Special Story 3

A week later.

The mansion was in a frenzy with the final preparations for the banquet. This made it incredibly easy for me to prepare for my elopement. My mother must have scattered invitations all over the Empire, as an endless line of carriages carrying guests arrived on the day of the banquet.

Normally, for a banquet of this scale, one would be dressing up frantically hours before the start, but since I was only seven, I wasn’t. Therefore, the time after lunch and before I began dressing was the optimal window for my escape.

“O-Oh, My Lady…”

“Hurry up and give it to me.”

Amu, the only maid of my age in the Ducal Castle, hesitantly held out plain, simple clothes. These were the commoner clothes I had requested in advance. Amu had been restless, clearly wanting to stop me since I planned this, but in the end, she kept my secret and procured the clothes. Of course, I planned to make sure Amu would never be punished, even if the escape was discovered later.

I quickly changed my clothes and held out my hand again.

“The potion?”

“Here…”

Amu, her face full of worry and on the verge of tears, nonetheless handed over the items I asked for. The item I received after the clothes was a magic potion that changed hair color. With my pink hair, which resembled my mother’s, even wearing ordinary clothes would be the same as announcing, ‘I am the young Grand Duchess!’

The magic potion was not something I could easily obtain alone, so I contacted Aunt Helena via the communication orb and asked for it. Aunt Helena didn’t even ask why I needed it, readily promised not to tell Mother, and sent the potion. What a truly wonderful adult.

“Ah, strawberry flavor.”

I gulped it down, and a sweet taste lingered in my mouth. It seemed she had even considered the flavor since it was for me to drink.

“Wow…”

As I smacked my lips due to the sweetness, Amu looked at me and gasped softly. Looking in the nearby mirror, my pink hair was slowly turning black. I gazed at my black hair, the same color as my father’s, in wonder, and asked Amu,

“How do I look?”

“P-Perfectly disguised!”

Just as Amu said, the reflection in the mirror was completely disguised. Since I resemble my mother, even having my father’s hair color doesn’t bring up the image of my father. Furthermore, hair color has a significant impact on one’s appearance, so my mother’s similar looks gave off a completely different vibe.

‘I vaguely worried that it might not suit me.’

It was an experience that taught me that a beautiful face suits any color. I had chosen black simply wondering what I would look like if I had been born resembling my father, but it was quite a pleasant and satisfying decision.

“Now, the last thing.”

“Yes…”

The final item Amu handed over was a small, shabby leather bag. I took the leather bag and carefully packed my wallet and other items I deemed necessary. My heart pounded with the excitement of embarking on an adventure.

‘This is the first time I’m leaving the Grand Ducal Castle like this.’

In fact, not just running away from home, but the times I had left the Grand Ducal Castle were countable on one hand. Everyone came here to meet me, and I could acquire everything I needed just by staying put. I also had many lessons to attend, and I wasn’t keen on going out without a specific purpose.

‘But escaping is a clear objective!’

And just as I finally headed towards the window for my escape.

“O-Oh, My Lady. Do you really have to go?”

“Yes, I’m going.”

“…Like that? Do you really have to go out that way?”

Amu was nearly sobbing now. I followed Amu’s gaze to the window, then looked at Amu, who seemed on the verge of tears, and said,

“But the book said that running away from home is done like this.”

By the window, there was a rope made of tied-together blankets and curtains, just as I had seen in a book. I couldn’t wander around inside the castle dressed like this, could I? Besides, this height was nothing to me. As I threw the rope out the window, disregarding Amu’s concern, I heard her gasp.

I turned back to Amu, who looked overly worried, and simply said, “I won’t get hurt. Watch.”

I finished speaking and immediately swung myself out the window.

Slide, thud.

I descended cleanly and landed safely. It was easier than I thought.

Looking up, I saw Amu, whose face was pale, looking down at me. I waved my hand at her once and quickly slipped away toward the area with no security.

My first escape, perfectly timed to a security gap and even featuring a secret exit I had created in the castle wall, was extremely smooth.

The first place I saw after leaving the Grand Ducal Castle was Iclea, where a night market was in full swing. While the Grand Ducal Castle held a banquet to celebrate my birthday, a festival was taking place in Iclea instead.

I stood at the entrance of the night market and looked at the sight in wonder. Unlike the generally quiet Eclipse Grand Ducal Castle, it was incredibly lively. People were bustling, the sounds of singing and laughter mixed together, and there was a sweet scent in the air. It was a new world I hadn’t even experienced through books.

“Look, there’s a puppet show!”

“Wait up, I’m coming too!”

Just then, a group of children chattered loudly as they passed by me. Since the city was famous for having the best public security after the capital within the Empire, it was common to see children wandering around without adults. I wiggled my fingers, watching the retreating children my age.

‘Running and jumping with such excitement, eating snacks while walking… such things are not befitting the dignity of a Grand Duchess.’

My dream was to become a cool, level-headed Grand Duchess that was like my father. I had always worked hard to maintain proper conduct for that goal.

