"Oh, my God! Sir McQuinn, please don’t report ! Just hear out first!" Anna cried, fearing that the knight might alert the others about her escape.
"Calm down! I won’t do that! Trust , I’m on your side, Lady Raychard," he replied, raising both hands to assure her of her safety.
"You—you are?" Anna asked, doubt creeping into her voice. "You don’t think I’ve betrayed Kyren?"
Although the Knights of Gerhard treated her well and respected her, their loyalty to the monarch and the grand duke remained steadfast. The accusation of her infidelity had even originated from Kyren, their lord; thus, it would be unbelievable for them to support her.
"My lady, I’ve known you since His Highness introduced you back at the camp. We’ve faced many challenges together. Regardless of the accusations, I know you’re not soone who would do that. My conscience tells you are innocent," said the knight.
Anna let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he still placed his trust in her. Damon, however, was astonished to discover her in such a remote location, far from her chamber.
"What are you doing here? No... I an, how did you get here? Aren’t you locked in your chamber? When did you get out?" Damon couldn’t help but ask, genuinely surprised by the encounter.
"I escaped!" Anna explained.
"You did what??" Damon’s eyes widened as he turned to the figure next to the princess, still frozen in shock.
"Who is this?" he inquired before Anna could answer.
From her attire, he could tell it was a woman, but her cloak and hood obscured her identity.
"This is Miss Helen Reed, the royal governess of the princesses. She helped get away," Anna replied.
Damon’s eyes widened upon hearing the na. He rembered the governess from Anna’s previous stay at the palace.
The first ti he saw her was at a distance while escorting the princess to the garden. He recalled how King Kyden had reprimanded Helen for losing sight of the princesses and nearly dismissed her, only for the queen to intervene and later retract the termination.
As he continued to gaze at her, he noticed two other silhouettes hiding behind the governess.
"If you’re the royal governess, then... the children behind you..." Damon didn’t finish his sentence, swallowing hard as a thought crept into his mind.
"They are Princess Laura and Princess Lilith. They helped escape from the chamber through the secret passage," Anna said.
"You used Their Highnesses to get Lady Raychard out of the chamber via the secret passage? Are you out of your mind?!" Damon exclaid, incredulous at the governess.
He couldn’t believe any adult would allow such young children to navigate the dark, clandestine paths of the palace. It was so irresponsible!
"I did not! Well... not in the way you think!" Helen responded defensively.
Damon was prepared to reprimand the governess further when Laura’s voice interrupted him.
"Don’t be mad at Helen! She just did what mother asked us to do!" The princess peeked cautiously from behind the governess, her head tilting slightly as she timidly addressed the knight, nervously tugging at Helen’s cloak for protection.
"Helen did nothing wrong!" Lilith, the headstrong princess, erged from behind the governess to defend her.
"Your Highness, Princess Laura and Princess Lilith!"
Damon, initially worked up about the situation, took a step back and bowed respectfully.
"Forgive for not showing you the proper respect, Your Highnesses, and to you too, Lady Raychard. I was quite surprised," he said, feeling awkward.
"It’s all right, Sir McQuinn. I’m glad we ran into you and not the royal knights or other guards. Otherwise, it would have been a catastrophe," Anna replied, much calr than before.
"Yes, it would have turned into a disaster. The Knights of Neblim wouldn’t tolerate this and would send you straight to prison rather than rely confining you back in your chamber. I’m already furious with them for not allowing us to guard outside your chamber or for anyone to serve you. They blindly follow Lady Jas’s orders!" Damon vented.
"Did you have a fight with them?" Anna asked, concerned.
From the knight’s low tone, she could sense his anger and frustration.
"I did," Damon sighed. "It almost got physical, but Sir Parker stepped in and advised to retreat. I ca here to vent my anger, and just as I was slashing at the bushes, I heard noises coming from this direction, so I ca to investigate."
"But this is already quite far from my chamber," Anna noted.
"Any knights other than the royal knights aren’t allowed to draw their swords in the palace unless it’s for Their Majesties’ safety. If anyone saw striking at the trees, it would cause a huge uproar, and I could be arrested imdiately," the knight explained.
"I see... You must be truly mad," said Anna.
"I am. I don’t mind getting into a brawl with the Knights of Neblim, but Sir Parker warned that if any of us were arrested, they might bla you, and we wouldn’t be able to help clear your na."
"The knights... they believe in ?" Anna asked, surprised by the unexpected support.
"We all do! In fact, we believe that... that... sothing else might have occurred," said Damon, carefully selecting his words as he averted his gaze. "But we’re still investigating."
The knights hadn’t t with Kiev to confirm their suspicions about him, so it was too soon to share their speculations with Anna. Furthermore, Damon didn’t want to trouble the princess unnecessarily; the situation was already dire, and he didn’t want to make it worse.
Just as Anna was about to ask for details, Helen spoke up.
"We appreciate that, Sir McQuinn, but right now we need to leave as quickly as possible. It’s not safe here! Please let us pass through," she insisted.
Damon didn’t budge despite her urgent request, for sothing else had troubled him about this breakout.
"Hold on a mont! Her Highness, Princess Laura, just said that Her Majesty the Queen ordered this escape. Is that true?" he inquired, intrigued.
