After the reception ended, Tiana left the palace, followed by several people. They walked a short distance until they reached the princess' luxurious carriage, where Jalen sat waiting. The sky was still cloudy, and it seemed likely to rain. Finally, Tiana reached her carriage and began saying her farewells.
"Take care of the palace, Gaziel, Sabrina," Tiana said.
"Don't worry, no one's going to escape," Gaziel replied.
"Enjoy yourself, princess, and happy birthday," Sabrina added.
"By the way... make sure to guard Laos well. He's the most important servant in this palace," Tiana whispered before stepping into the carriage.
After she boarded, the heroes followed—Malin and Susan climbed in as well. When Sebastian tried to enter, however, Runari stepped in front of him as if to block his way, then muttered in his face:
"Can I stay with Sabrina until you return?"
"...Sorry, but I need you with me, Runari," Sebastian answered as he pulled her into the carriage.
Suddenly, just before Jalen whipped the horses to set off, Bonnie appeared with a large group of servants, then shouted:
"Safe travels, princess!"
After that, all the servants repeated the phrase in unison, their voices rising as if singing a national anthem. They waved their hands in farewell to the princess—the same princess who had treated them in the worst possible ways. There was no way they were doing this of their own free will. Yet, they kept shouting in one voice. But even with all that, Tiana didn't bother to extend her hand from the window to wave back. In fact, she even closed the open window. Moments later, the carriage took off, heading toward Pascal Fiefdom.
"It's my turn now," a voice said from behind Gaziel and Sabrina.
"Oh, Beltum, you're leaving now?" Gaziel asked as he turned to face the approaching mage.
"Yes, I'll be heading back with the same carriage that brought the heroes," Beltum replied.
"You look tense," Gaziel remarked.
"Well, as you know, I'm on a mission to personally report those two spies to the king. Of course, I'd be tense," Beltum added.
"I get the feeling you'll run into trouble again, but this time, you'll end up dead," Gaziel said with a mocking smile.
"You bastard, what the hell are you saying?!" Beltum snapped.
The mage then distanced himself from them and climbed into the carriage, heading toward his own destination—the Holy Capital, Ethelas. As all the carriages disappeared into the distance beneath the cloudy sky, the servants suddenly ran around the garden, shouting as if celebrating a graduation. Some laughed, others flipped through the air, and then they chanted:
"Let's keep enjoying Gaziel Break!!"
"Hahaha, these servants are hilarious," Gaziel chuckled.
"It's their freedom. Of course, they'd be happy," Sabrina muttered.
"Don't go too far! Get back here and clean up the mess from the reception!" Bonnie shouted at the servants who had scattered across the garden—some even jumped over the fence instead of using the gate.
"What do you mean? They were slaves. That means becoming a servant in the princess' palace is the best thing that could've happened to them," Gaziel said as he stared at the witch standing before him.
"A bird in a cage can never be truly happy, even if that cage is made of gold," Sabrina muttered.
◆ ◆ ◆
"The princess and Beltum have left!!" Laos exclaimed as he pulled his face away from the window and looked at the group gathered in his room.
"So the two people we need to worry about now are Gaziel and Sabrina," Maris added.
"My god, we're insanely lucky!" the cat-eared man said, biting into a large piece of meat.
"Where did you get that food?" Laos asked.
"He sneaked down to the first floor," Evol answered.
"Alright, we need to set up the plan!" Camellia declared.
"Okay, so when are we escaping?" Maris asked, looking at Laos.
"In the evening. We'll leave as if we're just taking our usual stroll outside the palace, then we'll make our escape. That's it," Laos replied.
"That's it? What about the guards? What about my father?" Camellia asked.
"The guards won't be an issue, but your father..." Laos muttered.
It seemed like the decision to escape was no longer a joke. Everyone sat down, seriously planning and thinking of the best way to do it. At this moment, all five of them were focused, tense, excited—and most importantly, determined. Determined to achieve this goal, the goal that would change everything.
"We need bait to lure Gaziel away... What about you, Evol?" Petal asked after chewing the meat in his mouth and looking at the horned young man sitting in front of him.
"No way! I'm not leaving the palace at all," Evol replied.
"Why don't you come with us? I promise, Evol, your life will be better," Laos muttered.
"I know, and I would've escaped with you, but this is risky. Just as I could escape, I could also be killed..." Evol replied.
