Unknown point of view
"Did everything go accordingly?" Asked the man as I nodded.
"Of course, my Lord. We went in, attacked, and before we left, made sure the sign was in a good view for all to see," I said as he nodded.
"Terrific, I knew you would make a great leader of my bandits," he said as I smiled.
"The only problem with that, my lord, is that now we don't have many men since they were all captured," I said as he chuckled.
"Don't worry about that; I don't care that they have been captured," he said as I raised my eyebrow.
"What if they are to speak my lord?" I asked as he raised his eyebrow at me.
"Then you will be in huge trouble; you are the leader after all of the supposed bandits," he said as my eyes widened.
"But…." I started as he cut me off.
"Ttttt, what a careless mistake you made, and to think I had high hopes for you as the leader of the bandits," said the Lord.
"Pray they won't say anything against you," said the Lord as I shook my head.
"They won't say anything; they ask for a high pay for information, and I don't think the king and queen will pay for it," I said as he chuckled.
"Are you sure? They really want to know who is behind this and might pay what they're asking," he said as I shook my head.
"Even if that were the case, we moved location so they will never find our training station," I said as he smiled.
"Excellent job covering your tracks, Grimmy. You deserve an award," he said, snickering as I rolled my eyes.
"Besides, the butcher and I have an understanding," I said as he frowned, confused.
"Do tell," he said, snickering, pouring a cup of wine as I smirked.
"If anyone is to tell, he shall eliminate them immediately," I said as his eyes widened, and he nodded.
"Very impressed," he said as I nodded.
"Besides, all we got was nobodies who just wanted money," I said as he nodded.
"Great, now I need you to lay low for a while. They are starting their investigations, and you need to be low for a bit," he said as I nodded.
"Anywhere in particular you want us to go? In case you need us?" I asked as he shook his head.
"As long as everything goes according to plan, I don't care where you go; I will contact you when needed," he said as I nodded.
I was about to say something when a familiar voice was heard from outside the tent before the woman appeared.
"Darling, how are we doing?" she asked, smiling, delighted. The Lord looked at her before smiling.
"We are doing excellent; everything is going according to plan," he said as she joyfully approached him.
I don't know what it was about this woman, but she looked absolutely horrendous. I don't know what the Lord sees in her.
However, if I'm being honest, I think it's because of her information. She knows a lot of what the Lord wants to know, which is why I think he keeps her around.
"So, everyone knows that the queen is nothing more than an abandoned seamstress?" She asked as I nodded.
"Yes, inside the castle, we were able to write down the message in blood while we took the banner down for people to see," I said, and she smiled joyfully.
"Excellent, she is no queen. She's nothing more than a pedant girl with silly dreams," she said, sipping her wine.
"Part 1 is done now; what about Genova?" She asked as the Lord smiled.
"That is also taken care of, my dear, trust me. Both will fall; we just need time and patience," he said as she raised her eyebrow.
I knew what that meant; she wasn't very happy about the waiting part.
"Patience is key for our preparation, especially if we want things to go according to plan," said the Lord as the woman rolled her eyes.
"What is the difference here again?" She asked, a bit annoyed as the Lord smiled.
"The difference is that here we already have our criminal," he said, smirking as she frowned again, confused.
"You mean Preminger?" She asked as the Lord nodded.
"Yes, they will quickly believe it's him and will not think deeply into the investigation about us," he said as she smiled.
"But he's locked away; how would he be able to do that?" I asked as he laughed.
"Fool, you really don't know Preminger or his capabilities. Trust me, he's capable of doing this and much more, even being locked away," he said as I frowned, confused.
"Preminger is a good Allie. Too bad he's locked away. He did help me once," said the female as I looked at her confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked her as she rolled her eyes.
"Mind your own business, little one," she said as I rolled my eyes.
"Anything else you need?" I asked as they shook their heads.
"Nope, just be around in case I need you," said the Lord as I nodded before leaving.
"Actually," he started as I stopped before turning around to face him.
"I do need one more thing," he said as I raised my eyebrow before nodding at him.
"You say," I said as he smiled for a moment.
"I need you to keep Queen Genevieve in surveillance for a bit; I don't need her snooping into unnecessary things," he said as I raised my eyebrow.
"Anything in particular you want me to report back?" I asked as he shook his head.
"No, just keep me in the loop of what she is doing. Weekly reports will do for now," he said as I nodded.
It was a bit confusing because what did Queen Genevieve have to do with Queen Erika of Dulcinea? He's losing his mind already.
"Alright," I said as he smiled, and I was leaving the tent.
I took the men who survived the attack with me, and we moved to the far east of Dulcinea while the rest rot in the dungeons.
Honestly, I didn't care because I didn't know or care what happened to them. They were just a piece in this game.
However, that does not mean I will take this punishment alone. If I fall, I have no problem taking the Lord with me.
'He and his lady are both going down with me if I fall.' I thought as I walked into the bushes.
Princess Anneliese
We were on our way to Dulcinea, and I couldn't help but think of the interrogation we had a few days ago with Preminger's minions, Nick and Nack.
Part of me wanted to believe them, but another part of me did, too, because I knew their reputation. Then again, they would also say anything to get out of their cell.
