Chapter Twenty Seven

"We… We did it." I said painting and resting my hands on my knees.

"Are you alright, Alexander? Your face is all red." Alice asked me, concerned.

I was sweating a lot, my face was hot, and it was kinda hard to breathe.

'I don't know if that is because we run all the way here, or because I am getting out of mana, or because I am still sick. Well, maybe it's a bit of all that.' I thought, exhausted.

"...Yes, I'm fine." I said after taking a few deep breaths. "Do you know where is the hole in the wall you said before?" I asked looking at Lena.

Lena crossed her arms, she had a serious look on her face. "As I said before, I've just heard about that hole by someone else, I've never seen that by myself."

The royal forest covers a big part of the palace wall, it will take some time if we have to search for it, and also it is dark right now. If it wasn't for Alice's and Lena's lamp we would be barely able to see right now since we are in the middle of the forest.

I sighed. "Alright, let's look for it, then."

After some time walking through the forest we reached the wall. It was my first time seeing the palace wall from so close.

'It is higher than I thought.' I thought looking up at the wall.

"Alice, let's split up. You will go in that way. Alexander and I will go this way. If you find any passage that we can use come to find us." Lena said to Alice.

"A-Alright. Be careful you both." Alice said, and then she turned away and walked through the way Lena told her to.

"Let's go." Lena said walking through the opposite way.

"Alright." I said, and quickly I followed her.

It has passed some time since we were looking for the hole in the wall, and all this time I and Lena was in silence, just staring at the wall, looking for the passage for them to use.

And I was getting uncomfortable with that. I've never thought that I would one day be this close to Lena of my own free will.

"Who told you about the hole in the palace wall?" I asked Lena, trying to break the silence between us.

"...It was my former master." Lena said without looking back at me.

"Your former master? Are you perhaps talking about Elizabeth, the former Queen?" I asked, curious.

Lena stopped walking, surprised, then she looked at me. "Do you know about her?"

"Yes, I do. She was imprisoned in the northwest area because she killed her husband, the former King… But, why have I never seen her there once?" I asked, looking suspicious at Lena's eyes.

Lena turned her gaze, avoiding my eyes. "...You did see her before. You were just too young to remember."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. "I've heard that she is still locked in the northwest area, but there is no sign of her living there!"

"It is that because she is not living there anymore. She is dead." Lena explained, looking at my eyes.

"What?!" I asked, surprised.

Prince Noah's words were echoing through my mind. 'Of course, she is! It has been decades since she is imprisoned there, if she somehow had escaped or died we would have known already.'

He and everyone else believes that Elizabeth is still living imprisoned in the northwest area… So, how can be she dead and no one knows about it?

"Elizabeth De Angeles, the former Queen of Arhan, died eight years ago, Alexander." Lena said, expressionless.

"B-But everyone says that she is alive! Are you perhaps lying to me again, Lena?" I asked, suspicious.

'If what she is saying is really true, then there is no way Prince Noah wouldn't know about that. My great-grandmother, Elizabeth, was a royal member, a former Queen of this kingdom. Even if she was a criminal, she would be buried as a royal, where a royal burial ceremony happens and all royal members have to attend. So, there would be no way people wouldn't know about her death.'

"I'm not lying, Alexander. If you don't want to believe, then there is nothing I can do. But, Lady Elizabeth died years ago." Lena said, firm.

"...Then, how does nobody know about that?" I asked.

"Because of you. It is all because of you, Alexander." Lena said with cold eyes looking at me.

"What…? What are you talking about?" I asked, shocked.

"Eight years ago Lady Elizabeth died because of a problem on her heart. The King kept her death a secret because if he didn't do so he wouldn't be able to keep his mistress and his bastard living in secret in his palace. So, the King buried Lady Elizabeth in an unmarked grave, with no ceremony, like she was a filthy vagabond. And, since then, he kept lying that she is alive just to keep you, his bastard, a secret." Lena explained mad.

I was in silence, staring at Lena in shock. I couldn't believe what I just have heard. If what Lena was saying is true then…

"Guys! I think I found it!" Alice suddenly appeared calling for us.

"Where is it?" Lena asked.

"Follow me." Alice said, turning her back away and walking in the direction she came from.

Lena and I followed Alice to where the hole in the wall was.

"Here! There is a hole here." Alice said pointing at the base of the wall where there was a hole, that probably was made by the tree roots growing above the ground.

"I don't think that this is the right one." Lena said, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean, Lena?" Alice asked, confused.

"Lady Elizabeth told me years ago, before her death, that she and her sisters used to escape through a hole in the wall here in the forest side so they could visit the downtown. It was when she was a teenager, before her marriage. But this hole here I think just a child could pass through it." Lena explained.

