I took a deep breath and looked around, then noticed a pile of wooden boxes, one of which was big enough to fit a grown man, and there was no one around to guard it.
That was good. I figured if I hid here, no one would notice. I piled the contents of the largest box—a nice carpet—on the floor and crouched down inside.
Just as I was putting the lid back on the box, I heard a noise nearby. It was footsteps. It was a group of adult males, about four or five in number.
I tried to look outside through the crack in the box, but all I could see were the rough boots.
They stopped right in front of the box I was hiding in.
"Woman?"
“Yes. It seems there was quite a fuss because the identity was unknown.”
“They say she ran away with a knife. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to form a search party?”
“There have been reports that she does not appear to be a professionally trained assassin, but given the times, we must be extra careful.”
I heard three or four people talking in turn. I was certain that the 'woman' they were talking about was me.
I tried to distinguish the voices, but they all sounded similar.
“There’s only one person. What can she do alone in a place that’s no different from a military camp?”
But the low, deep voice that answered after a while was clearly distinguishable.
The rich, sweet bass had the power to create a strange feeling and even make me concentrate. I listened, forgetting that I was hiding.
“But, Your Excellency...”
“Let’s end this story by slightly strengthening the border. Remember your priorities. How long do you think it will take to clear the road?”
“There are so many fallen trees, and they have been left for so long that they are severely frozen... Still, it looks like it will be possible within two days.”
“All the things you have seen are gifts from the Lord of Nice. The porters who brought them have been immediately sent back. However, a messenger from the Lord has remained, requesting to see His Excellency.”
“I guess it’s a request to attend a welcome banquet.”
“It looks tempting. Do you think it’s a trap?”
“To be honest, yes, that’s right. The Lord of Nice is a cunning man. Normally, he would not dare to confront Ashkabath... But if the Princess is really alive and the Lord is protecting her...”
He trailed off unnaturally. A moment later a new voice spoke.
“It’s not often that a road gets so frozen that two people can barely pass. What’s easier to suppress than an army advancing in single file?”
The next few words were so quiet and unclear that even I, standing right in front of him, had difficulty hearing them.
Then a beautiful voice gave the order again.
“First, I need to meet the lord’s messenger. Where is he? Guide him.”
I sat motionless and listened to the footsteps fading away. There were still a few people nearby, but it seemed like they had somehow managed to finish it off.
I wasn't caught, and it was safe to stay inside. I should hide a little longer and then head back up when it gets dark.
“Hey, over there.”
Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, one of the people who remained called out to someone.
I heard the sound of three or four people running towards me.
“Move everything here to His Excellency the Grand Duke’s barracks.”
Damn it. This was absolutely mind-boggling.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the porters never seemed to imagine that one of the crates they were moving might contain a person.
I crouched down, holding my breath like a small animal. If I made even the slightest sound, I would have been caught in a trap.
But when I hit the floor and fell to the ground, I found myself groaning without realizing it.
"What?"
"Huh?"
“Didn’t you hear anything? It sounded like a human voice.”
“What’s with the voice? There’s someone here. Stop talking and just finish transporting.”
“Is that so?”
Fortunately, the topic quickly changed. No matter how suspicious you may be, you can't just open something that was given to the Grand Duke.
I held my breath and stayed still as they banged on the box with their feet. They soon left. I waited until the sound had completely disappeared.
“Hey.”
I timidly tried to make a sound, but fortunately, there was no response.
I opened the lid and looked around. There was not even a shadow of a person. However, judging from the splendidly beautiful table placed in the middle, it seemed like a real Grand Duke's barracks.
Or, a noble of comparable high rank.
It was a headache. Whatever it was, there was no change in the fact that I had to get out of there as soon as possible.
I got up from the box. But I could only walk two steps normally. I grabbed the leg the rat had climbed on.
“Ahhh.”
A strange groan escaped my lips. My eyes spun like they did when I jumped out of bed in the morning.
