Focusing on the noise outside the mansion, I didn't immediately hear someone knocking heavily on my room's door. A lump of anxiety unknowingly rose in my throat. Finally, I went over and opened the door.
— My Lady! — my personal maid was standing on the threshold with an extremely agitated and pale face.
— What is it? — I asked immediately.
To be honest, I didn't like what was happening at all.
Elisha's eyes were as big as a deer's.
— Oh, my lady, there's this... this... — The panicked maid moaned, pausing every now and then in mid-sentence.
In the end, I couldn't stand it and rushed to the first floor myself. The situation must have been really bad, as the Duke's knights took up their positions with the intention of defending our manor. Even the staff of the mansion gathered at the entrance.
Based on this, my expression became more and more puzzled.
I ran outside. As I stood at the entrance to the mansion, a group of marching knights could be seen from afar. The man standing in front of their formation was the Duke's knight commander. Gilton Ramsay. Since it was this man who led the knights, I finally realized that the situation was serious.
The knight's worried eyes lit up at the sight of me.
— My Lady!
He hurried over and quickly approached me.
— Sir Gilton, what's going on...? — I asked in an agitated voice.
— My Lady, please, you must leave the manor immediately.
His words took me by surprise.
— what?
— His Lordship has given us an urgent message, — he reported seriously, — Right now, the enemy troops of the Crown Princess are moving towards our mansion. In the worst case scenario, we will have to fight. Therefore, the Duke's first order was to ensure your safety.
— ...
My eyes widened. Emotions prevailed over reason. I was so shocked that I couldn't control myself for a while.
— The crown...? The Crown Princess? — I asked, catching myself.
It seemed to me that the Duke's subordinate had messed up something. The Crown Princess? It's just not possible. The main villain of this novel was supposed to be dead. What kind of resurrection is this?! I would rather believe that the cold blockhead who was my father actually loves me. It was so absurd.
But the knight commander looked extremely serious, and apparently he didn't have time to explain all this to me.
— My Lady, you should be safe and sound. If you stay here, you'll make the Duke worry!
I couldn't even find the words and remained silent.
«...»
It seemed so unimaginable to me.
— Please leave immediately! — he repeated to me for the umpteenth time.
After a minute of silence, during which I was just in a stupor, Elisha reacted first. Being a competent maid, she hurriedly grabbed my hand, and readily stated:
— I'll make sure Milady is okay.
The knight nodded at her with a serious face.
— I'll have the carriage ready immediately.
I felt like I was in a daze when I was forced to return to my room, supported by the maid, like a little bird. Elisha closed the door of the room and looked into my eyes:
— My Lady, please get ready!
After these words, I shuddered and finally came to my senses. Although I still didn't fully understand what was going on, in order not to cause unnecessary trouble, I decided to just do as I was told. I nodded to her in silent agreement.
Elisha chose clothes very quickly and brought them to me. It was quite different from what I usually wore. The design of the dress was comfortable and simple. After changing my clothes in a hurry, I got into a carriage that didn't have the duchy's emblem on it.
The knights who were supposed to accompany us lined up around the carriage.
At that moment, I finally bothered to ask:
— Where are we going?
The personal maid who followed me said:
— My Lady, we're going to drive to the empire's border.
"The empire's border?"
This news made my eyes pop out. Why would the Duke suddenly decide to send me abroad? Is this really related to the surprise attack on us? I was in real confusion and my thoughts kept drifting in a negative direction.
"It can't be that this old man crossed the path of someone influential...?"
Even so, I was surprised that the case was so serious. His daughter even had to go on the run. Although not so long ago my main problem was financial well-being after leaving home, now, apparently, my own life was at risk. After my rebirth, I couldn't stop being "lucky."
In fact, with all these thoughts, I was trying to get the thoughts of the crown Princess, which I first heard from the knight, out of my head. They were so out of my mind that it was easier for me to think of any other reason.
When I was in a somewhat detached state, the knight commander, who slightly lifted the curtain and looked inside the carriage, asked:
— My Lady, are you ready?
I shuddered and just nodded my head slightly.
— I can't go with you because I have to stay and protect the duchy. But you will be accompanied by three of the best swords of our house.
— good.
The white-haired knight nodded at me eagerly and pulled down the curtain.
— We can go now!
At that moment, the horses started up, and the carriage began to move.
I felt like I was on pins and needles. I watched with worried eyes as the de Walt residence became more and more distant. For some reason, I had the feeling that this was the last time I saw this place for what it is.
Bracing myself against the window with one hand, I silently stared at the passing landscape.
Elisha, who was sitting across from me, couldn't help but notice my nervousness and tried to calm me down. I looked up when her warm hand rested on top of mine.
— I know exactly what you're worried about. But don't worry, everything will be fine, my lady!
I smiled weakly at her words. Yes, I really felt better when there was at least one person I knew next to me.
