Hoping Against The Hope

Delbert, who was asked to look in through the dungeons as he walked in through the secret passage, had a frown etched on his forehead as he returned to the crown prince.

When he had finally reached the crown prince's chambers, he found the prince leisurely reading a book in his hand as he lay on his back on the wooden railings of the patio, one of his hands under his head while the other held the hardcover book, and one of his legs propped up one over the other. With the cold breeze swiping past him, his hair strands moved in the wind's direction.

Delbert nearly had a heart attack seeing his master on the edge of the railings, for if he were to make one mistake, he'd fall off from the topmost floor of the castle.

"Your Highness!" He hurried toward Adrien, who was still having his eyes poked straight into the book. Delbert could hear his heart pounding loudly as he approached the prince, as if he were the one standing on the edge. "Please be careful! Sitting so close to the edge is anything but safe." He whined like a mother hen.

Adrien looked up from his book, lazily at his aide who looked nothing but a drenched cat, and passed a questioning glance at the man.

Delbert said, trying to hide his worry, "Please step back from the edge a little. I have some important news to share."

Adrien sighed and reluctantly shifted back from the edge of the railings and got down before he leaned on them, folding his arms over his chest as he waited for the man to speak. "What's this important news you have?" His expression turned serious. "Were you able to access the situation down at the dungeon?"

"Yes, I did." He nodded his head as he continued, "There seemed to be a commotion going on. The woman in the forbidden cell had escaped from the clutches of the guards, who are now thoroughly checking. Sir Decan is also looking for her. It seemed that the girl was important to the King."

The book that was opened in the hands of Adrien deafeningly with a loud thud had the aide startled at the sudden gesture of his master.

As Adrien processed the seriousness of Delbert's remarks, his eyes furrowed. He stood up straighter and now had his complete focus on the man who relayed all that he had witnessed in the Dungeon. He dropped the book on the table upon walking into the room.

"Have me covered for the time being." Saying that, Adrien left the room, not caring to put on his coat, though the temperature was low and reaching the time of evening.

"Yes, your Highness!"

As he walked out of his room, upon sensing the pathway was clear, he snapped his finger with his eyes closed and came to stand near the entrance of the Dungeon.

There were a total of four guards guarding the gate, two on the inside and two on the outside, making him teleport once again in the blink of an eye.

Unbeknownst to the guards at the gate or to anyone else, he discreetly entered the Dungeon with his special powers and was now walking through the dark path. When he saw a guard coming, he stepped back and kept his head down so the guard wouldn't see him. As the guard was about to walk past, Adrien appeared from behind and put his hands forward, one of them covering the guard's mouth and the other around the guard's nape. He then broke the lock of the guard's joint on the neck with a light sound while keeping his mouth shut so no one would hear him.

Adrien made sure the guard stayed unconscious and didn't make any noise as he quickly and effectively subdued him. He carefully set the guard down in an obscure spot away from the main pathway after knocking him unconscious, and he got dressed in the guard's uniform before he stepped further into the Dungeon.

With the tricky baton that had little barbs at the end of the stick that belonged to the guard in his hand, he walked through the pathway cautiously, and as soon as he heard the voices of the guards through his heightened hearing senses, he quickly moved his feet toward the direction, making sure he made no noise.

As he neared the place where they were all huddled near a cell, the frown on his forehead deepened as he clenched his jaw and walked further in.

"Take a lookup on this cell," demanded the Knight at the guards as he waited for the gates to be opened, with his feet tapping on the ground consistently.

Alicia, who had her heart ramming on her ribcage hard, crouched down on her knee, bowling herself like a canon ball as she shut her eyes tightly and waited for the guards to drag her out.

She could hear the gate's lock clanking as one of the guards unlocked it. He held the fire up as he inspected the cell carefully. He shook his head as he stepped out of it.

"How about the next one?" Questioned Sir Decan.

'This is it! I'm so done for sure,' thought Alicia, hearing the hard footsteps of the guard moving toward the cell that she was hiding in. Upon noticing the lock had been locked from the inside, he frowned with puzzlement. He tried to put his fat through the gaps of the bar, but it wouldn't go.

"Allow me to do so," came the voice of another guard. He easily inserted his hand and opened the gate. Entering the cell, he tapped his baton on the walls, creating a disturbing sound.

Alicia's heart pounded even louder in her chest as the guard entered the enclosed cell, and she made every effort to control her breathing to keep from making any noise. She continued to crouch in her hiding place with her eyes still tightly closed, crossing her fingers as she hoped against hope that she would remain unseen.

The officer with the baton kept tapping on the walls, and the sound reverberated throughout the cell. Compared to the earlier one that was completely empty, this one had some things stored in it that were not very visible in the darkness, which did nothing but help him see through it.

Knowing that she might be discovered at any moment made Alicia tremble with anxiety. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure as she gripped her hands tightly together.

The Knight who stood outside waited for the guard who had unlocked the gate and was searching for the girl in the cell, growing increasingly frustrated by the inability to find her.

"She must be hiding somewhere. Make sure you check behind those barrels and in every corner," said the man, but the next second he stomped his feet on the ground, failing to find the girl.

"All is clear, Sire!"