I tightly closed my mouth and pondered, when my newly dyed black hair caught my eye. I widened my eyes and suddenly raised my head to look around. No one, neither children nor adults passing by, paid any attention to me.

‘That’s right, no one knows I’m the young Grand Duchess. Because I’m in disguise.’

My chest swelled with anticipation, and my heart pounded. If no one recognized me, wouldn’t it be okay to be a little bit undignified?

“Just for today.”

Having quickly made up my mind, I stepped into the night market with an excited gait. I first headed in the direction where the children had rushed off. As the child said, a puppet show was in full swing there.

‘What is the story about?’

The puppet show, which was new to me, was fascinating. The puppeteer handled the puppets so well with one hand that I realized for the first time that puppets could move so naturally.

‘Ah, this.’

And it wasn’t long before I realized the content of the puppet show, which I had been most curious about.

[I am sorry for losing my memory and forgetting you. It is all my fault for giving the young lady an opportunity to misunderstand our relationship.]

[A misunderstanding?]

[I clearly saw you confessing in the greenhouse!]

‘This is Father and Mother’s story.’

I got up from my seat without needing to see any more. Although I was slightly curious about how it had been adapted, as their child, I knew their love story better than anyone. Aunt Helena told me a lot.

[Chacha, I love you. You are the only one for me.]

[Nine…!]

They should at least change the names better.

I shook my head and left the puppet show without regret.

After that, I bought and ate various snacks at the night market. There were chicken skewers, baked potatoes with butter and cheese, and a candy I had never seen before.

“What is this?”

“Oh, little lady. This is a hawthorn candy. It’s a snack of hawthorn berries coated in sugar. Would you like one?”

“Yes!”

The hawthorn berry was sourer than I expected, causing my face to slightly scrunch up, but mixed with the sugar coating, it was a very delicious snack.

Only after I was full from eating various snacks did I look up at the sky. The sun had set quite a bit. It was about time for the banquet to start.

‘They must be quite worried by now, right?’

As the sun went down, my conscience started to prick me.

‘Perhaps it would be better to go back.’

I was leaning towards returning to the castle when suddenly a child approached me.

“Do you want to play with us?”

“Huh?”

I blinked and looked at the child, who seemed to be my age. I was momentarily surprised since it was someone I had never seen before, but I soon became interested. The groups of children wandering around while I was exploring the night market had seemed quite cheerful.

‘But…’

I looked towards the Grand Ducal Castle, where the banquet was about to begin. While most of the nobles attending this banquet were annoying people who came to curry favor with the Eclipse Grand Ducal Family, there were also people who had truly come to celebrate my birthday, such as Uncle Wilhelm, who rarely visited due to being on the front lines in the North, and Uncle Comment, who would be coming as the representative of the Ortlandia Grand Merchant Guild. No matter how much I didn’t want to attend the tiring banquet, I would feel guilty if I didn’t see them.

“Sorry, I think I have to go…”

I firmly rejected the offer, suppressing the urge to play more, but the child suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me along. The child held onto me and walked somewhere. I was flustered by the forceful attitude and slightly annoyed. Of course, I could have shaken him off, but I didn’t want to needlessly use strength against a commoner child who probably hadn’t even learned swordsmanship.

“W-Wait a minute. Where are we going?”

“Hehehe, I saw you walking alone earlier, didn’t I?”

“Huh?”

“Iclea is easy like this.”

I walked, led by the child who wasn’t communicating, and suddenly found myself in a small alleyway. The inside of the alley was damp and dirty with slightly melted snow.

I belatedly sensed something strange and forcefully pulled my arm away from the child. However, the child was a little faster. The child suddenly turned around, covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief, and pushed me against the wall.

‘Ah, I let my guard down.’

The pungent smell that lingered at the tip of my nose was my last memory.

Drip, drop.

My hazy consciousness slowly returned with the faint sound of dripping water. My head was throbbing, making it impossible to think properly.

‘Ugh… What is it?’

“Hey, hey. Wake up. Ahem.”

Just as I thought I smelled a musty odor, someone shook me.

“Ugh, what is it?”

As my body shook, my head throbbed even more. I finally grabbed my head in annoyance and sat up.

“A-Are you okay?”

“…”

I closed my mouth, intending to vent my frustration. The one who woke me up and asked if I was okay was a cute little boy who had been shedding tears and snot. His clear blue eyes were pretty even in the dim space, where a small magic lamp was the only light source.

‘Wait, it’s dark?’

I blinked and looked around. Only then did the situation before I lost consciousness come back to me. There was no need for prolonged deliberation.

I had been abducted.

“Haa.”

As I sighed deeply, the crybaby, who was already crying and looked terrified, flinched. I was about to organize my thoughts alone, not having the time to worry about his fear, when the crybaby suddenly clenched his fist and shouted.

“D-Don’t worry! I’ll protect you!”

“…”

His hand was clearly trembling, but was he trying to comfort me because he was a boy?

‘How cute.’