The next order is unclear. I think I was hopping on one foot, lost my balance, and fell down ungracefully, towards a pile of boxes.
The wooden boxes fell down with a loud crash, and the knights rushed in.
“Who are you!”
I tried to find a way out, but I couldn't see anything. All I could do was pull the hood back over my head.
The streak of good luck had come to an end. I crouched down, but the knights approached me with their swords pointed at me.
“What? A woman?”
One of them asked dubiously.
“Is that the woman from earlier? The one who ran away from the top...”
“Show your face.”
I clenched my hands. My whole body was shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger.
I felt like a baby animal, trapped in a box and reduced to a spectacle. One of the knights reached out and pulled back my hood.
Since leaving Georges, this was the first time my hood had been taken off in front of so many people.
“Oh my god. Am I dreaming?”
“That woman, no, that person’s appearance...”
A similar look of bewilderment was seen spreading across the knights' faces.
Well, it was surprising to them that someone who looked exactly like the woman they had been searching for while blockading Saxony rolled in on their own.
The man who seemed to hold the highest position among them opened his mouth.
“Bring His Excellency.”
“There is no need for that.”
The commotion suddenly stopped.
I knew that voice. It was that wonderful voice I had heard just a moment ago.
“I’ve already arrived.”
The knights stepped back with a determined attitude. A man slowly stopped in front of me. His tall height cast a shadow that seemed to completely envelop me.
I instinctively raised my head. It was that man. The man I had been avoiding by any means necessary.
Grand Duke Ashkhabat. He was standing before me.
The first thing I saw was the man's eyes. Gorgeous eyes that looked like they were made of molten gold, and hair as dark blue as the night sea.
I thought he was handsome even when I saw him from afar, but when I saw him up close, I saw that he had a truly captivating appearance. For a moment, I was lost in thought and stared at him.
The Grand Duke looked cool and composed, unlike the other knights who were flustered. His sharp gaze calmly scanned me. My hair was covered in dirt, my bruised cheek and my calves exposed beneath the torn dress.
And the very next moment, he drew his sword.
“Speak.”
A cold blade slammed into the back of my neck. This was a real knife, a knife used to cut and stab people. It was different from the ones carried around by gangsters who caused trouble in the back alleys.
At least it was never pointed at my neck, and it wasn't as fancy as it is now with all the decorations on the sword.
The Grand Duke growled again with a fierce expression.
“On whose orders did you have to barge all the way to here?”
As befitting its reputation as the Wolf of the North, its gaze was beastly.
I wanted to tell you my name, my age, and the whole story of my life right then and there. If only my damned lips had opened in time.
But I couldn't move as if my whole body was frozen.
“Let me ask you again. Who brought you here?”
“...”
“You came to my place on your own two feet in the form of the woman I have been searching for. There is no way you would not have an accomplice.”
There was not a shred of emotion in his golden eyes other than contempt.
This was a bad sign. If he had been an emotionally easily agitated person, I might have tried appealing with tears.
I racked my brain. Sasha, think of something. What kind of excuse would be plausible?
“If you don’t answer, I will execute you immediately.”
"I am..."
The man's blade came a little closer to the nape of my neck.
I quickly opened my dry lips. My voice was trembling with tension, almost squeezing out, but the man seemed to understand.
“I, I was on my way up to the capital along the top. I, I have relatives in the capital... I, I, I can’t go out because of the lockdown...”
My chin trembled uncontrollably. The man seemed to think I had a stutter. No matter how much I stuttered and trembled, he never criticized me for it.
I fell flat on the floor as soon as the man removed the blade from my neck.
“I, I paid money to get in a carriage, but, uh, a fire broke out and I, I was scared...”
“...”
“I was just trying to run away. Then I took a wrong turn...”
He lifted my chin with the edge of the knife. His golden eyes, not trusting me one bit, gleamed dangerously.
“Did you accidentally come to my residence? With the eyes and hair color of a Princess?”
