49 Strolling in Town

"How did things turn out like this?" Atropa muttered dejectedly.

She was supposed to hunt down the former Azalean king but found herself in the middle of the town while being held by Rozen and accompanied by Briar and a few hidden knights.

The lady-in-waiting was supposed to spend her day off tracking down the former monarch but in some odd twist of fate she encountered the siblings who were incognito.

"Atropa, look at that!" Rozen cheerfully pointed a shop which had a range of different furry animals on display.

"Please don't run, your highness." Atropa tried to keep up with the excited princess.

The girl scowled at her before whispering. "We are incognito, you should not give any hint that we are from the royal family. That would blow our cover."

'But..." Atropa just sighed. She seemed weak against the princess.

And when the young girl is this willful and insistent, Atropa would usually found herself giving on to her whims. 

"Call me Rose!"

Atropa furrowed her brows at the child's request.

Drawing a huge breath, Atropa could not help but give in to the child. "All right, Rose."

For the past few months she has developed a soft spot for the princess.

When she first came and work as a maid, she planned to target the people who were involved in her family's murder. Her revenge extended to their families and relatives.

But when she was assigned to take care of the younger Azalean princess and gotten to know her, her desire to exact her vengeance faltered.

Rozen was not involved in the killing of my family and people. I don't have the heart to kill such a frail child.

So instead of killing or putting a curse on the already sickly girl, Atropa lured her into the dark arts.

At first it was just ghost stories and folklores that made Rozen interested and then her fascination had grown.

Atropa was elated to find that the princess was like her younger version.

When Atropa had introduced witches and wizards' tales, Rozen inevitably fell in love with witchcraft.

To date, the pair was already beyond storytelling phase.

Atropa had started teaching her on how to cast simple magic, with which the princess had mastered with a bit of difficulty.

"Rozen looks a lot more cheerful now that you joined us." Briar commented made Atropa snap out of her musing.

"Your highness…" she started.

"We are incognito so please don't call me that. Just Briar will do."

"But… " Atropa woud have argued but upon seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she kept quiet.

She knew that Briar was supposed to be busy after conducting a series of investigations.

Nigel had to kick him out of the study so that he can unwind.

She thought that he would rest in the palace but for some reasons the royal siblings had come into town incognito.

She had never anticipated that they would bump into each other and now, here they are casually and leisurely visiting shops.

After the princess visited the pet store, she dragged Atropa and Briar to other shops which caught her attention.

Rozen had bought several trinkets and baubles before she asked her brother to take a break.

"Atropa, here!" Rozen excitedly offered a spoonful from her strawberry parfait.

"My lady, this is not appropriate!" Atropa admonished while staring wide eyed at the offering.

But the girl did not back down, so the lady-in-waiting had given in. "If you insist.."

"Can I have some of your chocolate gelato?" Rozen asked while giving the lady's maid her puppy eyes. "Please …"

Sighing, Atropa scooped a mouthful of chocolate and fed her ward.

"So sweet!" the princess squealed. "Briar, try Atropa's gelato."

Atropa's eyes widened. That will be a second hand kiss! "But that is…"

Before she could drop her spoon filled with chocolate, Briar gently grabbed her wrist and ate the sweets.

"She's right! It is sweet." Briar smiled teasingly and licked the side of his lips which had a bit of chocolate smear.

Atropa was almost frozen in shock. Before she could react, Rozen exclaimed. "Now, try my brother's vanilla affogato."

Briar immediately complied but the lady hesitated. However, due to the pressure from the siblings, she finally conceded.

Rozen happily giggled at the sight which made the two reddened.

After their break, they resumed their social observation. But all of the sudden, Briar stumbled.

Fortunately, Atropa happened to stop him from falling face flat on the ground. "Your highness!"

"Sorry, I'm just a little bit dizzy." He muttered while holding his head.

"I think you should rest. You've been overworked, your highness." Atropa said as she supported his weight. "Should we head home?"

"It is the first time that Rozen has gone out. I want her to enjoy. I can stay and rest while you can accompany her to the shops." He muttered.

Atropa was hesitant, but Rozen suddenly butt in. "In that case, you can rest and lie down on Atropa's lap. There's a bench there."

The lady-in-waiting wanted to protest, but since Briar seemed not be in good shape, she got no choice but to support the prince and allow him to use her lap as pillow.

"Well then, Atropa, please take care of my brother. I have something I wanted to buy so I will just take few of the knights with me."

"But princess!"

"Rose!" the younger girl insisted.

"And I will be fine with having them around." The princess reassured her.

With that she left Atropa with her worn out brother.

The wind blew softly which ruffled Atropa's hair. It was a nice and serene afternoon, perfect for a nap.

Only a couple of people pass by the secluded garden although it was part of the town square, so Atropa and the prince were left on their own.

"I am supposed to hunt down and kill your father." She thought to herself while sweeping some stray strands from Briar's forehead.

"Maybe instead of him, I should start with you instead." her eyes had glowed red. 

Sensing that there was no one within the vicinity and making sure that the knights are not watching closely, Atropa concentrated her mana and produced a small blade.

"I should do it fast." But as her knife inched closer to the prince's throat, Briar moved.

"Lily" he groaned and snuggled closer to her.

Atropa almost dropped the weapon in surprise. "Don't tell me… he had figured it out." She paled.

"But if he did, he would have thrown me into the dungeon by now. Maybe, I should lie low before making my move."

Instead of executing her impulsive plan, she hastily made her blade disappear into thin air.