These days have been really hard for me. I looked up to the nightfall sky while inwardly mumbled to myself. Sigh… Sofia, what a scary girl you are…
Even though it's only been two days, I felt like I've been through a month worth of hard training. Oh, dear Goddess! How could Your Holiness give such ordeal to me? Did the Goddess feel betrayed because I planned to quit from being a clergy?
Ah, I feel really sleepy.
I've barely slept for the past two days. Although it's only been two days, I still can't lowered my guard. Actually this situation was better than when I was in the middle of a battlefield. When we were going for a war, we're almost kept going without slowing down for days. I stood in front of the main gate of the Count's residence and blankly stared at the empty main street. Well it's within my expectation that the Count family didn't provide any assistances for me, so the Special Task Force decided to send a horse-carriage to pick me up. The things I got from the Countess were all rubbish, but Ortzen has already known about it and prepared my dress included the shoes, jewelry, and other necessary things.
Actually the things the Countess gave to me were fine in quality, but none of them fit my size. The bracelet she sent for me was in the size of those of children's wrist. The waist ornaments was too loose when I wore it. Moreover, the earrings she gave looked similar at first glance, but actually they're different if one was to observed thoroughly. At the very least, the necklace was fine, but Sofia told me that the design of the necklace was only suitable to be wore in winter season. In this kind of weather, the fur necklace would be too hot to be wore. Nonetheless, I still quite satisfied with what I got, because these items worth quite some of money. I need to sell these items as soon as possible.
While I was thinking of what other excuses I could use to get more items to be sold off later, a horse-carriage came closer to where I was standing. The horse-carriage stopped right in front of me and the coachman jumped down.
"Are you Miss Silla Epheria?"
"Right, eh, that's right."
I have to try my best to act as a proper noble lady tonight, at least I did this to appreciate Sofia's efforts for teaching me for the past two days. I just need to speak some flattery words, gave a friendly smile, and pretend to be weak, didn't I?
After the coachman heard my reply, he opened the carriage door.
"Please get in! Ah, and also leave your invitation card to me because I need one to get into the Inner Palace."
"Okay."
I'm going to stop by at the Special Task Force headquarters first, why did he ask for it now? I gave my invitation card to the coachman and elegantly grabbed the hem of the dress to get into the carriage. While we're heading to the Special Task Force, should I get some short sleep? Although it hasn't reached to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, but I did felt sleepy. When the horse-carriage start moving, I yawned a bit and closed my eyes.
"… Mmm."
A short sleep caught my consciousness like an ant hell, but I still forced myself to lifted open my eyelids.
(T/N: ant hell/antlion's pit/antlion's death trap means once you're already in a cozy place, it's hard to get out from it.)
I think we almost arrive at our destination, but why does the horse-carriage speed not slowing down? The Special Task Squad's headquarters is within the Imperial Palace and once you enter the Imperial Palace area, unless there's a special reason, all the horse-carriages must slow down after passing through the main gate. That's why this horse-carriage should have slowed down by now, but why does it still moving this fast? Besides, this horse-carriage is shaking too much and it could only means that we're not moving on a pavement road.
Did I get into the wrong horse-carriage?
But, he had confirmed my name. Oh, this should be my stepmother's doing. I was wondering why did she stay quiet for the past two days, and it turned out she was devising this plan?
Ha… Initially I thought I could passed this night quietly.
I shouldn't hope too much. I tried to push open the carriage door, but looked like it was locked from the outside because the door didn't even move an inch. This time I'm completely sure. I sighed and rolled up the hem of my dress. Actually in Imperial Banquet, we're prohibited from bringing any weapons, but I'm glad that I brought one. After I took out the thin dagger hidden on my calf, I observed the carriage door for a moment. I roughly guess the lock location then I pushed in the dagger into the gap between the door. With a little bit of holy power, I forcefully pushed the dagger in to break the lock.
Crack!
Good, but I shouldn't leave right away. If I waited in silence, the coachman would never thought that the lock on the door has broken, but instead he would probably thought the wheel of the carriage ran into something when he heard any loud sounds. Running away after breaking the lock was considered as common practice.
I stayed still for a while, then I took out the stiletto that was placed on my other leg. I bit down the thin sharp blade and opened the carriage door as quietly as possible. I could just jump down and run away, but then I have to walk on my foot to reach the Imperial Palace. I don't have to do such hardwork. I strenghtened my arms and hands with holy power and grabbed onto the top of the door then lifted my body up onto the carriage roof. And at the same time, I kicked closed the half opened door.
