"Cat out of the bag"

After finishing her call, Scarlet returned to the dining hall, accompanied by Butler Dave.

To her surprise, Charles was nowhere to be found. She turned to Dave, her face displaying clear confusion.

"Where's Charles?" she inquired, fully facing him.

"I believe he's in the student council room attending to his duties, Madam." Butler Dave replied.

Scarlet tilted her head. "But it's Sunday. Doesn't he know how to take a break?"

"Being the student council president is not always an easy job, Madam," He responded sternly.

"I guess so. Do you think he'd mind if we paid him a visit there?"

"No, I don't believe so," He said, leading her toward Charles's location.

When Butler Dave opened the door, Scarlet saw Charles sitting at a table, engrossed in some paperwork.

"Charles! Can I bother you for a moment?" She said cheerfully as she approached him.

Charles looked at her with a serious expression and then suddenly broke into a smile. "Sure, what is it?" he replied, neatly organizing his papers on the table.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here for, I guess, two days? I really feel much better now, and it's all thanks to how well you've all taken care of me!" Scarlet expressed her gratitude cheerfully, flashing a cute smile as she settled onto a comfortable beige-colored couch.

"Two days?" Charles's eyes widened as he looked at her, seemingly unaware of what she was referring to.

"Yeah! The battle was on Friday, right? And today is Sunday—"

"To be precise, you were asleep for eight days," he interrupted, surprising her.

Scarlet's eyes widened and she jumped from her seat. "What?! That can't be!" she exclaimed, struggling to grasp the shocking news Charles had just delivered.

"Yes," Charles replied, his words devoid of jest.

She paused for a moment, contemplating.

"It can't be," she said, her disappointment evident.

'And here I thought I heal faster than most people,' she thought to herself.

"Well, it can't be helped. You were badly injured when they rescued you," he chuckled.

Scarlet then looked down at the floor and proceeded to nibble on her nail.

While Scarlet was lost in thought, Charles then suddenly fixed her with a stern look and signaled for Butler Dave to wait outside. From Scarlet's perspective, it was clear that Charles wanted a private conversation, perhaps with questions he didn't want overheard.

"Anyway, Marshall, who are you really?" Charles asked, his gaze intense.

"I'm me, of course!" She answered in a light-hearted manner, attempting to ease the tension. However, her efforts were in vain as Charles continued to press for answers.

"Marshall? Or should I say Scarlet Terra, the second Princess of the Earth Empire?" He said sternly, smirking at her.

Scarlet met his gaze. "Oh? You asked for my name, yet you already know me. I guess I didn't need to lie," she sighed.

"I only know now because I asked someone to verify your identity. I didn't know you were such an important person, Scarlet. The cute little Princess who went missing at the age of twelve," Charles said, holding up a printed photo of young Scarlet, marked with the word 'missing' at the bottom.

"That's old news," she replied, unfazed while crossing her arms as she chuckled.

"Tell me, why did a Princess like you run away from home? And what were you doing on the battlefield?" Charles inquired, his curiosity evidently piqued by her nonchalant response.

She offered a smile and scratched her head. "Well, I got lost, and before I knew it, I ended up in the battlefield, but it's really none of your concern," she replied, gradually closing the gap between them. "But please, let's just keep this between us," she added in a near-whisper, placing her finger to her lips as a sign for discretion.

He chuckled, amused by her reaction, "Very well, I don't think you're a bad person anyway," Charles said, sighing. "But why the need for secrecy?" he inquired.

"I don't want news to spread like wildfire, that'd be bad," she replied promptly.

"Valid point," he agreed.

"Welp, I should be on my way now! I have someone picking me up later. Thank you for your help," she said, bowing respectfully to Charles.

"Leaving so soon?" he said with a tinge of disappointment.

"Yes, you're very busy, and I don't have anyone to play with," she quipped, adding a playful pout.

Charles laughed at her comment. "Well, I'll have Dave accompany you—"

"No need! I can take care of myself. Besides, I've found the exit, so I'll be just fine," Scarlet interrupted, cutting off his statement and proceeded to walk toward the door.

As she opened the door, she glanced back at Charles and waved with a wink. "Ciao."

Once outside the room, Scarlet made her way directly to the exit, where she spotted a man in his twenties wearing a green camouflage soldier uniform. His slicked-back silver hair caught her attention.

With a mischievous smirk, she muttered, "Bullseye!"

In the blink of an eye, she swiftly closed the distance, delivering a powerful punch to the man's abdomen, causing him to soar into a nearby bush.

"W-w-what? Who..." John stuttered, looking around to identify the assailant.