It’s been a week since Crown Prince Aleric left for Aradhya. Ingrid’s day had once again become peaceful.

It took a while, but Lily began talking to her again. She told him about her secret rendezvous with the crown prince. However, she guiltily twisted some of the details and made her believe that their secret meetings were because of their growing affection for each other and not for a deal and his threats.

She knew that Lily was the kind of person who could not lie, especially to the grand duke. If she were pressured, there is a high chance she would end up telling her father the truth.

“My lady!” Lily exclaimed while running towards where Ingrid was while waving an off-white envelope in her hand. “Look!”

Ingrid’s brow furrowed.

“It’s an invitation!” Lily told herwhile catching her breath. She was rather excited, knowing it was the very first time her mistress was invited to a party after so many years.

The last time Ingrid was invited to such an event was four years ago. Lady Alecia, the daughter of a duke, invited Ingrid to her birthday party. Ingrid did not really want to go. Even though it’s been almost three years since she was kidnapped, that horrible day permanently scarred her. It was even hard for her to stroll in their own territory without shaking—how much more if it were outside?

But Grand Duke Rasmus, who was worried about her own well-being, convinced her to go. In return, he promised to go with her and bring as many knights as she wanted them to bring.

Under the grand duke’s persuasion, Ingrid reluctantly agreed.

Amid all her worries, the party went well without a hitch. She managed to talk to a few of the ladies and saw some hope in finally finding new friends, apart from her servant, Lily. This elevated her mood significantly.

But then, for some unknown reason, none of the ladies contacted her again, nor was she ever invited to their parties anymore. Then, a few weeks later, she found out that Lady Alecia’s fiance had ended their engagement. The reason? He fell deeply in love with someone else, to the point of becoming lovesick. A month did not even pass after he ended their engagement, and the House of Lennox had already received a marriage proposal from their house.

And so, like a monster in the old folktales, the parents of the noble ladies in the kingdom began warning their children never to befriend the Lady of the House of Lennox. Or else they will never get married.

Ingrid stared at the envelope for a moment. Though she isn’t as excited as Lily, she is still curious. Who in their right mind would invite her to a tea party?

Slowly, she opened it. Inside, a few simple words of greeting, followed by the official invitation, were written in gold ink.

“It is indeed an invitation,” she confirmed. “For a tea party hosted by the new duchess of the house of Pembroke.”

“So it’s the young duchess who just got married a few weeks ago,” Lily said.

Now Ingrid knew why she was invited. The Duchess came from a very remote village. Perhaps the fame of her love-stealing beauty did not reach there.

“Lily, prepare a gift for the duchess and send her my best regards,” Ingrid said, folding the invitation.

Lily’s excitement vanished as she asked, “You aren’t going, my lady?”

Ingrid shook her head. “When the other ladies find out that I’m invited, I’m sure they’ll convince the young duchess to disinvite me. It would be in the duchess's best interest if I didn’t go. Besides,” she rested her chin on her palm, accentuating her beautiful face. “It would be a problem if the duke fell for me.”

It wasn’t out of arrogance that she said it. Rather, it was a fact that everyone in the empire knew.

She grabbed the book she was previously reading and picked up where she left off.

Lily pouted her lips in disappointment. However, she no longer tried to convince Ingrid, knowing no one could change her mind once she decided on something. Though there might be someone who can.

////\

A simple carriage traveled through the bustling streets of the capital. There were no insignia carved on the carriage, and although the knights guarding it did not wear any emblems to indicate to which house they belonged, the quality of their armor suggests that it wasn’t a normal household.

Ingrid sighed and closed her eyes. How did she end up agreeing to join the tea party again? Oh yes, it’s because her father found out and convinced her. He even hired a famous designer to make a hat with a veil to cover her face, just so she would go.

“Are you alright, my lady?” Iris asked worriedly. “We should have really used the official carriage. This one is just too uncomfortable for a lady such as yourself.”

Lily was supposed to be the one coming with them, but a stomach flu broke out in the residence yesterday. Some maids and knights were affected, including Lily. So they ended up having to leave her crying behind.

“I’m okay, Iris. Don’t worry,” she assured. “Beside, the official carriage is just too conspicuous. I don’t want to end up becoming a nuisance to the common people.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Ingrid peered through the small opening of the window and watched the lively streets. The look of contentment in the commoners eyes was always a wonder to her. She couldn’t understand how those who don’t have much are mostly happy and thankful for what they have, while those who have many are still greedy for more.

“Speaking of the common people, my lady, why do the people line up on the street when they see your carriage?” Iris asked, cutting Ingrid’s train of thought.

Ingrid shook her head. “I don’t really know. As you’ve already known, I rarely go outside of my own palace, much less the dukedom. But one day I did, and they were all acting like that.”

“And you did not try to find out why?”

“Iris, can you see my trembling hands?” Ingrid lifted her arms and showed her shaking fingers.

Iris looked at them in surprise. The tremor in her hands was a stark contrast to the serene calm she saw in her face. But when she looked directly into Ingrid's eyes, she was taken aback. There, she found a hint of nervousness that was masked by her beautiful countenance.

Now she understood why it was hard to see through Ingrid’s emotions. It isn’t because she was good at hiding it. But because people get so mesmerized by her face, they can’t look beyond it. And she was one of those people.

“I’m always a nervous wreck when I go out of the dukedom,” Ingrid sighed.

Suddenly, their carriage stopped.

