"You're all just sitting around doing nothing?! So many people watching one child, and you still managed to lose her!"
"Damn it! If anything happens to Her Highness the Princess, I swear I'll rip your head off and shove it up your ass!"
"You bastard, shut your stinking mouth! Go back to where you came from!"
The maids and some of Karl's knights who had come to help didn't know the truth; they were just giving directions.
These search parties from Cintra soon noticed Karl and his group in the center of the training ground.
Seeing Karl, their expressions changed slightly.
They only looked around Karl and didn't see the familiar small figure of the princess.
They immediately turned around as if fleeing from the plague and quickly scattered in different directions to continue the search.
Deep down, all these people knew that the princess had slipped away right under their noses.
How could anyone dare to go to Karl and report such terrible news as "the princess has gone missing"?
Naturally, they would keep it a secret as long as possible, praying to find the mischievous princess before the situation got out of hand.
Thus, the Skellige warriors and Cintran knights formed small teams of several people each.
They dispersed, carefully combing through every possible hiding place like a fine-toothed comb.
Then, soon after, they would meet again in some corner, exchanging disappointed reports.
"He's not here! Did you find him over there?"
"No! We searched the stables, the garden, and the veranda, but didn't find a single person!"
"Could the princess have already secretly left the manor? This isn't her first escape attempt!"
"That's possible! Immediately send a few people to search outside the manor! She's not on horseback; she couldn't have gone far!"
"All of you, go and report the situation to King East's company…"
"Remember, don't inform the Duke until the person is found! Otherwise, everything will get out of control!"
"Understood!" They quieted down and whispered, then dispersed again.
Like headless flies, gripped by anxiety and a glimmer of hope, they continued their tireless search for Ciri.
Karl witnessed the whole scene, watching them move frantically like ants on a hot pan, anxiously searching for someone.
He couldn't help but smirk, a light, slightly mocking smile playing on his lips.
The Skellige warriors and Cintran knights were still trying to conceal the truth...
They had no idea that the person they were looking for had already been "invited" by him.
Moreover, it had been right under their noses the whole time, separated only by an invisible barrier.
He shook his head, feeling that this farce should be brought to an end.
After all, Eist was probably losing patience, and keeping it a secret was not a solution.
Thinking this, Karl dispelled the bio-field that had enveloped Geralt and Ciri.
The next moment, Geralt and Ciri, who had been quietly talking in the corner of the training ground, once again clearly appeared before everyone, as if emerging from ripples on water.
Geralt was listening intently to Ciri when he suddenly felt the surrounding light brighten.
The previously isolated sounds of the outside world—wind, distant noise, and the breathing of Dalton and the others—suddenly became clearly audible.
He paused slightly, then subconsciously reached out his hand and gently touched the empty space before him.
This time, there was nothing? The invisible wall blocking their path was no longer an obstacle; he and Ciri... could get out.
Geralt breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a more complex feeling arose within him. What he had to face, sooner or later, he would have to face.
He walked towards Karl, and Ciri gently took his hand and followed closely behind.
Her emerald-green eyes, full of curiosity and question, intently scrutinized Karl.
Just now, inside the bio-field, Geralt had told her many things about Karl.
His strength, his kindness, his friendliness, his bravery, his justice...
To Ciri, it sounded like a mythical hero brought to life by a bard, which greatly fueled her interest in Karl.
Geralt approached Karl and first glanced at Roche, who was still sitting on the ground, emitting a faint golden light and in a contemplative state.
Then he turned his gaze to Karl, his tone measured, and asked: "Karl, what do you think about... my request to Ciri?"
Karl blinked, a look of confusion appearing on his face, and asked: "What request?"
He had been talking to Dalton and the others the whole time; he really hadn't eavesdropped on the conversation inside the energy field.
Geralt's eyes flashed with surprise. He looked at Ciri standing beside him, then looked up again and slowly said: "You... didn't you hear my conversation with Ciri?"
Karl shrugged, his face showing innocence but also a slight hint of mockery.
"Please, Geralt, I'm not your Yennefer. I don't have that kind of... well, curiosity."
"I don't use magic to pry into other people's hearts and private lives when I have nothing better to do."
"I always respect other people's privacy, well... under normal circumstances."
It was quite satisfying to hear Karl mention Yennefer, especially highlighting her "specialty" – using magic to read other people's thoughts, especially his own.
Geralt's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
He couldn't refute it, because Yennefer was indeed like that, especially when it came to him.
However, ever since Karl applied the mental protection method called "Occlumency" to him, the situation had changed.
It seemed Yennefer had given up her practice of "forced mind reading," which actually calmed him down considerably.
Geralt gathered his thoughts and decided to get straight to the point: "Ciri hopes... well, to enter into a fake marriage with you, to refuse the betrothal her grandmother arranged for her."
"Thus, she might no longer have to worry about such political marriages."
Hearing this, Karl was stunned. What was Geralt thinking? Why was he bringing up this old story again?
He was talking to Ciri now... wait, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
He glanced at Geralt, then at Ciri, who was looking at him with her bright, expressive eyes, and a guess came to mind.
Could it be that Geralt and Ciri still didn't understand that he was the very "Duke" who was supposed to be betrothed to Ciri?
Did Geralt think that Ciri was rejecting "other" grand dukes?
Thinking this, Karl looked around strangely, and his gaze fell on Ciri.
He deliberately asked with slight doubt in his voice: "Her name is... Ciri? Not Cirilla?"
First, he confirmed the name, his face showing a mixture of seriousness and a barely perceptible trace of embarrassment.
"Furthermore, Geralt, I have officially entered into a marriage contract with Princess Cirilla of Cintra."