"Princess Syring, take this and go to the capital," Sedum said.
"I am not leaving you here to die," Princess Syring replied.
"Princess, do not worry about me. The whole palace is burning. You need to leave before the fire reaches here," Sedum said.
"But—"
Sedum interrupted, "Princess, please. You are the only hope of the East Palace left. If you die here, your family will end."
"If you stay here, you'll die," Syring said.
"If we both leave, they'll know you are alive, and they will come again. So I have to do this," Sedum replied.
Tears rolled down Syring's face. "If they come, we will fight together."
"Princess, take care and stay alive." Sedum pushed her. "Run, and do not trust anyone."
Princess Syring ran out of the palace through a secret route, thinking, I will come back and take revenge on everyone who caused your death.
It had been three days. Syring was hiding from everyone. She finally reached the capital city gate, but she couldn't trust anyone right now. So she took the jungle route to enter the city.
I have to meet the queen. Only she can help me.
As she came out of the jungle, she saw Amaryllis.
What is he doing here? And whom is he talking to?
She hid behind a shop to listen.
"Marantaceae, where are you going, leaving me here alone?" Amaryllis said.
Marantaceae turned to look at him. "I am not obliged to tell you."
He thought, He doesn't look like a commoner. He also knows the South Prince. It's better if I stay away from him.
"I saved you twice," Amaryllis said.
Marantaceae interrupted, "For which I am already grateful. But from here, we will go our own ways."
Before Amaryllis could say anything, he had already walked away.
Amaryllis thought, I'm letting you go for now, but I hope you have nothing to do with all the deaths happening in the palace.
He went in a different direction, looking for a hotel to rest. Soon, he realized someone was following him. He turned into the next lane—and she followed.
"Princess Syring… you are alive," Amaryllis said.
"Yes, Prince Amaryllis. What are you doing here?" Syring asked, looking him up and down. He was wearing common clothes.
"First tell me what happened that night. How did the whole palace burn?" Amaryllis asked.
"I don't know. I was sleeping when Sedum came and told me the palace was burning and that I had to run," Syring replied.
"What about the others?" he asked.
"Everyone died," she said, shaking her head.
"But how is that possible?"
"I don't know how everyone could die just because of a fire… unless someone entered the palace and killed everyone before setting it on fire, so no one could escape."
Amaryllis nodded, thinking. That would require great skill.
"Where are you heading?" he asked.
"I want to meet the queen. I can't trust anyone here. Only she can help me find the culprit," Syring said.
Amaryllis looked at her with concern. "Let's go somewhere we can hide."
They found a small hotel nearby. Syring covered her face so no one would recognize her. After settling in, Amaryllis asked her to stay in the room while he went out to buy necessities.
He went to buy clothes so she could look like a commoner. But there, he ran into Guard Magnolia.
He was about to leave when—
"Prince Amaryllis," Guard Magnolia called.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Amaryllis said.
"Sorry, Prince, but you need to stop running," Magnolia replied.
"Fine. Help me select some clothes," Amaryllis said.
"Are you buying clothes for a woman?" Magnolia asked, thinking, How did he find someone so quickly?
"I know what you're thinking, but that's not true. Just help," Amaryllis said.
After an hour, they finally bought everything.
Curious, Guard Magnolia asked, "Prince, where are we going?"
"I'll tell you—but first, stop calling me 'Prince,'" Amaryllis said.
They reached the hotel.
Guard Magnolia followed him inside—and froze when he saw Princess Syring.
He looked at Amaryllis, then at Syring, thinking, What mess have you created now?
"What is Princess Syring doing here?" he asked.
"Relax. I'll explain everything, but you need to calm down first," Amaryllis said.
Magnolia sat down and listened as Amaryllis explained everything.
"We have to inform your brother," Guard Magnolia said, rising from his seat as though he were about to rush out that very moment.
Amaryllis stopped him. "No. We don't have time for that."
"But Prince, it's very dangerous outside—"
"First, stop calling us 'Prince' and 'Princess,'" Amaryllis said.
Syring added, "He's right. I heard some rumors while coming here."
Amaryllis looked at her. "That the next target is the South?"
"Yes… but I heard something else."
Both Amaryllis and Magnolia looked at her curiously.
"The rumor says that Queen Violas killed the last king."
"Isn't that the same rumor from fourteen years ago?" Magnolia said. "Why is it spreading again?"
Amaryllis fell silent, thinking, Who is behind this? And what do they want?
"First, let's focus on the problem at hand," he said.
"Right. We need to meet Queen Violas," Syring said.
"But how do we do that without drawing attention?" Magnolia asked.
Amaryllis sighed. "First, stop calling us 'Prince' and 'Princess,' for heaven's sake."
"Then what should I call you?" Magnolia asked.
"By our names—Amaryllis and Syring."
"No way. I can't do that."
"That's an order. Or you can go home," Amaryllis said.
After a moment, Magnolia nodded. "Fine."
The three of them began planning how to enter the palace unnoticed.
"I think there's one way," Amaryllis said.
They listened carefully.
"I've noticed the palace has been under tight security these past few days. The only way in is through the front gate."
Magnolia stared at him in disbelief. "How?"
"You'll take us in. They already know you're the head guard of South Gladiolus," Amaryllis said.
He continued, seeing their shocked expressions, "We can't break in. This is the only way. You just need to say we are guards from the South—but we'll have to disguise the princess as a man."
Magnolia frowned. "How can you do that to the princess? And what reason will I give them for entering the palace?"
"You're the head guard. You don't have to answer them. Just show this."
Amaryllis placed a paper with the South Palace seal on the table.
Magnolia picked it up. "A letter from South Gladiolus… How did you get this?"
Amaryllis avoided his gaze. "I have a lot of blank papers with the palace seal. If you want, I can write something for you too."
Magnolia was too stunned to respond.
Syring asked, "But what if they still don't allow us? What if something goes wrong?"
"Then I'll have to ask Laurel for help," Amaryllis replied.
They spent the evening preparing for the next day.
That night, Amaryllis sat by the window, looking at the moon.
What could he be doing right now? I hope you are safe.