"It was that brat's fault!" The wind user said with a shout.
"First, he made friends who seemed to care enough about him to chase us and just when we were about to escape those friends he made, he blew us back with the power of the wind!" The wind user said in a frustrated tone.
"He pushed you back with the power of the wind?" Elaria repeated in anger.
"Then what is the point of hiring you if you can't take care of someone who can barely control the wind!" Elaria boomed.
"His power was unexpected" the wind user stammered.
"If we had a heads up, we would have been more prepared-" the wind user said nervously but Elaria shouted "Silence!"
"Did you tell anybody about our plans?" Elaria asked the wind user.
"No." The wind user said, shaking his head repeatedly.
"They have no leads and the boat we booked for Avero departed the same day we were caught." The wind user firmly.
"Avero." thought Princess Marina.
"How do I know that you won't leak our plans to them?" Elaria said and Princess Marina used her weapon to create mist.
"We will never!" The wind user exclaimed for him and his friend.
"I swear on Avero!" The wind user exclaimed.
"Good" Elaria said before disappearing along with the fog.
Princess Marina's room.
"Avero?" Princess Marina mused as she kept the voice distortion box she had used to trick the wind user on her nightstand.
"Avero is in the Southern part of the Empire and they are in charge of making high class weapons for the Empire." Lorraine murmured.
"From what I know, The Duke oversees Avero because of their high production of weapons but in matters that concern the state the Earl takes charge." said Lorraine, as she watched Princess Marina pace.
"The Earl shows no hostility to the Empire, if anything the Earl is grateful that the Empire laws allow him to act as he pleases." Lorraine said with disgust.
"For now we can exclude the Earl's involvement in this." Princess Marina said as she paced.
"The Earl wouldn't want to jeopardize his position and Aldric is powerful enough to have his favor." said Princess Marina.
"What bothers me in all this is why they need to go to Avero." Princess Marina muttered as she spun around and continued pacing.
"Why Avero?" asked Princess Marina.
"Avero is a small but progressive province and it's main export is making high class weapons with a defensive barrier. The last two moons of the empire were from Avero so there haven't been sidelined by the Empire so what is going on?" Princess Marina asked as she stopped her pacing and tapped her feet.
"It might be an underground fighting ring." Lorraine said and Princess Marina looked up at her.
"Some of you humans enjoy the strangest things and they can use the excuse that they are trying out the efficiency of their weapons." Lorraine said and Princess Marina nodded thoughtfully.
"Or the destination is not Avero but another province close to it." Lorraine said, suggesting another alternative.
"He swore on the honour of Avero so it's obvious that he is an Averosian." Princess Marina said, recalling the wind user's words.
"But he didn't have their unique skin tone." said Lorraine.
"Before Aldric's situation, I discovered that two of the illegitimate children of the Earl suddenly went missing last year." Princess Marina said, crossing her arms.
"The common story was that they fell out of favour with the Earl but what if there was more to that." Princess Marina said in a whisper before shaking herself out of her reverie.
"For now, is there a way for you to track Aldric and Aleron?" Princess Marina asked Lorraine.
"The wind user and his colleague will be released soon and watched for a period of five months. They will anticipate being watched and not act for the time being but that doesn't mean that they are the only one who can kidnap Aldric." said Princess Marina.
"For now keep an eye on Aldric and Aleron so the next time this incident happens I can alert the guards to follow them." Princess Marina said and Lorraine nodded firmly.
Stamping her leg to the floor, Lorraine muttered "Videre." and vines sprung up from the ground to create a platform with a huge manor along with a miniature version of the Earl, his wife, Maldareth, the twins Aldric and Aleron, the twins biological mother, the Earl's other concubines and his five other illegitimate children.