CHAPTER 755: CHAPTER 755: DON’T TEMPT ME

"Yes, the information they have is exactly what we needed. It also seems more beneficial to us to accept her proposal than to reject it," Arabella admitted.

[My companions couldn’t find the Prudencians either, so this is necessary. The Princess knew this, which is why she approached Her Majesty. It could be a ploy by Crux, possibly even using the Princess herself. But as long as the locations they provide are accurate, we can handle the rest later.]

"It does offer significant advantages. However, we must remain cautious in case it’s a trap. Are you certain you haven’t heard any suspicious thoughts from them?" Alwin inquired.

Arabella understood Alwin’s vigilance.

After all, caution was paramount; the Prudencians could easily be used as bait to lure them in.

By now, everyone in Crux likely knew that Valeria sought the Prudencians’ return, making the location of even one Prudencian in Crux extremely valuable.

Consequently, many feigned to have had such precious information to claim rewards, only to provide false locations in the end.

Arabella had already considered such a possibility, which was why she insisted on verifying a location first.

Despite having heard the truth through their thoughts, it was prudent to show they wanted to ensure that Princess Seraphina and her faction genuinely possessed the information.

Fortunately, Princess Seraphina had been forthcoming, showing no signs of deception when asked for verification. Her concern lay more in the possibility of other nobles discovering the exposed locations and relocating the Prudencians they had.

"No, they are simply desperate to make the meeting successful since the situation in Crux is dire. As she thought about what she had witnessed in the past, it was so much worse than the scene we saw in Prudencia when we visited," Arabella explained.

"What did you see?" Alwin inquired.

"It was heart-wrenching," Arabella sighed deeply, recounting the harrowing scenes she had seen through Princess Seraphina’s recollection.

Alwin shook his head in dismay and sighed deeply. "No wonder they have resorted to such drastic measures to bring about change in their kingdom."

The atrocities happening in Crux demanded desperate measures to counter and halt them. Hence, Princess Seraphina and her faction would rather they become a part of Valeria and pay taxes than let the cruelties in Crux to persist.

"Yes," Arabella continued, "They’ve gathered as much information as they could about Valeria recently and are aware that living conditions here are significantly better than in Crux. While there may also be less affluent territories within Valeria, at least slavery is nonexistent."

The ruling system in Valeria was so much better than Crux as well. In the empire, they look after all their people and not only of the nobles.

Arabella and Alwin continued to chat over the situation in Crux before Arabella retired to her room to wait for an update of when she could speak with Ferdinand about this.

In the quiet solitude of her chambers, Arabella mulled over the revelations from her meeting with Princess Seraphina.

The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the window, casting gentle shadows upon the tapestries adorning the walls. Seraphina’s words echoed in her mind, stirring a mix of intrigue and apprehension.

"Seraphina’s engagement was a sham to escape Crux," Arabella murmured to herself, pacing the room with measured steps. The revelation had been unexpected, yet it explained the princess’s unorthodox approach and her desire for a strategic alliance with Valeria.

Their conversation had delved deep into Seraphina’s motivations. She and her twin had planned to use their marriages as a means to escape Crux, bringing their closest allies and cherished ones with them. Fate had intervened when they saved someone from assassins, forging an agreement that changed their trajectory as that person became Seraphina’s fiancé.

Lost in thought, she did not hear her door open.

"Oh my goodness!" Arabella gasped as she suddenly found herself enveloped in someone’s arms.

Just as she moved to push him away, Ferdinand’s familiar voice reassured her, "It’s me."

Relieved, Arabella sighed and said, "Ferdinand! Why do you always have to startle me like that?"

She complained but turned around and hugged him tightly. She had missed him dearly since he had left. Especially after all the work she had been up to.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you," Ferdinand apologized. "I knocked on your door three times, but when there was no response, I decided to come in. But you still didn’t hear me calling out to you."

"Oh, I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I was just distracted," Arabella apologized, holding him even tighter.

Ferdinand smiled warmly at her gesture and kissed her forehead affectionately. He returned her embrace much tighter. "What am I going to do with you if you keep getting lost in thought like this?"

[Thank goodness she’s in her chambers. This is exactly why I instructed everyone to guard her closely, especially when she’s preoccupied or lost in thought. She can become so absorbed in something that she doesn’t hear anything around her. It’s good to be focused, but it can be dangerous if someone manages to sneak in. Should I bring her to Estrella and enhance the protective spells?]

Ferdinand’s worry resurfaced as he contemplated the situation.

"You don’t have to. I’m safe and sound with everyone guarding me," Arabella assured her husband. "Did you just arrive?"

She suspected he had been busy but had taken a moment to visit her after she sent Riley to him.

"Yes," Ferdinand confirmed.

[It had been more than an hour though. I took multiple baths before heading here to her chambers because I reeked of smoke from all the burning.]

Arabella arched an eyebrow when she caught his thoughts, noticing he indeed smelled fresh and wore an indoor coat.

She leaned in to sniff his hair cascading down his chest and remarked, "You smell nice."

Ferdinand swallowed hard and warned, "Don’t tempt me. You said we needed to talk."

"Right," Arabella chuckled, understanding what he meant.