14 I Don't Need the Prince! 11

Avina's heart was racing! She covered her mouth for whatever reason and internally screamed. They're going to find me! They're going to find me! They're going to find me!!

Each footstep of Earl John coming closer intensified in her head, and for once, she scolded her idiocy.

She wanted to cry but now wasn't the time. Any moment now Earl John would look from the corner and spot her, sitting on the ground helpless.

She didn't dare think of what would happen next. Maybe they will silence her for spying. Maybe she will be threatened. Or… or… All sorts of bad scenarios flooded her mind in a span of a second.

'System! Help!! I'm about to die!' Avina called out to 5025. Her voice begged for help in the internal space, but it was all silence. Where is 5025!?

'Host! I loaned this invisibility script from one of the seniors. I'll activate it now,' as quickly as 5025 came back, it activated the script and then appeared a whirring sound. 5025 saved the day once more!

A faint light flashed from her hands and Avina watched as her hands, then arms and the rest of her body disappeared. At the last second of her disappearance, Earl John had reached the pillar.

He looked left and right, searching behind the pillar, but no one was there. There had been no footsteps of someone running, and no one seemed to step away from the pillar. Who was here then?

"There's no one here," Earl John, visibly puzzled, could only report his findings to Amanda.

Amanda's expression grew even darker and she stomped her way towards the pillar. Scanning left and right, she realized there truly was no one. But how could that be!

Her chest huffed with anger, but what was she going to take her anger out on? There was no one here!

"Drats! There better be no one!" Amanda could only yell out her frustration. Something in her guts told her there was someone here, but who can explain why there wasn't anyone at all!

Avina stared as Amanda took her anger out at the surrounding. Her facial expression wrinkled with rage and her eyes exploded with anger making her original peaceful face heavily malicious. Her frustration reeked at her every turn, but there was nothing she could do.

There was someone right in front of her but she could never see them for they were invisible.

Avina continued keeping her hands on her mouth silencing herself. When Amanda and Earl walked away, Avina finally let go of her breath and sighed with relief.

The whole event happened so fast and ended as quickly. Avina peered out making sure they were far away before attempting to stand up on her feet.

Before, she was running and didn't realize the pain, then after, she was too focused on the conversation, and just now, her fear overpowered her pain again.

Once she was finally calm, the pain intensified exponentially implying its complaints. She stiffened and could only avoid placing her foot directly on the ground.

'Hey 5025,' Avina slowly asked. 'Did you perchance also loan a healing script?'

Her face paled a few degrees for each movement, but she couldn't forever stay kneeling on the ground, right? Her dress was already ruined the moment she fell, and now it got even dirtier.

5025 could only circle around her body shining anxiously. It had begged a lot just to get a minor invisibility script, but it wasn't shameless enough to ask for another script. If in the future Host was in trouble, it couldn't ask any more from its seniors if it asked for too much right now. For the sake of the future, it could only deceive its Host.

'I'm sorry, Host. I can't do that; I've asked for too much already,' 5025, feeling guilty, could only avert its data away from its Host. If it was only a high-level system, maybe it could have helped. Sadly, it was not.

Although Avina held onto a little hope, she wasn't entirely disappointed when 5025 said no. She could only sigh that she didn't land more gracefully when falling.

After comforting 5025, Avina looked at her monitors. The more she looked, the more flustered she became. The plan was falling apart in shambles!

On one monitor, she saw Earl John, Amanda, and Jane walking to the garden. Expected, so she wasn't entirely surprised. The second monitor showed George walking to her waiting room. This made her extremely nervous and flustered; how was she going to explain where she was the entire time, and why she was a mess! The last one with Rey showed him already in the garden. She absolutely didn't know why he was there, but it didn't change the fact that his presence wasn't part of the plan.

She quickly tried to get up and run again but her foot pulsed with pain with each attempt.

Drats! I thought maybe I could run and not feel the pain again.

She could only stare annoyed at her injury. Avina couldn't see it under her dress, but she was sure it was blue and purple in color. Her dress was also messy. It had smudges of dirt lacing and cover the mid skirt. There were even several tears in it too. Her hands had scratches cross-hatching her small palms. Several of them peeled revealing tender flesh bleeding. Her entire appearance was unpresentable, especially to her target.

'... Do you perhaps think you can fix my appearance?' She was betting her luck on her partner-in-mission, 5025. Come on bud! You can do this at least, can't you!

5025 proved to be disappointing as it could only say, "I'm sorry host…"

Thinking of what to do next, she could only continue asking 5025 for help. She couldn't walk nor run. She can't ask someone for help; it would ruin her noble image! Plus, she was invisible… What other choices does she have? Think!

'Can you teleport me?' A little much, but a princess can always bet.

'No, sorry.'

'Then how about taking the pain away for one short minute.' In one minute she can probably run there. Maybe.

'I can't…'

Running out of ideas, she could only say the next thing that came to mind, 'Then give me a mount and let me ride it over there!'

An awkward silence ensued and Avina regretted it. What mount! 5025 can't even block her pain!

5025 could only respond once more, "That's… a no."

'What do I do now…' She can't walk or move, the Prince is a few turns away from her room, Earl John and Amanda are already planning where is the prettiest place to leave Jane, and Rey is for some reason in the garden! What is she supposed to do!!

In the hallway far away from the waiting room, behind the pillar, although invisible, sat a girl with her dress in shambles watching her master plan falling apart with her very own eyes. She could only sit there watching helplessly the people she had monitor stray from her perfect plans.

I want to cry...