The hand on her mouth felt foreign and it also cut off her scream.

“Don’t speak and hold yourself still. You do not want the councilmen to know that you heard them” Maria’s mind slowed down at the familiar voice behind her. Her body relaxed at the soft and now-familiar touch as well.

It was only Nao.

Nao was slowly dragging Maria away from the scene and back to her room. Maria finally recognized where she was and her body let itself go.

“They..I…Neah won’t do that, would she? She won’t agree with them!” Maria’s voice was weak, an echo of what it was beforehand.

Nao was looking back at her with an expression full of pity and it filled Maria with anger. What was there to pity her about? It was not like Maria had been close with her mother, nor had she been betrayed by Neah yet.

She did not want that pitiful look aimed at her.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Princess Neah might not have a choice. We also need to start making preparations from our side as well” Nao looked serious and her words were cut short.

Since when had Nao learned to speak this much? Maria had been trying to get Nao to talk more with her for a long time but their current situation was less than ideal.

“Preparations? About what? Am I even the oracle right now?” Maria had doubts about her role now. Her main objective was already done and over with – the telling of the prophecy.

According to the script, all Maria had to do now was to sit back and relax while the hero did all the work. All Maria had to do was to show her face to the MC from time to time and she was free for the rest of her life.

She did not even have to marry him.

Not that it mattered much since Nick was dead already and that left Neah in charge. Was Neah the MC now? It was all rather confusing to Maria.

“With such a confusing time ahead of us, the people need the power of the oracle more than ever. We need to start planning your escape from here before you are sacrificed” the words brought a chill of fear in Maria.

The words of those councilmen from before entered Maria’s mind once again.

She had been rather emotional when she had first heard those words but she was calmed now. Thinking back at that threat, she knew that Nao was right. Those men would do anything to get their way.

They would sacrifice Maria, with and without Princess Neah and the royal family’s intervention. And Maria had no intention of staying here to be a sitting duck.

“So, what is the plan? How are we breaking me out of here?” Maria had various ideas about her escape but all of them were rather fancy and too much trouble.

It stung to realize that Maria was entirely reliant on someone else for her safety and life. She would surely pay Nao back once she had the means to do so.

An unconscious smile bloomed on Maria’s face and something shifted in Nao’s eyes. The warrior was on her knees in a second, her body bowed in front of Maria and her hand reached for Maria’s own.

“You do not need to do anything master. You just need to believe in me and my abilities. I promise to serve you to the best of my abilities” the small kiss on Maria’s hand felt like a promise.

It felt weird to have her hand be held like this. It made Maria feel warm and fuzzy inside. She was blushing as well, wasn’t she?

“And what do we have here? I thought the orders were to not let the Oracle outside her room” Maria felt her face combust as Princess Neah’s presence joined them. The older girl looked irritated but humored as well.

And she looked overworked. There were dark circled on her face making it look older than her actual age.

“Princess Neah. Ah, I’m afraid that it is my fault that we ended out here. I was getting a little restless in my room and forced Nao into a walk” There was something about the princess’s presence that Maria was just noticing now.

There was an unnatural tint in her aura, a holy glow that was not all light.

“I see. But it is time for you to head back now. And Nao, how are the preparations for the ceremony going? It is tomorrow after all. We won’t want to miss it” It was weird to see Neah not prioritize Maria in a conversation.

Instead, she was looking at Nao with an impatient face and it felt wrong to Maria. Everything about this situation felt wrong to Maria.

She had never felt this put out by someone before but Princess Neah’s aura was putting Maria on edge now.

“The preparations are done. The bodies have been prepared as well and I will make sure Master Maria is there tomorrow” two pairs of eyes turned to Maria but she looked back with confusion.

‘System, what is this ceremony about? Is it something integral to the plot?’

Maria had not heard from the system for some time now but it was a common enough occurrence. Her system was not permitted to but in until Maria asked for its help or the circumstances were dire enough after all.

[The ceremony tomorrow is held in honor of the deaths suffered by the incident of the prophecy. The oracle is encouraged to participate in the royal ceremony]

Oh!

Oh. Now it made more sense for the urgency. It was the royal funeral of Prince Nick and maybe her mother as well. It was the Oracle’s responsibility to see the funeral through.

“Then I shall leave now. I have things to prepare and my parents are in no condition to take care of themselves. Maria should rest for tomorrow as well” Maria had not realized that Princess Neah was close to her.

But the presence of a hand on her face and a pair of lips on her own forced her attention to the present.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” but the daze had slowed Maria enough to not be able to react to the princess on time.

“I, ah, did she kiss me? But I thought she was! And I am overthinking all this, aren’t I?” Nao did not answer her but there was a certain tension in Nao’s frame that did not suit her.

Maria chose to not bring attention to that, too busy in her thoughts. The pair had started to move back toward the room without getting lost this time.

There was so much to unpack here and Maria felt lost in her head for long periods. Has the story changed this much from a single impact? Why had this happened? And what about those councilmen?

Was Maria going to run away from here?

“What are we going to do now Nao? Things were not supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be better, calmer. I’m scared, for you and myself. For the future as well” for the first time in her new life, Maria missed the simplicity of her old life.

It had been dull, but it had been hers alone. No one had tried to kill her and things had not been half as complicated.

“I want to get away from this all. I want to live a happy life as a normal person. I just wish that things were different” Nao was looking back at her in pity but Maria found no will in correcting her.

What was even the use? It was not like it would change anything?

“Looks like we will have to hurry up. Master, please be prepared tomorrow and trust in me. We will get you out tomorrow at any cost” Maria should not trust such a promise but she did.

She chose to believe in Nao and her words this time.

[I’ll try to update daily but sometimes there is an issue in sync so chapters may appear here late or in a bunch. Kindly understand that it is the system’s fault and not mind. Hopefully, you all will get a steady schedule release]