Maria felt her feet move as fast as they could. Her body felt lighter than any other time she remembered it being and her mind blanked at the familiar faces she saw.

She thought they had a few more days before there would be a threat like this in front of them. Maria should have guessed that she was not that lucky.

Really, worst luck seemed to be attracted to her or something.

Maria quickly traveled back to the grocery store Nao had been in and her eyes found the demoness in an instant. A few large steps and Maria was at her side.

Though, Maria could not stop looking around for the signs of the other two. The scare from before was still present in her mind.

“You took your sweet time. Was this trip that difficult? You should have said so” Nao scolded Maria with a soft tone. Her eyes looked worried and Maria felt guilty for putting that look in her eyes.

“Sorry. The store adjacent to us was out of fuel. I had to travel to a neighboring market to get it” Maria replied in a hurry. She wanted to tell Nao about Princess Neah and Howl she saw in the store.

But something in her stopped her from speaking those words. They made her mouth swell shut and Maria hesitantly recognized it as fear.

Maria was not sure what she was fearful of but she felt the emotion and it controlled her body’s actions regarding this topic.

“Are you alright? You look a little paler than you left” Nao asked with a worried look. Her arms were instantly empty of the grocery bag she held and her hand reached out to touch Maria’s forehead.

Nao retreated her hand quickly with a hiss and looked at Maria with narrowed and accusing eyes.

“You are too hot to not be sick. Why did you not tell me you were sick?” Nao asked with a scolding face.

“It’s likely because I ran in the heat to come here. I am feeling alright and I’ve always been pale. The lighting must be making me look sick” Marai reassured Nao as she picked up the bags.

They were heavy and had a lot of material. They would also cost a fortune and Maria wondered how Nao was thinking of paying for them. They did not have a lot of funds between them.

“I am willing to take your words on it but I still don’t feel reassured about your health. We should talk with the guild master and postpone this trip for another day” Nao bargained and Maria felt herself panic.

There was no way they could spend another day here. Not with the threat of royal soldiers roaming in the city. Many of them might be undercover as well and that was a horrifying thought.

“There is no need to postpone the trip. In fact, we should talk with the guild master to prepone it. The earlier we leave, the better it is for us” Maria talked too fast and even she knew it.

All her signs were giving away guilty vibes but Maria could not force herself to speak the truth. Even the thought of being truthful filled her with fear.

“I can see that something had upset you greatly. Just let me pay for our items and we can be on our way” Nao, being the saint she was, decided to leave the market. Maria felt her breathing ease as soon as they were out of the area.

There was still a chance of them getting caught by the royal soldiers but it was far less now. The main danger was still in the market and too close to their previous location.

“So, where to next? We need to visit Mei to thank her for her generosity. She is the one funding our trip after all” Maria heard those words and felt a realization. Of course, they had money with Lady Mei backing them.

Maria should have realized where their money was coming from. They didn’t have any of their own, to begin with.

“It’s a good idea. Lady Mei can also help us escape the city discreetly” Maria had no problem making Lady Mei a barrier between her and Princess’s guards.

While Lady Mei was still a wild card capable of selling them to Princess Neah, Maria felt the chances of it decreasing by the second. Since the royal guards were already in the city and looked to have been there for some time now, their freedom meant that they could trust Lady Mei.

The building Lady Mei owned was the only one that held a light mist around it. It clearly denoted its separation from the surrounding area and Maria could see the oddity move heads of the visitors.

The pair took the same alley they had taken before but there was no burier this time. Maria did not lose sight of Nao and the gate was also visible to their naked eyes.

“Let’s hurry in” Maria followed after Nao and entered a somewhat familiar hallway. Lady Mei was also in the main lobby, her eyes taking the moment around her with bored eyes.

“Done with your trip?” Lady Mei asked with a tired and bored tone. Maria just nodded to indicate that they were, indeed done with their shopping trip.

“Follow me and I’ll show you the way you will need to take. I would advise practicing caution though, as royal guards have been spotted around the city” Nao’s silent agreement meant that the presence of the foreign entities had not escaped her notice.

Maria did not insult her with a nod of surprise.

“We will be careful. As long as it is not her highness who came here we can get away. We also have a surprise factor on our side” Nao gestured toward Maaria’s ears and Maria fought down a blush.

Actually, with the addition of Howl on the princess’s side, she was not sure how much of her surprise factor mattered. It was likely that Howl had told them everything she knew and they were heading toward a trap.

It would be good to tell this all to Nao before it was too late but Maria was a coward. She could not overcome her fear and thus, the truth remained silent.

The passage Lady Mei took the pair to was a forested path. It was covered by a dense canopy as well as vegetation on all sides. The visibility was low there was well which made it an ideal path to escape capture.

“Go now and remember, if you get captured then you do not know anyone named Lady Mei” the tone of the human was almost jesting but Maria felt the seriousness shine through.

“Lady Mei who?” Maria joked back but her nod showed that she would keep that promise.

And then the pair departed toward their destination and freedom. They walked and walked till they finally could see the city’s outskirts.

Maria could make Marcus out in the distance but he and his companions were not alone. Maria could spot the familiar figures of Princess Neah and Howl in the distance and one of them turned their head toward the pair’s direction.

“What are they doing here? Quick, we need to hide” Nao pulled Maria down in the bush but it was not before a familiar gaze met their eyes and made them freeze. They had been spotted and their location had been compromised.

[Unfortunately, this is the end of the unlocked chapters. Hope you all will continue reading the locked chapters as well from here because you will be in for a ride. They will be wilder, more R-18 scenes and really filthy smut]