Indeed, the hole Alice found was too small for them to pass through.

"That is… true." Alice said, frustrated. She sighed and then she asked. "So what should we do now? Look for another one?"

"No, I don't think we will ever find the one Lena learned about. It has been decades since my great-grandmother saw that hole, so it probably has been fixed already many years ago." I explained.

"So what are we gonna do then?" Alice asked, hopeless.

"I think… I think I have an idea." I announced.

"What idea?" Lena asked.

"Stay some feet away from me, you both." I ordered.

Then, I got close to the wall and prepared myself. After taking a deep breath I raised my right arm and launched a light ball aiming at the hole.

Though I've never done anything like that, to my surprise, I made it. The hole got larger enough for them to pass through.

"W-W-Why did you do this?!" Alice asked, surprised. "What if someone heard that?"

"It didn't make so much noise. So don't worry. If there was any guard near they would have found us already." I explained.

Then, I threw the bag of coins that Lena gave me earlier on the ground near them.

"Now all you have to do is to leave. Go before anyone come here and see you both." I said, looking at them.

"...Why are you giving this to us?" Lena asked, confused, after picking up the coin bag from the ground.

"You said that it was all the money you had left. If you both don't take a ship to leave this kingdom as soon as possible you will probably be found by the King, and all I did today would be for nothing." I explained.

"B-But, Alexander why don't you come with us? I know it's hard to believe, but I can help you. You can stay with me and my family… We can hind you some way." Alice said, worried.

I was silent for a moment, before answering her. "I won't go with you. There are things that I still want to do here." I explained.

"I see… Then, thank you, Alexander, for helping us to escape. I can't even believe that I will see my family again." Alice said, moved. "I promise you that one day I will return the favor."

I nodded.

When I was about to leave Lena called me. "Alexander. Take it."

She was holding a golden key.

"What is it?" I asked, curious, after taking the key from her.

"Do you remember about the big room in the northwest area? There is a chest locked there. What is inside may be useful to you." Lena said.

"Was that from my great-grandmother?" I asked.

"Yes. Lady Elizabeth, before her death, locked some important things for her in that chest. I don't know exactly why, but she asked me to give this key to you as soon as you become an adult. But, since we are probably not seeing each other again, I'm giving it to you now." Lena explained.

'She wanted to give it to me?' I thought, surprised.

"Was she… Was Lady Elizabeth crazy as the rumors say?" I asked Lena, curious.

"Crazy? No, Lady Elizabeth wasn't crazy… She was just a good mother." Lena answered, with a sad look on her face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Pointing at the key she gave me, she said. "You will probably understand after seeing what is inside of the chest… Please, take good care of Lady Elizabeth's belongings."

I nodded, and then she left.

"Goodbye, Alexander." Alice said before leaving.

Then, I was alone.

For some reason, knowing that they left made me relieved.

'Now, I just have to go back to my room.' I thought.

Since Alice and Lena left, I didn't have lamps with me anymore, and it was pretty dark, even more inside of the forest.

I sighed. "I will have to use my magic then."

After making a small ball light float around me, I walked deep in through the forest.

"Hmm… Where am I?" I asked myself, confused.

For some reason, I was laying on the ground, in the middle of the forest. After seating up I realized what happened.

"Did I just have passed out from exhaustion? Using my magic to light the way wasn't a good idea, huh." I realized.

'Luckily, no one found me here.' I thought, relieved.

I stood up from the ground and then I tried to whip off the dirt from my clothes.

"What time is it?" I asked myself, looking at the sky. It was already daytime.

'I'm probably late to my job as Prince Noah's personal servant.' I realized, worried.

"Well, maybe I can find him later... I just hope he doesn't get mad."

I left the forest just after I was sure that I had enough energy to go all the way back to the palace. And, to my surprise, I made all the way to my room invisible without feeling as tired as I did last night.

After a quick bath and a change of clothes, I started to look for Prince Noah.

'Fortunately, changing my appearance isn't tiring me too much either.' I thought after leaving my room.

'Maybe is it because I have a quick mana recovery? Was that because of my wish that I made to that angel woman before I reincarnated here?' I asked myself, curious.

I knocked on Prince Noah's bedroom door, but no one answered.

'Of course, he wouldn't be in his room by this time.' I remembered.

"But, maybe His Highness is in the main dining room taking his breakfast." I realized.

I walked all the way to the dining room, and then I knocked on the door, waiting for Noah's approval for me to get in.

"You may in."

But the one that said that wasn't Prince Noah, it was a grown man voice.

Before I could do anything the door was opened.

Just as I thought, Prince Noah wasn't the only one inside, sitting with him was Prince Dylan and his father, the King.

'What is he doing here?!'