— Thank you, Elisha.
The carriage quickly entered the Yurishina forest. From here, the fastest route to the southern border of the empire began. If we're lucky, we'll be able to reach the border before midnight. We were just lucky that the Duke's residence was so close to this place.
The carriage was silent for a while. Then Elisha suddenly spoke up.
— My Lady, I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure to serve you.
I looked at her in confusion:
— What are you talking about?
— Just in case... I want you to know, — a faint smile appeared on my maid's lips.
Suspecting something was wrong with her words, I resolutely shook my head.
— You said yourself that everything would be fine, right? — I objected, — So save these words for another occasion.
Elisha stared at me and blinked in confusion for a few seconds. Although she had recently tried to bring me to my senses, she was obviously just as nervous herself. It's understandable. All of a sudden, what the hell started. Everyone was out of place right now. All we could do was brag and support each other.
I patted the maid's hand affectionately, as if comforting a child. She hesitated for a moment, then pressed her lips together tightly and tried to smile.
— Yes, everything will be fine, — she nodded, agreeing with my words.
I knew it would be like this. At least, I believed in it.
After leaving the residence, we drove all day through the endless green land. Everywhere you look, there's grass, trees, and sky. The carriage rolled along a poorly paved dirt road, causing it to shake and bounce from side to side. It was like the rhythm of a cradle. Such a long journey in a shaky, enclosed space has exhausted me quite a lot.
Finally, after relaxing a bit, I decided to lean against the wall and rest. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. It seemed to me, just for a moment. But as soon as I opened my eyes, the carriage shook violently. Startled, I cried out in surprise:
— What happened?
Our carriage suddenly stopped in the middle of a forest road.
— Watch out! We're under attack! — One of the knights accompanying us shouted from outside.
My face suddenly paled.
"Attacked? What does that mean?"
Stunned by the sudden turn of events, I was speechless. However, it seems that the words about the attack were true. To protect myself from the monstrous clang of metal and screams, I covered my ears with my hands. Elisha and I sat down on the floor in horror and fear and didn't even dare to look out the window. I closed my eyes tightly, and my whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
"Let it end!" — I prayed for only one thing.
And, as if answering my pleas, it took no more than ten minutes for the belligerent roars of the knights and the terrible sounds of carnage to stop. This meant that one of the sides had won. However, I didn't dare guess who it was. The maid and I held our breath in fear, as if we were in the middle of a minefield.
So some time passed.
The ominous silence became more and more unbearable.
Finally, Elisha, who had been sitting with her face buried in her skirt, slowly raised her head. Since there was no other option, it only remained to check what had happened. The maidservant's eyes were filled with anxiety. However, she somehow found the courage to get up first.
— My Lady, I'll go out and see what happened...
I immediately shook my head negatively.
I wanted to shout at her: "Are you crazy?!"
I was afraid to be completely alone in this carriage. But the maid looked more determined. The girl understood that my safety and care for me primarily rest on her shoulders.
Of course, I wanted to talk her out of this crazy prank, but it was too late.
— My Lady, I'll just check what happened. Don't go out! — The maid closed the door without waiting for my reply.
I snapped my mouth shut before I could make a sound.
After she left, Elisha never returned. The next five minutes dragged on for an excruciatingly long time. I was afraid to imagine what had happened. In the end, I realized myself that continuing to sit here was not an option. At this rate, I might just die here from exhaustion or starvation.
"Well, come what may."
Swallowing, I pulled the handle of the carriage. Then, still staring in front of her, she carefully stepped onto the ground. The first thing that caught my eye almost immediately was that the grass around me wasn't green. Everything was drenched in scarlet liquid. It was like I was in hell in an instant.
My worst expectations were fulfilled tenfold.
Especially when I belatedly realized that I had stepped on someone's hand. With a startled cry, I staggered back when I realized that the body of one of the knights accompanying our carriage was lying under me. More precisely, the whole clearing was strewn with the bodies of our soldiers. They were piled on top of each other like sandbags.
"W-why... Why is it like this?!"
My stomach, which had been tense since the beginning of the trip, twisted painfully. I tried to keep the nausea from rising up my throat. The terrible sight in front of my eyes completely stunned me.
At some point, my gaze fell on a body in a maid's uniform. A girl in a blood-spattered dress, with a wound on her stomach, lay among other bodies like a lifeless doll. Then my legs finally gave out.
"no... Not again..."
I gasped as tears welled up in my eyes from the pain. It seemed to me that it couldn't get any worse, and I was about to lose my mind. Maybe it's just a monstrous dream? And when I wake up, will everything be okay? This naive hope was melting away in my soul with every passing moment.
— Camille? — A familiar voice suddenly touched my ears.
I raised my head and slowly turned around. At the same moment, my heart sank.
There was a person standing behind me whom I did not expect to see here at all.