Chapter 55

To be honest, she hadn't been sure until the end whether Baridi would actually go against the king's

orders. So she was all the more pleased.

"What are you still standing around here? The princess should have been brought into the study

long ago," Baridi scolded the guard who was still standing next to Lyana.

The man took a step back. "Shall we take you there directly?" He asked uncertainly.

But Baridi just shook his head. "You have done enough already. I'll take care of it personally." The

valet gave Lyana his arm without giving the guards a second look.

She, too, now took his arm and left the confused guards behind. "I hope I did everything right," he

asked after they were out of earshot.

Lyana laughed enthusiastically. "Oh, definitely. It couldn't have gone any better. But where is the king now? I absolutely have to speak to him."

Baridi looked at the floor, embarrassed. "I'm very sorry, Your Royal Highness. He had withdrawn to talk to the count. After that I didn't see him again because he sent me away.

Otherwise it would have been too easy. "Then take me there. Maybe it will help me somehow. In the meantime you can talk to the servants, someone may have seen or heard something."

Agreeing with this plan, he hurriedly led the princess to the king's study. Once there, she looked at

him briefly. "I'll go in alone. Look for the others and see if you can find out anything. Come back

here immediately if that should be the case."

Baridi accepted her instruction and walked away. Lyana turned to the door and opened it without

hesitation. First she looked around the room. But as feared, there was no trace of the king. Instead,

she discovered someone else she knew all too well.

ä "Count!" She exclaimed in amazement when

she found him on the sofa in the middle of the room.

"Your Royal Highness?" Surprised, the count got up and bowed briefly. "I didn't expect to see you today." To be honest, Lyana didn't have either. "Why are you ... ah. You brought the men whom the king wanted as reinforcements."

With a nod, he offered her the seat across of him. "As a matter of fact."

Reluctantly, the sun princess accepted, although she felt too restless to sit down.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you anything about it at the time," he apologized immediately. But Lyana just raised her hands defensively. "Don't apologize. After all, it is an order from your king."

The count smiled weakly. "You are too kind. Unfortunately I have to say that I did not receive a lot

of information either. Only today ... well, I have at least learned the most important things."

"He's planning to kill my grandfather and possibly the rest of my family as well," Lyana stated dryly and the count nodded ashamed. "I owe him a lot of thanks, you know. My wife has a weak constitution and he helped us wherever it was needed. So when he asked for some of my best men, I agreed. If I had known what he was up to ... I could at least have made more efforts to change his mind."

The princess saw it differently, but there was no time for that. "Can you tell me where the king is now?"

The count shook his head regretfully. "After our conversation, he left the room without another word."

"And when was that?"

"That was a while ago. He asked me to wait here until he ... is finished."

Lyana bit her lower lip nervously. Did he meet her family inside the castle? But wasn't it too quiet for that? However, she also didn't know whether they were already here or not.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door and in the next moment it was opened by a nervous Baridi.

ä The panic in his eyes tore the princess from her place. "Where is he?" She asked immediately.

"In front of the ice bridge!"

She quickly ran to Baridi and the count wanted to follow her too. But she stopped him with a raised

hand. "The king was right. You should wait here until it's all over. Your wife and children would be very unhappy if something happened to you. This is now my responsibility." With that she hurried out with Baridi.

"Have you been there already?" She asked him without slowing down.

"Not yet. I met one of the stable boys who told me about it. It looks like your father has already arrived with his people."

Lyana's heart was racing. Was it possible that they were already too late? Completely out of breath

she arrived outside. From a distance she could see the fighting men. There weren't many, but the sight of the wounded and those still fighting made her swallow hard. They kept walking and after a while she recognized her father and Afram, who were both fighting in front of the bridge. A number of men prevented them from going any further. Because that was where King Ulric was. Together with her grandfather.