"I see how it is. I have never heard of that group nor seen them. Thank you for telling me, Elene." Eric said with a concerned expression. How come Vella and Himir did not tell him about their issues? How long had they been threatened? And there was still the question of who killed Kristophe and why.

Shortly after their conversation, the town mayor left Elene's bedside, most likely to convey the news to his people who were still in the dark. A manhunt was to be issued, but with the potential of a celestial being on the run who had already killed one of the villagers, there were talks about how to proceed forward.

After taking everything into consideration, the council of Eric's town came to a conclusion: They would chase and bring to justice whoever was responsible for this blatant murder, as well as arresting the group who attacked Kristophe.

A week passed and the blacksmith returned to check on Elene, but he was welcomed only by a grumble from the mage. This tall mountain of muscles was as silent as ever, however he had a slight upward tilt of his lips trying to mask the sadness on his face, to no avail. Eric circled the room to find a tiny stool to sit on. With a swing of his right arm, he brought the wooden chair near the window and contemplated the blue sky outside.The outside world seemed peaceful, as if the day itself was mourning Kristophe's death. Everything seemed so quiet, as if every life form understood its role in this grief.

Elene was following the old man with her eyes, curious as to why he came into her chambers. The mayor, however, was not starting any conversation, which started to annoy the little princess. A few minutes was all it took for her patience to shatter. The mage decided to break this unbearable stillness that had settled ever since he entered her room.

"Eric?" Elene's voice cut through the silence, her gaze fixed on him. Startled out of his thoughts, Eric coughed and turned towards her, nodding subtly. He started to leave her room without saying a word. How dare he?

"How long have I been sleeping? I never asked." Elene continued, her curiosity getting the better of her. The old man halted in his tracks, realising he had misunderstood the situation. Standing by Elene's bedside, Eric cleared his throat, attempting to salvage the moment, hoping she might forget the uncomfortable silence.

"It has been a week, princess," said the mayor.

"I see. That's... too long," sighed Elene.

"Yes, it appears... This whole situation is my fault. My most sincere apologies, princess."

"Please stop with all this unnecessary formality. I am no longer a princess, nor will I be one again. I am my own person. I am not Elene De Lys, nor Elene Floecia."

"Floecia?" asked the grandpa, confused.

This was a slip of her tongue, a big one at that. Floecia was the name Ludwig had given her after entering his service; it meant “Flower Thorn” in his dialect because Elene was a flower you could not harvest bare handed according to the Prince. It became her name ever since he gave it to her, a decade of bearing it made the woman forget that it was no longer hers.

"Hah, I see. I knew a Floecia once. As a matter of fact, this person was my great grandmother!"

A big, gentle smile decorated his face. Memories of an old time messed with his mind but in the most righteous way possible. The crisis seemed to have been averted for Elene at least. It was a good thing that this slip of her tongue happened here with an ally.

"It's great to see you smiling again, Eric. Tell me, how is Kristophe’s mother fairing?” her voice trembled on the last few words. She may not have known the kid for long, only a couple hours as a matter of fact, but he was her responsibility– and Elene never failed to protect.

“I… I would have rather not talked about it, but we owe you… She– her name is Sarah, and she is not okay to say the least. Sarah has been imprisoned for her own safety, this poor woman was trying to get justice by herself.” The blacksmith scratched his head embarrassed, this whole situation… He knows it could have been avoided especially if he had known about Vella and Himir harassers.

“I see… When the time is right please convey my sincere condolences; Now, if I may ask, why did you come in? It felt as if you were trying to say something."

"Hah, it seems you are good at reading people, Elene. However, I am not sure how to say this." the old man answered, nodding to her demand.

"Get to the point; it'll be easier," Elene commanded, her voice both firm and comforting. Though her tone helped Eric relax, the ensuing conversation was anything but pleasing to the mage.

Following a thorough investigation, the Council finally unveiled the identity and location of the bandit group behind the attack on Elene and Kristophe. Dubbed as the Coal Oath, this notorious local loan shark gang had a reputation for their brutal and violent activities, which had also caused problems in nearby villages. While the presence of such a well-organised and ruthless gang was indeed a frightening concern, it wasn't the top priority at the moment.

And that is how Elene was asked, or rather begged, to help them. The job wouldn’t be charity either, Eric had bargained for hours to add tons of goodies to his contract with the mage. First of all, he spent two of the last days looking for a middle class noble that would be willing to keep Elene as their own child, but in name only.

 Fortunately, there was this client he had helped before who had a debt to repay him. François De Florence, he was white-haired like Elene and had no descendant for one reason, he was gay. In most countries this orientation was still banned, although there had been talks in the last decade to revoke said veto. In Halvahir pretty much everything was allowed, it was said to be a safe haven with but one law to rule them all: “As long as it does not hurt one, it shall be allowed.,, 

Count De Florence resided close to Halvahir, but his country lay on the wrong side of the border, where his sexual orientation faced strict prohibition. François found himself under pressure to introduce to the king of his nation the secret child he had often spoken about.

 A mess he had found himself into because of his own mistake, this deal would work perfectly for everyone involved : Elene gets to keep her own appearance and gets a noble name which is still a great asset in this society, François De Florence gets to have an actor to play his mind games and finally Eric gets to employ Elene to help his village.

It goes without saying that Elene was captivated by this aspect of the deal, considering other advantages as mere bonuses she could make use of someday. With her strength sufficiently recovered, it was time to rise from the bed and hear them out— after all the chase awaited.