Iris quickly placed her hand inside the pouch hanging at the waist of her maid uniform, her eyes turning sharp.

“My lady,” called the coachman.

“What is it?” Ingrid asked, feeling more nervous than before.

“It seems that the road up ahead is blocked due to ongoing construction. We may have to take a detour to reach the dukes mansion,” the coachman informed.

Ingrid sighed in relief. For a moment, she really thought that they were being ambushed. It was a ridiculous thought, knowing that they had just gotten off the main road. Besides, they are surrounded by her father’s elite knights. They would have heard the sound of clashing if they were attacked.

“Will my lady be fine if we use the forest road? It’s the closest route towards Pembroke’s residence, but the road is not paved, so it will be quite bumpy.”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“Very well, my lady."

Iris finally eased up and removed her hand from her pouch. For a fleeting moment, Ingrid wondered why Iris reached for her small pouch. What kind of weapon would fit in such a small pocket meant for coins? But the thought flew out of her mind the moment the carriage moved.

The carriage bounced uncomfortably as the wheels moved through the unpaved road. Iris was not the kind who easily felt nauseous, but the constant bouncing of the carriage is making her feel dizzy.

Ingrid was in no better shape. The last time she traveled through an unpaved road was back when she was a child, when she would often join the grand duke in his expeditions.

She was about to tell the coachman to stop for a bit when, all of a sudden, the carriage uncontrollably swerved from side to side.

“Aaah!” Ingrid screamed while her hands searched for something to hold on to. If not for Iris, who swiftly held her waist, she would have been flung all over the carriage and hurt herself.

“Are you alright, my lady?” Iris asked.

Ingrid nodded her head and tried to calm her fast-beating heart.

“What was that about?” Iris asked the coachman angrily. However, an eery silence answered her. Iris instantly felt that something was amiss and pushed Ingrid down the carriage floor.

“My lady…ugh!”

Ingrid’s swallowed a gasp when she heard a loud thud, followed by the sounds of swords getting drawn and the captain of the knight squad commanding his troops to protect the carriage.

But not long after, they heard a series of sounds of people groaning in pain before falling to the ground. She grabbed Iris’ arm nervously. Meanwhile, the latter pulled out something from her pouch and secured it in her palm.

Iris was about to peek through the window when an arrow pierced through the carriage door. Then, a volley of arrows rained down them, turning their carriage into a porcupine.

Everything happened so fast that Ingrid did not even have time to scream. Iris swiftly pulled her by the waist with one arm and kicked the carriage wall opposite the door open.

The moment they landed on the forest floor, Iris scanned their surroundings while hiding Ingrid behind her. Her eyes landed on the coachman’s lifeless body with an arrow lodged in his throat. Meanwhile, the rest of their knights lay dead on the unpaved road.

Iris's face turned grim. The men they brought aren’t just some normal soldiers. They are among the best in the Grand Duke's Army. Yet they all fell down without a fight.

Another volley of arrows flew towards them. But with the nimbleness of a seasoned soldier, Iris managed to dodge them all with Ingrid in tow. She couldn’t see where their assailants were, but from the direction of the arrows, they were mostly hiding beneath the forest opposite them.

But Iris wasn’t given any time to think as, one after another, arrows rained in their direction. Iris pushed Ingrid behind her and then touched the tear-shaped pendant hanging from Ingrid’s neck. Suddenly, the pendant emitted a blue light. It grew larger until it formed a dome over and around Ingrid.

“Stay here, my lady, and no matter what happens, don’t. ever. come. out.” She emphasized every word.

Augustus contacted her a few days ago and told her that they were staying outside of the capital and that only Vernon and the crown prince left for Aradhya. Since she activated the protection spell on the necklace, Kevian's spell caster would have already been notified.

Ingrid watched as Iris flung the thing she had been holding in her hand in the air. It was a toy axe with a dual blade. She looked at it, confused. However, while the toy axe hung in the air, it suddenly doubled in size, then tripled, then quadrupled, until it became a giant double-bladed axe that seemed impossible for a normal person to carry.

It landed on Iris hand, and she effortlessly swung it to deflect the oncoming arrows. She carried the axe with one hand as though it didn’t carry any weight.

“Aaah!” Ingrid screamed when one of the arrows strayed in her direction and hit the dome that surrounded her before falling to the ground.

Her eyes went wide. It flew so fast that she didn’t even realize it was coming until it hit the dome that was protecting her.

Only then did it dawn on her. Whoever was attacking them was trying to kill her. But why? Who could be after her head? The Empress? But she most likely had some secret deal with the king of Serus so she wouldn’t recklessly touch her. So then, who? Who would benefit from her death?

“Who are you?” Ingrid’s thoughts were cut off by Iris’ question.

From within the thick forest, three men wearing pure white robes emerged. They did not respond to Iris’ question and instead waved the silver swords they were holding and simultaneously attacked Iris.

Iris’s lips formed a thin line. She could sense how strong those three men were. They might be as strong as her. Then there is also the problem of the marksmen hiding within the forest; their number is still uncertain.

Iris tore the hem and sleeves of her dress as she prepared to fight. The necklace that the crown prince gave Ingrid was just something that Kevian made in a rush. At most, it could probably hold for two hours as long as it didn’t receive too much damage. Hopefully their reinforcement won’t brush off the emergency signal and arrive before the barrier loses all its energy.

But for the time being, she will have to entertain their guests. Iris cracked her neck. She once fought for an entire day and night during a war campaign with the crown prince. Two hours is a piece of cake.