Man, I was already drowning in confusion, my brain working overtime, trying to pull together the scattered pieces of this messed-up novel. I was lost in thought, like some fighter in the middle of a brawl, dodging punches left and right, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Then, outta nowhere, Zara opens her mouth again like she's got something to prove.
"So, are you coming to the hunting festival?" she asks, smirking like she knows something I don't.
I blink, look at her, and shoot back, "When is it?"
She gives me that look, like she already knows the answer, smirking as if she's on top of the world. "Two days later. All the nobles will be there. Hope this year you don't create a chaos."
Ugh, that girl. She walks off, flipping her hair like she's the queen of this place. But I wasn't about to let her mess with my vibe. Whatever, Zara. You can keep your attitude. The real question is about that hunting festival.
If I go there, maybe I'll figure out more of this twisted story. Maybe I can dodge this death sentence they've got written out for me. If nothing else, I'll at least get outta this rut and learn something useful. So, I grab a few dresses for myself—'cause, hey, I'm not here for the hand-me-downs, right?—and head for the exit.
I was ready to get into the carriage, just about to slip in when... BAM! A tiny hand grabs mine. I look down and see this little kid, eyes wide, pleading like they're about to burst into tears.
"My lady... please help us."
What the hell? I'm ready to snap at him, thinking maybe he's lost or something. I glance around, seeing if he's looking for his mom or some lost puppy.
"Did you get lost?" I ask, trying to be all serious.
He shakes his head like I just asked if he ate the moon or something. "No, please help us. My brother... he's in trouble."
Brother? I squint, processing this. So, the kid's brother's in trouble, and now I'm supposed to play the hero? Nah, kid. I'm just tryin' to save my own ass here.
I was about to tell him, "Not today, kid," when I caught sight of those damn puppy eyes again. Seriously, who raised you, huh? What kind of voodoo is this? You know the ones—the ones that make you feel like the world's about to end if you don't help. Damn it, I'm weak to this!
"Alright, alright. Let's go," I sighed, giving in to the little brat.
But before I could even take a step, Mina pops up like some buzzkill. "No, miss. You cannot just follow a random boy. It could be dangerous."
I looked at the kid again, giving him a once-over. Crouched down to his level and stared him dead in the eye. "Hey, kid. You're not messing with me, right?" I asked, like I'm trying to read him like a book.
He shakes his head fast. "No, miss. My brother really needs help."
I glanced back at Mina, rolling my eyes. "See? He really needs help."
Mina's still not having it. "But, miss—"
I cut her off like I was blocking a punch. "It's okay, Mina. If there's something dangerous here, it's me. Got it?" I shot her a grin. "Now, let's go save this poor bastard—"
Wait a second. I looked at the kid, realizing I probably shouldn't be cursing in front of him. Shit. "I mean—let's go and save his brother," I corrected myself, like I was trying to sound all noble and heroic.
I followed the kid down some dark alley. Seriously? Am I going underground or what? This felt like the setup to a bad horror movie. But I wasn't backing down now, no matter how creepy it got. The kid led me forward, all tense and nervous, and then I heard it.
Voices.
"Look for that kid. He must be around here."
Oh hell no.
I whipped my head around, and the kid, like some ninja in training, ducked behind me, hiding like his life depended on it. "They... they were the ones who kidnapped my brother to sell him," he whispered, voice shaking.
"What?!" I snapped, eyes wide as I whipped around. Kidnapping? Selling people? Now I was really pissed. This was some seriously messed-up shit. My blood was boiling now.
Mina looked at the kid, like she was ready to throw him across the alley.
"And you think our miss can help you with this?" she practically yelled at him. Poor kid looked like he'd just realized he was standing in front of a ticking time bomb.
Mina turned to me, like she was trying to pull me out of a bad situation. "Miss, please, let's just go back. We can call the knights here."
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Go call those knights if you want, but until they get here, I'll handle this."
"Miss—" Mina started, but I cut her off like a bad punch. "Mina, listen to me."
She looked at me like I had three heads but said, "Please, miss, hide somewhere."
"Alright, alright," I said, waving her off. Mina ran off to call some knights. I turned to the kid, giving him my most 'I got this' face.
"Hey, you wanna save your brother, right?" I asked, leaning in.
The kid nodded faster than a rabbit on caffeine.
"Good," I said, ruffling his hair like I was a big sister about to do something way too wild.
Mina doesn't know who I am, and that's why she wanted me to hide. But now? Oh, now it's time for Eun-Byun Lee to come back and kick some serious ass. Watch out, world.
The alley reeked of damp garbage, cheap liquor, and bad decisions. My boots echoed against the cracked pavement as I ventured deeper. Mina's words still buzzed in my head—"Hide somewhere, miss"—but I wasn't the hiding type. Not in my past life, and sure as hell not now.
