Races: Online

When the Princess leapt up from the balcony in her private wing of the castle—Liam nearly died of a heart attack then and there. Was she really that tired of staying cooped up that this was her only solution?

Liam couldn't handle the job alone and yet he had no choice. He was the only Bodyguard around after Gesth Carter was summoned for what Liam knew to be a suspension and great reprimand after the discovery of the Crowel boy—so Liam thought he was done for.

Sole Princess dead while Bodyguard Liam was in charge for once.

But Iolathane knew about the castle far more than he did and the [ Feather Fall ] enchantment took its effect before the Princess potentially broke her ankle, ruined her back or bashed her head from such a perilous drop.

Freedom was nothing more but a brief moment.

Even when Iolathane escaped Liam—a boy who undoubtedly only got his position due to the help of his family—she ended up bumping with the King's Champion out of all individuals. Iola recognized him from appearance alone.

There were those who could not hide their presence simply by how their aura was regal and portrayed a certain sense of authority that never left no matter how much one desired to keep it hidden.

This Champion, however? It was the swirling red cape with fine embroidery of what appeared to be golden plates fastened on his shoulder. That was the thing that caught Iolathane's eyes more than the rather ceremonial sword currently stashed at his side.

"Your Highness," The older man greeted him with a flourishing bow. "It seems to be an early time for you to be taking a walk… and in those garments? Where is your Bodyguard, Your Highness?"

"I'm here!" Liam waved from the Princess' balcony and then copied what Iola did by standing on top of it. If the Princess could jump and be safe… then it meant he could do the same, right?

Or was it a failsafe only available for those of Royalty?

"I'll be right down!" Liam shouted and then leapt back into the chambers of the Princess. It left Iolathane alone with the Champion Felix Quinn with not even a single gardener in sight amongst the crowd.

Iolathane crossed her arms across her chest and eyed the man. Even though she knew it was impossible for her to escape—and Eemis knows where she might actually stumble upon if she were to go out again—the presence of this Champion was not a comfort.

"Has my father no need of your assistance while he talked with my saviors?" she asked.

The Champion's face was resolute, only a bit thoughtful as he nodded and inclined his head.

"Ah, yes. Those people from beyond the Passes, they've informed us that they came here via a teleportation scroll and encountered the Princess while they were traveling away from the City of Gloria. They did not mention their reasons for coming here, but the King was only glad to see you returned."

"Is that so? Do they not seem like a suspicious lot to you, Sir Felix?" Iolathane asked. 

While she had no intention of ratting those people out from what she'd seen them do at the alleys of Gloria, being in the presence of a multitude of children, it was still strange to hear that her father simply let them go without another word.

Savior or not, they were unverified visitors who came without stating their true purposes and in that case—a threat to their kingdom. It really would have been better if they just took her as hostage, at least, their reasons would have been much more understandable.

"Perhaps they are, Your Highness." the Champion nodded. "But His Majesty's concern is more rooted in finding out the cause for the ones who attacked you while you visited your aunt. Your location was kept secret, so it meant that there was a breach in the information network." 

Iolathane pressed her lips together. 

"Your Highness, you look a bit pale."

"I am not—that is to say, I am alright." Iolathane caught herself and looked away while gritting her teeth. "Why have I not yet seen one of my Bodyguards except for Liam? Gesth Carter is…"

"Currently serving a sentence for failing to uphold his duties, Your Highness."

"What? You shouldn't—if he's under some arrest. Why is my other Bodyguard free to roam around and take care of me?"

Felix Quinn raised a brow at her and asked. "Your Highness, would you have preferred that both of them were penalized and faced under scrutiny for their failures?"

"No, but he did nothing wrong!"

"Then if I may be blunt with Your Highness," The Champion leaned down to the Princess and whispered. "If you did not wish for them to suffer, then you should have not attempted to run away in the first place. Your actions have consequences and yet it is not only you who solely shoulder them."

Iolathane stood frozen in the garden. A part of her was feeling numb and detached from everything that happened—she threw herself out of the balcony because of how trapped she felt! But someone was dealing with something so much worse.

"I'll… I'll talk to my father and have his name cleared." 

"Would that be enough after all the trouble you've caused in the first place, Your Highness?" The Champion asked once he pulled away. A smile formed on his lips as he inclined his head. "I will not mention your attempts to escape once more, Your Highness, so please have a good day."

Without another word, the man left the Princess all alone just before Liam actually arrived out of the castle's walls and met the Princess once again.

"Your Highness, you're alright." Liam sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off from his brow. He watched the Champion already leaving the garden, and only the edge of his cape was left for the young Bodyguard to see. "Ah, it's a shame that I wasn't able to pay my respects to Sir Felix..."

—-

Treason. 

It was a strange word to refer to someone like him who spent the vast majority of his life serving the kingdom as far as he could remember. 

The man fought during the High Elven Conquest across the continent and participated against the Beastkins Uprising several years ago. When he finished serving under the banner of House of Crowel, he was then accepted in the ranks of the Royal family of Sargons due to his exemplary levels and experience.

All of it was to provide a better life for his family, that was what he told him constantly when he accepted one promotion after another, taking on risks that upsetted his family.

Now that he was here all alone, perhaps it was time for him to be a little more honest with himself. Shed and peel away the stories and excuses he gave and admit that he found it more worthy of his time to do something he was good at than raising his daughter and a family?

Was any of that prestige worth anything to him now?

"I should have retired while I could," the old man coughed a little and ignored the stench of blood permeating in his room. His thoughts were no longer on how to escape his position, it was impossible, there was nothing left for him to do.

All he was left to do was regret.

Gesth couldn't even be with his daughter when she needed him the most.

Neither was he now actually being of any use to his grandson—and Gesth was afraid that he put the young man in danger as well by making him known to his father. 

It wasn't particularly the Crowel House that was the problem, although all Houses did have their own failings, it was simply because of what Timothy now represented to the King.

A threat.

That was how it was seen.

Without any evidence or traces of those who attacked Princess Iolathane according to what the "visitors" beyond the Endless Passes that saved her told the King… His Majesty Indrus Sargon was just as paranoid as Lord Osbert Crowel.

And yet Gesth didn't expect that the King would make the assumption that the ones who sent assassins after the Princess were from House Crowel and that Gesth was conspiring with them to overtake the throne.

It was ridiculous.

A large stretch and leap in logic that perhaps, only a King with ill-suited advisers could achieve. Maybe Gesth thought it was ridiculous because he knew that the truth was not that.

But for any unsuspecting King worried about the future of his kingdom with only one daughter—this was a challenge to the throne as any other.

The old man should have still seen it coming and considered his other options. Anything else beyond telling the Crowel House that they had a son. Because this was something that would have upset the King who personally ostracized the House Crowel. 

The House Crowel and House Sargon once both vied for the crown in the past, so introducing his grandson into the picture was a mess despite Gesth only wanting to do it for the better opportunities it afforded the younger man.

"Hah… I try to do one thing for my family and it still ends up blowing up in my face. I shouldn't have tried at all."

—-—-

Author's Note: Most Webnovels focus a lot on a singular protagonist and how they grow and change… and most often how they conquer the world or become literal gods at the end. I realize that I'm getting stuck in trying to adhere to that, so here's some plot threads connecting to the main storyline(?) and with others to come. Thanks for reading!