AN: Remember when I said I wouldn't be updating yesterday? Yeah, I remember it! Anyway, here's another chapter~

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TWENTIETH CHAPTER
"Whose lackey are you?"

North Pacifica, Ivywood
Marquis Bjorgman Mansion
Letter to " "

The Princess did nothing. She met nobody as of today and stayed indoors, spending time with her sister and reading some books in the mansion's library. The weather in North Pacifica was bad so there was no way the Princess could go out on her daily walk.

I will write more about what the princess had been doing a week later. Hopefully there will be something more interesting to tell you.

-H

Jackson walked out of the Bjorgman mansion very early in the morning as soon as the storm dissipated. Anna and Kristoff begged him to stay for a little while and wait until the sun rose, but he refused saying it would have been bad to bother the couple more than he already had. He boarded his carriage as his coachman closed the door for him.

An ominous feeling crept up Jackson's heart as he watched the mansion gradually grow smaller from behind him. Although he would never admit it out loud, he definitely cherished the time he spent in that mansion. Even though he got to see Lady Elsa for a small while as the lady spent more time catching up with her knight who just returned from escaping the grasp of the neighboring kingdom's King.

Although Jack was absorbed in his thoughts, it did not stop him from feeling a presence of somebody who was following him closely from behind. He quietly asked his coachman to stop at in the middle of the woods and walked out with his sword in his sheath dangling from his side. He looked in front of him and glanced sideways before walking deep into the woods and closer to the presence that he felt.

With quick and quiet footsteps, Jack unsheathed his sword and pushed the spy so that his back was pressed on a tree's trunk, the sword's blade on his neck.

"Who sent you?" Jack asked, his eyebrows knitted and his voice low.

In front of him was a man, possibly the same age as him, his hair a dark brown color and his eyes a bright green. He stared at Jack with no fear and bore no struggle as Jack pressed the blade of his sword to the man's neck. "Are you not going to answer?" Jack said. "Who sent you?" He asked again and his time the man spoke.

"Do you really think I will tell you that?"

Jack's expression darkened. "You're looking for death are you?"

"I'm not afraid of death," the man laughed. But this action only made Jack's anger flare. "You can kill me if you want." The man grinned absurdly as he raised his bare hand to grab the blade of the sword.

"Is it the Fischers who sent you?"

"Who knows?" The man shrugged. "I could be sent by absolutely anyone…" he trailed off. "But I'm not here for you." He smiled and Jack could feel chills run down his spine.

Jack didn't want to hear any more nonsense from the man and pressed his sword closer to the man's neck. It cut his skin and red blood trickled out, staining the man's brown cloak. But the man's eyes told Jack that he has absolutely no fear. "Hey, you want me to tell you something?" The man asked with a chuckle.

"I'll listen fi you tell me who you are…"

"Oh, dear Duke. You don't want to know who I am. I am nothing but pebbles on your grand mansion. I am nobody worth knowing about." He laughed as he held Jack's gaze.

"You dare—"

"But the news that I bring would certainly be of help for you," The man continued before Jack could finish his sentence.

The Young Duke decided to listen to the lunatic once more before making a decision of keeping him alive in his Ducal basement or cutting his head off. "Speak." Jack commanded.

"The Princess—"

"You!" Jack pushed him back and the man coughed out some blood, but that wasn't enough to wipe out the ridiculous smile pasted on the spy's face. "Don't you dare touch the princess," Jack said, his eyes seethed with anger as he gripped his sword more firmly on his hand.

The man laughed. "I'm not here to harm her. But there are people who want her," he trailed off. "I work for those disgusting people. I have been watching the princess in behalf of them for a long time now. All her movements have been recorded and sent to the Lord,"

"If you speak some more, I will cut off your head."

"The information I give them is not accurate," the man said with a nonchalant tone.

Jack looked at the man in disbelief. "How can I trust you?"

"Westergard and Kozmotis. They are the people who want her and will do anything in their power to bring her back. They might be laying low for now, but they are planning something big."

"Aren't you their spy? Why should I believe you?"

For the first time, the man broke his gaze and looked down flashing a bitter smile. "I don't wish for that princess to die," the man said, his eyes filled with emotion.

Jack looked at him with suspicions. "I know you don't trust me, but if you let me live then I can prove to you I'm on your side."

The Young Duke thought hard for a moment and came to a conclusion. "If I see you try to do something that might endanger the Princess, you will die. Report to me what you know and I'll decide if you live or not. What is your name?"

The man grinned.

"Hiccup."

"When will you get her?" A tall and lanky man dressed in luxurious cloth and draped with expensive jewelries and gold threw a wine bottle across the room. The glass shattered and the contents spilled on the white fur carpet sprawled on the marble floor.

Another man who had ginger hair hung his head low and made sure not to make any eye contact to the man who threw the bottle. For the lanky man had more power and had a much higher status than he had. "Do not worry, Your Majesty," he cooed. "We're only waiting until the right time to strike."

"Exactly when is the right time, Viscount? Are you sure you can handle this responsibility?" The King frowned. "I remember handing her over to you before we conquered this land…and you let her go? You incompetent bastard!"

Another bottle shattered from behind him.

"Rest assured, sire. We will have her back into the Kingdom sooner. A mere Marquis house cannot keep her hidden forever."

The King turned around, his face contorted and his eyes fixated on the gingerhead man standing on the opposite side of the room. He took long strides toward the Viscount and grabbed his face.

"Listen, Viscount," the King whispered in his ear. "If you do not get her as soon as possible, it's your life that will end. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You better. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and kill you on the spot!"