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"You should've prevent yourself from the beginning."
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"You should've done that."
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"You should just ignore everything."
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"You're too impulsive. Now you'll lost something in your future the same as what you take."
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***
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Sloan woke up with a tear that falls in her left eye forgetting the cause when she opened her eyes.
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Flash of memories of what happened at the Palace Garden takes in her head and rush to get off the bed. Her body hasn't had enough rest still, but decided to open the door of the room holding a sword she found beside the bed.
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She even hasn't hold the doorknob when it opened and revealed the face of the prince.
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Prince Sage, after noticing that she was holding a sword, eyebrows furrowed and tried to take it from her when she moved fast and step back.
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Sage clicked his tongue. "I'll tell you everything, put the sword down."
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"No, your highness, I will figure it myself. I hate something immaculate." She pointed the sword at Sage, the poised of a duel. "Please, your highness, I don't want to fight you."
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Sage's face paled. "You're clearly pointing a sword to me, Sloan."
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Sloan gripped the handle and sighed before throwing it away on the side. "I apologize, your highness. But please, I need to check something."
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"I know. You're impatient." He only replied and turned his head away. He's gone picking a dress over the cabinet where Sloan's dressed newly placed at, the next moment.
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"Change your clothes first. You can't walk outside in your nightgown."
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That's when Sloan only noticed what she's wearing. Her blood boiled. "Who changed my clothes? It's too thin...and it's cold."
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"The head maid, Amanda."
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Her?
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Sloan's eyes fell on the floor. She changed her clothes?
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"The gardener you saved a while ago was her only son. His name was Ahron."
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She was astonished by that fact. She couldn't spout words for a moment.
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Sage told her what happened.
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He was out finding her all over the palace to bring her to the queen (her hunch was right). But then Ahron was hastingly came shouting all over the palace while he was like running for his life. He kept repeating the words 'the princess is in danger!!!! There's a big snake at the palace Garden! OHMYGOD, YOUR HIGHNESSSSSS!!!!'
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Sage showed her how his ear must have been deaf hours ago. And he told her he saw how she killed the snake when he rushed there, and it was too late for him to do that job. She fainted shouting and wanting to go near the dead snake to check on it. The physician said it was because of exhaustion. And her sole in her right foot was intrigued too. The physician scold the prince too, why would he let the her walked with this kind of foot...and how could she walk and run with the kind of speed no one could ever if their foot was injured?
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Seriously, is the soon-to-be-princess, Shae's daughter, got a thing on her head?
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"Well, that's not nice." Sloan could only say her opinion.
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"That's why you should think before you move. You're an obstinate person."
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"...No. No, I'm not. Please, your highness, I really need to get out of this room."
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It took Sage fifteen minutes to get her a dress, for he knows she hates eye-catching dresses to wear and she always say it's uncomfortable. There's only about five normal dresses that he thinks would be uncomfortable for her and he took the pink one.
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"Go change. I'll bring you to the drawing room. The king and queen's there, and the priest."
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Sloan take the dress. "Priest? Why would the priest---?"
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"Father was worried. He thought of it as omen and hurriedly call a priest---No, don't change infront of me, can you?"
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"Oh, sorry, I forgot."
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Sloan went to the backroom and change her dress. Sage got annoyed seeing her hair a mess and volunteered of fixing it.
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"Your highness, you do know that I'm impatient to go out,"
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"Just a minute."
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Sloan chuckled. "You should be a hairdresser,"
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"Stop bluffing me,"
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"I'm not bluffing, you do always fix my hair. Do you like fixing hairs?"
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"Just your hair. I am annoyed seeing it always tangled. Why you don't care about your hair?"
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"And why you do, your highness?"
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Sage felt silenced.
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The reason.
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Think.
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He can't think of anything.
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"Well maybe I have a thing to fix your hair,"
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"Your highness, you're really strange."
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"So are you, Sloan."
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Sage's words kept Sloan distracted from the thoughts that bugs her. When they got out of the room, Sloan said that she doesn't need his support to walk. She's really fine, but they walked rather slowly.
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Sage sighed. "Shae wouldn't like it,"
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"Wouldn't like what, your highness?"
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"You won't telling everything about who hurt you in this place, I'm beginning to be overwhelmed by curiousness and madness about wanting to know who that is. And it wasn't really my thing to feel things. Why won't you tell and I'll punish her or him?"
