Rosie walked through the village. It seemed like it wasn't that late because there were still some children hanging around the street. Her steps stopped when she saw how darkness shrouded the road leading to the forest.
"Should I just look for the old lady's house earlier?" Rosie didn't have money to rent a room at the inn.
The girl shook her head. She had to return to Aslan's castle, no matter what. She looked around anxiously. The moon was not very visible because it was covered by clouds. Rosie remembered the road to Aslan's castle. She just needed to go straight through the forest in front of her.
To quell her fear, Rosie started singing a few songs she knew. Her steps quickened as the wind blew her hair. The leaves grazed against each other, making a rustling sound.
She didn't know why in a situation like this, her hearing was getting sharper. She could hear the sound of galloping horses in a distance, but who would ride a horse at night in the forest?
Rosie ran as fast as she could.
"Straight. Straight. Straight." Was the only word she mumbled without planning to look back.
The sound of the horse's hooves drew closer and closer and a bright light entered her vision, causing Rosie to scream in surprise.
"KYAAA!!!!!!!"
The girl fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her body ached so badly, especially her butt. Rosie was curious about where the light came from, and what it was, but she was scared. Even after quite a long time, she still dared not look back.
A muscular hand tugged at the back of her shirt so that she was standing on her own two feet.
"Your Highness …."
Rosie recognized the voice!
She turned back to see Aslan in front of her. Seeing a familiar face, Rosie hugged the man tightly. Her body shook because of fear.
"Aslan… I almost died of fright." Rosie said in a trembling voice.
Aslan let out a long sigh and told the knight to bring Rosie's horse over to him.
"You brought Lily out?" the man asked sharply.
"Lily?"
Aslan shook Rosie's hands off his neck. The brown horse that Rosie had ridden stood near Aslan.
"We found it in front of the citizen's house, and we couldn't find you there."
"Right. I borrowed it to go out for a stroll."
"A stroll? Do you know what time it is right now, Princess?" the man asked in a high-pitched voice.
Rosie flinched. Her brows knitted into a frown. Somehow she felt a bit scared of Aslan after the man shouted at her. It reminded her of when her manager scolded her. Rosie hung her head low while playing with her fingers.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again," she replied regretfully.
Aslan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to hold back his annoyance. He glanced at Rosie's knee. There was a minor wound because of the fall before. The girl couldn't get back on her horse, so Aslan lifted her up to his horse.
"Sir?"
"You cannot ride a horse alone in this condition, Your Highness. Let me take you."
Rosie's face brightened again. She nodded and Aslan got on the same horse, sitting behind her back. Aslan spurred the horse faster. It seemed that the man wanted to return to his castle immediately.
After passing through the forest, Rosie could see the castle gate ahead of her. She saw Sarah and several other maids waiting for her. Rosie felt even more guilty when she saw the puffy eyes of her maids. Maybe they cried because she ran away from the castle.
"Where is Howland?" Rosie asked as Aslan helped her off the horse.
"Still in the border area." Aslan's reply made Rosie sigh in relief.
"He didn't come home with you?"
"He told me to come back first and take care of you."
Aslan cursed inwardly. He was not a babysitter to look after a troublesome child. He was a respected knight who naturally accompanied the prince in the border areas. However, it seemed Howland was deeply worried about his sister and couldn't help but ask Aslan to return first.
However, who would have thought when he came back the princess wasn't anywhere in his castle, and only found a few maids were sobbing.
The princess had run away since morning and she had not come back until the afternoon. Instantly, Aslan felt his forehead throb hard.
Aslan watched the princess approach the maid he had assigned to her. The girl hugged her maid and apologized for what she had done. He could see that Rosie was walking a little unsteadily, perhaps because her legs were still sore from the fall in the forest before.
He had no idea. How could a princess wander aimlessly in the middle of the forest like that? What if she accidentally met a wild animal or, at worst, a bad person?
Aslan drew closer to Rosie.
"Excuse me, Princess. Allow me to take you to your room," Aslan said, then carried Rosie in his arms.
Rosie automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Duke Aslan. My leg indeed hurts."
Aslan wanted to scold the girl again, but then he remembered that Rosie's status was higher than his. It was very inappropriate for him to raise his voice while talking to her. Though, he accidentally did it before. The man chose to keep his mouth shut and hurried to the princess's room.
"Call a doctor," Aslan ordered a knight.
"Sorry for the trouble, Duke Aslan," said Rosie, who didn't get any response from the Duke. "Well, I must say, I got a little carried away. The scenery here is so beautiful that I wanted to take a stroll."
Take a stroll? Aslan deafened his ears, hoping he would not be consumed by emotions this time.
"Duke Aslan!" Rosie called, cupping the man's face. Aslan stopped walking and looked back at the princess.
The two stared at each other for a long time, making Rosie's heart beat loudly. This was what she imagined when she read the stories of the prince who saved the princess. Being stared at by a handsome man like this made Rosie's face blush. She cleared her throat to ease her nervousness.
"I'm really sorry about what had happened. I didn't mean to trouble you."
Aslan nodded his head, causing Rosie to smile widely. The man put Rosie down on the bed.
"If you really feel guilty, please think carefully before you do something, Your Highness. Then, I'll go back to my room. The maid and the doctor will come later," Aslan said, then left Rosie's room.
After the door closed, Rosie covered her face with both palms.
"Kyaa!!!! He is very handsome!!!" cried the girl while covering her face out of embarrassment.
Aslan, who happened to have not left Rosie's door, sighed for the umpteenth time. He didn't understand the girl's thoughts. Howland always said that his sister was the sweetest child he had ever met.
His friend always cheered for his sister who was graceful, gentle, and polite. However, what Aslan went through today was definitely not like that. It was the opposite.
Even as the girl had almost drowned in the river, Aslan had suspected that she wasn't as elegant as Howland had told him.
He hadn't met Rosie before, but the first impression Aslan saw of her was the chaotic vibe that gave him a headache.
After leaving Rosie's room, Aslan summoned all the knights, guards, maids, and servants. He needed to strengthen the guard in the castle. He couldn't be careless like today.
How could they be so careless? How could they let a royal princess wander around the village without a single knight? It was a shame for him. His men sparred every single day, and they were tricked by a little girl.
Aslan didn't know how Rosie could ride his favorite horse so easily. Lily was the horse that had accompanied him for a long time. It was a birthday gift from Howland, for he became a royal knight.
It was difficult for Lily to get close to other people. Even Howland, who was the one who gave it to Aslan, had never been allowed by the stallion to ride on his back. And Rosie could do it in a day.
If it was someone else, obviously Aslan would have punished that person. Since Rosie was a member of the royal family and Howland's sister, he would let this slide only for today.
However, remembering how reckless the girl had been in leaving Lily in the midst of the crowd made Aslan get even more irritated.
"Fuck!" he cursed in annoyance. His voice echoed throughout the empty hallway.