Lady Alice’s Diary

Chapter 10 – Bandits?

“My dear! You gave Alice five hundred gold coins!? Good grief! It’s not that I care about the money, but do you realize what you’ve done? Alice is only twelve! Twelve! Even if she’s smart, do you honestly think she knows how to handle that much money? Just a while ago, weren’t you scolding her for secretly borrowing from Clifford to open a pastry shop? And now you’re handing her five hundred gold to start up some newspaper I’ve never even heard of?”

Donna’s voice rose as she confronted her husband, furious that he had given Alice such a sum without even discussing it with her first.

“Calm down, calm down, my dear, please,” Aebron said gently, lifting his hand to ease her agitation.

Donna pressed a hand against her chest, trying to steady her breathing.

“You’d better have an explanation for this. Otherwise, even if Alice hates me for it, I’ll take those five hundred gold back.”

Seeing his wife, who almost never lost her composure, this upset, Aebron couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Look at this—our daughter’s managed to steal away the heart of my beautiful wife…”

Donna glared at him, and he quickly stopped joking.

“All right, all right. I know she’s only twelve, but she’s not ordinary, is she?” he said, taking Donna’s hand.

“She comes up with ideas that sound ridiculous at first, but when she tries them, they turn out surprisingly well. She hardly ever gives us reason to worry. From a young age she’s had her own mind. Sure, sometimes she’s mischievous, but never out of control. She listens to us, she works hard, and she always does what we ask—and she does it well. So think about it: all these years, Alice has faithfully carried out everything we’ve asked of her. And now, for the first time, she’s come to me with something she really wants. As her father, how could I refuse? We need to trust her.”

Donna’s heart softened a little at his words, though deep down her worry lingered. She recalled the other night in Alice’s room, when her daughter had cried silently in her arms—crushed by the loneliness of being abandoned by a friend.

“It’s all right, dear. I know what you’re worried about,” Aebron said softly. “I’m not letting Alice do this on her own. I’ve already assigned people to watch over her. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. I promise.” He pulled Donna into his arms and held her close.

After a long silence, Donna whispered, “Are you sure Alice has never done anything truly reckless? What about her falling out with Doris? I tried to comfort her, but I could see how much it still hurt inside. And what about two years ago, when she jumped into the river to save someone? My God—if the guards hadn’t been there, if they hadn’t reached her in time, do you realize what could have happened?”

Aebron shook his head helplessly at her rising emotion.

“If Alice ever gets hurt, I’ll put an end to this whole newspaper business myself!” Donna declared, her voice firm, her expression that of a mother ready to do anything to protect her child.

“Very well. I agree,” Aebron said, knowing this was her bottom line.

After she left the study, he sighed quietly to himself: Hang in there, little one. You’d better not let me down.

“The weather’s fine today…” he murmured, looking out at the clear sky. After days of rain, the air over the Noah Plains was fresh and bright.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

“Your Grace, a letter from Count Clayton of Mandora City,” the butler, David, said, handing it over.

Aebron broke the seal and began to read.

“Mandora City was attacked by a bandit group. The soldiers there failed to wipe them out, and it seems the bandits have fled north… toward the Noah Plains.” His voice dropped, then his eyes widened.

“Damn it! Alice went out today to the Emerald River—north of here!”

The weather was beautiful that day. After two straight days of rain, the skies had finally cleared. Following Bella’s advice, Alice had left the castle for the first time in days and headed to the Emerald River.

Ever since her father had agreed to let her start her own newspaper, Alice’s gloom had begun to lift.

“Ahhh, I wish I could start the newspaper today. But Father insists we wait until after the Festival of Reunion,” Alice sighed as she sat on a picnic blanket spread across the grass.

“Bella, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?”

“I’ll always follow you, my lady,” Bella said flatly as she arranged pastries on the cloth.

Alice gave a small sigh. Of course, that was the wrong person to ask.

Bella was an orphan, taken in by the Aebron family and raised to be Alice’s companion and shadow. From childhood she had been taught that, besides the Duke and Duchess, Alice was her entire world. And that belief was etched into her very soul. But still, Bella was human. Didn’t she have dreams of her own?

“Bella, you almost never… no, you never smile in front of me. Do you even know how to smile?” Alice asked. She had been troubled by Doris’s rejection for days and, in her preoccupation, had nearly forgotten both Bella and the memory of that kiss.

Bella said nothing.

Alice glanced at the guards nearby, then scooted closer to Bella.

Bella looked at her, puzzled.

“Well… about that time… that kiss…” Alice stammered, unable to finish before Bella cut her off.

“My lady, it was just a kiss. Nothing more,” Bella said coolly. But inside she was asking herself, Was it really nothing?

“Heh… yeah…” Alice scratched her head awkwardly.

Watching Bella quietly arrange the pastries, Alice suddenly realized how little she really knew about her.

Bella had come to the castle when Alice was three. Alice could still remember it clearly: a skinny, dirty little girl with tangled hair and anxious eyes darting around suspiciously. Alice hadn’t thought her dirty or unworthy—she’d just felt pity. That guarded, distrustful gaze had tugged at her heart. Alice had handed her a piece of cake and said in her childish voice: ‘I’m Alice. What’s your name?’

That was their first meeting. Later, Bella had spent years studying etiquette before returning to serve as Alice’s personal maid. For nearly a decade now she had been quiet, expressionless, with that cold, distant face. And yet Alice knew Bella cared deeply for her. But beyond that—Bella’s inner world, her likes, her dislikes—Alice realized she had no idea. How could someone who had been by her side for so long remain such a mystery?

When Bella noticed Alice staring, she met her gaze with a questioning look.

“Uh… well, Bella, I think you’d look prettier with your hair down,” Alice said.

Bella was striking—her long, smooth brown hair always bound up, her icy green eyes, arched brows, straight nose, and thin lips set in a face so graceful it radiated coolness. Letting her hair fall free might soften that intimidating aura.

“Hair down just gets in the way when I’m working, my lady.”

Alice sighed. She knew Bella would never sacrifice efficiency just to look a little more beautiful.

As Alice nibbled on a pastry, staring absentmindedly at the Emerald River, Doris came to mind again. She had gone to see Doris at the pastry shop, but Uncle James had told her that Doris and her mother hadn’t been there for days. So Alice went to Doris’s house, but Doris refused to see her. Finally, Doris’s mother Joanna had told her flatly not to come again.

Sigh… Alice lowered her head. Was that really it? Was their friendship truly over forever?

Suddenly, she spotted figures on the eastern bank of the river. She frowned.

“Is that a caravan?”

Bella lifted her head and followed Alice’s pointing finger.

“I don’t know…”

At that same moment, a force of two hundred armored cavalry thundered out of the north gate of Noah City.

“It’s the Duke’s Dragon-Slayer Cavalry!” people exclaimed as they watched from the roadside.

“What’s going on? Is there a war?”

“No idea…”

“Full speed to the Emerald River!” Captain Kevin bellowed. “Once there, split into two units of one hundred each. Search both sides of the river for the young lady. The moment you find her, escort her back to the city. If you encounter an unidentified group carrying weapons, or if they attack, you are authorized to strike them down on the spot!”