The Princess's eyes and hair color? I was startled by the Grand Duke's words.
That was good. I figured if I hid here, no one would notice. I piled the contents of the largest box—a nice carpet—on the floor and crouched down inside.
Just as I was putting the lid back on the box, I heard a noise nearby. It was footsteps. It was a group of adult males, about four or five in number.
I tried to look outside through the crack in the box, but all I could see were the rough boots.
They stopped right in front of the box I was hiding in.
"Woman?"
“Yes. It seems there was quite a fuss because the identity was unknown.”
“They say she ran away with a knife. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to form a search party?”
“There have been reports that she does not appear to be a professionally trained assassin, but given the times, we must be extra careful.”
I heard three or four people talking in turn. I was certain that the 'woman' they were talking about was me.
I tried to distinguish the voices, but they all sounded similar.
“There’s only one person. What can she do alone in a place that’s no different from a military camp?”
But the low, deep voice that answered after a while was clearly distinguishable.
The rich, sweet bass had the power to create a strange feeling and even make me concentrate. I listened, forgetting that I was hiding.
“But, Your Excellency...”
“Let’s end this story by slightly strengthening the border. Remember your priorities. How long do you think it will take to clear the road?”
“There are so many fallen trees, and they have been left for so long that they are severely frozen... Still, it looks like it will be possible within two days.”
“All the things you have seen are gifts from the Lord of Nice. The porters who brought them have been immediately sent back. However, a messenger from the Lord has remained, requesting to see His Excellency.”
“I guess it’s a request to attend a welcome banquet.”
“It looks tempting. Do you think it’s a trap?”
“To be honest, yes, that’s right. The Lord of Nice is a cunning man. Normally, he would not dare to confront Ashkabath... But if the Princess is really alive and the Lord is protecting her...”
He trailed off unnaturally. A moment later a new voice spoke.
“It’s not often that a road gets so frozen that two people can barely pass. What’s easier to suppress than an army advancing in single file?”
The next few words were so quiet and unclear that even I, standing right in front of him, had difficulty hearing them.
Then a beautiful voice gave the order again.
“First, I need to meet the lord’s messenger. Where is he? Guide him.”
I sat motionless and listened to the footsteps fading away. There were still a few people nearby, but it seemed like they had somehow managed to finish it off.
I wasn't caught, and it was safe to stay inside. I should hide a little longer and then head back up when it gets dark.
“Hey, over there.”
Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, one of the people who remained called out to someone.
I heard the sound of three or four people running towards me.
“Move everything here to His Excellency the Grand Duke’s barracks.”
Damn it. This was absolutely mind-boggling.
***
Fortunately or unfortunately, the porters never seemed to imagine that one of the crates they were moving might contain a person.
I crouched down, holding my breath like a small animal. If I made even the slightest sound, I would have been caught in a trap.
But when I hit the floor and fell to the ground, I found myself groaning without realizing it.
"What?"
"Huh?"
“Didn’t you hear anything? It sounded like a human voice.”
“What’s with the voice? There’s someone here. Stop talking and just finish transporting.”
“Is that so?”
Fortunately, the topic quickly changed. No matter how suspicious you may be, you can't just open something that was given to the Grand Duke.
I held my breath and stayed still as they banged on the box with their feet. They soon left. I waited until the sound had completely disappeared.
“Hey.”
I timidly tried to make a sound, but fortunately, there was no response.
I opened the lid and looked around. There was not even a shadow of a person. However, judging from the splendidly beautiful table placed in the middle, it seemed like a real Grand Duke's barracks.
Or, a noble of comparable high rank.
It was a headache. Whatever it was, there was no change in the fact that I had to get out of there as soon as possible.
I got up from the box. But I could only walk two steps normally. I grabbed the leg the rat had climbed on.
“Ahhh.”
A strange groan escaped my lips. My eyes spun like they did when I jumped out of bed in the morning.
The next order is unclear. I think I was hopping on one foot, lost my balance, and fell down ungracefully, towards a pile of boxes.
