Chapter 23: Bad News
1558 Words
"Is Nina still not here?" Orson asked his subordinates. "This is where we agreed to meet, and she's already past the time we set off! Where could that hardheaded woman be?"
They looked around, hoping Nina would arrive, but even her shadow seemed unwilling to appear.
"Orson, Nina was just caught up in the conversation. She's usually the one who was waiting for us," one of their companions said. "W-What if— what if something bad happened to her?"
Upon hearing that, Orson clenched his fists tightly. What his companion said was somewhat true, which worried him about Nina. He turned around, facing the possible path where Nina would come from, and prayed that nothing terrible had happened to her.
Nina, where are you!?
Soon, he caught sight of a child running towards them from a distance. His eyes squinted as he recognized who the child was. As the child got closer, Orson's eyes widened even more; it was Nube, Nina's younger brother.
"Nube, what are you doing here?" Orson asked as the panting and crying child approached.
"Please, help me! Please, Orson, I beg you," Nube sobbed. "It's my father! My father!!!"
"What happened to Henry?" Orson asked with growing anxiety.
"They were beaten up by soldiers! My father is all bloody! Please, you have to help him!" Nube pleaded.
Everyone was taken aback by the child's revelation and hurriedly rushed to Nina's house. When they arrived, they found the place in chaos, with belongings scattered and broken. They also saw Henry lying unconscious on the floor, covered in blood from the beating he endured.
"Henry!!!" Orson exclaimed, rushing to the poor man's side. They attended to Henry and gave him immediate care.
"What happened here, Nube?" Orson asked the child.
Nube hesitated for a moment, feeling a mix of fear, anger, and anxiety.
"N-Nina came earlier," Nube began, tears streaming down his face. "She brought food because it's Noreen's birthday today. It's her eighteenth birthday. Then, Father told Nina to take Noreen with her, since he was so worried about her! The young women here were forcibly taken away from their families. While we were in the middle of our conversation, t-they arrived— Nube clenched his trembling fists— General Desmond and his men! They took Nina and Noreen! Father tried to stop them, but that's what he got."
"Orson!" one of Orson's men exclaimed.
Orson gritted his teeth and felt a wave of dread wash over him. He turned and decided to head back to their camp.
"Nube, I'll send a doctor to check on your father. Wait here," Orson said, looking at his companions. "Let's go! Hurry! We need to inform Devil Wolf about this immediately!"
Without delay, Orson and his comrades rushed back to their camp. They were worried about what might have happened to Nina, but since they were only a few, they knew there was little they could do to rescue her. They wanted to inform their leader immediately so that he could plan and take action on how they would save the young lady.
Meanwhile, the day became somber for Amara. Aside from Nina's absence, Cyrus and Dravis were also gone. She decided to roam around the large house that served as the bandits' hideout within the forest.
Amara remembered Nina mentioning that other women were in the kitchen, so she sought them out. She searched each door and asked Ranz's men where they could be found. Following their directions, she eventually found what she was looking for.
Amara peeked into the kitchen and saw some women happily chatting while cooking. She knocked on the door before entering and was greeted by their smiles.
"Wait, are you the princess they're talking about?" asked an elderly woman who scrutinized her.
Amara immediately felt embarrassed, raising her hands in a gesture, "H-Honestly, please don't call me that. Just call me Amara!"
A little girl peeped from behind her mother, who was also among the cooks. The girl's smile widened as if she were delighted. "So you really are a princess!!!"
"Oh, you're so cute! What's your name?" Amara asked as she approached the child.
"Hannah!"
"What a beautiful name. It suits a beautiful girl like you," Amara chuckled gently.
"You too, princess, you're very beautiful!" Hannah replied, causing Amara's face to slightly blush.
Am I beautiful? Is that true?
"Lady Amara, what brings you here? Do you need something?" the head cook asked.
Amara shook her head, "No, nothing. I just wanted to help with the cooking."
