"Your Highness, I already assigned the guards in groups. They will sweep each path and inform us if there is any progress."


    Antony just catch up with the Crown Prince after returning to the camp toply with thetter''s order. He carefully arranged everything as it wasn''t a trivial matter.


    "That''s good," Arin Helev remarked. He and General Hanson along with Rion and some other guards were currently following some traces which seemed to be made by Iria and the Prince and those assassins who went after them.


    "I think the traces makes everything clear, Your Highness. The footprints of the horses also prove that the assassins are quiterge in numbers," General Hanson said to the Crown Prince. Standing near his horse, he bent his knees and observed the footprints of the horses beside him.


    Hearing that the enemies would outnumber Iria and Davian only worried the Crown Prince anymore. No matter how skilled Davian was, he was still a human with limits. Iria might be skilled in archery but it won''t help much if they were the ones who were being chased!


    "Let''s follow the footprints of the horses. We must hurry," Arin Helev stated as he mounted his horse. All the others did the same and they continued following the traces.


    * * *


    Iria Alewine and Prince Orius defeated two of the four groups without much difficulty. Though they parted from their horses when they jump down the cliff, they imed the horses of the assassins after killing them. Now, they were on the hunt for two remaining groups.


    "When we fought against the second group, your leg didn''t seem to be fine. Are you sure that it''s just a minor wound?" Prince Orius asked Iria, briefly ncing at her from time to time.


    "It will be fine. Besides, we don''t have any medicine with us and medicinal herbs are rare in this forest. It''s not like we have a choice," Iria responded. Riding her horse, she cautiously nced around several times while paying attention to every little sound she heard with her sharp ears.


    Prince Orius looked up at the sky before he turned to Iria. "I think it''s already past noon. Shall we take a rest first?"


    "What if the assassins saw us?"


    "Won''t that be better? That means we don''t have to look for them anymore," the Prince simply said.


    "Alright," Iria replied with a nod. "It''s not like we know a way to return to the camp."


    "I bet the Crown Prince will already set out to find you," Orius Aventine quickly said. "He is smart and he will surely find us."


    "I never think you will make such a remark on Arin Helev," Iria stated with a flustered face.


    "Did we have any other whom we could trust in this situation?" Prince Orius briefly nced at Iria before he said, "Besides, everyone knows that the Crown Prince cared about you."


    "Your Highness -"


    "Let''s hurry," the Prince suddenly said. "The sun is strong and it worsened the pain in my head." He quickened his pace while Iria did the same to catch up with him.


    * * *


    "Do you think they jump down here?" Hanson Lorin asked the Crown Prince who was sitting beside him at the edge of the cliff. Though the General thought that it was unlikely, the traces which they followed end here and that made a possibility.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Maybe," Arin Helev muttered as he looked down. It wasn''t that high but it won''t be possible tond without an injury.


    He turned around and walked towards the road that leads to below. He bent his knees and observed the footprints of the horses. "Seems like someone went down there," he muttered to himself.


    Then he stood up and returned to his horse. "Let''s go down there," hemanded.


    *


    In no time, the Crown Prince and his men reached below where Iria and Prince Oriusnded before. General Hanson gets off his horse when he noticed something which caught his attention. He walked towards the side which was mostly upied by grass and nts.


    Hanson Lorin reached out his hand to one of the nts and touched it before he quickly turned to the Crown Prince. "Arin, its blood."


    When Arin Helev heard his friend, he rushed to him and observed the blood on the nt. "It''s been a while since they passed this ce," he muttered and looked at his friend. "If they are injured, I doubt they would be able to walk fast. They will already lose their horses when they fell from the cliff. We should search this area."


    * * *


    It was evening and King Regan just returned back to the camp. The moment he entered his tent, a soldier informed him about the Crown Princess. The unfortunate news was quite a headache for the King.


    What exactly happened again?


    "How long has she gone missing now?" the King asked the soldier who reported the news to him.


    "I''m not sure, Your Majesty. But when the Chief Guard of His Highness came to gather the guards, it''s before noon," the soldier replied to the King.


    "It''s evening now and the sun will set soon," King Regan muttered. He rose from his seat and nced at the outdoors.


    "What will we do, Your Majesty?" The right-hand man and guard of the King, Marco quickly asked. He followed King Regan inside the tent when he returned to the camp and he was standing on the right a few steps away.


    King Regan Helev gave a quick thought and said, "Deploy more soldiers to look for the Crown Princess. We must find her no matter what."


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Marco said and quickly left the tent with the soldier.


    The moment King Regan was alone, he let out a sigh. The King of Jerivia will be here in three days and if he learned that his daughter was never free from danger ever since she arrived here... Regan Helev shook his head.


    Conflicts will surely rise.


    While the King was troubled by his thoughts, he was distracted when he heard the footsteps of someone. He turned around and saw his wife who was making her way towards him. Then one thing crossed his mind.


    It won''t be her doing, right? He recalled how she promised him that she won''t make any move as long as he kept his promise. It won''t be her.....