Another part of me believed that no one would know Preminger better than his own minions, for a reason they worked for him.
Flashback
"Princess, Princess, you came back," Said Nick as I raised my eyebrow at him.
"I heard you have some information for me?" I asked, walking towards Nack and raising my eyebrow.
I could care less what Nick would tell me because I know he is out of it entirely, whereas Nack is more credible.
I looked up at Nack, who stood up and shook his head before walking toward me. I raised my eyebrow at him, indicating my patience.
.
"Well? I'm waiting, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked as he looked at me, a bit confused.
I talked with Julian and agreed not to come to them asking the questions I wanted to ask them. Instead, I will come up to them and demand they tell me why they wanted to see me.
I didn't want them to try to bribe me for their freedom or ask for money in exchange for this key information.
This kind of favored me since after I left, they kept on yelling that they wanted to speak to me and they wanted me to know certain information.
"What do I get in return?" asked Nack. They looked at Julian, smiling, and slightly giggled, making them look at me confused.
"What do you get in return? You asked for me; essentially, you are getting me and my time that I took from other things to come and hear you out," I said as he looked surprised.
Deep down, I knew he clearly wasn't expecting that. He was expecting more of the "what do you know" and the exchange of reward for information.
"Nothing? You mean to tell me I wasted my time for no reason when I could be using it on something else?" I told him as he looked at me and stayed quiet momentarily.
"Alright then, have it your way; I'm not the one that is rotting in here anyway," I said, getting ready to leave as he stopped me.
"No, no, wait, Princess, I'm sorry. I do have some information that I would like to share with you, but you must promise me that if I tell you, you will help me," he said as I raised my eyebrow at him, confused.
"Help you? Nack, you are here because you decided to listen to Preminger, and anything you say could possibly be tainted," I said as he shook his head.
"It's not, I promise," he said as I thought for a moment before I sighed.
"Alright, the only thing I can help you with is moving you to your own cell and considering your help about possibly being liberated one day," I said as he nodded his head.
"Close enough," he said as I nodded to him.
"Begin then; what do you have to tell me?" I asked him as he sighed before talking.
"Preminger is behind the disappearance of the king of Genova," he said as my eyes widened.
"W-w-what? H-h-how? What are you talking about? My father died in a storm that caused the whole ship to sink at the bottom of the ocean?" I said as he shook his head.
"There was never a storm, Princess. Your father was attacked by pirates who took over his ship with the help of Preminger," he said, looking a bit upset as I looked at him, shocked.
"And, of course, you were one of his minions, weren't you?" I asked as he nodded.
"Preminger had told the pirates the day your father had planned to travel and let them know in advance where they could meet him to attack," he said as I looked at him, upset.
"Was Preminger with the pirates when they attacked my father?" I asked as he shook his head.
"No, he was back here in Genova with your mother. His objective was to make sure Queen Genevieve got the news at the perfect time and that he was here to comfort her," he said as I shook my head.
Part of me wanted to look away, while another part of me wanted to run into his cell and beat him up for everything that he's been telling me.
In other words, he's just confirming my thoughts about Preminger wanting to take over my Kingdom and play all of us.
"I was there with Nick when we attacked your father's ship," he admitted as I turned slightly away from him and looked at Julian.
"Do we need to stop and take a break?" He whispered at me as I felt a teardrop before shaking my head.
"No, I need to know what happened," I said as Julia nodded and took hold of my hand.
"Many of your father's crew were thrown into the ocean while another part of them were killed; I didn't kill any of them. I couldn't," he said as I frowned at him, confused.
"Why? I'm pretty sure Preminger paid you enough money to have them execute?" I asked as he nodded.
"He did, but I couldn't kill an innocent man who had done nothing to me. Kidnapping is one thing, and hurting someone is another, but killing is another level that I will never reach," He said.
"Unlike Preminger, who will kill anybody who is in his way when he is determined to get something," he said as I nodded, remembering that he was close to killing Julian and me to get the Kingdom.
"What happened to my father?" I asked him as he took a deep breath and avoided making eye contact with me.
"Last I remember, Princess, he was tied up with rope and placed on a raft before pushing it into the ocean," he said as I closed my eyes for a moment.
"It was very foggy, and after that, we never saw him again; we believed he might have died at sea, but there's nothing that could confirm that," he said as I looked down and nodded.
"Anyone else involved in this?" I asked him as he shook his head.
"No one else, Princess," he said, sounding a bit upset as I took a deep breath before looking up at him.
"You had all the time in the world to confess; why do it now?" I asked as he took a deep breath.
"I have nothing left to lose, Princess; I'd rather you know the truth than have it die with me. At least this could give you closure about what happened to your father," he said as I nodded.
End of flashback
I shook my head, coming into reality as I saw Dulcinea's castle from far away. I knew deep down that my father's disappearance was still a mystery.
After I told my mother about the situation, she felt a bit relieved, and I couldn't finally understand what she meant that she still felt his presence.
Perhaps my father could be alive, but the chances of that being real are slim to none. It's been years since that tragedy, and if he was alive, he would have made it back by now.
