Chapter 201 Whats Her Name? 2 (1/2)

”What's happening?”

Rod furrowed his brows as he and the rest of his group tried their best to blend in among the small crowd that gathered outside the restaurant.

He heard from the innkeeper that that place was the best when it comes to food. But on their way there, their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests when they saw royal guards coming out of the establishment.

The team immediately recognized the position of those royal guards by a mile away. After staying for a few weeks in the royal palace, they knew, from the glint of the golden armors those guards wore, that they were the special force of the Emperor, the only guards who can receive orders straight from the Emperor himself.

”What are they doing here?!”

Renee whispered vehemently as she tried to hide her face. Then, after taking a second peek, her eyes widened in panic.

”What if they're assigned to spy on us?! What are we going to do now?!”

Rod discreetly tilted his head to the side in an attempt to cover up his face as well. Nol soon took the hint and followed suit.

Looking at the two guards, Rod began to voice out his thoughts.

”They're usually deployed to protect royalty so why are they here? Are they under the Emperor's orders? Or are they on vacation?”

One of the royal guards felt a sudden intense stare directed at him and he instinctively looked for its origin. Fortunately, Rod was able to quickly look away before the royal guard could notice his stare.

”But, I don't think they're guarding royalty. That's because before we left the capital, almost all the members of the royal family, except for the third prince, were present and busy in the palace. So, I doubt they'd find time to visit this small village. And I believe that the third prince is out somewhere for training. So, the royal guards here must be here under the Emperor's orders. And I don't think they have any vacation nor breaks. They are the Emperor's personal guards, after all.”

Renee furrowed her brows in worry as she spoke.

”So, do you think they're here to keep an eye on us?”

Rod's forehead began to crinkle as he became lost in his thoughts. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he let out a small exhale as he spoke.

”I'm not too sure about that. There's a chance that their business here is unrelated to us, but we can't deny that there's also a chance that they're here to make sure we really are searching for her.”

Rod caressed his chin as he began to think of the best way to approach the situation.

”But then again, if they really are here for us, we can always pretend that we're actually doing what the Emperor asked us to do, which is to search for her in the village. And after a few days of 'searching,' we'd just have to tell them that there's a chance that she'd be in another distant country and that we'd need to go through Edseria for transit. But once we reach Edseria, we'd shake them off and hide.”

While Rod was voicing out his thoughts, Nol took a curious peek at the royal guards. And to his surprise, behind one of the royal guards, he saw a teenager with an ashen face and a frightened expression. It seems like only Nol was able to notice the child because, from both Renee's and Rod's angles, the child was hidden behind the royal guards' armor.

Nol tapped Rod gently as he grunted.