The deeper I went, the more the place started to feel like the set of some low-budget crime drama. Shadows shifted, and figures emerged—rough-looking dudes with shady faces and the kind of smirks that screamed, We do illegal things for breakfast.
"Hey, missy," one of them called, his voice dripping with mockery. "You lost? Or did you take a wrong turn from the tea party?"
I tilted my head, pretending to look confused. "Tea party? Oh, no, I'm exactly where I need to be. I heard this was where the clowns hang out."
His smirk vanished. The other guys exchanged looks, like they couldn't believe the audacity.
"What did you just say?" he growled, stepping forward.
"Hard of hearing, huh?" I said, rolling up my sleeves. "I said clowns. You know, face paint, funny shoes, terrible decisions. You're the whole circus."
His buddies laughed, but it wasn't the kind of laugh that said they thought I was funny. It was more like, "We're about to teach you a lesson," which, spoiler alert, they weren't.
I scanned the group—five guys. All taller, all beefier, and all dumber. A classic lineup of street-level idiots.
"You got guts, little lady," one of them said, stepping forward. He was wearing a shirt two sizes too small, like he wanted everyone to know he had muscles. "But you're out of your league here."
I cracked my knuckles, letting my grin stretch wide. "Oh, buddy, you've got no idea what league I'm in."
And just like that, the first guy swung at me. Big mistake. I ducked, and his fist sailed through empty air, making him spin like a drunk ballerina. Before he could recover, I kicked him in the back, sending him flying into his buddy. They both went down like bowling pins.
"Two for one special," I muttered, turning to the next guy.
This one thought he was smart—he pulled out a crowbar. "Think you're tough, huh?" he sneered, waving it around like he was auditioning for a zombie movie.
I rolled my eyes. "Wow, a crowbar. What are you, a cartoon villain?"
He lunged, swinging it down like he was Thor or something. I sidestepped, grabbed his arm, and twisted it until he let go. "Lesson one," I said, throwing the crowbar to the side, "don't bring hardware to a fistfight."
The fourth guy tried to grab me from behind, but I stomped on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach. He doubled over, groaning. "Lesson two," I added, spinning around to face him, "don't touch me, you creep."
The last guy stood there, blinking like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Uh... you want to talk this out?" he offered, holding up his hands.
"Talk?" I laughed, dusting off my hands. "Buddy, you're lucky I'm out of patience."
He turned to run, but I grabbed an empty crate and chucked it at him. It hit his back with a loud thunk, and he went down face-first into the dirt.
I stood there, breathing hard, surveying the chaos I'd just created. Five guys down, groaning and writhing like worms on hot asphalt.
"That was a good warm-up," I said, huffing and puffing, leaning on my knees like I'd just run a marathon. But let's be real—Cecilia's body? Weak as hell. I mean, seriously? Huffing and puffing after just five guys? Pathetic.
Then I heard it. A tiny clap, soft but enthusiastic. I glanced over, and there was the kid, his eyes practically sparkling like I'd just taken down a dragon instead of some street clowns.
He ran up to me, grinning like I was the main character in his bedtime story. "Wow, miss! Are you the knight leader?"
I wanted to laugh, but all I managed was a wheezy chuckle between gasps for air.
I straightened up, forcing myself to look cool despite feeling like my lungs were about to give out. "Alright, kid," I said, ruffling his hair. "Let's go get your brother out."
He beamed, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the building.
Just as we were about to storm the building, I heard footsteps pounding toward us. Great, more goons? I turned, ready to throw hands again, but nope—it was Mina. And she wasn't alone.
Behind her? A whole squad of knights, looking all shiny and official. I mean, come on, could they be any louder?
Mina skidded to a stop in front of me, panting like she'd just sprinted a marathon. "Miss!" she yelled and ran to me asking, "Are you okay?"
I nodded and the knights looked around, taking in the scene of the knocked-out guys sprawled like discarded laundry. One of them stepped forward, his expression sharp. "What happened here?"
I glanced at the kid, who looked like he was about to spill the whole story of me turning these clowns into human punching bags. Hell no, kid. Not today.
I quickly clamped my hand over his mouth, flashing an innocent smile at the knights. "We don't know, sir. They were arguing, and then—bam!—started beating the crap out of each other."
The knights exchanged suspicious looks, their eyes narrowing as they scanned me and the kid. One of them let out a huff but didn't press further.
"Alright," the leader said finally, motioning toward the building. "Let's bring those kids out."
They rushed inside, leaving me standing there with the kid still wide-eyed under my hand. And just like that, the scene wrapped up, leaving me to wonder how much crazier this day was going to get.