Chapter 13: Escape
A sloshing sound echoed as the three girls rose from the ditch and gathered together. After a wet and tiring night, not in a sexual sense, Hiro retreated to their wombs to rest. The night had been exhausting in a way Hiro didn't enjoy; he had seriously thought he might die. Well, perhaps not die in the literal sense—the assassins wanted to capture him alive—but he absolutely didn't wish for Cecile, Nana, and Rebecca to be killed. Even if Rebecca was a snotty brat. Even though Rebecca was a snotty brat. It needed to be said twice.
Hiding from the guards during the day was easy. Like in Horaine, the guards were mainly concerned with who came in, not who went out. The trio found refuge in a nearby forest, already outside the city, but Hiro could still sense and hear people moving nearby.
"What do we do now? Should we move to another country?" Cecile asked. Rebecca remained silent and merely nodded. She had been like a doll ever since she learned of her father's betrayal. Even when Hiro poked her cheeks, she didn't respond.
"Yes. We can't stay in this country much longer," Nana replied.
"We didn't do anything wrong! And what if we become fugitives there, too?" Cecile asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"The Kingdom of Vertia doesn't have any extradition treaty with Latvin. We could go there... but the road is treacherous," Nana said.
"We could simply go to the Litmus Kingdom. Extradition treaties aren't as simple as you think. They still need to prove we're guilty. Since we're not guilty, we could go to any kingdom or even any city, not under Balto or Evesys' influence," Rebecca said languidly. Hiro nodded his tentacle in agreement. Even when depressed, unlike Nana, who could only cry, Rebecca's mind was still sharp.
"But... the symbiote..." Cecile trailed off, uncertain.
"Everyone knows symbiotes shouldn't be separated from their hosts. Moreover, symbiotes are sentient; they wouldn't bind with people who killed their partners. This is all because I told him that our symbiotes were compatible with any woman... The most the other nobles could do to control us was to hire us with gold. It's a good offer," Rebecca said.
"I don't want to live here anymore. The knights can apprehend us whenever they want. Let's leave," Cecile muttered.
"Yeah. Let's..." Nana nodded in agreement.