Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 156: Finding Out What Happened Back Then

Chapter 156: Finding Out What Happened Back Then

Bener’s thoughts were complicated. He still could not imagine how his sister could have escaped and survived in the jungle of Mount Ourea. It must have been due to her good luck.

He breathed deeply and gestured for Reya to continue.

"It was still dark when Miss Lara led us along the riverbank." Reya closed her eyes. It seemed as if she could still feel the damp air, heavy with the scent of wet earth, and she could still hear the distant rustling of nocturnal creatures retreating into the shadows.

Then, she opened her eyes and continued her narrative.

"We ran, then walked, our bare feet sinking into the cool mud, exhaustion gnawing at our limbs. Time became meaningless as the night stretched on, swallowing our breathless whispers and hurried steps."

"Go straight to the point." Gideon looked at Reya impatiently. Does she need to include those details?

"Get straight to the point, will you?" Gideon urged, his gaze fixed on Reya with a growing sense of impatience. The tension in the air hung heavily between them. Does she need to include those unnecessary details?

Reya was flustered, but she continued.

"When the east brightened, Miss stopped at a particular spot. Before us, the river narrowed, but the water churned ominously, dark and deep."

Reya vividly remembered when Lara stood still momentarily, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings as if anticipating danger while she and Sandoz stared with apprehension at the turbulent waters below.

"Then we realized that we were being pursued because we heard the distant hooves of the horses. But Miss Lara was so awesome. Without hesitation, she took a firm stance, swinging the rope with precision. In one fluid motion, she threw it across the river, the end coiling tightly around a sturdy tree on the other side. The act was so effortless, so precise. "That must have been something Sir Galahad taught her, right?" Reya’s excitement bubbled as she recalled the past events.

Bener and Gideon exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. Galahad had trained their sister in archery, but throwing a knife with such deadly accuracy—while securing a rope no less—was an entirely different skill. How did she learned those? Or was it because she was skilled in archery she can throw ropes with precision?

"Using the rope as a guide, we crossed the river. The icy water surged around us, pulling at our legs with deceptive strength. I struggled, my body threatening to be swept away, as I released my hold of the driftwood, but Miss calmed me and instructed me on how to relax, and I managed to keep my footing and make it across."

Bener rolled his eyes. He did not know that Reya had a knack for storytelling. Why can’t she go straight to the point?

Reya giggled suddenly, the memory of what happened next still fresh in her mind. "They sent one of their men after us. He thought the river was shallow and leapt in without hesitation." She paused, shaking her head in amusement. "The fool was wrong. He jumped into the part of the river where the depth of the water was over two meters. The current swallowed him whole. He flailed and screamed, but within moments, he was gone. His companions just watched him as he pleaded for help until he was no more."

She smirked. "That must have been heaven’s punishment for all the evil he had done."

Gideon, now fully invested in the story, sat down and stretched his legs. "And then what happened?"

"At first, Miss Lara wanted to follow the river back to Savadra, but the path was treacherous. Thick vines and thorny undergrowth blocked our way at every turn. Eventually, she realized we couldn’t keep going and made a decision." Reya inhaled deeply before continuing. "She led us deeper into the jungle."

Both brothers exhaled sharply.

"Didn’t she know how dangerous Mount Ourea was?" Bener asked no one in particular.

"She probably didn’t," Reya replied. "But Miss was fearless. When we encountered a wild boar, she didn’t even flinch."

Her hands moved animatedly as she recounted the moment. "Did you know? Miss threw her knife—and it struck the boar right in the skull. It dropped instantly." She grinned. "She said it was just luck, but I don’t believe her. One of you must have taught her that."

The two brothers sat in stunned silence as they looked at each other.

Prince Alaric chuckled. Lara’s animated maid wasn’t bad at storytelling.

"We hadn’t eaten properly for three days," Reya continued. "That day, we finally had real food, —boar’s meat. Miss managed to start a fire with the knife she stole and some kind of rock. It was the first warmth we’d felt in days."

Bener frowned. "Where did she learn those survival skills?"

"I also asked her the same question. She told me she read about them in books." Reya’s tone grew thoughtful. "But later, she mentioned something strange. She said that when she was unconscious, she dreamt she lived in a jungle... and in that dream, she had a master who taught her many things."

For a moment, she let the words sink in before delivering the final twist.

"Miss found a cave hidden behind a waterfall. We had our supper and spent the night there, and we thought we had finally rested in safety." She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice as if unveiling a great secret. "But when we woke up the next morning... a master was inside the cave."

Bener and Gideon frowned.

Reya grinned. "It was Grandpa Jethru. Though Miss never admitted it, I think he was the master from her dreams."

Bener and Gideon were speechless.

Even Alaric, who had been lazily stretching his legs, suddenly paused at her words. He thought Lara just made up the dream but could it be a coincidence?

"I begged Grandpa to take us back to Savadra," Reya continued, "but he refused. He said the war had begun—it was too dangerous." She exhaled softly. "And so, we stayed with him in his abode in the plateau called Galeya’s Throne for two years. He trained all three of us... but, well, he always said Sandoz and I were too slow. So, he focused on Miss."

She smirked. "And then Miss became our trainer."

Bener and Gideon sighed heavily.

Lara—abducted, memory lost, thrown into the wild—had not only survived but thrived.