"Leona, you've really come at a bad time. I have to go to Father's place in a moment," Anna said, her lips pouting with a hint of petulance.
"Don't even mention it, my dear Princess. You almost didn't get to see me at all," Leona said with a bitter smile. Just thinking about her headaches gave her a headache.
"Did you get attacked by an assassin too?" Anna asked worriedly.
Leona shook her head; so far, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of an assassin.
"Wait, did you say 'too'?" Leona turned back to ask.
Her mind involuntarily flashed to Milan's blood-stained clothes.
Anna sat down and told Leona everything about the assassins in detail, keeping it as brief as possible since she had to head to the main hall soon.
Leona listened quietly, nodding slightly every now and then.
That made sense. It seemed Milan's situation was indeed related to the assassins.
"Be as careful as you can. It seems they've realized they can't attack you at night, so they're shifting their focus to the daytime."
Leona also told Anna about the kitchen and how the Shadows at night would kill anyone who intended to take her life.
"I know they kill anyone who intends to harm me. That might be why the Queen has delayed taking action against me for so long." Anna kept her head lowered so far that one would have to bend down to see her eyes.
"The Queen wants to kill you too?" Leona asked.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt her question was redundant. Wasn't the storyline of Snow White all about the evil Queen doing everything possible to kill Snow White?
It was just that the fairy tales in this world differed greatly from her memories, causing her to forget this point.
At least the general plot wouldn't change.
"Of course. Many people around me have suffered because of me..." Anna clutched her dress, her voice growing quieter and quieter.
She suddenly felt a warmth on her head, and looking up, she saw Leona gently stroking her head.
For a split second, she even caught a momentary vision of her late mother in Leona.
"Anna, don't place all the blame on yourself. This isn't your fault. Believe me, evil will eventually face its judgment."
As Leona spoke, she sensed the atmosphere was a bit strange and immediately lowered her hand.
Strange, why did I do that instinctively?
Anna didn't feel uncomfortable at all, looking up to offer her spring-like smile once more.
"Leona, is this your way of comforting me? If so, I accept it."
Leona rubbed her nose. Hearing Anna say that made her not want to bring up the matter again.
She glanced at the sun hanging directly above the wishing well.
1. The King has become exceptionally quick-tempered due to his wife's death. When he is irritable, never let him be alone with the Princess, or he will kill her.
Suddenly, she remembered the first rule from the diary.
Turning to look at Anna, she asked, "Anna, can I go to the meeting in your place?"
Being able to read minds, Anna naturally understood Leona's thoughts.
"You don't need to do that, Leona. I'll handle my own affairs properly."
If Father was truly as Leona thought in her mind, Leona shouldn't be the one taking this risk.
"Your Highness!"
Looking at Anna's expression, Leona vaguely guessed that she had peeked into her thoughts again using mind reading.
Speaking in a tone that brooked no refusal, she said, "You told me earlier that you wanted to help me escape. This is what I want to do. I can't let you die, understand?"
【I won't let you die.】
"But..."
"No buts. People's hearts respond to one another—that's what you said. I think there should be enough trust between us. Trust me, okay?"
Seeing Leona's face leaning closer and closer, Anna could no longer find any reason to refuse her.
"Alright. Be extremely careful. The first two outfits in the wardrobe are the ones I usually wear," Anna nodded.
"That's more like it, Your Highness. I'll be going now," Leona said with a smile, brushing past Anna toward the ladder.
Anna suddenly turned around and called out to Leona once more.
"Leona."
Leona turned her head. "Is there something else, Your Highness?"
"Call me Anna."
"Alright, Anna."
...
Departing from the Princess's bedchamber to the main hall required walking through the royal family's exclusive corridor. The corridor was extremely high, its vaulted ceiling painted with various mythical figures, though Leona couldn't recognize a single one.
At this moment, Leona was walking alongside Croll. Rather than a personal maid arranged by Milan for Anna, Croll was more like a personal bodyguard.
All along the way, Croll constantly observed her surroundings. Two short blades were concealed against her thighs beneath her long skirt, ready for her to strike at the slightest sign of danger.
Leona lifted her long skirt as she walked slowly through the corridor, the plush carpet muffling the sound of her boots. Before long, a grand carved hall door would await her.
Just then, Croll halted her steps.
"What's wrong, Croll?" Leona asked in confusion.
Although she didn't want Anna to die, she didn't want to die either.
Not having a powerful bodyguard with her would leave her feeling deeply insecure.
"You are not Her Highness."
Croll looked down at Leona, her silver-gray eyes revealing a deadly stillness that made Leona's skin crawl.
"Croll, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Leona had already begun to panic, but she still feigned composure on the surface.
Even with her appearance changed, Leona was not a god after all. Before Croll, who possessed keen powers of observation, her disguise was laughably transparent.
"I won't report you. I noticed you from the very beginning. The Princess was also doing her utmost to conceal your existence, sending me outside the room," Croll said, her voice mechanical and ice-cold.
This was the most words she had spoken all at once since coming to the Princess's side.
"Is that so? Then thank you very much," Leona sighed, seeing that her disguise was now pointless.
Her hunter Grandpa and the daughter of the disgraced official before her didn't seem like pushovers at all.
It seemed the abilities granted to outsiders were not blessings, but charity.
"May I ask you a question?" Croll asked.
"Go ahead." Leona's interest was piqued.
Cold as this girl was, she actually had a question she wanted to ask her.
"Will you... protect the Princess?"
Leona's cheek twitched almost imperceptibly. What kind of question was that?
"Of course."
"For sure?"
"For sure."
The questioning ended there.
Leona found it completely bizarre. Croll couldn't read minds like Anna, so anyone would give the same answer without any way to prove its credibility.
Yet people's hearts always respond to one another. Although Croll couldn't read minds, a sincere person could recognize sincerity in others.
The two continued forward, not speaking another word along the way.
Soon they arrived before the main hall. Standing at the entrance were two guards holding halberds. Seeing the Princess, they raised their hands to their chests in salute and opened the grand doors for Leona.
Before Leona could even react after stepping inside, the grand doors slammed shut behind her.
Normally, the main hall would be filled with important ministers to discuss state affairs together, but at this very moment, there was only one person inside.
High upon the dais, an old man sat upon the throne. His silver-white hair was neatly bound under a crown, and one hand gripped his scepter tightly, as if he never wanted to let go of it for even a second.
Sensing an invisible pressure, Leona walked up the platform, stopped a few steps before the throne, and curtsied slightly in greeting.
"Rise."
The King looked up, lightly raising the hand resting on the armrest.
But immediately after, his expression shifted slightly.
In the past, whenever Anna saw him, she would keep her head bowed with a feeling that seemed less like fear and more like deliberate distance.
Yet now, his daughter actually dared to look directly into his eyes, neither servile nor overbearing.
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