The Rose That Blooms In North
Chapter 14: Le Masque Qui Couvre Les Mesonges

Anna refrained from saying anything. Deep in his heart he still felt disappointed that Duke Francis had never told him the truth. He also felt he was being deceived. But Anna can't do anything. She must do nothing in front of one of the most talented witches and Crown Princess Nordhalbinsel.

"Anna, you're here apparently."

Anna turned her head and saw Crown Prince Xavier entering the artificial garden in a hurry.

At once Anna and Eleanor stood up and bowed in salute to the Crown Prince who only directed his gaze at Anna. Anna could tell right from that gaze that her mood was not good.

"Why don't you come to my room soon?" Ask Xavier.

"Sa-I thought..."

"It's my fault, Your Honor. I've invited him to have tea with me and I'd like to tell you right away, but you were very busy and I didn't want to interrupt. Please forgive my mistake." Eleanor immediately interrupted.

For a moment Anna could see Xavier looking at Anna as if he was going to be angry, but the look in his eyes instantly changed in an instant and softened again as he looked at Eleanor.

"I'm sorry. I should have accompanied you for tea. My mistake. I promise I'll make time for you soon." Xavier said to Eleanor.

"I look forward to it, Your Majesty." Eleanor said with a gentle smile.

"Anna, I need you now. There's a lot of work we have to do. Quickly go to my Workspace at the end of the third-floor hallway and meet Prince Jeffrey there." Xavier said to Anna.

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Anna bowed to Xavier and Eleanor then rushed off towards the third floor.

"Is there something I don't know?" Xavier asked Eleanor when they were alone in the garden.

"none. I've only had a few conversations with your personal bodyguard as a fellow woman. Nothing special." Eleanor replied casually as she occasionally sipped her rose tea.

"You suspect it." Xavier said, which is more like a statement than a question.

"Of course." Eleanor did not stop him. "Let her come from Schiereiland. I can't trust anyone from there."

"She's just an ordinary girl, Elle." Xavier sighed, "Stop suspecting him. And don't bother him."

"Selena was also originally just an ordinary girl who suddenly appeared before the King and now controlled the King and the entire Kingdom. He's the one who hurt you, he almost killed you!"

"Elle, relax. She's not a witch. I've made sure of that."

"But he could kill you anytime!" Eleanor raised her voice. His eyes shone with his worries. Her tears are shining. "I... I don't want you to die like the prophecy said."

Xavier immediately hugged her to calm her down. "I won't let anyone kill me. You have to trust me."

Eleanor nodded and tried to get rid of her tears before they completely flowed.

Xavier brought Eleanor to sit down together and poured tea for her after Eleanor became calmer. For a few minutes they just sat together and drank tea. Although there was actually a lot of work waiting for Xavier, but he knew Eleanor was in need of a friend right now. Although it looked very faint, he saw that there were dark circles under his eyes. Other people would definitely not notice it because it was too fixated on the sheen of Eleanor's beauty as a whole. But Xavier could see it. He knew that the girl was having a lot of things thought the same as him.

"You haven't slept well lately." Xavier said, switching topics.

"I'm just doing a lot of work. Plus it's your noble duty to make that potion. But I also know you've had a lot of work and trouble sleeping lately, so I won't blame you." Eleanor said as she sipped her still warm rose tea.

“Oh, right! That potion. Have you sent the potion to Westeria?” Ask Xavier.

“How many times should I say? I made it every week and sent it directly through my bodyguard who I asked not to return until I had completely confirmed that the Queen had drunk it. I'm very busy with all the work that my father and you gave me and I still take the time to make such a difficult potion for the Queen of another Country. You won't even tell me what really happened to Queen Elizabeth until I had to make that potion.”

“She must be fine, right?”

“Of course. He must be very healthy. If you drink the potion regularly every week, there will be no poison whatsoever that works on his body. Why are you so worried?”

“Daughter Eugene hasn't sent me a letter in a long time." Answer, glum. "Something may be going on in Westeria. And it may also be related to the health condition of Queen Elizabeth, although this is just my assumption. When was the last time you sent me that potion?”

“Six days ago. And my bodyguard said the Queen looked very healthy. Tomorrow I'll send it again while checking Queen Elizabeth's condition directly." Eleanor noticed Xavier before continuing, "Don't worry too much like that, Xavier. The one who sees you now will think your fiance is Princess Eugene not me.”

Xavier laughed at hearing that. “Wah, you really sound like a jealous woman, Elle. Such a role is inappropriate for you.”

“It's good to see you laughing again.” Eleanor said with a smile. "You know, you're free to like another woman, whoever she is, and I promised not to bother about it." Eleanor. There was not the slightest hint of jealousy in her tone when saying that to her fiance.