Bang!
The sound of the door being closed was really loud, the coachman turned his neck around to look behind to check, but the door was closed and there's no sight of a noble lady who was running away either. Maybe he thought that I was trying to open the door from the inside.
He doesn't look that strong…
I sat on the carriage roof and observed the coachman while holding the stiletto in reverse. With my body current condition, it would be better to just killed him directly in one blow if the enemy is hard to deal with, but the coachman looks easy. Well, if he had the skill, then he should have long realized my presence. I've decided that I would deal with him later.
I jumped lightly onto the empty spot besides the coachman and stabbed the tip of the stiletto onto his neck.
"Uhh–"
"Shut up!"
I snatched away the horse reins from the coachman whose eyes were widened in fear, and stopped the horse carriage. He alternately looked at me and the knife that was pierced onto his neck in fear. His blood ran down from his neck.
"That–"
"I don't have anything I want to know so just shut up! Isn't it supposed to be done by the Countess anyway?"
It's obvious that this was her plan. The coachman closed his mouth and swallowed his saliva. Now, where is this? Even though there's rarely any passerby walked on this secluded street, but it won't be any good to keep this situation for too long. It won't do me any good to kill him by myself, so I think I will just hand him over to the Special Task Squad. I hid the handle of the stiletto under the dress cuffs so only the tip of the knife could be seen, then I placed my hand onto the coachman's shoulder.
"Drive the carriage to the Special Task Squad's headquarters. You know the way, don't you? I know the streets inside the Capital well so don't ever think that you can fooled me. If you dare to play any dirty tricks, I'll kill you right away."
"…ye, yes."
With quivering body, he received the horse reins that I passed to him. Based on the scared look at his face, seems like he's just any normal thug that was randomly hired to do this. In a tranquil moment, the horse-carriage started to move again.
What happened?
Many people gathered in front of the Special Task Squad's headquarters. I noticed some familiar faces and some new faces that I've never met before. Captain Jullius who was riding on top of his horse was the first to notice my arrival and he immediately directed his horse to approached me.
"Miss Epheria!"
"Sorry, am I late?"
Right after I finished my words, I snatched away the horse reins from the coachman and kicked him down. The coachman fall down and rolled over while groaning in pain. Tsk, he's exaggerating it. The horse-carriage speed was slowing down. As soon as the horse-carriage completely stopped, assistant Ortzen and the others came into the scene.
"Were you kidnapped?" Assistant Ortzen asked while looking down at the coachman who fell onto the ground.
"We were informed by the Count's residence that Miss has declined to attend the banquet so we're considering whether we should just barged in to the Count's mansion."
"Kidnapped…ermm, I think that's right. I was kidnapped."
After some thoughts, it's right to say that I was kidnapped. Whoa, this is a whole new experience. Someone had kidnapped me. If I was to tell my other comrades at Holy Knight Squad that I'd been kidnapped, they would laugh out loud while holding onto their stomaches. Hmm, nope. I think their reactions would be priceless if I told them about the rape attempt case. I bet they would have a hard time believing my stories.
"Even though that scum is the culprit, but you don't need to try hard in finding out the real mastermind behind this accident. It's definitely done by my stepmother."
"We'll detain him first for the time being."
Ortzen gave an order to some of his men to take away the coachman. Captain Jullius who had coming down from his horse when I was talking with Ortzen, extended his hand to me who was still seated on the coach seat.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm fine… just…"
In the past, Captain Jullius didn't even care when I stepped down from the carriage or the horse! And he would just lifted me up when I was about to ride the horse. But now, he extended his hand in a perfect posture to escort a noble lady. Looking at him, I felt really touched that somehow I felt like my tears would leak out.
Alas, Captain Jullius… how hard it must be for you because of Ortzen in these two days? He was so pitiful that my heart felt really guilty. I recalled that when I was promoted to the Captain position and had to go to my first social debut, I also suffered a hard time in the hands of my deputy. But still, I had enough time to prepare without given up on my sleep. Meanwhile Captain Jullius… uhuk… I've greatly sinned. I put my fingertips lightly onto his palm and stepped down fron the carriage.
"You must have suffered a lot."
"… a little."
"Captain Jullius can act comfortably when it's just the two of us alone."