The sun rose above the rooftops, its rays shining directly on the two men sleeping inside the house. Marantaceae woke up and saw Amaryllis sleeping beside him. He looked around and realized he had fallen unconscious last night after eating the fruit Amaryllis had given him.
He hurriedly got to his feet, drew his sword, and pointed it at Amaryllis, who was still sleeping peacefully.
"You..." Marantaceae shouted.
At the same moment, Magnolia walked into the room and saw Marantaceae pointing his sword at Amaryllis, who was now lying awake on the floor, looking at him.
Magnolia immediately stepped in front of Amaryllis.
"Magnolia, get out of the way," Marantaceae said furiously.
Amaryllis pushed Magnolia aside and stood up.
"I know you're angry, but I was helping. Sleep is important if you want to live healthy."
Magnolia stood between them again.
"Before you kill him, you'll have to go through me."
But Marantaceae's attention remained fixed on Amaryllis.
Amaryllis gently pushed Magnolia aside once more.
"Let me explain. Those fruits weren't harmful."
"You gave me that fruit on purpose so I'd pass out!" Marantaceae snapped."
Magnolia looked at Amaryllis in disbelief.
Prince, why do you always behave like this?
"But because of that, you slept peacefully last night. You should be thankful to me," Amaryllis replied.
Before Marantaceae could move toward him, Amaryllis stepped closer.
"Staying alone in the jungle at night isn't safe."
"You have no right to make decisions for me."
"You're my friend, and I care about you."
At that moment, Syring entered the room.
"Amaryllis, Magnolia, come outside. I want to talk to you about something important."
The three of them walked outside and stood beneath a tree a few meters away from the house.
"I don't know whether I should say this or not, but I've been thinking about it all night," Syring said.
The others looked at her seriously.
After a pause, she continued.
"When I was in the queen's chamber, she gave me tea that was poisoned."
Magnolia was shocked. He had expected her to talk about Marantaceae's hatred for Gladiolus, but not the queen.
"Why?"
"How do you know the tea was poisoned?" Amaryllis asked.
"Because I saw a fly die after drinking it."
"What about the killer who tried to kill you?"
"I lied about that because I wanted to be sure before accusing the queen. That's why I ran away."
"But how can you be sure the queen was the one who poisoned your tea?" Magnolia asked.
Syring looked at him irritably.
"Because there was no one else in the room besides me and the queen, and the teapot was already half empty."
Both men stared at her silently. From their expressions, it was clear they didn't completely believe her.
Syring noticed.
"What? I'm just saying that at this point, I don't think we should trust anyone blindly, including the queen."
Amaryllis was about to respond, but Syring interrupted him.
"And I saw those sleeping plants inside the queen's chamber."
"Maybe they took those plants after they defeated Ulmaria," Amaryllis suggested.
Syring was beginning to lose patience with both of them.
"Princess, we do believe you're telling the truth," Magnolia said. "But a half-empty teapot proves nothing. And why would the queen try to kill you?"
"I don't know!" Syring replied in frustration. "I just want to know who killed my family."
"We need to find the truth," Amaryllis said. "But if the queen is behind it, then it's dangerous for you to stay here."
"After we leave this jungle, let's return to the south," Magnolia added. "Your brother will definitely find a solution."
Syring didn't want to return south, but she simply nodded.
I'll find out who killed my family myself.
Amaryllis glanced toward Marantaceae and Arum. The two were deep in conversation, and he couldn't help wondering what they had been talking about for so long.
He walked toward them, leaving Magnolia and Syring behind.
"I believed you because you're a Thistle," Arum said. "I hope you'll remember your promise after you leave this place."
"I will," Marantaceae replied. "I'll take revenge on Gladiolus for you."
After fighting with you, I'm sure you can," Arum said, thinking, His fighting style reminds me of someone.
Amaryllis suddenly interrupted them.
"Is there something to eat?"
Marantaceae nodded toward Arum before turning to Amaryllis.
"We should leave before they come looking for us."
"It's fine," Arum said. "I came to bring you food. You can eat first."
Amaryllis smiled brightly.
"Thank you."
Arum led everyone into the house. Amaryllis wanted to sit beside Marantaceae, but Marantaceae got up and sat next to Arum instead.
Arum served the food, but Magnolia insisted on tasting it first before allowing Amaryllis and Syring to eat.
"Why aren't you eating?" Arum asked them.
After Magnolia finished tasting the food, Amaryllis took a bite.
"It tastes really good."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"My wife cooked it," Arum said proudly.
"Yes, it's delicious," Syring agreed.
After eating, they set out once more.
"Follow me," Arum said.
The group walked quietly through the jungle.
The sun hung high above them, its heat beating down relentlessly. Soon, everyone was exhausted and thirsty.
Amaryllis noticed Syring shielding her eyes from the sunlight. Without a word, he removed his scarf and draped it over her head before handing her his water.
As he lowered his hand, his gaze drifted toward Marantaceae.
The other man had once again fallen behind, keeping a careful distance.
"Why are you avoiding me?" Amaryllis asked.
"Because I don't want to be near you."
The answer stung more than Amaryllis expected.
"I thought we'd become friends."
Marantaceae raised an eyebrow.
"Since when?"
"Since last night."
A faint frown crossed Marantaceae's face.
"You're already surrounded by people who care about you. You don't need me."
Before Amaryllis could respond, Marantaceae walked ahead and joined Arum.
Magnolia chuckled beside him.
"That was painful to watch."
Amaryllis shot him a glare.
"I don't understand why he dislikes me so much."
"Maybe because you keep following him everywhere," Magnolia replied.
Amaryllis ignored the comment.
Nearly an hour later, Arum stopped and pointed ahead.
"This is where we part ways."
"Thank you for helping us," Marantaceae said.
The others thanked him as well.
Arum left, and they continued on their own.
Feeling exhausted, Syring said, "Amaryllis, I need a break."
Amaryllis nodded, and they found a shady spot beneath a tree.
Magnolia went to inspect the area.
Marantaceae sat by the river and dipped his feet into the water.
Amaryllis sat beside Syring and watched him from a distance.
"Who exactly is he?" Syring asked.
"Marantaceae."
"I'm asking where he came from."
Amaryllis grinned.
"He's not interested in you."
"I'm your brother's fiancée. How can you talk to me like that?"
Amaryllis got up and walked over to Marantaceae.
He sat beside him and dipped his feet into the water as well.
"You can ask me anything if you don't trust me," Amaryllis said.
"At this point, I don't care who you are or whether you're lying to me."
Amaryllis looked disappointed.
"Why?"
"Because once we leave this place, we'll go our separate ways."
An arrow suddenly whistled through the air toward Marantaceae.
Without thinking, Amaryllis grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. The two crashed onto the riverbank.
"I didn't need your help," Marantaceae snapped.
"Maybe not," Amaryllis replied, getting to his feet. "But we're alive."
They hurried toward Syring, only to stop when a large force emerged from the trees ahead.
Magnolia immediately stepped in front of Amaryllis, shielding him.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
"We should split up," Marantaceae finally said. "They won't be able to chase all of us."
"Magnolia, take Syring and head south," Amaryllis ordered.
Before Magnolia could protest, Amaryllis seized Marantaceae's hand and ran in the opposite direction.
Marantaceae stumbled after him, staring in disbelief.
Why is he coming with me? he wondered. Why would he leave his friends behind?
Behind them, Syring pointed toward another path.
"Let's go!" she shouted.
Magnolia hesitated for a moment before nodding and following her.