"Oh no, don't bother! You might get burned and hurt your hands—"
The young lady interrupted, showing her hands with a few small scars from her past battles. She smiled as if reassuring the cook that she had nothing to worry about.
"I see. Well then, come join us! We have to prepare for hundreds of hungry bandits with crocodile stomachs! We need to get ready," the cook smiled, and Amara agreed.
Amara helped them and played with Hannah afterward. She noticed the little girl holding some black flowers called Black Floryn. It was a black flower used as a spice in their cooking.
"What are you doing with that?" Amara inquired.
Hannah looked at her and smiled widely as she smashed the flower with mortar and pestle to get its juice. She then took a paintbrush and used the extract to draw on her eyebrows. Amara's eyes widened at what the little girl did, and she had to cover her mouth to suppress her laughter.
"Hannah!!!" the girl's mother, Eliza, exclaimed. "What are you doing!? You're such a naughty child!"
"Why, Mama? I just wanted to be beautiful like you!"
"Look at yourself! Is that beautiful? You look like you have two worms on top of your eyes!!!" Eliza scolded as she took a cloth to wipe it off.
"I didn't know we could use Black Floryn like that. I thought it was just for cooking," Amara commented.
Eliza nodded, "There are many uses for that flower, so we planted plenty of them at the back. Aside from cooking, it's used for medicinal purposes, for shallow wounds, ink for writing on paper, and many other things. The black color of its extract is difficult to remove once it dries but can be gone if you wash it thoroughly. For cooking, a little dried and crushed flower is enough to add flavor. If you use too much, the food will turn black."
"Ahh, I didn't know this flower had so many benefits."
****
Amara bathed in the spring, then returned to their room. She was pleasantly surprised to find Dravis, and Cyrus was already there.
"Dravis! Cyrus!!!" Amara greeted happily, and both of them turned to her.
"My beloved princess! I missed you!!!" Cyrus said, seemingly about to approach Amara to hug her, but Dravis quickly grabbed him by the collar. Cyrus stopped himself from going near, but he still acted as if he wanted to get close to the princess.
"How was your trip?" Amara asked, looking at Dravis.
"It went well," Dravis replied in a casual, low tone. "And you?"
"Alright," replied Dravis in his casual, calm tone. "And how about you?"
Amara smiled widely and shared her activities for the day. She told them that she had gone to the kitchen and met the other women in their group. The young princess also mentioned Hannah and the funny thing the little girl did on the flower named Black Floryn, extracting it and putting it on her face. Dravis and Cyrus smiled when they learned she was doing well even without them.
They all headed to Ranz's room to have dinner together. The leader of the bandits invited them to join them again, and they gladly accepted the offer.
As they entered the room, the food was already prepared. Ranz was there, eating with some of his men. He looked at them and invited them to join. At first, Amara felt a bit nervous, thinking Ranz might approach her again with his flirtatious gestures. Still, the bandit leader didn't do that this time. Instead, he just gave her a smile and invited her to eat.
During their meal, they chatted and exchanged news with some of Ranz's men about the events in the area. They still faced the same problems as before. Ranz seemed to have a lower spirit at that moment, and Amara felt concerned for him.
"Ranz, is there something wrong?" Amara asked him suddenly.
Ranz looked at her, trying to force a smile in front of the princess. "No, I'm fine, my princess. Maybe I'm just tired."
Amara nodded.
"How can the leader, who does nothing but lie down and sleep all day, get tired?" Cyrus bantered.
"Shut up!" Ranz retorted.
Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the rapid footsteps outside the room. They all looked towards the door and saw Orson and his men appear.
"Devil Wolf!!!" Orson called out to Ranz, catching his breath for a moment. The fatigue and concern were evident on Orson's face.
Ranz stood up from his chair and frowned as he looked at Orson. "What happened!?"
Orson swallowed and took a deep breath before spilling it, "N-Nina! Nina and her sister were taken by Desmond!!!"
Ranz's eyes widened in shock, and Amara's shoulders slumped suddenly at his news.
No! Nina!!!
- Writer
