Seventh Day:The Kidnapping Story

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Lily strolled through the hotel and eventually arrived at its restaurant with Tiana by her side. Surprisingly, Tiana allowed her to explore the hotel freely, as long as she stayed close. Before her was the cuisine of her hometown, Bluebox Nation: a plate of pasta bolognese accompanied by several steamed chestnuts.

An elderly gentleman entered the restaurant. He was impeccably dressed, and his white hair complemented his robust physique as he strode confidently towards Lily. He took a seat as if he owned the place. Lily arched an eyebrow at him but continued to eat. The food before her took precedence over strangers trying to dine with her. She was no longer a princess but a prisoner and was accustomed to being ignored in her hometown. Few paid her any attention, and even fewer showed her respect.

"Greetings. Are you Lily, the last princess of Bluebox Nation?" the man before her bombarded her with the question. Lily and Tiana immediately snapped to attention. Tiana, in particular, summoned her dagger from her [Item Box] and assumed a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" Tiana growled.

"I am Osborn Regalia, the Duke of Osborn, located just north of here."

"Rebels!" Tiana shouted as she swiftly armed herself with another dagger from her [Item Box]. Osborn merely smiled at her futile efforts.

"Filthy invaders, daring to speak boldly in my homeland! Know your place!" He spat out his words with malice, attempting to silence her with his [Intimidate].

Tiana shuddered, almost dropping her dagger. She knew she couldn't win against a foe like this. Tiana was merely a level 47 combat maid, while the enemy before her must have been at least level 100. She didn't know how Duke Osborn could pinpoint Lily's location.

"Did they follow us from the airport? Does it mean there was a mole somewhere in this hotel or among the airport employees?" She thought while scanning her surroundings, searching for backups. The duke smirked mockingly as he spoke in glee, "Hahaha, you have no power here. Your king is at the castle while my forces are already here."

"Now, let us get down to business, Princess Lily. Ignore that small fry," Duke Osborn said with disdain. "Princess Lily, I asked you to marry my son and become the future queen of Bluebox Nation. Will you become a queen of Bluebox and lead its people?"

Lily tilted her head in confusion at his proposal. She didn't even know Duke Osborn, nor had she ever met him. Why did he make such a suggestion? "Duke Osborn, do you know the rumors about me and that my sister, Jeanne Scheherazade, is still alive? I just met her yesterday, and—"

The duke cut her off with a reply as he scoffed. "Jeanne was drugged. She is James's lapdog now. We can't trust any of her words. You, however, are different. There is still a glimmer of sanity in your eyes. I know about you. The indolent princess who, despite being royalty, was so indolent that they said you are below level 10. If only we could find other royalties, we wouldn't even consider using you. But it can't be helped. Moreover, I think you would be the perfect candidate since you have no diplomatic obligations. You just need to do as I say, and everything will be fine."

Lily was irked by the old man's frenzied speech. His words held no sway over her indolent nature. She replied weakly, "Duke Osborn, we have already lost."

The duke was appalled at Lily's reply. A royal was supposed to never show such a defeated look. Passion surged within his words, "Don't give up just yet. We will surely prevail! Well, I guess I understand that you were threatened. Let us go somewhere more secure."

He smiled and stood up. Then, he glared at Tiana. She reacted at once. She brandished her dagger and activated their aura. Duke Osborn followed suit. Aura is a reflection of the user's stats. When a person started his aura, it usually meant that he was going to fight. Tiana perceived this and quickly charged at him, only to be knocked aside with a punch. He then brandished his greatsword, which he took from his [item box]. Several more men in blue suits rushed into the building, and the meager number of guards were subdued.

"Wait, don't kill her!" Lily screamed as the duke was about to strike Tiana with his sword.

The duke glanced at her as he spoke out. "Well, she is just a small fry. Let's leave, gentlemen. No blood shall be spilled in this airport." An airport was often thought of as a neutral zone between countries. However, such rules were only implicitly understood. Osborn lifted Lily as if she were a bag of wheat and strode off to a prepared car waiting outside. Then he threw her inside the car before getting in himself.

"So, Dad? Is this the lazy princess?" A haughty man dressed in leather jeans and a jacket said as he munched on his lunch in the passenger seat. He sneered at Lily as if he were looking at goods in a store. Lily felt a shiver as he seemed to size her up. "She's got the looks, at least. But she's such a low level. My [Rivalry sense] turned nil. It means her level must be way lower than mine. I don't really like dumb, weak women."

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"Yes, she is Lily, the fourth princess of Bluebox. Your opinion is irrelevant. Now, get going," he ordered the driver to drive.

On the way, even without stats or skills to enhance her perception, she couldn't help but notice the duke's son leering at her until they reached the hideout. The hideout was a plain office building in the middle of the city. Along with Osborn and his son, several other nobles and commoners were in attendance. The duke mentioned that it was a 'temporary' hideout because his real headquarters were far away in the dukedom. There, Lily was pressured again to marry his haughty son.

