𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧

09⚚ Crossroads

Vencie POV:

"Vixen, b—" Viraj began, but Amaira, already out of her seatbelt, cut him off with an exaggerated mimic of his tone.

"Be careful, vixen. Give me a call even if there's the slightest problem. I know, vijulu! You've said it a thousand times already."

Viraj rolled his eyes at her sass. "Just because I'm giving you a little freedom to roam around your college freely doesn't mean you get to mock me, Princess. This is about your safety."

Amaira sighed, opening the car door. "I'll stay out of trouble, okay? Happy now? Now shoo, shoo! Pick me up in the afternoon, yeah? You have my timetable, right?"

Viraj nodded, and Amaira grinned before disappearing into the college building. Watching her go, he sighed.

As her bodyguard, he was supposed to trail behind her on campus and keep an eye on her at all times.

But, we know how our Princess is, Amaira had thrown a fit about how her freedom was being taken away, forcing Viraj into a series of ridiculous bets.

One day, Amaira had challenged Viraj to stay completely silent for an entire day. She'd kept poking him with her sarcastic comments, pranks, and mock scenarios, all aimed to get him to crack.

It wasn't long before Viraj, exasperated by her antics, muttered a frustrated "Vixen, enough!" only for Amaira to immediately celebrate her win.

"Ha! I knew you couldn't last! Now either stay in the car or go to anywhere you like tomorrow while I go to college!"

The other day, Using her mini-garden's intricate paths, Amaira had declared a race to see who could navigate it fastest. What Viraj didn't know was that she'd memorized the maze years ago.

As he stumbled into dead ends, muttering curses under his breath, she reached the exit within minutes, taunting him with, "Better luck next time, vijulu!"

Her prize? Him agreeing to give her an uninterrupted day's of freedom on campus.

Though Viraj was annoyed by her scheming, he found himself oddly amused—and somewhat relieved to lose.

Because her freedom gave him space to focus on his own plan to find clues.

After dropping Amaira off, Viraj parked the car near the college and took an auto back to the palace, ensuring no one noticed his movements.

He slipped through the gates and into the shadows of the main palace with practiced ease. The guards were no match for him, he had every inch of the palace memorized by now.

Two days ago, he'd convinced Amaira to show him around under the pretense of needing to familiarize himself for her protection. After she'd lost a bet, she begrudgingly obliged, walking him through every corridor and hidden passage.

Now, those details served him well as he made his way unnoticed to the king's office.

Standing outside the intricately carved doors, he paused, his heartbeat steady yet heavy with anticipation. This was his chance to find clues—something, anything—that would bring him closer to his goal. With one deep breath, he slipped inside, his movements silent as a shadow.

To his relief, there were no guards stationed outside the king's office, which meant the king wasn't inside. Viraj silently slipped in, closing the heavy doors behind him.

He surveyed the massive room, its sheer opulence a stark reminder of the kingdom's wealth. The polished desk was piled with bundles of files, and the walls were lined with towering racks and shelves.