"Princess! Where are you? Please Come back quickly!"
"Princess—!"
From a distance, the guards' calls kept coming. They were anxious, and so was the little girl.
She kept shouting for the guards to hurry up, internally complaining about how useless they were for not keeping up.
After a few shouts, she simply stopped paying attention to those who were just yelling for her to come back and chased after the figure on her own.
The voices of the guards grew fainter, and darkness and silence began to replace the light and noise, reaching out to the little girl. In the maze-like streets, she didn't feel lonely or scared but was excitedly fixated on the injured figure.
Even though the figure would disappear around corners from time to time, it wouldn't be long before it reappeared, limping in front of her.
"Ha ha, my detective skills are truly exceptional! Villain, where do you think you can run to?"
Finally, quiet and darkness took over completely.
With the faint light of the snow, the little girl caught sight of the figure squeezing into a dead-end alley that seemed to be surrounded by walls on three sides.
Delighted, she called out joyfully and ran over with her flag raised. The figure seemed shocked, and upon seeing the little girl approaching, immediately bumped into the wall beside it…and disappeared.
The little girl's steps halted instantly. The excitement on her face slowly faded, and her smile began to stiffen. What had she just seen? A person… went into a wall and then… vanished?
A gust of wind swept through the alley, making the little girl shiver. Only then did she realize the situation she was in.
Darkness and silence, not a sound…
The buildings around her stood in the darkness like terrifying monsters. The little girl looked at the scene before her, and her spine turned cold.
"No… I'm not scared! I… I'm not afraid!"
She shouted loudly to embolden herself. She looked back and then at the dead-end before her. Amid the darkness and strangeness, an urge to flee began to surge within her…
"…Is anyone there? Hello! Is anyone here?"
The only answer was the silent snowflakes drifting down. Finally, a mist of tears filled the little girl's eyes. She began to sob, turned around, and thought about running away.
"No… I can't run! How could a hero of justice run away?! There are no ghosts in this world! I'm not afraid… I'm not scared…!"
She turned back, gripping the flag in her hands tightly, and slowly approached the alley where the figure had vanished.
There was no passage in this alley, surrounded on three sides by tall buildings. Even the snow found it difficult to fall into this cold place…
The little girl swallowed hard and bravely reached out to the wall where the figure had disappeared. There, she found a door that was left ajar…
"Phew~"
She let out a long breath. So, it wasn't a ghost after all; it was just a real person who had run through the door! It was too dark, so it seemed like they disappeared through the wall.
Now that she knew the truth, the little girl's courage returned. She quietly opened the door and tiptoed in.
The door closed softly. Holding the flag, the little girl cautiously moved in the darkness. But after the door closed, a figure holding a baby let go of the doorknob and silently, came up behind the little girl…
...
For the first time, the young beggar used the dagger connected by chains with intent. He grabbed the dagger, moved silently forward, and pressed the sharp blade against the young girl's back.
She gasped in shock. Feeling the dagger, fear and shaking took over her.
"Go" he commanded.
The blade's presence made her silent. She walked to a door by the hallway and as it opened, she tried to look back. But a push on her shoulder forced her into the room, and the door slammed shut behind them.
"Who are you? I'm warning you, I'm not the one who can be messed with!" she declared arrogantly.
She tried to hide in the room's corner. Soon, light filled the room, and she saw a boy her age with chains on his arm, holding something big in one hand and lighting a lamp with the other.
The room was bare, with just a table, two chairs, and a bare bed. The beggar approached her calmly.
She felt braver after seeing he was just a boy in her age. "Let me go now! Or I'll be harsh with you! Do you know the crime of locking someone up casually? It's serious! You'll be punished seriously!"
But he didn't listen, just stood still, then drew the dagger from the chain.
She was shocked deeply and carelessly let go of her flag, her only weapon.
In an instant, Cornered immediately by the boy, she watched him approach with the dagger.
"Take off your clothes," he asked coldly.
In the dim light, she clutched her clothes with anger. "You horriblely rude fellow! You should be executed! You... rogue!"
He stepped closer, the dagger slightly cutting her dress, silencing her.
"Take off your clothes," he repeated more fiercely.
She felt a pinch of pain and then knew he was serious. Taking a deep sigh of fear, she realized that she might have to obey to save herself.
"You… you devil… I'll never… forgive you…!"
She sobbed as she began to undress, starting with her coat.
Even after the coat, he insisted on the requirement. With tears in her eyes, she kept going until only a wool shirt and small underwear remained. She paused, pleading with her eyes sincerely, only to earn a threatening reply.
"I won't repeat my words next time"
The dagger mirrored her despair, and she finally reached for her last garments…
"I resent you…I curse you forever…!"
His cold gaze met her faint resistance, easily piercing it.
After she removed the last of her clothes and squatted, covering herself, trembling in the corner, scared of what might come next.
Then, the boy began to gather her clothes with his foot, then, as he was about to act, crying from the table interrupted his movement…
The beggar paused his behavior, his face showed a flicker of change. The girl looked at the table, then at him, confused and afraid.
He stared at her indifferently, and she covered herself more. He returned to the table and picked up the baby girl there to check.
Her swaddle was wet again.
The baby cried loudly. The beggar, now experienced, changed her out of the wet clothes. He took the girl's clothes, made a diaper from the padding, and wrapped the baby warmly.
Now, the baby wouldn't be cold.
After that, the beggar's face returned to its usual coldness without any tenderness.