66 Plan

66 Plan
(Ella's POV)

By the time we left Thorn Mountain, dawn was breaking.

The mountain mist was slowly dispersed by the morning breeze, and the thunderous sound of the waterfall was gradually left behind. I walked down the slippery mountain path, my boots covered in mud and water, yet I still felt like I was walking in a dream.

So much had happened in just one night.

Mermaids, black markets, a sister missing for years, an imprisoned mother, and the completely torn hostile relationship between Kyle and Colin... Everything rushed in like a tide, making it almost impossible to breathe.

But what truly prevented me from finding peace was that final decision.

—We were going to rescue Maris.

On the way down the mountain, Ronan had been lying in Lily's arms. The little mermaid was probably exhausted and fell asleep before long. Lily held him, but her expression remained quiet and vigilant throughout. As for Colin, he remained terribly silent the entire way.

I could feel his condition was very poor.

The backlash from forcibly ending his mermaid transformation wasn't over yet. His face was so pale it was almost bloodless, with traces of uncleaned black blood remaining at the corners of his mouth. Yet he seemed completely indifferent to these things, only constantly thinking about something.

It wasn't until we walked out of the canyon and reached a relatively flat woodland area that he finally stopped.

"We can't go directly to the estate to rescue her," his voice was somewhat hoarse.

Morning light fell through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating his profile and making the exhaustion under his eyes even more apparent.

"Dorian has people from the church around him, as well as hired mages. The defensive magic arrays around the estate's perimeter are very strong. If we attack head-on, there's no way we could get her out."

"Then what do we do?" I asked.

Colin looked up: "There's a good opportunity now."

When he said this, his gaze fell toward the direction of the royal capital in the distant morning mist.

"I'm about to be promoted and transferred to the Royal Capital Knights," he said. "In the next few days, Dorian will host an evening banquet in Ethelburg, inviting many nobles and knights to attend. I happen to qualify for an invitation because of my promotion. At that time, the guards will be more lax than usual, and everyone will focus their attention on the banquet hall."

"But isn't Maris at Dorian's estate?" I asked.

"According to the information I've gathered, Dorian isn't hosting this banquet just for socializing - he very likely wants to make a deal with a mysterious merchant," Colin continued. "Maris will be brought out by him."

"Mama will go," Ronan said quietly. "I heard what they said - they want to sell Mama to someone else!" The little mermaid buried his head in Lily's arms and began crying.

"Please, you must, you must rescue Mama!"

The air became quiet. I saw Colin's jaw suddenly tense, the veins on the back of his hand gradually becoming visible.

After a long while, he regained his composure.

"Just as I thought. I believe this is the best opportunity," he said. "If we miss it, it will be very difficult to get close to Dorian again."

Kyle looked at him: "So, what's your plan?"

Colin's gaze fell on me: "Ella, you'll come with me to the banquet."

I was stunned: "Me?"

"The banquet Dorian is hosting doesn't allow people with suspicious identities to enter," Colin said. "I can bring a dance partner in. With your identity as an apothecary, no one will suspect anything."

He spoke very calmly, as if merely stating the most reasonable thing possible.

Yet I inexplicably remembered the night of the wishing lanterns. He had released a lantern in the center of the crowd, saying he hoped I would be his dance partner at the Thanksgiving banquet. At the time, I thought it was just an invitation I couldn't refuse. I never expected it would be brought up again under these circumstances.

Before I could answer, a light laugh suddenly came from beside us.

"I see." Kyle slowly straightened up. "So after going in such a big circle, you still want to dance with Ella."

"This is just part of the plan," Colin said coldly.

"Really?" Kyle looked at him. "You'd better be right."

Their gazes collided again, and the tension in the air almost instantly thickened.

I pressed my temples with a headache.

"Now isn't the time to argue," I quickly interrupted them. "Let's finish discussing the plan first."

Colin withdrew his gaze.

"Kyle also needs to enter the banquet," he said. "But the church people have seen the dark elf's wanted poster. He'd better change his face again. This current one won't work either."

"He can disguise himself as my subordinate," Colin said. "An ordinary knight - I believe you can manage that. I'll bring you and Ella in. I'll scout out all the information beforehand and find a way to get a map of the estate. You'll go find where Maris is and relay the information to me. I can't leave the banquet, but Ella can - they won't mind."

Colin quickly outlined his plan: "At that time, Ella will help relay messages. I'll keep the important people at the banquet busy to buy you time. After you escape, someone will be there to meet you."

"What about me?" Lily asked.

"You need to take care of Ronan and wait for us outside. We'll bring Maris to you," Colin answered her gently.

Afterward, we reconfirmed the plan's details.

The banquet would be held in Ethelburg, a prosperous city near the royal capital where many great nobles resided permanently. Dorian had an estate just outside the city.

At that time, Colin would attend the banquet as the captain of the tenth squad of the Royal Capital Knights.

I would accompany him as his dance partner.

And Kyle would change to another face, disguising himself as an accompanying knight to enter the estate's interior.

Once we confirmed Maris's location, we would figure out how to get her out.

This plan didn't sound very thorough, but for now, it was the only option.

By the time we finished discussing everything, it was completely light.

Bird songs came from the mountain forest, and the morning mist was gradually dispelled by sunlight.

Lily ultimately decided to take Ronan and follow Kyle in leaving. No matter how awkward the relationship between her and Kyle might be, they were still siblings after all. Kyle would take good care of them.

Before leaving, she suddenly turned back to look at Kyle: "I won't go back on what I promised you."

She said softly: "If Mama can't restore your elf identity, I'll give you the pearl tear."

Facing Colin's angry gaze, Kyle smiled and nodded.

Before parting, Colin seriously instructed me: "Don't act rashly after you return. Wait for my message. I'll send someone to pick you up in the next couple of days."

I nodded: "Don't worry, be safe."

"You too."

...

Lily took Ronan's hand and followed behind him.

In the morning light, their figures gradually disappeared.

Until they completely vanished at the end of the mountain path.

I stood in place, watching for a long time.

"Reluctant to part?" Kyle's cool voice suddenly came from beside me.

I came back to my senses.

"I'm just worried," I looked at him helplessly. "Colin's injuries are severe."

Kyle snorted lightly: "He won't die."

After saying this, he suddenly reached out and gripped my wrist.

"Go home."

"Hm?"

"You should care about me too," he looked down at me. "I'm about to die from pain."

Looking at his upright posture, I very much doubted the credibility of this statement.

"It really hurts," Kyle bent down, pressing his face against the top of my head and nuzzling.