"There's nothing between me and Princess Eugene. I only maintain good political relations between Nordhalbinsel and Westeria. You know, she's gonna be Queen of Westeria someday."

"I know." Eleanor. Eleanor fell silent for a long time before continuing, "Xavier, don't be so loyal to me. It makes me feel so sinful. I feel like an evil woman who betrayed your loyalty."

"I just can't imagine another woman who deserves to be Queen of Nordhalbinsel in the future other than you. You're smart and reliable. A good partner and will probably be a good Queen as well. This isn't the kind of loyalty you'd imagine, Elle. Be calm. My feelings for you are still the same, I still can't love you. No need to feel guilty just because you have a mistress. I told you I'd let you."

Eleanor was silent at those words. Inwardly still feel guilty for having had an affair with another man when he was still Xavier's fiancee.

Xavier stood up, ready to leave. “I go first, then. There are many jobs waiting.” Xavier said as he walked towards the door, then turned to stare at his fiancee again before actually leaving. “Thank you very much, Elle. Thanks for everything.”

Eleanor smiled faintly at him, “Honor for me can help Her Majesty.”

***

"I don't think it's a plague." The Crown Prince said after hearing an explanation from Prince Jeffrey about their duties in Montreux.

"I think so too, Your Majesty. I've never heard of such a disease before." Said Prince Jeffrey.

"Your Majesty, General Arianne has just given word that part of her army has suddenly disappeared while on a night duty. He was very worried that the same thing would happen to our troops. General Arianne asked the Crown Prince and Prince Jeffrey not to take part in this trip because it would be very dangerous." Said one of the squad leaders.

"No. I have to come. This is the King's order. But my sister doesn't have to continue the journey because I'm actually the only one assigned." Xavier.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty. If His Majesty will still leave, then so will I. Because I promised to take part in this task." Said Prince Jeffrey.

"alright. If you insist on staying, I have no other choice. We can only hope that this blizzard is over quickly." Xavier. "Anna, have you prepared what I asked for?" Ask Xavier.

"All I have prepared, Your Majesty." replied Anna.

Before Xavier reaches the study, Anna meets Prince Jeffrey. Prince Jeffrey explains the situation in Montreux and delivers a message from Xavier to Anna. Anna was asked to order the servants to make as many masks covering the nose and mouth as possible. Anna took a sample of the finished mask made by the servants and gave it to the Crown Prince.

"The waiters still make the rest. I just took some of the already-made ones." Anna said as she handed the mask over to Xavier.

"Mask?" ask one of the team leaders.

"so apparently. I didn't think about this before. But now I understand, Your Majesty. By wearing this mask, at least we can protect ourselves while in Montreux" Prince Jeffrey said when he saw the mask.

"I'm glad you understood what I meant without me explaining it, Prince Jeffrey. It is true that the teachers in the Palace said that the Prince is the Son of the King who has excellent capture power." Praise Xavier for his brother.

"Your praise is excessive, Your Majesty. I'm still way below you in terms of intelligence."

"Please forgive this very lowly servant, Your Majesty. I still don't understand why we need masks." Said the other group leader.

"I'll explain later." Xavier.

***

After a storm that lasted for a full day, the next morning, they decided to go back on their way. Eleanor helps to remove the heavy snow from the streets that the troops will be traversing with her magic so that they do not experience any obstacles when it comes time to leave the Winterthur family Villa. Eleanor looked heavy-hearted as she delivered her farewell to Xavier. Anna could see the look in the Crown Princess's eyes full of worry and uneasiness. Highlight the eyes that Anna had also seen in Leon's eyes as she was about to depart for Nordhalbinsel Palace on the day of the Second Stage survival test was conducted.

"They're a matching couple, aren't they?" whispered one of the soldiers.

"Very harmonious. I've never seen any couple that looked like fate more than the Crown Prince and Crown Princess couple." whispered the other soldier.

Anna continued to listen to the whispers around the soldiers without commenting. Because in fact, listening to gossip among the soldiers is now one of the entertainment for him as well as one way to find out various things that happened among the Nordhalbinsel royal family that he did not know.

"The relationship between the two is also very good. They are not like royal couples who get married just because of political affairs. They must love each other."

"But why aren't they married yet?"

"That's because of Empress Selena."

"Ssttts. You mustn't talk carelessly about the Empress."

"I heard that whenever the Crown Prince would announce the date of his wedding, Empress Selena would ask King Vlad to send the Crown Prince to take care of the work that required him to go away from the Palace for days or even months."