"What about you, Camellia? Why not?" Laos asked again.
"Sorry, but I made a promise to my mother—to stay with my father," Camellia answered.
"Stay with your father? He doesn't even talk to you. He doesn't even acknowledge you, and he put you in the lowest servant rank!" Laos said in a raised voice.
"That's none of your business!" Camellia suddenly shouted.
Laos was stunned—he never expected that reaction. Then, after looking into Camellia's angry eyes, he whispered:
"Calm down, I was just talking."
Camellia then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She looked extremely angry... and also sad. Her eyes had slightly teared up. As she left the room, everyone turned to Laos. Maris quickly got up and followed her, saying,
"I'll be back soon!"
"Man, you really suck at dealing with women!" Petal remarked.
"How can you say something like that?!" Evol added.
"It's my fault, I don't choose my words carefully," Laos replied.
"Oh, I don't know, but I have a feeling she'll tell her father about our escape plan," Laos added.
"Impossible, Camellia wouldn't do that," Evol replied.
"I hope so," Laos muttered as he looked at the door, hoping it would open again so Maris could return with Camellia. It was clear he regretted his words.
"Are you sure, Evol, that you won't come?" Petal asked.
"Yeah... but I don't understand why I have this urge to escape with you guys," Evol muttered.
"It's the desire for freedom, you idiot!" Laos answered in a slightly louder voice.
"But even so... No, no, I swear I won't leave this palace... Don't ask me to come again," the horned young man said.
"Alright... so, Laos, your plan is to leave in the evening, run away, and that's it. But what about Gaziel?" Petal asked.
"We'll fight!" Laos answered with serious eyes.
"Yoooo! You say that as if you're a swordmaster who killed a dragon yesterday, roasted its meat, and relaxed in the forest!!" Petal exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I'm not just hyping myself up for no reason. I have a secret I've been keeping, but don't get your hopes up… What I want to tell you, Petal, is please... if we're forced to fight, then fight... I swear I'll fight too! No matter what happens, I see escaping as my highest dream now, a dream that will complete my life. If it fails, then there's no meaning in living..." Laos said as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Petal was a bit shocked and didn't know what to say, so he shook Laos' hand as well and finally spoke:
"I will… I'll fight to the last breath."
That was the sentence Petal uttered, a sentence spoken with a wide smile and closed eyes, a sentence capable of changing so much in Laos. Yes, so many things. On this exact day, after his talk with Malin and the others... or rather, after this very moment, Laos felt an enormous surge of courage, so great that he was able to declare...
"If I fail to escape, then my life has no meaning!"
Laos placed all his hopes on tomorrow, a day that would determine the fate of this character, a day that could begin or end a person's life entirely... or rather, the lives of several people. Three individuals had decided to achieve this goal, they held each other's hands and took a step forward, a step more dangerous than anything they could imagine... Petal, Maris, and Laos.
"I'm back," Maris said as she closed the door and entered the room.
"How is she?" Evol asked.
"She's a little sad, but she told me it wasn't Laos' fault, she just remembered her mother," Maris replied.
"Alright, now let's prepare the final plan!" Petal declared.
After that, Laos stood up from the bed, raised his hands as if he was about to give a lecture in a corporate meeting, then said:
"Listen! Tomorrow evening, we will leave exactly as we used to, as if we're just going out to enjoy the Gaziel Break, then we'll run as fast as we can. That's it."
"No, no, we need to deal with Gaziel and not treat him as a secondary obstacle in this escape... He... he's the only barrier standing in our way!" Maris argued.
"Alright, do you have any ideas?" Laos asked.
"Uh… I don't have anything right now," Petal admitted.
"Neither do I," Evol muttered.
"Me neither… well, Gaziel isn't an easy person to deal with," Maris added.
Silence spread through the room. Everyone was thinking, but only one person... one person was lost in deep thought. A type of thinking unlike any he had experienced before. This time was different from all the others—he wasn't thinking about how to defeat the final boss in an RPG, nor was he debating whether to read the web version or wait for the light novel volume to be released. He wasn't even considering whether to buy ice cream or not because he only had enough money for a cheap vanilla one and didn't want to look poor in front of others... This time, Laos was thinking about escaping!
"I have an idea!!" Laos suddenly shouted, raising his finger.