"Yes. It was initially His Majesty the King’s order to Her Majesty the Queen. She couldn’t find anyone else she could trust for this task, so she asked to do it," Helen explained.
"His Majesty? The king himself?" Damon scoffed. "What sort of ga is he playing? First, he accused Lady Raychard and created all these problems, and now he’s saving her? You must be joking!"
"I understand your resentnt. Lady Raychard has also raised the sa question. However, I can only explain this to her once we arrive at the safe place to which I’m taking her. Therefore, before the Knights of Neblim or the royal knights notice she’s missing, I implore you to let us go!" the governess urged.
"Yes! We’re leaving the palace!" Lilith chid in excitedly.
"Not you! Just and Lady Raychard, Your Highness. You and your sister need to return to your chamber," Helen insisted.
"A.. I want to go too!" the young princess pouted, visibly disappointed.
"No, Lilith! Mother said to help Aunt Anna to the secret door only! Then we need to return to our chamber!" Laura reminded her sister of their mission.
"Fine!" Lilith conceded with a grunt.
"You’re going to leave the palace?" Damon asked, taken aback.
He hadn’t anticipated they would go to such lengths.
"Look! It’s not safe here! Her Majesty Queen Elda has stated that Lady Raychard’s life could be in danger if she remains because Lady Jas will eventually get her hands on her! So please, stop delaying !" Helen raised her voice, feeling exasperated with the knight’s inquiries.
"She’s right! Sarah ca to my chamber and threatened . Not only does she want to see suffer, but she even expressed a desire to kill ! I can’t allow my child to be hard! So please, let us go, Sir McQuinn!" Anna pleaded.
Damon wasn’t shocked by the princess’s claim. As Eric had anticipated, Sarah would use her family’s power and influence to take this opportunity to target Anna, who was the centre of her hatred.
The noblewoman’s resentnt towards the princess had been simring for quite so ti since Kyren declared that Anna was the only woman for him. He had even humiliated her by rejecting her during the secret eting on the night of the banquet celebrating the new royal concubine.
Beneath the surface, she feigned that everything was fine and fulfilled her duties as chief lady-in-waiting, as if nothing had happened. Yet, deep down, she had been biding her ti, waiting for the right mont to retaliate with full force.
Kyren had always held the upper hand against her, but now she wouldn’t hesitate to strike back to achieve her desires to possess him, which included getting rid of Anna and seeking revenge against the occupants of the Gerhard mansion. From this, Damon fully understood the urgency for Anna to escape.
"Let co with you!" he suddenly said.
Helen looked back at the knight, surprised.
"You want to co with us?" she exclaid. "But Her Majesty the Queen reminded not to trust anyone else except for the princesses!"
"Then how do I trust you to take Lady Raychard to safety?" Damon countered. "From what I see, you aren’t trustworthy because you’re one of Their Majesties’ people! His Majesty the King caused all this! What if he’s orchestrating a sche to harm my lady?"
Helen’s eyes widened, shocked by the accusation.
"How dare you say that to ! At least I helped her while you did nothing!" she retorted.
"Who says I did nothing?"
"Enough, you two!" Anna reprimanded them. "If you keep squabbling, we’ll be discovered in no ti!"
The governess huffed and crossed her arms, while Damon scoffed. Laura and Lilith watched, and the youngest princess giggled.
"You quarrel just like father and mother do sotis," she said.
Realising the children were watching, the two adults looked away, embarrassed. Suddenly, Anna’s stomach growled, the sound echoing in the silence.
"Haven’t you eaten anything, my lady?" Helen asked, taken aback.
Anna shook her head.
"They didn’t serve you at all?" Damon questioned, sharing the sa concern.
"Sarah arrived with a bowl of porridge. She ntioned that the Knights of Gerhard had caused a ruckus outside the chamber and insisted that I should be fed. They withdrew after she agreed to the bargain that she would serve , but she didn’t allow to eat and ultimately ended up throwing everything on the floor," Anna said sadly.
"I knew nothing good would co from her being in charge! Why has His Majesty assigned her to be responsible for your detainnt?" the knight exclaid in frustration.
Anna suddenly felt weak; her feet wobbled as her energy began to dissipate. Noticing her unsteady gait, Damon rushed forward and caught her, causing the governess to let out a slight shriek.
"What are you doing?" Helen cried in alarm as the knight pulled the princess into his arms and lifted her.
"Can’t you see she’s getting weaker? At this rate, she might faint while escaping. You need to co with you," the knight insisted.
"But... but..."
"No buts! We must move now!" Damon demanded. He turned to the young princesses and asked, "Can you lead us to the secret door?"
"Lilith knows where it is," Laura replied.
"I’ll show you!" Lilith said eagerly.
"Good, let’s go!"
"Wait!" Helen suddenly exclaid.
"What now?" Damon growled.
"If you’re going to follow, then... promise you won’t report on us, and you must pretend before Their Majesties that none of this ever happened! You cannot tell anyone, not even His Highness the Grand Duke!" she demanded.
"I promise!"
"Really? You won’t change your mind?" the governess asked again, hesitating.
"A knight’s promise is a sacred oath! I will not break it!" Damon declared. "Satisfied now?"
Helen still had lingering doubts, but she was left with no option. If Anna fainted, it would be difficult for them to escape.
"All right!" she nodded. "Your Highness Princess Lilith, please show us the way!"
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