Going around the barracks may have seemed like a better idea. One wouldn't risk turning blind corners or being caught in long corridors. Especially considering that Meiris was unable to estimate how many people were inside.

Yet, the way the building was situated didn't create any good paths to sneak around it. The front was nearly completely exposed. The rear did have a sparse line of foliage, but there was also a training field.

Another alternative she had was to ditch the carts altogether, then reach the northern wall through royal gardens. Though that wouldn't be all too different from going through the guest gardens. Even if she managed to avoid the servants currently at work, she would be in plain sight to the knights on the wall.

Either way, Meiris had already made her choice.

If possible she still wanted to avoid jumping off the wall. With that in mind, it seemed to her like the only way to get to the unloading area was through the barracks.

The ground floor would probably be seeing the most use, which is why she instantly focused on the staircase. And after careful consideration - which amounted to several conflicting guesses - she settled with the third floor. As unconvinced as she was, it seemed that the important people had their lodgings in the middle of the second floor. That's what balconies suggested. She wasn't sure about the first, but the third shouldn't have held anything of particular interest.

The duo in the corridor was currently the biggest obstacle in her way, but Meiris could wait a bit. Not too long though. Her plan was based around food carts that were guaranteed to appear every day. The great kitchen would have it's supplies delivered in the morning, while all the other kitchens were scheduled for a few hours past noon.

At least that's what Meiris picked up from when the archduke's daughter would go on describing how difficult it was to manage the castle. It was a topic she brought up throughout several tea parties and a task she received as a part of her education.

All things considered, Meiris wasn't sure what to think about Aleeria - that was the girl's name. It did hurt that she didn't offer any help, she was one of Meiris' "friends" that could have saved her. Meiris wondered whether it was because Aleeria never thought of them as close, or perhaps due to the archduke's orders? He, the so-called "king" of the south, wasn't known for taking sides between nobles.

A leaf blew across Meiris' face and brought her out of the memories.

She managed to take a glimpse at the knights' backs, before they turned a corner. Deeper into the building.

The little square and all nearby paths were now empty. Though not quiet, with the clashing coming from the training field.

Not waiting too long, Meiris got up and sprinted across. Once inside, she slowed down to climb the wooden stairs, listening for anyone walking down or approaching them.

Things went smooth and soon she was running through the first hallway. Unlike the outer appearance - or the ground floor - the interior was primarily made of wood.

The hallway was also very dark, with rooms on both sides. No windows, and no lit mana lamps.

Then it got brighter when she reached another staircase. Due to the balconies it seemed that the second floor was divided into three parts, but the third floor was split in half.

Though the layout wasn't anything interesting. Another long and dark corridor, with no humans in sight. Even the muffled sounds from the training field didn't reach the place.

Things changed a bit once Meiris approached the bottom portion of the L-shape. The hallway turned left, then right, following the northern wall towards the corner housing the third staircase.

If she wanted, Meiris could have kept going down the southern extension, but these stairs should have led her to where the storage - and by proximity the unloading area - were.

However, that was where Meiris encountered an issue. Three knights were walking up those stairs. She saw them approaching the second floor, but the one in the front didn't stop there.

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Thinking quickly, she didn't like the idea of running back. If three knights were returning to their bedrooms, it was likely there would be more.

Meiris grabbed the handle of a nearby door- It budged, but didn't open.

"Already back, Rencis?" A female voice answered her mistake. "Carvid is still with cap-"

She didn't hear out what the woman had to say. There was only one way she saw out of the situation - through a window. Luckily that part of the hallway had them and Meiris quickly jumped out.

"A- Ghaaa..."

She repressed the scream as well as she possibly could.

The pain hit her like a trebuchet, but she couldn't let it pass. Not yet. She needed some cover. Stumbling from the mental strain, she dragged herself under a ledge and behind a bush. A fairly small one, but it had to be enough.

'FUCK. Why does it hurt like hell IF I'M NOT EVEN HURT?'

"Haaa..."

