Chapter 67: A different reality

Chapter 67: A different reality The forest was covered with a thicker layer of snow due to the snowstorm yesterday that fell all night. A search party could not be sent during the storm, considering the accident that took place during the hunt, and due to that, the event was cancelled. Luckily, Cedric’s elite knights had a sense of loyalty and started searching for him immediately after the sun hit the horizon the next morning. "Your Highness, Are you alright?" Elias’s words almost moved Abrielle to tears; she was glad they found them. "Just a bit cold," Cedric answered. On getting to the camp, it was in complete chaos; some noble wives whose husbands had fallen victim to the incident were left in disarray by the news. The victims disappeared without a trace; some had hoped they would be found while counting their losses and demanded the formation of a search party. Abrielle sympathized with them in her heart because she knew their husbands would never come as they had been victims of a deadly ritual. This was her best bet to get rid of Cedric, but it was another failure. ’ Maybe I should sneak on a ship and run to another continent.’ she thought, feeling hopeless at her lack of ability. It was way harder to handle situations like this in real life than while writing. As a writer, she could bend the rules to fit the setting, but that wasn’t the case here. ’ What am I thinking before I barely make it a mile away? I would be caught.’ she groaned, which turned into a hiss of pain. "I am sorry, Your Highness," the maid quickly apologized to the princess. The room was filled with steam and scented perfumes due to the princess bath. After arriving at the campsite, the first thing she requested was a steamy bath she badly needed, which turned into a bit of a nightmare. Her body was covered in hickeys in places that were super embarrassing and aches all over. On the bright side, the injury on her back almost completely healed faster than she expected with the potion, but this scenario was super embarrassing. Her face turned scarlet with a blush creeping on her cheeks. All the maids knew what she was up to last night while everywhere was in chaos and she was also injured. She was so embarrassed that she could not look at them in the face. ’ah, what was I expecting when I foolishly accepted his advances? I should have run in the opposite direction. At most, I would have fainted from the fever.’ she cried inwardly. She accepted the fact that she was probably the dumbest person she knew; at this point, she didn’t even like herself. "I am done, I will go get the towel and an ointment for the bruises," Evelyn informed her, slowly getting up from her crouched-over position. Abrielle nodded subtly then hugged her legs while staying in the warm water. She wanted to enjoy it longer since it was still warm. Her mind started to analyze the situation, from what she overheard from Cedric’s and Elias’s conversation on their way back. It turned out that the red zone was the safest; no one who had strayed there was missing, but the yellow and green, especially the green, was the centre of it all. This was contrary to the novel, where all the huntsmen in the red zone were captured. The same event mentioned in the book’s story happened, but it was different. She could not help but wonder if there would be future situations like that making her knowledge of the book irrelevant. ’ Does that mean Cedric might not kill me?’ she thought but quickly pushed it aside. The attack still happened even though it was different from the original, meaning Cedric was still bound to fall in love with the female lead, causing him to kill his wife even though it might play out differently. Who knows maybe her death might happen earlier than stipulated? This caused fear to grip Abrielle as she felt completely helpless in the situation before her. She left the tub to get changed; her skin was covered with faint bluish marks, and she had to make sure it was completely covered with clothes. Cedric was out discussing with the Danbury Duke how to handle the situation. Fortunately for Duke Rudeus and fortunately for Abrielle, Prince Alfonso had survived on a stroke of luck. He had strayed to the red zone that was filled with dangerous monsters who were easier to handle than the sorcerers. She guessed she would be seeing his face a lot in the future. "I am done, your highness; I hope the corset isn’t too tight. " Evelyn informed her while stepping away to give Abrielle a chance to check her reflection. The clothes were tight but she could manage. She was admiring the black and green outfit in the mirror and was slowly understanding while Cedric loved the colour black. It was one of the best colours in clothes. Abrielle’s eyes narrowed when she spotted a strange mark on her neck; it was a black flame she was very sure wasn’t on her neck earlier. The only tattoo mark she had was the ring mark on her finger after the wedding rites. Her fingers grazed the spot, which was oddly warm to touch, and was plunged into further confusion. She had no idea how it appeared on her skin, nor had she seen something similar to this before. A lot of strange things were happening. "The dress is fine. Do you mind answering a question? Last night, how were the general conditions at camp? Everything seems to be a complete mess here." She enquired from Evelyn. "There was a heavy storm throughout the night and an animal influx; a lot of animals rushed into camp, keeping all the guards occupied and delaying the search operation. That’s why the closest tents to the forest were destroyed, and we lost more lives due to the attack. It was a tragedy." Evelyn informed her, and Abrielle’s face scrunched up at the realization of things. The camp was not as safe as it should have been. What was going on here? "Can you give me some space except for Evelyn?" She suddenly requested for the rest of the maids to leave, and they did as she commanded. Evelyn was left behind waiting to listen to what Abrielle had to say. "Evelyn, can I ask a favour?" She hesitantly requested which gave the maid a bad feeling. "Of course, Your Highness," Abrielle swallowed hard, unable to make the request, but it was something she needed to know.