☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- Her Highness... She was kidnapped?!
For a brief moment, the governor's mind refused to accept what he had just heard, but his military training took over, and he began to act.

To search for the missing Princess Drako Mellis, he mobilized the army, the guard, and the air forces of Margel. Military hounds were sent in all directions from the villa to track the missing princess, airships equipped with powerful searchlights were deployed in the surrounding area, and cavalry and infantry soldiers patrolled the city and its surroundings.

Eventually, Naera and her kidnapper were found in the western forest, near the place where Captain of the Guard Victor Loss was once defeated. The princess was rescued, and the criminal was arrested.

Surprisingly, the governor once again proved himself to be a reliable man, approaching the matter with all seriousness. He didn't waste time and put in all possible efforts. This inspired a certain amount of respect, although it was hard not to notice the man's anxiety. In fact, now that his loyalty to the imperial family was clear, it was understandable why. Especially after the death of His Majesty. However, Mr. Mellis's methods were effective but crude. He raised all of Margel, and now everyone was talking about the disgrace of the villa's defenders.

On the other hand, none of them expected such a reaction from Mr. Mellis. Alaria, in particular, expected the opposite. However, the man clearly believed that such a blow to his reputation was insignificant compared to the loss of one of the princesses. He decided that there was no room for risk here. And he was easy to understand. Perhaps one could ask, "Couldn't they have handled it quietly, on their own?" Maybe they could have. But it could also have turned out that there would be one Carneol and one Naera less in the empire. The scoundrel certainly wouldn't have taken them alive. But there was no point in guessing "What if?" without having all the information. What's done is done. Naera was safe, and that was perhaps the most important thing.

Added 6 minutes ago

But be that as it may, the deed was done, and the next day arrived.

Before the new day began, Alaria hung a star tapestry to replace the flag of Minua.