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"Punishing will only make matters worse, not everything about it will be a solution."
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"I'll tell Shae,"
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"No, your highness, you won't."
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"Yes. Yes, I will."
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Sloan's eyebrows furrowed. If it wouldn't for his title, he already dueled him a long time ago.
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"OHMYGOD, HER HIGHNESS!!!!!!!!"
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They saw some sillouhette at the hallway coming towards them. Sage, hearing the sound of the loud voice, sighed and step forward.
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"Ahron,"
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"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!!"
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Ahron? Ah!
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Sloan only just realized it and steadied her poised. Ahron hastingly bowed his head infront of them while almost kowtowing Sloan.
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"Ahron, stop it."
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"Thank you for saving my life, your highness!!!! Please, what can I do for you??????" Ahron was almost kowtowing Sloan.
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Sloan shakes her head and held his arms to prevent him from doing it anymore. "No, it's alright. Ahron."
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"Ack! Your highness, you know m'name??????"
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Sloan nod. "His highness told me. And you don't need to do that."
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"But your highness!"
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Sage interrupted him. "Ahron, get back to your work."
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Sloan beamed, looking at Ahron.
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Ahron bowed, he sadly sighed. "Your highness, I really thank you. I thought I'm gonna die a while ago. If I die, then, my mother will be left alone...I'm the only one she has, and she's the only one I have. I really thank you, your highness. Please, what can I do for you?" Ahron begged.
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Sloan's eyes fell on the floor.
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This is Amanda's son, only child she has? The one that hates her and didn't come to help her treat her deep wound. And the reason why she has that deep wound. And she saved her son she wasn't aware of.
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But Sloan...didn't she come to expect the mistreatment of the people of the palace? She already pin in her mind that anyone here might contradict her, for the reason that she's the one who has gained a new power to eliminate anyone here, and she's a threat to them. Maybe they're thinking she's bad, like the other nobles that mistreated them everytime they visits here at the palace.
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But I'm not like that. I know my place.
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Sloan never admitted it yesterday, but she's upset. It's still agonizing to think it happened even though she already expected it.
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"...Just..." Sloan felt overwhelmed for the reason she don't know. "Just do as his highness said???" She don't know what to say.
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Ahron confusingly looked at her, and she's beaming.
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A sincere smile.
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Ahron knows that smile. It felt familiar. A smile her mother always made for him. A fragile yet modest smile.
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Her highness...
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"Ahron, get back to your work. We've got something to go now."
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Ahron bowed once again. "Yes...yes! I apologized! Thank you really much, your highness!"
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Ahron run back to the garden.
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Sloan couldn't help it. She was never the one to hold a grudge.
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Just like her father told her, holding a grudge will only make a person weak inside. It's a wicked thing that can grabbed you to be like it.
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And she never wanted that.
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What she wanted was to be a strong one, a brave, fearless lady that anyone could call by the time there's a chaos. Just like her father. She takes it from him.
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"What are you thinking?" Sage noticed her in deep thought and asked.
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"...Nothing. Let us go on, your highness."
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When they've reach the drawing room, the queen hurried and worried about Sloan. Sloan almost tripped and fall but Sage was there to prevent her from falling, Sage couldn't help but sighed.
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"Your majesty,"
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"I apologized! Please, come here, sit, Sloan, I thought you'll wake up tomorrow,"
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The king nod his head at the both of them.
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They saw the priest sitting at the chair opposite to them. The priest bowed his head.
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"I greet your highness, the prince, and miss Sloan, the future princess,"
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Sloan nod her head.
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"Priest Claude,"
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The priest beamed a little. "Right, I supposed you remember me, miss Sloan. You came at the temple five years ago,"
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Sloan nod. She remembered going there after persuading Shae that she wanted to see the appearance of the temple. Coincidentally, Shae's new mission has something to do with the temple and brought her there but she was left at the temple's entrance due to the reason that going inside there was forbidden for a normal person like her. Priest Claude saw Sloan goofing out and came to give her acquaintance.
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Sloan introduced herself as so Priest Claude did. Priest Claude offered her to sit at the temple stairs as they tell each other some stories.
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Sloan felt comfortable, but as the minutes goes on, Priest Claude was getting an unknown muffled feeling beside her. When their conversation ended, Priest Claude bid goodbyes to Sloan as he went inside the temple and prayed, asking questions why does he felt like there was something inside the Captain of the Blue Knight's daughter that he can't just explained, like a glint glimpse of gifted fate that has something to do with the Gods.