"Speak," Evol said.
"We'll ask Camellia to talk to Gaziel when it's time to escape. That will distract him since he hasn't spoken to his daughter in a long time," Laos explained.
"Forget it, there's no way Camellia will agree," Petal said.
"She will... and I'll ask her personally! And I have a plan to make her accept," Laos stated.
"What is it?" Maris asked.
"I'll first ask her to escape with us, and of course, she'll refuse. Then, I'll ask her to talk to Gaziel while we make our escape. I doubt she'll be able to refuse two requests from me in a row… It's a trick. You ask someone for something impossible, then follow it up with an easy request. What do you think?" Laos said.
"That's brilliant!" Maris murmured.
"Let's assume you succeed in distracting Gaziel. What about Sabrina? She's a powerful witch," Evol said.
"Don't worry, I promise you, Sabrina won't interfere," Laos answered confidently.
After that, Laos asked Evol and Petal to go ahead, and once they left the room, he turned toward Maris. It was clear she had no idea what this guy was up to, so all she could do was stare at his face until she finally managed to speak.
"We can do it at night..."
"Oh! No, no," Laos said, laughing.
"Then what do you want?" Maris asked.
"Will you let me talk to Camelia however I want?" Laos whispered.
"What do you mean?" Maris muttered.
"I mean, you're the girl most attached to me in this palace, and since we love each other… I mean, you won't get jealous if I talk to Camelia freely, right?" Laos said.
"So that's what you meant! ...Yes, yes, you can talk to her however you want. In the end, we're in a serious situation," Maris replied.
After that, Laos hugged her before they left the room and headed toward Camelia's room. The servants on the second floor were busy, moving about everywhere. After some time, they arrived at her door, where Evol and Petal were waiting. Then, Laos knocked on the door and said:
"Can I come in?"
"..."
There was no response from Camelia, and the room remained silent, but after a few seconds, she answered:
"Yes."
After hearing her response, Laos opened the door, and they all stepped inside. Slowly, he approached Camelia, who was sitting on her bed, and the others followed behind him. Then, finally, Laos spoke:
"Sorry for making you sad."
"You all came here just for Laos to apologize?! That's not necessary. I'm only sad because I remembered my mother, not because of you," Camelia replied.
"Well… Actually, I'm here to convince you to escape with us," Laos said, locking eyes with Camelia without breaking his gaze for even a second.
"No, no, give up on that. I'm not leaving here," Camelia replied, turning her gaze away from Laos' unwavering stare.
"I'm saying all this because you are someone dear to me… That's why I want you to be happy with us. We'll leave this palace, head to the nearest village, and then Petal and I will become adventurers. You and Maris can become adventurers too. We'll live an amazing life… I promise!" Laos said while the girl listened, her golden eyes fixed on him, her dark blue hair framing her face.
"…"
"I'm sorry, Laos… I can't… Please, don't ask me this again," Camelia answered with sad eyes.
"Alright… I have one last request. Can you ask Gaziel to talk to you, so he gets distracted and doesn't notice our escape?… It's part of my plan," Laos added.
"Oh! That's a great plan… But I don't think I can do it… I'm too shy around my father," Camelia replied hesitantly, looking at the others instead of Laos.
"Please… It's the only way to escape," Maris said.
"Yes! Please," Laos added as well.
"Come on, you can't refuse two requests in a row… If you do, you'll be like an evil witch who kidnaps beauties and locks them in a tall tower," Petal said with a teasing grin.
"Petal!" Maris yelled, grabbing his cat ears as if trying to pull them off.
"... I don't think I..." Camelia muttered.
Then, she looked into everyone's eyes. It was clear that she saw dreams—ambitions—in those gazes. She couldn't bring herself to shatter them. Even though she realized how difficult this task was, she couldn't reject those faces staring at her.
But, contrary to what anyone expected, tears welled up in Camelia's eyes, and she whispered in her soft voice:
"I'll do it… And if you escape, find a way to come back and see me… somehow."
Suddenly, everyone—Evol included—jumped in and hugged her. In this moment, countless emotions gathered in a single embrace. A surge of feelings flowed through this group hug, and without a doubt, none of them would ever forget this moment. A hug where everyone felt what they needed to feel. A hug that would either be temporary or eternal—it didn't matter. A hug that brought them together… only to separate them.