The knights were on a mission to search for every underground hideout in town. Residents, merchants, and visitors are tasked to hide inside infrastructures as per royal command.

Citizens heard rumors of a surprise inspection by the king, but it wasn't true. The reason behind this sudden search is relatively straightforward.

The knights explored every alley, cellar, and tunnel they could find, hoping to catch the target they were tasked to find. Bandits, slave traders, and underground criminals walked out from their hideouts with a blade in their necks.

The guards at the gate thought of a reason why these events seemed unreasonable.

“Sir Castor, may I ask if the higher-ups passed down a notice about the town’s investigation?” A guard asked.

“Heck zid I know!? I’m alsho dying ta know wha actionsh occur inshide. It’sh sho boring to shtand here day by day,” Castor replied.

“Maybe the reason is that the kingdom doesn’t trust us? Maybe they think of the guards as low soldiers who aren’t reliable? Perhaps they’re casting us out?”

“Ya overthinking idiot! Dat manip’lative shadness of yoursh’sh why you can’t get girlsh of ya age!”

“T—That’s offending, sir!”

“But da knightsh are shirculating only the inshide, huh? Ish dzer a bomb plan’ed shumwhere?”

By chance, a girl in a maid suit breathlessly rushed towards the gate. When Castor approached her, she was bathing from sweat.

“Hey, what bushinessh do ya have w— Elara!?” Castor exclaimed the moment he clarified her face.

“Yo, Castor,” Elara greeted with a voice different from what she had inside the mansion.

“What’za court maid doing here? Why’sh everyone in za panic?”

“I would like a personal audience with you, privately.”

The two went out not far but where they could only hear each other. They first checked if someone was listening.

“Elara… am I not thinking dat ya’r dza one za knights’r shearching for? Ya aren’t a traitor, are ya? I shtill wanna live ma life in peashe.”

“Turn down your talking mannerisms. If I planned to kill you, I should have done it sooner, you disgusting freak.”

“Eek!” Castor squealed with his pale face. “W—What’s the occasion? Treasure hunting?”

“You’re in charge of the gates, right? Perhaps you encounter some little girl with red hair going out of town?”

“There are too many red-haired girls who passed, from what I can remember. Half of them are lolis, and another half are tsundere.”

“That’s not what I’m asking! Can you treat this talk seriously? This is confidential, and if we don’t hurry, it will cause a huge downfall of the kingdom.”

“Eh!? Is it that serious? At what age would you expect her to be?”

“She just turned nine last 15th of November. Also, her eyes are crimson red, so it’s noticeable.”

“Hmm…”

Castor pinches his chin to recall his memory. When a sure event jabs in his brain, his eyes widen.

“Certainly, I did meet some cute red-haired girl and I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s accompanied by an adventurer for her request to gather herbs.”

“Gathering herbs? Where did they go?”

“From what Ellyn has shown me, they’ve gone into Harswell Forest.”

“Isn’t it dangerous there currently!? Even the court knights can even clear that zone yet!”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“If you’re taking this seriously, don’t tell me— Oh!” Castor realized something unique. “That’s why the little girl seems familiar to me.”

“You can’t let the matter of the missing queen’s daughter get out of word! Make an excuse or a fake story to tell your guards. Also, inform the knights to march towards the Harswell forest as per my command.”

“You’re charging in there, aren’t you?”

“You know me, right? I’ll leave the rest to you.”

At the same time, Ellyn reached ten medical herbs to gather. They must match the quota before sunset, but it’s only a matter of time.

"Vena, I already have ten herbs. How many did you— Vena?”

When she turned back, the red-haired little girl vanished in her sight, popping like a bubble out of nowhere.

The longer the time passes, the more emotions enter the mixture. Ellyn gasped with wrinkling brows as her focus gradually lost.

Her face turned ashen. Her pulse beats visibly beside her neck. Her narrow eyes bulge while her body experiences tremors.

The client she should protect took away from her side. She isn’t aware that Veniara planned her escape. Wandering in this dangerous forest can lead to her death.

She spoke with a flat voice,

“I’m doomed.”

***

I’m an idiot to run more profoundly in the woods like I’m a brave warrior. I charged toward death, but my legs told me it was not my time yet.