'Fuck. I can't...'

"Hah..."

'I can't even recall if having my head cut off was any worse...

'Suppose I died, so there wasn't enough time for me to "enjoy" it... Ah... Am I really going to do this again?'

She lingered behind that bush for a few minutes, oblivious to her surroundings.

The fact that no one was dragging her anywhere - or killed her on the spot - was reassuring as to whether anyone spotted her stunt.

But there was still the last part of her plan to go. Well, two parts, one to choose.

Meiris looked around - nobody in sight. The training field ended a little over halfway along the barracks, replaced with a patch of grass with several lonely trees. There was also significantly less space with the wall being less than 20 meters away from the building at the closest point.

That meant Meiris would have to pay more attention to the wall now. She was rather close, so the knights would have to intently look down, but that made it harder to hide as well.

With reluctance, she got up and walked towards the edge of the building, missing a crucial detail about the grass where she fell.

There she saw the carts, leaving. Some crates were still left outside- Possibly forgotten after a different kind of delivery was made a few days prior. Something Meiris wouldn't know about.

'Alright.'

In truth she didn't feel all too disappointed. At least not with her timing. She had to check whether the carts were properly searched on their way out before using them anyway. Having both carts leave at the same time - as they did - wouldn't allow it. That is if those were the only carts.

'The wall it is.'

...is what she thought, but she was still curious if her original plan was a valid idea. Even if she wasn't planning on escaping any castles in the future.

She was so focused not to miss the moment when the carts reach the gate that she nearly got spotted. Someone appeared from behind the crates, about 6 meters away, facing half of her face that was peeking.

Luckily for Meiris, the man with glasses was paying all of his attention to a piece of paper.

Unluckily he was also coming closer.

In a moment she was back behind the same bush from earlier. She was watching him walk by, through the leaves, when he suddenly tripped. His face never reached the hard pavement of the path, unlike the palms of his hands.

He quickly got up and stiffly wiped his hands against his clothes. He looked around, then bent down to grab the paper. With a quick adjustment of his glasses, he was back on his way as if nothing happened.

Once the man was past a tree that should block his line of sight if he trips again - the paper back in front of his eyes - Meiris returned to her spot, peeking more shyly than before.

'Interesting.'

One of the carts was already gone, but a single guard stood behind the second wagon when another appeared from the inside a moment later. They signaled to the driver that she was good to go and the other guards at the gate moved aside to let her through.

'Naive indeed. Again so naive...'

sigh

The comparisons Meiris made in her mind worsened her mood.

'No.' She shook her head. 'That's not the same and neither have I fallen for it!'

With some sort of a resolve, she scanned her surroundings once again and proceeded to approach a nearby tower.

She got her only valid escape idea out of pure luck, but she got it none the less.

----------------------------------------

The door leading onto the wall had a little window. From there Meiris could watch the patrolling knights, waiting for the moment they turn around.

She was momentarily worried that they would be entering the tower, so she hid on the side with the hinges, but no such thing happened. The clanking sounds started moving away slowly.

A short while later Meiris grabbed the door's handle and reached the wall's edge.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Modeva was built atop a small hill. Originally just one, but now it was beginning to spread across a few neighboring ones.

The portion of the wall where Meiris stood faced north-east in relation to the middle of the castle. It was already far enough from the main gate in the south that there weren't any noble mansions in sight. Nonetheless, the commoner buildings this close to the wall were nothing to scoff at, plastered with a variety of colors. Their tile roofs were high above the roads, which were full with people at this hour, adding even more vividness to the view.

Further away the houses and workshops became smaller, simpler, gaining a different kind of charm, all the way to the slums in the outskirts. With occasional stripes of wealth along the main roads.

The sight was rather breath-taking, but Meiris didn't pay it much attention. The time wasn't right and she just couldn't see this city like she did before.

20 meters below her was a roof that seemed the highest in the area, over 20 meters lower was the road.

'Too late for hesitation.'

"Ha-"

She jumped.