If Nightingale didn’t lie to her, then even if she entered through the main entrance she wouldn’t face any problems.
And in case Nightingale deceived her, deceived the Witch Cooperation Association, she was also self-confident enough that she would be able to flee from the two guards at the entry.
Of course, there was also the worst case scenario, that Nightingale had betrayed everyone and there weren’t any witches working for the prince. If that was the case she would in all likelihood die. As a top fighting witch, very few people would be able to escape if Nightingale wanted to kill them, she was probably even stronger than Cara. If they fought each other, it wasn’t certain who would win.
Leaves had already prepared herself for the worst case. If she was unable to come back, Scroll would take over the position as Mentor and lead her last sisters into their future — no matter where their destination laid, no matter where at which place they ended, no one knew the answer.
She slowly walked up the hill, coming close to the castle’s gate. And was soon noticed by the guards, who put their hands on the hilt of their swords, and one loudly snapped: “This is the Prince’s Palace, it’s no place for you, you should quickly go back!” He paused, and then added, “If there is something important you have to report, go straight to the left and follow the street until you reach the Town’s Hall, there are people who will receive you.”
Leaves took a deep breath, then she took off her hood. Not surprisingly, she saw a surprised look on their faces. When she saw that the other side had recovered their feelings, she bluntly said: “I am a witch.”
At the moment she said the sentence, she almost expected the other side to draw their swords. Yet the two guards just stared at each other, there was no ordinary man who could hide their feeling of disgust when they heard she was a witch, but their faces showed only curiosity. One of them even asked with interest, “You are a witch? What ability do you have?”
Hearing their response Leaves heart begun to beat faster, she was almost unable to hold her excitement back from breaking out. While trying to keep her voice calm she said: “I want to see Nightingale, Anna or Nana would also be okay.
In Nightingale’s story, the witches were frequent visitors to the castle. The prince didn’t restrict their freedom, only acting as their guardian, even letting them come and go as they pleased… But if Nightingale’s story wasn’t true, the guards surely had never heard of their names.
One guard turned to his partner, the one who had previously spoken out loud, patted his shoulder and said. “You will keep her here, and I’m going to inform His Royal Highness.”
Leaves watched him walk through the gate, soon disappearing in the direction of the garden.
While waiting for what would happen now, she thought about the probabilities. In the end, would Nightingale greet her like a sister, or were the guards at this moment surrounding her, or would she be attacked by a blade out of the shadow?
She found herself in a strange contradiction, obviously, she wanted to believe in Nightingale, but the closer she came to the answer, the more afraid she became of the thought to get disappointed. Maybe Nightingale was a secret agent? The Names of Anna and Nana weren’t made up by her, right? or…
For her, the time had never passed slower than at this moment! Every heartbeat was like a hundred years for her, for her, it was a very long time that she had to wait until her destiny was decided.
In the end, she didn’t know how long or how short the moment was she had to wait until she heard Nightingale’s voice — as if in a trance, she was unable to do anything, only asking herself if she heard it right.
A familiar figure emerged from the gate, bounced over and reached Leaves side almost at the same time as her voice. The next moment she was already wrapped in a warm hug.
“Leaves, welcome home!”
*
“This is my spare uniform, for the moment you can wear it,” said Nightingale who rummaged through her cupboard. “Here is the jacket, shoes… well, here is also a nightgown and bath towel.”
“Why are you in such a hurry,” Wendy shook her head with a smile on her face. “You only have to wait until His Highness is up, then she will get everything.”
Seeing how busy Nightingale was to help her, Leaves’ eyes became warm. She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her tears.
From the beginning Nightingale had never lied to them, there really existed a prince who treated witches nicely.
“Do you want to take a bath first?” asked Nightingale and placed the towel and bathrobe directly beside her. “At the moment His Royal Highness is taking a nap, when he finally wakes up he will gladly receive you. Right, were you able to find the Holy Mountain? How did you and the other sisters fare?