"really. A few weeks ago I heard the Palace maids whispering that the Crown Prince was planning to announce the date of his wedding to the Crown Princess immediately. And look now, the Crown Prince is actually sent to perform a very dangerous task in the border region."

"Regrettably Empress Selena does not want the Crown Prince to get married even more so because the Crown Princess comes from a Winterthur family that has great influence. Empress Selena has always been afraid of the Winterthur family members."

"Stop. We're leaving soon."

***

Crown Prince Xavier said the trip to Montreux would have been slower than he expected because a snowstorm yesterday blocked their roads with heavy snow and fallen trees. Anna tried hard not to complain because what she really wanted was to quickly return to Nordhalbinsel Palace to find where her mother and sister were taken captive. But the more he gets busy, the more he sometimes forgets what his true purpose is to be the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard.

The trip took five days. During the trip, they stopped at a small cottage in a village or set up a tent in a forest or occupied a ruined castle building that was old but good enough to spend the night. Sometimes they ran out of groceries and had to go through a small town to buy groceries and grass for the horses. Sometimes when passing through remote areas will come bandit—but not bandits from the Black Mamba group who are very dangerous and feared— who try to rob their food supplies and supplies. But the Nordhalbinsel soldiers were so skilled in sword fighting that not once did they lose to the bandits. In such moments, Anna's duty was only one; protecting the Crown Prince from the wide variety of attacks that might come. The journey had a positive impact on Anna's sword skills which are now much better because they are more often used against enemies and not just practicing swords.

Along the way Anna can see why the Soldiers and even Prince Jeffrey have so much respect for the Crown Prince. Although sometimes—or often times—The Crown Prince is angry if something is not going well—or if his mood is bad, but at the same time, he is angry, The Crown Prince is also a good leader. He will show all his subordinates how to do this and that correctly. He would also not hesitate to get his hands dirty for field work that was usually not done by the nobility let alone the royal family. Several times when their path was blocked by a large fallen tree trunk, the Crown Prince would come down from the horse carriage and with the soldiers lifted the tree trunk to be removed from the road. Sometimes he also hunts deer in the forest for their dinner. When the train suddenly breaks down on the road, the Crown Prince will fix it with the help of the soldiers.

Anna becomes sleep deprived while having to keep up the night. But due to the constant vigil of the night, he knew that the Crown Prince always had trouble sleeping. And when the unguarded soldier began to sleep, Anna often saw the Crown Prince in her tent reading a book or writing something in her notebook until dawn. Anna recalls Xavier's words on the first day of their journey as they witness the Northern Lights that Xavier had trouble sleeping because of the guilt that Anna later believed was due to King Edward's death Vlad. Despite feeling really angry and unable to forgive anyone who had killed her father, Anna felt the Crown Prince had not really done anything wrong. In Anna's eyes, her only fault was being born as the son of a murderer.

The next morning on the sixth day, they reached Montreux Castle, near the border between Montreux and the Kingdom of Westeria. On the orders of the Crown Prince, everyone was asked to wear masks covering the nose and mouth that had been prepared by the servants of the Winterthur family. The mask is not made of ordinary cloth but rather is made of cloth with a material that can dispel small particles the size of fine dust.

The Crown Prince explained the results of his research after reading all the letters from General Arianne telling the current situation in Montreux. He concluded that what attacked the Montreux area was not a plague but the effect of fine dust coming from the kingdom of Westeria. The fine dust is only present at night because it is carried away by the night wind that blows towards Montreux. And the Crown Prince suspects that the fine dust contains some kind of harmful substance that damages human nerves and changes human nature to be aggressive like wild animals.

Xavier also explained that he had several letters with Princess Eugene from the kingdom of Westeria over the past few months. Because of their good relationship, Princess Eugene recounts that Westeria was making a drug that would later become a stamina booster for the Westeria soldiers and intended to sell at a more friendly price to Nordhalbinsel. But for some reason that he hadn't told, about two weeks ago the big project just shut down and the letters from Princess Eugene stopped coming at him. From that time period, the closure of the project was almost at the same time as the first letter from General Arianne regarding the outbreak in Montreux began.

Xavier suspects that the fine dust is the result of Westeria experiments that were to be used as a stamina strengthening drug. The fine dust will enter through the respiratory tract and damage human nerves. That's why Xavier asked Anna to hire Winterthur's servants to make as many masks as possible that could filter out fine dust so they could breathe without having to inhale fine dust.

Upon arriving at Montreux Castle during the day, the royal troops were greeted by dozens of Montreux soldiers and General Arianne himself. The General saluted Crown Prince Xavier and Prince Jeffrey, followed by the soldiers.

"Greetings to Your Highness Crown Prince Xavier and His Royal Highness Prince Jeffrey" said General Arianne.

***