23 NAIVE OR...?

Knock! Knock!

Mike tapped on the window of the carriage where Leticia was still sleeping like a log with the corner of her mouth opened and stained with dry saliva.

"Huh? Huh?"

Because of the sudden knock on the carriage, Leticia woke up in confusion as a different view was seen outside her window.

"Huh? Did we arrive?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

Because Mike had a tall stature, he could clearly see Leticia's half asleep reaction. He looked at Leticia keenly.

He was observing her for the past few days and still can't comprehend how she could be free spirited.

'She never asked questions and just quietly looked at the scenery. If our eyes met, she would smile whole-heartedly. And most of the time, she's just sleeping.' Mike thought as he looked at Leticia before he turned around out of courtesy.

'I don't know if she's just naive about this whole situation or she trusts the Commander whole heartedly that she willingly follows his words like a lamb or...' Mike's eyes turned sharp as he thought something unpleasant. '... anyways, she's the benefactor of the Duke of the North, I'll do my best to escort her to the mansion in the Capital but if she ever show her true colors, I will see to it that I'll nip it in the bud before the Commander finished his work at the border of the South.'

As he finished his thoughts, he then informed her about the itinerary.

"Miss Leticia, we need to change transportation here as the carriage needs to go back to the South in the afternoon. I'll book our rooms at the inn and spend the day here before we leave for the Capital."

Leticia knitted her brows, she's been in the carriage for a few days and this was the first time that they stopped at a town and spent the night at an inn.

And based on how high the sun was and the shadows of the establishment that cover some parts of the ground she could guess that it's almost noon.

'Goodness! I overslept!' she thought.

As she looked out the window and saw Mike's back, she tilted her head to wonder why he didn't face her like the way he was glancing every now and then, observing her every action.

Leticia then noticed her reflection.

'Oops…'

She could clearly see her chocolate hair became a bird's nest after a long ride of banging her head back and forth throughout the carriage ride because of the unpaved road.

She quickly fixed her appearance. After five minutes, Leticia opened the door and Mike escorted her from the carriage.

"Thank you, Sir Mike."

"It's my honor to escort you, Miss Leticia."

They now become acquainted. At first, Leticia had doubts that he saw him somewhere, then she suddenly remembered someone when she saw Mike wearing his hood.

She became flustered at how coincidental it was. And when she heard him call her 'my lady', she immediately suggested he call her in another way as she was not used to being called like that.

Mike didn't argue with that and immediately agreed to her suggestion.

'We'll even though he looked scary, he's actually nice.' Leticia thought as she looked at Mike and smiled.

***

The atmosphere inside the camp was heavy as their Commander, Duke Hugh, was looking at the map of the area that the scout team obtained.

"There's three camps situated here, here and here…" Salis said as he pointed to the locations of the base camps of the enemy inside the untouched forest of the South.

"As we speculated, their weapons and equipment were all well maintained. They are also too trained in the arts of swordsmanship and also the intelligence squad learned that the leaders are someone from the side of the third prince faction of the Gloackman Kingdom. Their supplies also came from the direction of one of the supporters of the third prince" Salis then traced the map to the direction of the Gloakman Kingdom.

"Alright, this will be enough! We will launch the ambush in the middle of the night. Tell the others to prepare! Kill the enemies that will resist, for those who are going to surrender, spare them and catch them. And if they flee to their Kingdom let them be! Our only goal is to make them know that no one should trespass our kingdom and bring fear to the citizens."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Austin, you stay here and everyone gets out."

The leaders of every squad bowed their heads and followed their Commander's order and Austin was left in his spot.

"What happened to the spy?"

Hugh's cold tone reverberated inside his tent and Austin could feel the pressure and anger in his voice.

"We already captured him. I appointed Michael to watch over him, he's gagged and tied up in a tent beside the training ground of the Black Stallion Knights so that he could not try anything…" Austin paused and crumpled his face in anger as he couldn't accept the fact that someone they trusted was a traitor to the Knights. "...but we never really thought that he would betray us."

The spy that they found among the knights was called James. He entered the reserve knights four years ago and was dispatched to the frontlines a year after and became their comrade who fought side by side at the war.

After the war, he officially joined the Black Stallion Knights which was said to have a difficulty in recruiting people because of the hellish training and because most of the people in the army came from the North that some knight candidates find it hard to apply.

This was supposed to be the first time that James joined a mission as an official member of the Black Stallion Knights of the Duke of the North.

He already accomplished an incredible feat however...

"He betrayed us… What an idiot!" Austin mumbled.

Hugh sighed as he looked at Austin's reaction. He knew full well that his right-hand man was someone who values comradery above everyone else and that he hated himself for letting someone betray their trust. Even Hugh was angry that someone had entered his circle and had the audacity to spy on them.

"Austin, after this mission be sure to double check our personnel. Make sure that no rats will ever enter again."

"Yes, Commander!"

Hugh sighed as he looked at his subordinates leaving his tent. It's been two days since he arrived at the camp at the border but his mind wanders for the chocolate hair that he always saw every morning.

He then remembered his promise to her.

"I'll wrap everything in a week…"

Hugh then left his tent with his armor on.

"... but first, let's settle the issue with the spy."

Hugh walked while emitting pressure and darkness surrounding his whole aura while his right hand holds a long sharp sword that glints when hits by the sun's rays.

Gulp!

Shivers run down the spine of the knights that saw their Commander with a dead angry looked. They unconsciously thought of one thing that would happen to James.

'He's going to die a miserable death...'