─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The curly-haired girl raised her eyebrow as a sign of confusion. She placed her hands on her hips and walked up closer to me. She bent downward, just enough to be eye-level with her.
I quickly looked down, averting my eyes on the ground. I began to breathe abnormally as my nerves got the best of me.
Please don't look at my face… ignore me… please…
She straightened out her back, with her hands on her hips still in place.
"You are a nobles' kid, huh. I've never seen a noble from up close. You even smell nice. Name's Lilith, by the way, but people around here call me Lily. What's your name, kid?" The curly-haired girl questioned while crossing her arms, focusing her eyes on me.
She's already judging me based on my appearance. If my mind serves me correctly, everyone in Giodivonia is familiar with every noble's family name and status. If this girl thinks I am a noble, I can only assume she may know all of the noble families' names.
"Ahh… my name… is…" I froze mid-sentence as I tried to come up with a pseudo name.
"My name is… Camellia… I am a distant relative of the Baron family. The Castello family, to be exact." I replied in a low voice.
Crap… is she going to believe me? Having the title of 'Baron' is the lowest status as a noble. They are the weakest family among us all in terms of wealth, power, and recognition. Honestly, she wouldn't care too much about who I am after telling her this… right?
The curly-haired girl smirked while nodding her head.
Did she believe me? Nodding and smiling are both positive responses.
"Funny you say that… Camellia, is it? Doesn't the baron family only have one daughter? You two must be close."
I flinched out of reaction.
Really?! What a close call! I need to be careful… This girl may be a commoner, but she seems to know her stuff.
"Y...yes… we are quite close… could you… perhaps help me find my father? You see... We are here to visit our family members, such as the Castello's, and participate in today's moon festival. However, with us being unfamiliar with the streets, we got lost… The crowd of people separated us… My father must be worried." I explained while I continued looking on the floor.
"Hm… On one condition…"
My eyes grew double in size from her response.
"I… I don't have money… if that's what you are asking for, but I am sure my… father will compensate you greatly if you return him to me…" I replied, looking away.
She grabbed my face with both of her hands at lightning speed.
My cloak's hood fell out of place, causing my midnight hair to be fully-exposed.
I quickly pushed her away. Within seconds, I placed my hood back on and began to run deeper into the dark alley.
"Wait! Come back!" Yelled the curly-haired girl.
I turned my head as I ran as she yelled.
I could see her running at an abnormal speed.
Damn, these short, tiny legs! She will catch up to me in no time! Where are you, tashman?! Please save me from this situation!
A powerful tug from behind pulled my cloak, causing the delicate ribbon to rip.
I held onto my ripped cloak as fast as I could before it hit the ground.
It was too late…
In front of me was the shocked, curly-haired girl.
"No way… are you… the Imperial Princess?!"