"So, Princess Lily, now that we are safe, how about we discuss the future of the country?" Duke Osborn started the conversation. He felt that Lily was merely being passive due to the threat from James and his cohorts. However, unbeknownst to him, Lily already had a negative impression of his son. Moreover, she had no desire to marry and become the queen of Bluebox.

"Then, may I ask how you plan to defeat James? Even with support from commercial nations like Yellowbox or the theocracy Whiteboxes, it will only be a Pyrrhic victory at best," Lily answered firmly. She believed that Bluebox had lost, and to reduce casualties and suffering, she should obey James and the Redboxes for the time being. Never mind other people, she needed to prioritize herself first and foremost. It had been ingrained in her subconscious that betraying James would lead her to suffer the same consequences as her sister, Jeanne, who had been forced to drink that pink liquid.

"We should not give up, Princess Lily! Together, we will surely prevail!" one of Osborn's henchmen shouted. His shout echoed and was followed by others. Lily almost facepalmed. Then she suddenly got an idea, an idea born from her experiences over these past few days.

"Have you heard about the tale of eternal wars and eternal peace?" she began her story. "Once upon a time, there were two cities that stood side by side. These cities were lush and rich, with their people living in harmony. Let's call them the Peaceful City and the Rebellious City. Then, an army led by a tyrant king tried to subjugate them. An army marched on these two cities."

"The first resisted until the very end. And in the end, the city was razed and burned to the ground. Its remnants became bandits that plagued the land. The second gave up without a fight. The tyrant king, pleased that the city capitulated without more bloodshed, decided to annex the city.

"At first, life in the city was harsh. However, after a few years, they were finally annexed, and when a girl from the city was married as a king's concubine, the city was treated the same as others except for higher taxes. But they still accepted it without complaint. Many mocked them for becoming loyal dogs of the tyrant king so easily. In return for their fealty, the king took hold of their security.

"Then, much, much later, the king died on a battlefield. When the king died, his servants immediately planned a civil war, and the country was split into factions. There was this faction and that faction. The Peaceful City, which had grown exponentially during the king's era, became the centerpiece of these factions. Then, the Peaceful City simply said, 'Those who respect us the most shall earn our fealty.' And thus, that faction won the civil war.

"The Peaceful City was never harmed, and although they incurred much jealousy, their opponents simply couldn't oppose them, lest they incur the wrath of this and that faction. Soon enough, they no longer held the title of concubines but queens and dukes, all without shedding a single drop of blood.

"Meanwhile, the Rebellious City was no longer lush and rich. All of its remaining citizens became bandits. Throughout history, they were reviled, and their lands decayed due to the flames of wars." Lily finished her story, and the audience fell silent. She looked around, and their voices no longer screamed for rebellion.

"Your thoughtfulness is impressive but naive. Bluebox has history and secrets which we must keep," Duke Osborn said.

"There are no secrets. If you're talking about the Halls of Mana, then King James already has access to it," Lily said, her expression growing dim.

"WHAT?!" Osborn screamed. His calmness vanished. Osborn had thought Lily was a mere obscure princess, ignored by society due to her indolence. Never would he have thought Lily knew about such a secret.

"How? Who? You?" Osborn turned from confusion to anger, directed at Lily. Uncontrolled, he brandished his sword at her. But he stopped himself as he thought things through. It was impossible for Lily to leak such important information to Redbox in such a short time.

"I was there for a mere five days, Lord Osborn. You see, Redbox was a kingdom, but its king was not hereditary. The king was chosen in a contest and by parliament. Nobody knew who James was before becoming a king."

"Yes, you are right. Very well. I accept your condition. I will return you to the palace tomorrow. You may rest, Princess Lily. Hopefully, you may become a queen one day." Duke Osborn smiled, and cheers ran through his officers.

Lily cared not for them. She only breathed a sigh of relief as she dodged a marriage with a rude and violent Duke's son and a possible execution by James.

Meanwhile, Duke Osborn stared at the night sky, where unblemished stars stayed eternal. He pondered Lily's story deeply, realizing that someone had finally listened to her. He had heard rumors about Lily, but seeing her beside his idiotic son made it clear who was superior.

His son was over level 100, while the Duke was at 180. Everyone knew that the higher the level, the harder it was to level up. If James could defeat and capture Jeanne, who was over level 250, then his army stood no chance.

He gazed out at his bleak hometown from the window. The citizens were scared, and the Redbox army was everywhere. He then returned to Lily's story. If he continued his resistance, his home would share the same fate as her story's. In fact, he could see it happening right before him. Lily, who had never stood on the frontline, understood this.

Citizens were terrified, streets were empty in broad daylight, the economy had tanked, and the military was everywhere. While it hadn't happened in the capital yet, several districts of his duchy were already destroyed due to skirmishes between Redbox soldiers and Bluebox soldiers.

"Damn it," a sense of loss engulfed him as he slept in his study.