“So, where’s she? Where are you hiding the Oracle?” Howl watched the princess with a nervous smile.

“Who? I’m afraid I have no idea what you are talking about” Howl denied the accusation with a straight face. She wished she could have lied better under these circumstances but she was already at a disadvantage.

They both knew that Howl had too much to lose under these circumstances.

“You don’t? Well then, I guess I was mistaken. Now, about my offer?” The princess asked with the same ease of tone. It was all too unnerving, the pressure on top of Howl as well as those eyes on Howl.

“Look, I appreciate all that but I’m not interested. I want to live out my life peacefully in these outskirts” Howl diverted all routes of attention aimed at her and her family.

She wished she had left with the other two now. At least her family would not have to suffer by association and the soldiers would have left her alone.

“How rare for someone to say that. Here I am offering you all the luxurious but you do not seem interested. Well then, let’s change the way I am approaching this” Howl had a bad feeling about the princess’s next words.

The expression on princess Neah’s face, the way her eyes reflected the morning light, it all spelled like bad news for Howl.

And as expected, the princess’s next words did not disappoint her.

“If you are willing to do this for yourself, then you should do it for your brother and mother. God forbid something happens to them because of their association with you” Howl felt anger boil inside her.

Princess Neah just took the change of expression on the other female’s face with a calm exterior. She had calculated the situation and knew what she was playing at.

Princess Neah might have looked calm and collected on the outside but she was boiling on the inside. How dare this stupid girl keep her Maria’s location away from her. And then lie to her as well?

How dare she.

“Don’t push your luck. Fine, I will come with you but leave those two out of it” the female, Howl, finally relented but Princess Maria saw the fire in her eyes.

She had not given up yet.

“I’m glad that we came to an understanding but I find your earlier behavior not so trustworthy. Maybe we should take your brother with us as well. Just as a precaution” Princess Neah watched as the other’s face blanked.

She counted till ten and watched as Howl’s face exploded.

“Do not dare!” the shout came, as Neah had expected and the other finally attacked her.

It was hilariously easy for Neah to have provoked the other into attacking and the noise was enough to attract her guard’s attention. Things were going just as the princess had planned for them to go.

“Princess Neah, are you alright?” her guards barged into that space, only to find their princess restraining a struggling Howl.

The princess let the other go instantly. She did not want to be close to the other demon in any kind of way when she did not have to.

“I’m alright. But more importantly, it looks like we have a potential assassin in our hands” the princess replied as she handed Howl over to the guards.

It would have been easy for her to proclaim Howl as a suspicious person but that would not have yielded any result. Moreover, her people needed proof to not go against her words.

It was not because princess Neah was bitter that this girl got to see Maria when Neah did not. Maria chose this girl over princess Neah and that was unforgivable.

“Is everything alright? I heard some noises” the blind and elderly mother of the girl in her custody made her way toward the group.

Her fragile health as well as the kid at her side made everyone hesitate to tell her the truth. It could seriously harm her and everyone was considerate of that fact.

The girl had tried to kill the princess but the elderly kid was void of the blame. They should not have been punished for this girl’s actions.

“Why, everything is fantastic. Your daughter also made the right choice in joining my service so I have decided to take you all with me. My people will look after you and make sure your son also gets the best care” the princess’s expression changed in an instant.

Everyone sighed at the direction they were asked to follow and more sounds of agreement filled the hallway.

The only one who did not say anything was Howl herself and it did not go past her family.

“Howl? You decided to join” the elder lady asked with a questioning voice which knocked the said person into motion.

“Yeah, I decided to join. It would be good for Shou to have a proper education and having such connections would make our lives easier as well” Howl forced those words out.

As much as she had wanted nothing to do with the princess, she had not been left with any other choice. It was either this or to see her family suffer.

The choice was obvious for her.

“Good. Now that everything is settled, you should start packing. Daylight is precious and I would like to leave today” the princess gave the final word and everything was set into motion.

Shou, unaware of all the tension in the air, happily skipped toward his sister and took her hand in his own.

“Is it true? Are we going to live in the main city from here on out?” the kid asked with a happy expression. Howl felt guilty for denying him such a basic right growing up but it had been necessary.

She had been asked to hide here but it had all been for naught in the end.

“Of course, you will be living in the main city. Both you and your mother can enjoy every luxury there is while your sister and I do work. I’ll try to let you see her as frequently as possible” the princess replied the kid.

Shou narrowed his eyes at the princess and his face had a thoughtful expression. Then he finally opened his mouth to ask the question he had been thinking about.

“Are you going to spend a lot of time with my sister? Then, will you two get married one day as well?” Howl tensed beside her brother while everyone else looked on in alarm.

Marriage had always been a sensitive issue for the princess and one that could cause her fuse to burst without much problem. The kid did not know that he was playing with fire.

Thankfully, the princess just laughed the kid’s words off and replied with a pained voice.

“Sorry kid but I already have someone I love. I will only marry that one person in my life” no one asked her who that person was. Her guards all knew who the princess meant.

They were just not brave enough to call her out on it.

(There might be an additional chapter out today)