Zhao Jiaqi felt a prickle of unease. The white horse seemed different from before, as if bewitched, galloping straight ahead.
Far in the distance, Su Ya could no longer see the Princess's figure. Frightened, she went to find the Prince, but he was long gone. Looking back again, even Prince Ale had ridden away on his horse. Not a single subordinate or servant remained.
At the same time, Zhao Jiaqi was led to a secluded spot. The little white horse gradually slowed its pace. Seeing the horse finally stop, she hastily dismounted, tugging at the reins but daring not let the horse leave.
Without time to retrace her path, dust billowed in the distance, charging towards her.
Initially, she was ecstatic, waving her arms towards the distance, thinking her husband had discovered her absence and was coming to find her. But as the approaching group grew nearer, the leader was not a familiar face, and she was momentarily stunned.
A group of people roared in, circling her on horseback with raised corners of their mouths, their joy uncontainable. They muttered something she couldn't understand, but their contemptuous expressions left no doubt it was nothing good.
One burly man rode forward on horseback, looking down at her and speaking in somewhat broken Yun country dialect, "Greetings to the Princess. I am very pleased you have become my prisoner."
"Hahaha..."
His words drew laughter from the group.
Zhao Jiaqi tilted her head up to look at him, sure she didn't know him, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you capturing me?"
Not only did he know who she was, but he also spoke sarcastically, calling her his prisoner, which piqued her curiosity.
Was this man not afraid of provoking war between two countries?
Kagel grinned at her words and didn't conceal anything. "I am a prince of the Axi tribe, my name is Kagel. Now that you know my identity, please mount your horse and come with me. Otherwise, we'll have to drag you, which would ruin your delicate skin."
Kagel?
In her memory, she had never heard of this person.
Knowing she couldn't escape, she didn't hesitate, lest she suffer more. Just as she was about to mount the horse, she secretly tore at the lovesick bean bracelet on her wrist, dropping a bead every short distance she traveled.
When her husband couldn't find her, he would search, and these would be the clues for him.
After riding for a long time, amidst fright and panic, she had learned to ride. The horse was indeed quite steady. It was then she remembered that the little white horse had been personally brought to her by King Axi.
Could it be that the one who wanted to capture her was not Kagel, but King Axi Ale?
And what was Ale's full name?
As they galloped, Zhao Jiaqi asked Kagel, who could speak the Yun country dialect, "If your King Kagel knew you captured me, he would surely kill you."
Kagel scoffed, smiling dismissively. "I know you're clever, but save your attempts to trick me. If you keep talking, I'll gag you. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink it."
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled. These phrases were very familiar. "It seems you've studied Yun country culture. You're quite adept at using slang."
Outwardly calm, she was inwardly panicking.
Not only had they studied Yun country culture, but they also knew who she was, which clearly indicated they had researched her.
This thought sent a shiver down her spine.
What did these people want by capturing her?
Soon, a cluster of yurts appeared before them, enclosed by a fence with livestock inside. Adults and children bustled about, seemingly busy.
Kagel turned and said something to the person beside him, and then someone approached to escort her to an empty yurt. They promptly bound her hands and feet, gagged her mouth, and tossed her onto a bed, leaving her to fend for herself.
Lying on the bed, she didn't feel excessive worry. Under the current circumstances, she was safe.
But how did these people know their destination?
And why was she the one specifically captured?
It was Ale who suggested coming out to play in the afternoon. Even if there were spies, there would still be time for them to report and prepare horses.
If King Ale was the one who wanted to capture her, then these suggestions and arrangements would have been timely. To ensure they didn't fail to capture her, he had even prepared a docile horse for her.
It was indeed docile, just not obedient to her.
So, this was a pre-meditated ambush, targeting them. Otherwise, how could the horse have dragged her into enemy territory?
When all her speculations and deductions aligned, Zhao Jiaqi's heart sank.
Meanwhile, upon learning his wife was missing, Fan Zehao nearly cleaved King Ale of the Axi tribe in two.
Huangfu Xian and Huangfu Xu jointly restrained the enraged Fan Zehao. "Brother, calm down. Now is not the time for violence. Send people to find Eldest Sister-in-law's whereabouts immediately."
At Huangfu Xian's sharp rebuke, Fan Zehao's reason returned. He threw a fierce threat at Ale: "If anything happens to the Princess, I swear I will raze your tribe to the ground and make you regret ever being born."
After delivering his ultimatum, he led his men out to search for Zhao Jiaqi.
Prince Xian, seeing this, also suppressed his anger and instructed Ale, "Quickly send people to search for the Princess's trace. If the Princess cannot be found, the consequences will be dire!"
Ale nodded in terror, repeatedly agreeing. With a wave of his hand, a group of people went out to search for the Princess.
After they all departed, leaving only his own people, Ale's panicked demeanor vanished, and his sinister gaze gradually emerged.
Aimos stepped forward and whispered, "The person has been successfully captured by Prince Kagel and is now imprisoned. The Prince asks for the next course of action."
Ale smirked, a cold laugh escaping his lips. "After pretending to be subservient for so long, it's time to get something in return."
After a moment of thought, he continued, "This Prince dotes on his Princess. Then let's use the Princess's life to exchange for his."
Aimos trembled, somewhat afraid of the Prince's special forces. He asked nervously, "Your Majesty, if the Regent dies here, his men will surely not let us go. Will we not incur wrath then?"
He chuckled coldly. "He is currently anxious about finding his Princess and hasn't realized we set him up. Do you think we'll have any way to survive if he catches on?"
He spoke with resentment, and beneath his calm exterior, a wave surged, now beating against his heart.
"Strike first. If we eliminate the leader, the rest of the flock will be no threat." He paused, then added, "After years of planning, our spies can now play a more significant role. Taking the inner city will be no problem then."
Aimos considered the King's words and found them reasonable. He went down to relay the King's next plan.