We were on our way to Erika's Kingdom to discuss our findings and hear her findings.
Once we had arrived and were greeted by their steward, they led us to their office. Once we walked in, we saw them sitting down and smiling at us.
"Anneliese, Julian, it's so great of you guys to come. We have collected a lot of information," said Erika as I nodded.
"So have we, and it's hard to hear all of this," I said as they looked at us a bit concerned.
"Please, why don't you guys start," Said Dominick as I nodded and began telling them everything I had discovered in my Kingdom.
"Oh, my! Anneliese, I'm so sorry that's really difficult to hear," said Erika as I nodded.
"What about you guys? What did you discover?" I asked them as they began to inform me about their discovery.
"Wow, that is a lot, and it would be interesting if I did say so myself," said Julian as I nodded.
Some deep things were going on in both our kingdoms, and we narrowed it down to being a target about our parent's past, most importantly, how they died.
"Here's the thing I'm a little concerned about. Let's say the attacker was trying to attack Anneliese and me personally; how does this person know about our past?" Asked Erika as we all shrugged.
"This is where it doesn't add up," I said as they nodded.
"The reason for this is that on my side, I believe it would be Preminger, but he's locked away. He couldn't be the one doing this, could he?" I asked, as they all thought.
"Possibly, but think about it, as you said, that's your side, but what about Erika's?" questioned Dominick as I nodded.
"The only person I could potentially see hurting me would be Madame Carp," said Erika as I nodded.
"Her and Preminger, remember you helped Julian, and I fool his plan so I could see him potentially hurting you," I said as everyone agreed.
"He also saw you and Dominick get close, so I'm pretty sure he knows you two are married," added Julian as we nodded.
"But again, Preminger doesn't receive visitors so how could he be doing this? His minions are in a different cell and I don't think from what they told me they're with him anymore," I said as we all thought.
"Plus, I don't think we have a lead on Madame Carp, do we?" I asked as Erika looked over at Dominick, who was looking at some paperwork.
"Erika told me the exact same thing, which is why I had an investigator try to find something involving Madam Carb on what she was doing and her location for now," said Dominick.
"And?" I asked, hoping we would find something as they looked disappointed and shook their heads.
"So far, we haven't been able to find out anything about her," said Erika, a bit disappointed as Dominick nodded.
"Remember, though, we just started a few days ago, trying to get a hold of her. It might take us months, possibly even years," said Dominick as we all nodded.
"I just had a thought. Let's consider this from another point of view," said Julian, as we all looked at him confused.
"Let's focus on who the corporate is, but what it says is the main message. What is he trying to tell us?" said Julian, as we all looked at him a bit confused.
"Honey, I don't think he's trying to give us a message. I think he's just trying to sabotage us," I said as he shook his head.
"It's too much of a coincidence to think so; think about it. He's trying to hurt both of you by digging up the past, but what if the past has a deeper meaning?" He asked as we all thought.
"Then what would be the point in that? Why would he lead them to uncover secrets?" Asked Dominick, confused.
"He wouldn't because they sent Queen Genevieve a threatening note about secrets staying secret," added Erika as my eyes widened.
"What if it's because we are digging into territory he doesn't want us digging into? What if it's just to hurt us, but we're discovering something they don't want us to know?" I said as their eyes widened.
"Are you... Are you trying to tell me that my father could be alive?" Ask Erika, confused as I shrugged.
"Maybe, I mean, he left, and he never returned. Who's to say he's probably not out there? The chances of your father being alive are higher than mine," I said, a bit upset.
"Why don't we focus on one thing at a time," said Julian as I nodded.
"Anneliese, Let me look for your father. I'm already getting enough support from King Theo, and Lord Alexander is joining us. Have faith that we will find him with this information we received," said Mom as I nodded.
"This way, you can focus on what is really attacking Dulcinea. The person who was attacking Erika made up the bandits to distract them and have them turn against her," added Julian as I nodded.
"You're right, and the first person I'd say we start with the interrogation is Lord Caius," I said as they nodded.
"The only problem with that is that the prisoner we talked to didn't describe the man as looking like Lord Caius," said Dominick as we nodded.
"That means it could be more than one person we are looking for, then. There is always the head boss and the little minions that follow around," I said, smiling over to Julian.
"I don't think it's a good idea for Dominick and me to interrogate him since we already have a bad history," said Erika as I nodded.
"Leave that to us; we'll take care of it," said Julian as I nodded.
"In the meantime, have you checked out what the prisoner said to be true?" I asked as they nodded.
"We did, and his story is true, so I don't have any reason not to believe him at this point," said Dominick as we nodded.
"It looks like we have a whole day ahead of us, then, of interrogating suspects," I said, smiling at my friends as they nodded.
"To make this seem less suspicious, Erika and I are going to the village and talking with the people about the events that occurred with the bandits," Dominick said as we nodded.
"That's a good idea; this will distract the person from the main focus," said Julian as we nodded.
"We will walk around a little bit just to make sure that people feel safe and give you guys enough time," Erika said as we nodded.
'This was going to be fun indeed,' I thought before we made a plan of what we were going to do and who we were going to ask before leaving to start the plan.