The Path of the Doomed

Chapter 8: The Ulterior Motive and Apples [Part One]

I stared at the dress by the wall as I thought of the possibilities of the war. The battle in the Kasta Planes is Tulgar's last stand. If they lose there, then they lose the war.

Then at the last minute, Ghandor proposes to provide help under the guise of wanting to have a claim of Albione's northern lands, pressuring Lorious to accept without being suspicious out of desperation to win.

Considering all those, I already have an idea of Dimitri's real ulterior motive, not just for coming here but for also meddling in the war despite their supposed neutrality.

"We'll see what happens tomorrow." I said to myself as I blew the candle off and went to sleep.

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"Father, look! What is that?" The child excitedly pointed to a mysterious bird with very colorful and vibrant feathers, resting in a branch.

"Hmm, it's an Albionan Furka Bird, love." The black-haired man answered, patting the little girl's head.

"It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is. And you can't find it anywhere else in the continent. Only here in Albione."

"Can you catch one for me father? Please?" The little kid begged, earning a laugh from her father.

"It's a bit hard to catch love, but I will try my best. Why do you want one though? King will eat it, undoubtedly." He asked, pointing at their overgrown, black dog that's playing with a branch in the distance.

"I won't keep it as a pet, father. I just want Ylia to have a friend until she is better."

"Ylia?"

"The bird that hurt its wing. Then they can fly together when she is better."

"I see. I thought it was male? But that's very thoughtful of you, Hestia." He said, cupping his daughter's cheek to remove a stain from the mango she's eating. She giggles from the touch.

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A knock woke me up from that very beautiful dream. My father, I miss him. But the persistent knock kept me from reminiscing further. I stood up and opened the door. It revealed a soldier with a tray of what I assumed to be food. This was the soldier with the whip yesterday.

"Good morning, miss. I'm here to deliver your breakfast." He spoke. I reached out to take the tray from him and said my thanks.

"Also, a message from the queen. You are expected in the hall at noon. I will come back to guide you."

"Where's the tracker?" I frowned at my own question. Why would I want to know his whereabouts? But still, he is usually the one who informs me of missions and orders from her.

"He left for an errand earlier this morning, miss."

"Okay, thank you again."

He nodded and went his way. I walked towards the table and put the tray down. I forgot to ask the soldier if Argon will also be there. I do not like the idea of being surrounded by those royalties by myself. I'm afraid something might happen that would make me lose control like yesterday. The queen's words can stop me but physically, I think Argon is the only one who can, although I never saw him fight before. I just don't trust those Royal Guards.

What could they need from me again? He probably wouldn't know but if only I'd ask, that soldier might have given me information about what to expect. But considering what has been happening, my guess would be that it has something to do with the other two kingdoms. But about what in particular? Will I finally be hearing something about Ion?