Day 23 of the Fourth Month, Year 1016

Military Base, Dustor City, Grizzle Province

DEV recovered quite quickly for someone who was tortured miserably.

It still hurt a lot, all that lashing and whipping on his skin, which caused him to opt out of wearing his shirt, but laying around doing nothing made his mind ran amok. Thoughts were worse than pain, which was why he was ignoring the fact that every part of his body screamed as he did some exercise.

He was doing his ninety fifth pushup when he heard the footsteps. Dev wrinkled his eyebrows. His cell was at the furthermost corner of the dungeon, so no one usually passed. And no one ever visited, anyway. His subordinates couldn’t since their rank was too low, and for the superiors that he had befriend before, they wouldn’t want to be involved in this matter—and Dev didn’t want to involve them, either.

He heard what happened from the soldier that brought him food, and felt a bit bitter. Someone already thought things through to bury him in the hole. Evidence, found in his office? He wondered, was it Torin? That filthy noble even tortured him yesterday. Had he offended that guy so much that he decided he was better off, and dead?

He was thinking too much again. He pushed himself harder against the cold stone ground. The footsteps that were nearing stopped, though, forcing him to lift his head.

He widened his eyes at the unexpected visit.

Victa… Well, the Crown Princess, in a military uniform. She walked from behind Colonel Carlton, his mentor, and stood in front of the cell as she observed him. He couldn’t quite detect the emotion in her eyes. “Your Highness,” he said, a bit breathless as he jumped up.

Victoria’s eyes snapped to his. Was she checking his wounds? He couldn’t tell. “It seems that you’ve recovered and in good spirit, Major,” she said, smiling at him.

Dev shrugged, not sure what to feel. “I’m doing what I can in this small space.” As he sat down on the bench in his cell, he kept his eyes on the princess. “Why are you here, Your Highness?”

Victoria raised an eyebrow. “I’m here for a visit. Can’t I?”

Dev laughed lightly. “I didn’t think I am important enough to warrant Your Highness’ visit.”

Victoria looked at him, still with a smile, but he could feel her seriousness. “I am going to prove your innocence, Major, so just hold on there.”

Dev blinked at the unexpected sentence. There was a bit of a silence, and then he said, “do you believe me?”

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Victoria looked him in the eye and grinned. “Well, I’ve borrowed your money, after all.”

The ridiculousness of it all made him laughed out loud. The Crown Princess of the Kingdom, speaking of borrowing money to him, a commoner. “Then I’ll be waiting, Your Highness.”

Victoria seemed pleased, for some reason. She made a bit of small talk about prison food and commented that she would try to send some additional snack, before at last she sighed. “I can’t stay for too long. I have to go.”

Dev nodded in understanding. He was even a bit amazed that the Princess could go here into the prison, visiting an insignificant soldier. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

As he heard them walking away, somehow, his grin stayed on his face. How funny. Lending money to the Crown Princess? And she felt like it was a favor to be returned, too, even though the money was already repaid.

It seemed like she was a good person.

***

Victoria, the so-called good person, was standing around suspiciously.

She had to admit that Blades’ work was really effective. In the afternoon, she already held the report in her hand. The soldier who bumped into her on the corner of the training field had apologized profusely while discreetly handing her a piece of paper, in which she replied dismissingly while also mouthing a silent thanks. Blades had the most creative way of sending messages.

She walked to the conference room, which had become her temporary office during her stay in Dustor. The weight of the small paper hidden in her coat made her quicken her steps. Her bodyguards behind her were puzzled, but they quickened their pace to keep up.

The conference room was empty when she entered. Her two bodyguards kept watch outside the room as she opened the parchment.

There was a list of names on the paper, many of which she recognized as Dev’s soldiers. There was also Dr. Wentworth, but that meant nothing as the infirmary he was working at was also located at the west side. Victoria began to wonder if Blades listened that she needed list of people who didn’t belong there, but she was quickly shut by an additional list under the first one.

These were the people who didn’t belong.

Torin Palmer… Guess she shouldn’t be surprised.

The next name surprised her, though. Victoria frowned. There was no way…

Suddenly, the door of the conference room was banged open. Victoria looked up, startled. “What is it?”

Ethan was standing on the doorway, looking like he just ran around the whole compound or something. He closed the door behind him and walked near her before bowing down. “I cannot find Luz,” he said in a low voice next to her ear. Victoria discerned the heavy anxiousness in his voice and became worried as well.

“I sent her on an errand…”

“I have a bad feeling, Victa,” Ethan said. That made her felt chilled. Ethan was usually a logical guy, unlike her who was often led by emotion. That was why he was a strategist. If he was really worried…

“Okay, okay.” She began to panic as well. She didn’t think much when she sent Luz to investigate, because Luz could handle herself just fine. That aide of hers didn’t graduate as one of the best knights of the Blades Academy without any skills, after all.

But perhaps she shouldn’t just send Luz alone. The traitor… Or traitors, mayhap, were certainly dangerous and they wouldn’t want Luz to find anything if they really planted that aggression drug in Dev’s office. Victoria stood up.

“Let’s think,” she muttered. She reached to the pendant of her necklace. It was used for Luz to track her, but it could be reversed so it would allow her to track Luz. But the same rule still applied—she couldn’t be further than a certain distance.

Thankfully, she picked up the magical signal.

She looked up at the Ethan’s anxious face. “Let’s go.” []