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A powerful feeling.
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But since that moment, he hasn't received any answer from Gods.
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And after years, he has come to know that Sloan was becoming a princess, the future queen.
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Maybe, Priest Claude thought, it was this feeling he felt that time. The faint feeling from talking to the future ruler of the kingdom. The one who's trusted by the Gods who will overcome the future journeys they have bestowed upon.
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Now, he felt a sting of chills.
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Sage was the first to spoke to asked. "Priest Claude, can you tell us what was wrong about the snake that she killed a while ago?"
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Priest Claude bowed his head. "I actually already told her and his Majesty about it, your highness. But it wouldn't be bad to repeat what I said this time since Miss Sloan was here," He turned his gaze on Sloan.
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"Miss Sloan, the snake you killed comes from the Cephas Kingdom, I prayed to Gods and made sure of it."
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"Cephas Kingdom...Why would the snake from the Cephas Kingdom sudenly appear here? Is there any possible reason of informing us to start a war----"
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The priest shakes his head. "There was never an urge like that, Miss Sloan."
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"Then...Then...what?"
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"There's a possible chance of something dangerous was happening on Cephas Kingdom's West Side Forest that the king hasn't been handling about. That big snake was seemed to seeking help even if it was about to die out of hunger, maybe there's others like it that's on the other kingdoms notifying a need of aid."
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Sloan's mouth fell slightly open. "...I killed it. And it needs help."
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Sage snorted and comforted her patting her back. "It was about to kill you because of hunger, you need to defend yourself."
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Sloan can't make eye contact to everyone around her and left silenced.
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Priest Claude rubbed his forehead. "Uhh, his highness said was right."
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Sage asked. "What are we going to do now?"
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The king spoke. "We need to go at the Cephas Kingdom, Sage. We need to figure out what's happening that the king Niven of the Cephas Kingdom hasn't giving intendance with. He's too..." The king sighed. Can't think of anything to say because of the overwhelming frustration about the king of the Cephas Kingdom.
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Sloan and Sage gazed at each other due to the realization.
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They're going there tomorrow to speak with the princess!
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Sage stands, she held Sloan's hands. "We're going there, your majesty. We're to depart tomorrow."
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"Tomorrow?" The queen and the king asked astonishingly in chorus.
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Sage nod. "We received a letter from the princess few days ago inviting us to the Cephas Kingdom, and we planned to depart this day. It's already decided since two days ago. I never thought this would happen and was planning to cancel our departure, but I guess it wasn't needed anymore."
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Sloan's face twitched.
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We? Your highness, the letter's only for you!
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"Did the princess send a letter because of the matrimony in six months?" The king asked.
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Sage nod. "It is, your majesty. You don't need to go. We'll be the one to go and take care of everything."
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It is, but it's more than that. If his Majesty was to know the contents of the letter, he'll faint.
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"But it would be dangerous, Sloan, just stay here." The queen said, worryingly.
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Sloan bowed her head. "I trust myself, your majesty. I'll really be alright. I take all my father's teachings with me."
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"You haven't even recovered with...and your right foot. You still can't walk normally...." The queen paled.
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Sage step forward, still holding her hand. "I'll be on her back the whole time, your majesty."
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"What? Sage? You're going to make her your shield?"
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Sloan rubbed her forehead. The queen just misunderstood the statement.
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"His highness meant to protect me if there's something I can't handle of, your majesty."
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"Oh," The queen blushed and went silent.
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The priest proceeded to give Sage and Sloan a blessing for their departure that was to happen tomorrow. The king and the queen went to prepare what they will need for their journey on the way to the Cephas Kingdom.
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After giving his blessing, Priest Claude bid his goodbyes.
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Sloan and Sage was about to turn around and went to their chamber when someone hastingly come towards them and bowed on her knees, trembling.
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"Your highness, forgive me!!!!!"
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That voice...Amanda???
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Sloan's eyes widened. Sage confusingly turned his head at Sloan, for he knows that 'your highness's wasn't referring to him but her.
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"Sloan, why is she..."
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Sloan gulped. "I don't know. Your highness, let's go."
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She'll be punished. He must never know.
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"YOUR HIGHNESS! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE, ACCEPT MY APOLOGY, I'll do everything!"
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Sage grabbed her arms. "No. No, you know."
ns216.73.216.48da2
