. He wondered if the princess’s identity had been exposed. His heart pounded. Although he had not done anything wrong, if the situation was not properly managed, he might get into trouble ... especially since he found himself mixed up with those men.

After thinking for a while, he entered the tent where the doctor was caring for Eldric.

"How is he?" Gavin asked.

"His injuries have not affected any vital organs, just that they have been left unattended for too long. I have cleaned the injuries and apply medicine. Fortunately the are not yet infected" the doctor said.

Gavin nodded. He wanted to return to the camp and find a way to sneak in and investigate. The doctor was innocent, and Gavin did not want to kill him, but he also worried that if he let him go now, the doctor might raise the alarm.

After thinking for a while, he came up with an idea.

"Sir, I will let you return to the village, but remember; you must not mention a word about this to anyone. If you obey, you can continue to live. If you speak a word, even if I die, I will drag you down with me," Gavin threatened, everyone was afraid of death.

"I will stay and take care of him," the doctor replied, feeling scared. He was already so old, when did people become so "nice"? He had a feeling this man was trying to send him away and then kill him either at his home or within the village.

Gavin was shocked; he did not expect such a reaction. Usually, when kidnappers let others go, they would happily leave.

"He still has a high fever, and it’s already evening. What if his fever worsens? I can help out," the old man said. He felt safer staying with the kidnappers until he was rescued. He did not believe Gavin would just let him go.

Gavin found the man’s behavior very strange. He even wondered if he had accidentally kidnapped a spy from Gube. If that were the case, it would explain why the man wanted to stay and hide. But he didn’t sound like someone from Gube. Then again, Gube wouldn’t be foolish enough to send someone who had their accent into Nixel.

Gavin thought for a few minutes. "Then come with me," he said and walked away.

The doctor did not understand what Gavin meant but still obeyed.

After stepping outside, Gavin knocked the doctor unconscious, tied him up, and sealed his mouth with cloth. Since the man refused to go, he felt this was the best option. He wanted to leave the camp but he did not dare trust that the doctor would wait for him obediently. He had barely left the camp when the messenger bird returned.

He untied the small piece of paper from its leg.

"The princess is missing." That was the only message. Gavin felt his head spin.

The princess had instructed them to kidnap the man and head to Lowe. They had made no backup plan before splitting up. He knew she had planned to follow from behind. He had intended to wait for her a short distance away from the camp, but because one of those men had suddenly returned, he dared not stop, hoping instead to use the sick man as leverage, sensing how skilled the man was.

"I must find the princess," Gavin said. He had no means to burn the paper, so he threw it into his mouth to destroy it.

The princess had been missing for days; if anyone found such a message with him, how could he explain it?

Gavin felt the best course of action was to investigate the road back toward the checkpoint. Maybe he would find clues about what had happened to the princess.

---

Meanwhile, back at the checkpoint:

The fastest messenger bird was sent with the discovery of the box. The bird arrived at the residence where General Robert was staying late into the night.

He had already received messages from the spies he had stationed by Commander Eldric’s side. So when he saw a message about travelers, he guessed their identity.

He had only delayed sending a reply to search every inch of Wiwell again, but there was only an injured soldier.

He was thinking about what his next step should be when he heard the sound of the fast messenger bird. He had sent the bird along with the team because he had a feeling they might need to send urgent messages, being so close to Lowe.

Since a messenger bird was carrying it, the paper used was very small. Upon opening and reading it, General Robert was a bit surprised.

A box had indeed gone missing with the princess.

"Could it be that Gube is sending us on a wild hunt?" he wondered. After all, it was indeed strange to suddenly find the box.

The captain also summarized the situation at the camp from the previous night on the back of the paper.

General Robert summoned a guard who could ride fast. The situation in the royal city was peculiar, so it was better to send someone. No matter how smart a messenger bird was, it could still fall into enemy hands.

Although sending a person would waste more time, Robert felt that safety was best. The king had only ordered him to find and rescue the princess. No one had mentioned a missing box. He had only found out by chance at the shore. Since he now knew, he had to act on it. Moreover, the box might help him find Anastasia.

The soldier collected the message and headed straight to the royal city.

---

The next morning, at the military camp in Lowe:

"Your Highness, two soldiers are outside. They claim to be from General Robert’s troops," a guard reported outside the crown prince’s study.

Prince Edward frowned when he heard the report. He had no idea why those men would come looking for him.

"Did they say why they are here?"

"Your Highness, they said they found something that might be related to the princess and came over to identify the item," the guard said.

"What did they find?" Prince Edward asked irritably. He felt these men had been searching for so long without any good leads. What could possibly be so important that they had to hurry to him for identification?

"I did not ask," the guard admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had not asked because it was related to the princess.

"Go and ask. Better still, I don’t know the princess well; we had just gotten married before I left. Find her personal maid to identify whatever they found," Prince Edward said. He felt he did not need to waste his energy on such matters.

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard bowed and left.

Not wanting to walk back and forth, he decided to both ask and find the princess’s personal maid. It was best if she just followed him outside the camp to identify the item. Although the men had a letter from their captain, they were not allowed inside, given the ongoing concerns about spies.

After finding out she had been assigned to the medical camp area, he hurried over. It was still early in the morning, and Rosa had just finished dressing. She was heading over to assist Dorothy with the injured soldiers when the guard arrived.

"I am looking for the princess’s maid," the guard said when he saw Rosa. Although he guessed she was the one, he still asked. Over the past two days, there had been rumors about a young female physician who was quite skilled.

"I am the princess’s maid. Has Her Highness been found?" Rosa asked. She prayed and hoped that Anastasia was coming and that a message had been sent ahead for her to prepare.