Read Novel Full Chapter 496: A Deal with the Envoy
Chapter 496: A Deal with the Envoy
Sophie held the man’s gaze for a second before replying. Sunlight fell across her face, and the warm air outside the gate carried dust and the faint sound of boots shifting behind her. Cassie stood half a step behind, tense and quiet, while the guards near the wall kept stealing glances at Sophie with changed expressions.
"I am perfectly safe here," Sophie said calmly. "No one has harmed me, and no one has forced me to stay. I am fine."
The tall man studied her in silence. His sharp eyes moved past her shoulder and swept across the walls, the gate, the guards, and the workers moving inside the camp. He noticed the way people looked at Sophie. There was no fear in their eyes. There was clear respect. Even the armed men around the gate stood straighter around her, not because of her title, but because they trusted her.
He had expected disorder. He had expected Sophie to be hidden away or struggling, surrounded by fools taking advantage of her softness. Instead, the camp was clean, the watchtowers were properly manned, and the people near the entrance moved with purpose.
"Your Highness," he said, his deep voice steady, "I am pleased to see you unharmed, but my orders are my orders. I was sent to bring you back, and I will not leave until you agree to follow me."
The guards behind Sophie stiffened at those words. Cassie’s fingers tightened around the hem of her sleeve. Even Sarah, still watching from above, narrowed her eyes.
Sophie remained quiet for a brief moment. Then her lips parted slightly.
"Uncle Darius," she said softly, and for the first time since she stepped out of the gate, her voice lost a bit of its distance. "Please... I need to stay here for some time."
The tall man’s stern face froze.
That was not how a princess addressed an ordinary envoy, and the way Sophie said it was not formal either. It carried hesitation, but also trust that had not faded even after time apart.
Cassie looked between them, then lowered her eyes.
Darius exhaled slowly through his nose, and some of the hardness in his face eased.
When Sophie was younger, the palace had always felt too large and too cold for her. The king was a distant figure she had only seen a handful of times, always surrounded by pressure and watchful eyes. But Darius had been different. He had trained her in posture, speech, etiquette, and how to read the intentions behind smiles. He had corrected her when she stumbled, covered for her when she slipped away from lessons, and once carried her back to her room after she fell asleep in the training hall.
In many ways, Sophie had spoken to him more than she ever had to the king.
Now, standing before her as an envoy, Darius looked at her not just as a duty, but as the girl he once taught.
"You called me uncle again," Darius said, and though his tone stayed controlled, it was softer now. "So you have not forgotten everything."
Sophie lowered her gaze. "I never did."
A faint smile touched his lips, real and small. "I can see that. You have changed, Sophie. You are standing properly, speaking properly, and..." His eyes moved past her shoulder toward the camp again. "You are building something worth looking at."
Sophie said nothing, but her fingers loosened behind her back.
Darius folded one hand behind him. "I am proud of that. But I still cannot return empty handed."
Sophie looked up quickly, worry returning to her face, but Darius raised his free hand before she could speak.
"So let us make a deal," he said. "If you refuse to return now, then I will stay here with you until you are ready to leave. That way, when I report back, I can say I located the Princess and remained by her side while persuading her."
Sophie blinked once, surprise in her eyes. "You would stay?"
"I would," Darius replied. "It will also let me see this place with my own eyes. If I am to defend your choice, I need more than your word."
There was a brief pause before Sophie nodded. "Alright. I accept."
Darius inclined his head, and the tension around the gate dropped. Behind Sophie, Cassie let out a breath she had been holding. On the wall above, Sarah rested both elbows on the stone and watched with a small, knowing smile.
A short while later, Darius walked through New Dawn with Sophie and Cassie beside him. The late afternoon light stretched across the road and the organized camp. He said little at first, but his eyes missed nothing.
The patrol routes were tight. The storage area was properly guarded. The people moved with rhythm instead of panic. Even the newer recruits were being directed clearly.
"This is not sloppy work," Darius said at last, a pleased look on his face.
Sophie glanced at him. "It isn’t. It is all thanks to Gabriel, our leader."
Darius did not comment and looked ahead as a patrol passed and saluted Sophie respectfully. "The one leading this place in truth... Gabriel. I have not met him, yet I already know he is not ordinary. A man who could build this much discipline in a place like this, and earn your trust on top of that, is not someone I can look down on. I am curious about him now."
...
Far away in the Stellar Kingdom, Gabriel sat alone in his hotel room. The light from the window was dimmer now, and the place was quiet except for the faint sound of movement outside the inn. He leaned back slightly, then let out a slow breath.
"If I am going to risk my life inside that castle," Gabriel muttered, "then I should stop delaying this."
His eyes flashed sharply. A second later, he pulled up his status screen and proceeded to distribute over nine hundred free stat points.