Chapter 71: Rose path
Meanwhile, in the Moonlight Kingdom, darkness had settled over the palace like a heavy blanket. The typical bustle of evening activities had been replaced by an eerie quiet, as if the very walls were holding their breath in anticipation of what was to come.
Rose moved through the shadows with practiced ease, her steps silent against the stone floor. The stable was largely deserted at this hour, with only a single drowsy guard posted at the entrance. She waited patiently until his head nodded forward in sleep before slipping past him.
’Forty-seven seconds,’ she counted in her head. ’That’s how long it took him to drift off. The palace security has grown complacent in peacetime.’
The horses shifted restlessly as she entered, sensing her presence. Rose approached a sleek chestnut mare in the corner stall—not the fastest in the royal stables, but steady and with good endurance. The kind of horse no one would immediately miss.
"Easy," she whispered, running a hand along the mare’s neck. "We have a long journey ahead."
As she prepared the saddle, Rose’s movements were efficient, betraying years of experience that seemed at odds with her kitchen servant disguise. Within minutes, the horse was ready, and Rose led it quietly toward the rear exit.
The night air was cool against her skin as she mounted the mare, careful to keep to the grass alongside the cobblestone path to muffle the sound of hooves. The moon was nearly full, casting a silver glow that made her feel exposed, but there was no helping it. Time was not on her side.
Once past the outer wall, Rose urged the horse into a gallop, the wind whipping her dark hair behind her. The forest road stretched before her, a ribbon of moonlight guiding her path.
’Twenty kilometers should be enough,’ she thought, mentally calculating the distance. ’Far enough that random patrols won’t find me, but not so far that I can’t return quickly if needed.’