It was already evening when I stopped running. The eerie rustling of winds and whistling of birds gives me shivers.

This forest, whose name I don’t know, was a maze of shadows and secrets, where the only light came from the pale moon that filtered through the dense canopy.

The air thickens with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves, and the silence amplifies every sound. The trees seemed to whisper and creak as if they were alive and watching.

Fallen branches and thorns litter the ground, making walking hard without stumbling or getting scratched. On my way here, I can feel spikes gathering on my foot.

Now that I can’t see where I’m going, my clammy hands stopped responding. My heartbeat races as if it had been detonated.

My ears became sensitive to sound. Even a single rabbit step in a bush makes my head turn. I can never leave my back unwatched.

My run turns into a walk— a weak one. I’m stepping, thinking that an earthquake is occurring inside me. I’m one step lacking to cry.

But I can’t ask for help.

If I do, I’ll attract attention. But isn’t this what I wanted? I wanted to die. I should’ve been dead in the first place.

But why is my body not listening to me? I came down this far. This is the final verdict that I chose. I’m not even needed in this world.

My breath bursts in and out. I kept denying my fear by repeating, ‘I should be dead.’ But the longer it goes, the more my voice cracks.

Why am I afraid of dying? Isn’t this what Veniara wanted? Doesn’t this hijacker deserve punishment?

The more the wind whistles, the more I return to my senses. Other than the sky, I can’t see anything at all.

I’m lost. I have no means of turning back. All I can do is silently cry while covering my mouth.

“I’m scared.”

I’m too scared to move. Darkness covers my skin and roots me down to the ground. I have the will to leave— but not the strength.

I’m weak.

Like what happened in the bookstore, I’ll wait for something to crush me. It’s all out of my control.

Becoming more vital than the dark lord is a distant dream to reach. If I continue to inhabit Veniara’s body, she’ll suffer worse.

The bush near me rustles. I can hear heavy footsteps coming my way. It’s so powerful that it amplifies my heartbeat.

The moon passed over me, lighting everything dark in front of me. I saw myself on the edge of the circular zone without trees.

On the other side of the zone, a massive creature with red eyes stares at me straight. Its body is solid yet surrounded by fur. I can only see its silhouette.

In no time, it started rushing towards me, passing through the spotlight given by the moon. The creature was a rampaging bear dying of hunger.

All my muscles tensed. My heart will explode soon while exhibiting pain. I’m already at my breaking point.

I was on my point to surrender, but my body screamed from fear. For somehow, it doesn’t obey me.

The bear jumps toward me, preparing to slash me with its claw. The sight after is something I can’t witness.

I covered my eyes with my arms and wished that the next thing that’ll happen wouldn’t hurt me. It didn’t hurt.

I’m still alive.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I heard countless slashes of colliding metal before me. A golden-haired person came and protected me.

“E—Ellyn? Why are you here!?”

“Y—You’re a tough one to follow, little princess. I’m already thinking of ways how to punish you,” she muttered while pushing the bear’s claws back with her daggers.

Ellyn moved like she didn’t deserve the F rank. Her swift moves avoided every claw attack. She even used the bear’s attack patterns to divert its attention away from me.

“How many times do we have to tell you that the deeper forest will kill you? You had me worried suddenly.”

“H—How did you find me?”

“Don’t underestimate a scout’s nose. You’re too young to belittle an adventurer. I just let you go here to learn your lesson.”

She might have the skill to navigate someone. From what I know, she needs an item related to someone she’s searching for.

Did she pluck my hair without me knowing? If she knew I was the princess, she would’ve been jailed. But she just called me little princess…

Their battle diverted somewhere farther from me, but no one expected that we were not fighting only a single enemy.

From the bushes, another rampaging bear jumps toward me. I left my mouth hanging open with bulging eyes.

I’m too comforted by cheering Ellyn, forgetting I must look out for myself. Because of the distraction, the bear Ellyn is fighting hits her, causing her to bleed.

And I—I have no means of escape…

Not until something bright blinded me, like a flashbang. After I recovered, the bear was already knocked down.

I saw another familiar face. It was too unexpected that it amplified my tears from falling.

“Honestly, Miss Veniara. We’re worried about you.”

“E—Elara!”