The wooden boxes fell down with a loud crash, and the knights rushed in.
“Who are you!”
I tried to find a way out, but I couldn't see anything. All I could do was pull the hood back over my head.
The streak of good luck had come to an end. I crouched down, but the knights approached me with their swords pointed at me.
“What? A woman?”
One of them asked dubiously.
“Is that the woman from earlier? The one who ran away from the top...”
“Show your face.”
I clenched my hands. My whole body was shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger.
I felt like a baby animal, trapped in a box and reduced to a spectacle. One of the knights reached out and pulled back my hood.
Since leaving Georges, this was the first time my hood had been taken off in front of so many people.
“Oh my god. Am I dreaming?”
“That woman, no, that person’s appearance...”
A similar look of bewilderment was seen spreading across the knights' faces.
Well, it was surprising to them that someone who looked exactly like the woman they had been searching for while blockading Saxony rolled in on their own.
The man who seemed to hold the highest position among them opened his mouth.
“Bring His Excellency.”
“There is no need for that.”
The commotion suddenly stopped.
I knew that voice. It was that wonderful voice I had heard just a moment ago.
“I’ve already arrived.”
The knights stepped back with a determined attitude. A man slowly stopped in front of me. His tall height cast a shadow that seemed to completely envelop me.
I instinctively raised my head. It was that man. The man I had been avoiding by any means necessary.
Grand Duke Ashkhabat. He was standing before me.
The first thing I saw was the man's eyes. Gorgeous eyes that looked like they were made of molten gold, and hair as dark blue as the night sea.
I thought he was handsome even when I saw him from afar, but when I saw him up close, I saw that he had a truly captivating appearance. For a moment, I was lost in thought and stared at him.
The Grand Duke looked cool and composed, unlike the other knights who were flustered. His sharp gaze calmly scanned me. My hair was covered in dirt, my bruised cheek and my calves exposed beneath the torn dress.
And the very next moment, he drew his sword.
“Speak.”
A cold blade slammed into the back of my neck. This was a real knife, a knife used to cut and stab people. It was different from the ones carried around by gangsters who caused trouble in the back alleys.
At least it was never pointed at my neck, and it wasn't as fancy as it is now with all the decorations on the sword.
The Grand Duke growled again with a fierce expression.
“On whose orders did you have to barge all the way to here?”
As befitting its reputation as the Wolf of the North, its gaze was beastly.
I wanted to tell you my name, my age, and the whole story of my life right then and there. If only my damned lips had opened in time.
But I couldn't move as if my whole body was frozen.
“Let me ask you again. Who brought you here?”
“...”
“You came to my place on your own two feet in the form of the woman I have been searching for. There is no way you would not have an accomplice.”
There was not a shred of emotion in his golden eyes other than contempt.
This was a bad sign. If he had been an emotionally easily agitated person, I might have tried appealing with tears.
I racked my brain. Sasha, think of something. What kind of excuse would be plausible?
“If you don’t answer, I will execute you immediately.”
"I am..."
The man's blade came a little closer to the nape of my neck.
I quickly opened my dry lips. My voice was trembling with tension, almost squeezing out, but the man seemed to understand.
“I, I was on my way up to the capital along the top. I, I have relatives in the capital... I, I, I can’t go out because of the lockdown...”
My chin trembled uncontrollably. The man seemed to think I had a stutter. No matter how much I stuttered and trembled, he never criticized me for it.
I fell flat on the floor as soon as the man removed the blade from my neck.
“I, I paid money to get in a carriage, but, uh, a fire broke out and I, I was scared...”
“...”
“I was just trying to run away. Then I took a wrong turn...”
He lifted my chin with the edge of the knife. His golden eyes, not trusting me one bit, gleamed dangerously.
“Did you accidentally come to my residence? With the eyes and hair color of a Princess?”
The Princess's eyes and hair color? I was startled by the Grand Duke's words.
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