"So, what do you plan on doing right now?" William inquired. "If they are not hostile, you should do your best to establish some form of communication with them."
Princess Sidonie shook her head. "Although they didn't seem hostile, they still imprisoned my half brothers and sisters, who were born from my father's concubines. The one who is currently sitting on the throne of Freesia is my ten-year-old little brother, Prince Carl."
Hidden behind the veil, a small smile appeared on Princess Sidonie's lips as she thought of her little brother, who would always look for her whenever there was a thunderstorm. Prince Carl was born with an average talent in magic. Even so, that didn't stop Princess Sidonie and her mother, Queen Ophelia, from pampering him.
Princess Sidonie also had an older brother. He was Prince Rainier, twenty-four years old, and the Crown Prince of Freesia. Sadly, he had turned into a crystal statue just like the rest of those that were above the age of twenty.
All the members of the Royal Family, who had turned to stone, were placed inside one of the spacious rooms in the castle in order to protect them from getting stolen.
"So in short, they are only giving the bloodline of your mother preferential treatment." William nodded in understanding. "Well, look at the bright side. At least, your half brothers' and sisters' conditions are still better than those who are in the Zelan Dynasty."
William remembered the Devilish Prince, Alaric Sol Zelan, who he had met in the Kyrintor Mountains. His whereabouts were currently unknown. Based on the information from the Ant Spies, that had infiltrated the Zelan Capital, the Crown Prince had fled and took the surviving members of the Royal Family with him.
"How about you, Sir William?" Princess Sidonie decided to change the topic and inquire about Willam's future plans. "What is your next course of action?"
"I will return to the Hellan Kingdom," William answered without batting an eye. "I need to deal with the problems in my own home first, before dealing with the unwanted guests that have already claimed the lands of others."
A few minutes of silence passed between them before Princess Sidonie spoke what was currently inside her head.
"I'll go with you, Sir William," Princess Sidonie said. "I may not be that much of a fighter, but I can offer you my advice when necessary. Also, I can summon a legion of Warrior Ants to my side. This will greatly aid you in fighting against The Organization. If you want, I can even help you become the new King of the Hellan Kingdom."
William chuckled as he gazed at the Princess by his side. "Your offer is very tempting, Princess. However, I have no wish for Dominion. Even so, if you are willing to aid me in my quest, I'll gladly accept your offer. But, what is the catch? I'm sure that you want something else in return, right? Don't tell me that you want to have my babies as compensation?"
The Half-Elf wasn't able to stop himself from teasing Princess Sidonie. Unfortunately, her face was covered by a veil, so William couldn't see her current expression.
Princess Sidonie's face reddened, but the veil on her face saved her from her embarrassment. She didn't even bother to reprimand William's teasing, because she couldn't possibly tell him that she was not the one that asked for his babies.
< Hehehe. You're so funny Sidonie. Just say 'Yes' and let Darling pin you down, Oh~ >
'Stop teasing me. This is all your fault, Big Sister.'
< I admit that it is my fault. Now, switch with me and let me fix this problem for you. >
'No!' Sidonie rejected Morgana's offer. She was afraid that if he allowed her other half to take control, she would die of embarrassment if her bold and fiery counterpart were to do something provocative again.
After regaining her composure, Princess Sidonie pretended as if she hadn't heard William's teasing and went directly to the heart of the matter.
"If we are going to return to the Hellan Kingdom, we'd better return soon," Princess Sidonie proposed. "The Ant Queen will keep me updated if there are any new developments from the Kraetor Empire and the Elves. Let's deal with your problem first, so you can help me deal with mine."
"Okay." William agreed.
He then stood up and offered his hand to the Princess who had piqued his interest.
"To our successful collaboration," William said.
Princess Sidonie raised her own hand and grabbed William's hand. Unlike her own hand, the Shepherd's hand was rough to the touch. Even so, she held it firmly because this hand belonged to the person she had recognized as a candidate to become her Prince.
The only boy in the entire Southern Continent that was not affected by the power of her Charm.
"Yes. To our successful collaboration," Princess Sidonie replied as she held William's hand.
-----
Two miles away from the Ant Colony, a man, wearing a black robe, looked at the two teenagers using a telescope.
He was none other than Calum, who wanted to find the whereabouts of Princess Sidonie. The Organization had secretly placed a tracking spell on the Princess' flying carriage as insurance should she escape from their grasp.
After following the trail for days, he had arrived in the lands of the Anaesha Dynasty and entered Antheilm, where the Guardian Beast of the Dynasty resided.
He was quite shocked when he found out that the Princess entered the Ant Queen's Domain. For him, the Princess' action was completely suicidal. He even wondered what Princess Sidonie was thinking, doing such a crazy thing.
However, Calum received another shock when he saw that the Commander of the newly formed Knight Order was with the Princess. According to their information, William was currently in a comatose state due to the injuries that he had received during the Demon Invasion.
This was why he had been left behind when the students of the academy had gone to the frontlines to help defend their kingdom.
Calum also observed the behavior of the Ant Soldiers that were currently doing their duties. He noticed that none of them were paying attention to the two teenagers who were chatting happily right above their heads.
Conner's right-hand man was aware that Princess Sidonie had the power to charm others. However, he didn't know how powerful her charm was. Looking at the scene in front of him, Calum felt that they had greatly underestimated the Princess that Crown Prince Lionel was madly in love with.
"I need to report this to my Lord," Calum muttered as he stealthy backed away. "If my hunch is correct then she might have already charmed the Ant Queen."
Although this was a ridiculous thought, Calum was unable to toss it aside. The Warrior Ants' current behavior was more than enough for Calum to believe his suspicion.
If his hunch was correct then the Princess was now someone who now had an entire army at her disposal. Such an individual would be a prized member in The Organization. However, the problem lay with the boy by her side.
'William Von Ainsworth,' Calum thought. 'Even though your grandfather is out of commission, you and your family are still a thorn in our side.'
Although he was miles away from the two teenagers, Calum could tell that the relationship between the Knight Commander and the Princess was rather good.. What he was afraid of, was that the Princess would use her newly acquired Ant Army to deliver a fatal blow to their Organization.