Chapter 33: Deep forest
Belle gazed around the dense forest, her eyes scanning the shadows as she began to grasp the depth of their predicament.
"The coachman strayed from the main path some time ago, though we failed to notice," she observed. "He must have led us deeper into the forest and abandoned the carriage to its fate."
"But why would he do that?" Aurora asked, her voice trembling as she nervously bit her nails. "Do you think he knows we are from the palace?"
Mia stepped forward, draping a comforting arm around Aurora. "Don’t be ridiculous. If they knew who we were, they would have kidnapped us for ransom rather than leave us stranded here," she said, her tone tinged with reasoning.
Belle folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. "Which means someone likely paid the coachman to do this," she concluded, her mind already piecing the puzzle together.
"But why?" Aurora pressed, her naivety drawing a roll of Mia’s eyes.
"Well, perhaps it has something to do with a certain someone loudly declaring me as his woman in front of a crowd of lustful admirers," Belle replied dryly, punctuating her words with a frustrated kick in the air. "And now, here we are."
"I am so sorry! I thought this was the King’s carriage," Aurora pleaded, guilt etched on her face.
"It’s fine," Belle reassured her. "Let’s focus on finding our way back to the main road before nightfall. Judging by the dimming light, we have less than an hour." She began rummaging through the overturned carriage in search of their belongings.