Chapter 55 Dale’s Loyalty

Chapter 55 Dale’s Loyalty
I stopped outside the door, admiring the archway of lilies that covered the top of the door. Roma lilies—white as snow. A small smile formed on my lips. It seems that his encounter with me influenced him more than I thought.
Stepping into the bakery, a jingling bell announcing my arrival. Dale came out of the back room, a big grin on his face.
“Welcome! How can I help you…” His voice trailed off and his gaze narrowed sharply. A hint of distrust lingered in the depths of his eyes.
My brows furrowed. Is there something weird on me? Glancing at my body, all I saw was my armor.
Armor… right. He doesn’t see Liliana. Only another knight. Jackson’s merciless actions by dragging Dale off to the dungeon likely didn’t give the poor man a good impression on knights either.
I’ll have to fix that.
“Good day, Dale Blaker,” I said, stopping at his counter. I glanced back at the window, admiring the designs on the pots filled with roma lilies. “Your bakery is beautiful. You have quite the taste, Mister.”
Dale’s subtle hostility lifted as his eyes widened. He hadn’t expected me to know his name. The baker shrugged, crossing his arms. “Roma lilies symbolized Her Highness; Princess Liliana.”
“You admired her?” I asked.
“Everyone admired the princess. Her heart was pure. Nobody deserved the crown more than she did—” Dale stiffened and glanced away, realizing he showed Amina disrespect in front of a knight. “…Forgive me, dame. I spoke out of line. Crown Princess Amina will be a wonderful queen.”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving it off. “Everyone has their own opinions; there’s no harm in that. By the way,” I murmured, my smile softening. “Call me Robin.”
If Dale hadn’t looked startled before, he was completely blown off guard this time. He quickly cleared his throat, patting the mess of flour off his apron. “S—so. How can I help you, Robin?” he asked, his voice lighter.
That’s better.
“You speak quite highly of Princess Liliana, Dale,” I said. “It’s such a shame she passed away so suddenly, let alone from an illness. Their Majesties were already elderly when they conceived, so it makes sense.” 
Dale grimaced. “…Yeah. It’s a shame… but also a bit odd.”
“Odd, you say?” I asked, tilting my head. “How so?”
The bakery’s lips pursed, staring at his counter as his hands balled into fists. I could see the storm of turmoil swirling inside of him. When he gazed into my eyes, he looked all too similar to the bandits’ right-hand before death.
Dale took a breath and then spoke. “I had spoken to Princess Liliana that same day. Her Highness was glowing; in perfect health. For her to pass so suddenly from being sick is… hard to believe.”
“It could’ve been an unexpected heart attack. Her Highness was preparing to be queen and getting married to a prince from a foreign country. She could’ve been hiding the stress,” I said, secretly speaking half of the truth.
Dale shrugged, looking away with a shameful look in his eyes. “It never dawned on me what Her Highness could be suffering behind closed doors… even so. Princess Liliana was a strong woman. Someone not easily swayed.”
“Then…” I chose my words carefully. “Do you suspect something else took her life?”
Dale winced and quickly looked. As I thought, Dale thinks something else is afoot. His loyalty to me was strong, and he had a very close interaction with me that day.
“Tell me, Dale,” I murmured, leaning over the counter. “Do you think there was foul play?”
His eyes snapped back to me, face paling. “F—foul play?! I don’t… wait. Robin,” he hesitated, swallowing. “Why are you asking me these questions…?”
“Because I don’t believe it was a sudden ‘illness’ either,” I said, placing my finger to my lips. “But this is top secret. Not any other citizen must ever know.”
Dale’s hand flew to his mouth, and his breath shook, eyes watering. “No… Princess…”
“Dale. Do you know anything at all? Anything out of the ordinary that day or night?”
“U—uh… um,” he breathed, swallowing again. “That day, I was set free and taken to this building. It’d be my job to refurbish this place into the bakery you see today. It was hard work, but I was more than grateful to Her Highness for showing me such mercy. So I spent the night here…” He paused, staring into space in deep thought. “Usually there’s at least one knight patrolling the streets. But that night, there were none… I thought perhaps patrols weren’t as frequent on that side of the kingdom. I was up late cleaning at the time. The moon was almost at its peak in the sky when I saw a person dressed in a black cloak walk down the street and toward the royal palace. I thought it was odd, but assumed they had a nightshift and were returning home.”
My blood turned to ice, freezing in place. So then, my murderer snuck into the royal garden from the outside…
“Robin?” Dale asked, watching me carefully with furrowed brows. “Are you okay, dame?”
“Yes,” I said, steeling myself to keep my voice from stuttering. “Can you recall anything else? Perhaps any more details about this cloaked person?”
Dale scratched his head. “I can’t remember if it was a man or a woman, it was hard to tell. Their cloak was long and covered most of their body. They had some black boots though, and black pants. If it weren’t for moonlight from the full moon, they would've blended in with the shadows.”
“Did you see anyone else that night? Perhaps after midnight?”
His gaze lit up. “Oh! I saw a young woman in a hurry if that counts for anything. She wasn’t wearing a cloak, but she was slinking in the shadows. She had dark hair.” Dale glanced away. “Sorry. That’s all I can remember.”
“I see…” I murmured and then gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you, Dale. You’ve been a big help. I appreciate your time.” 
Dale’s cheeks faintly reddened as his troubled gaze gleamed. I turned to leave, and he quickly spoke up. “Wait!”
I glanced back at him. “Yes?”
“Ah… this is a silly question, considering she was a Ray,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But are you a blood relative of Princess Liliana?”
“Hm? What do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head.
“Well, it’s just that you’re a lot like her,” he explained. “You look nothing like her, and yet so much. I think it’s called aura or something? Even the light in your eyes is…” Dale scoffed, shaking his head. “I sound more like a psychic than a baker. Don’t mind me.”
My eyes widened. He could see me? The real me??
“Please, Robin,” Dale murmured, gaze glistening. “Bring justice to our princess.”
A genuine smile formed on my lips as sunlight shined through the window, radiating across my body. “All are treated fairly in this kingdom. I promise, she will have her justice.”
Dale’s face dropped as he stared at me before croaking, “P… Princess…??”