I should try finding out more information. Frankly, this transportation to another world thing was a bit too abrupt, even for me. I'm still slightly confused. Above all, I should solve that small conflict in front of me. I could try deducing it again, but there was a much easier way.

"Why?" I asked.

Ah, I tell you, this is the question, you really can't live without. I pity those who have lost it.

My voice was more feeble then I had expected. A soft voice with an alluring charm, but hidden behind a coarseness, that scratched the eardrums.

It was filled with bitterness. I wonder what the original owner must have gone through, to end up like that. May you rest in peace.

Also, I tried asking in english. Without really knowing their language, there's not a lot I could do about it.

"Why you ask, even after all this?", the prince replied, while his eyebrows wrinkled.

Yes, I do. Please answer this humble peasant.

Suddenly the sister cut into the conversation, and shouted, "I will tell you why. You are simply not fitting to be with him. You, who is only a bastard child of the Dukes son, with the third son of the King? Don't make me laugh."

"Most importantly, it's your attitude, that is the worst. Even though you were cold to me, even though you ignored me, I did not mind. But to think that after all I had given to you, you dared to harass my sister. Truly, I must have been blind when I thought I could still save you."

Now it was the brother talking again.

They really have a good synergy, do they. I didn't respond, though. I'll just let him speak by himself, and get some more information.

Soon, he opened his mouth again and sighed, "You were always broken, but I did not pay it any heed, as I thought it was caused by your environment. I could still deal with that. However, showing your fangs against my sister, now that was inexcusable. Thus, as the bearer of the sacred blood, representative of the fiefdom "Kastra", and a symbol of the monarchy, 'Edward Adelli van Karen', I hereby announce our engagement as annulled."

Ah, so that was it, it was actually me, who was his fiancée.

Thinking about it makes cold sweat run down my back. Thank you sincerely, for canceling this marriage. But this was quite bad. To have been reincarnated into the Dukes grand-daughter and not only that, but have my engagement annulled at the same time, wasn't I already in the end stage of the story, what am I supposed to do now.

"Speak your excuses, wench."

I wonder if I should just let it be. If he throws me out, I'm pretty sure my household would not treat me too kindly. Furthermore, he said I was an illegitimate child, then I guess they don't really like me anyways. I can't imagine what kind of punishment I had to face, back at home.

Then, should I try to rebuild the engagement? Absolutely not. I really don't want to marry a dude. In the first place, I don't even know how to make him reconsider. There's not much information, for now. And as a prince, he holds the absolute authority. I have to think, there must be some kind of way out of this situation.

"I wish for an audience with his majesty." I asked, and met his harsh gaze with a soft one.

A bold sentence, coming from a small girl like me. I could tell that those two are surprised. In fact, I am also surprised. It's a risqué move, incredibly risqué.

To speak with the king, the absolute authority, not everyone has the right to do that. Not even me. At least that was the case if this was a normal event. But a marriage in this time period holds an immense political impact. It could determine the fate of two families, and play an important role for the future. A marriage here means mutual trust between two households, and a life long partnership. To break it means rejecting everything about it. Surely, even the king had to pay attention to this.

The only problem is if the prince agrees to my request.

In these short interactions, I was more or less able to tell what kind of person he is.

A prince holds a special kind of arrogance. An arrogance, which stems from being a unique existence. Always showered with praise, followed by many who adore him, more than once, he must have felt quite valued. Now, such a person was engaged to a bastard child. This was a hit to his pride. It would come to no surprise if he acted out. Well, In the end he did.

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However, it was not because of his pride. From what I hear, I did not have the most enchanting personality. Even so, he put up with me. Though I did not love him, and he probably knew, he still accepted me. Only after I hurt his sister, did he decide to annul our engagement.

It was probably because of this mentality that he was chosen as my partner.

I could tell that he's selfless and kind. Or at least he didn't really dislike me.

So, I put on some puppy eyes. I am an illegitimate child, who has been treated as trash of society, and shut down all my emotions. Now, after being cornered and losing my fiancé, I showed a moment of weakness. Judging by his personality, it's impossible for him to ignore my request.

The prince knitted his eyebrows and looked at the ground. After contemplating for a brief moment, he said, "Alright, I shall allow it."

See, I told you.

"Two days, it should take two days, before you could meet his highness."

After he had told me, the prince promptly left with his sister. Alright, two days is more than enough.

I sigh in relief. After traveling between worlds and immediately being hit with a broken marriage, I started a life where I was already checkmated. After averting the immediate crisis, I could finally relax. Realizing that, my knees gave up. What a frail body.

I wonder how my friends are doing now. Maybe they also died. I want to meet them.

No, this is not the time to grow sentimental. No matter how tired I am, fact is, that I am still in a dire situation. I guess the first thing I should do is learn the language. I might be somewhat able to understand it, but I don't really know how to speak it. If I met the king without the ability to talk, I would end up as a laughingstock. Everything else can be dealt with later.

Let's go outside. The best way to learn, is through practice. Anyways, where's the exit?

-

"Ah, miss, it is not good to leave like that." A thin guard said, clad in metal and holding a spear in his left hand. His armor was reflecting the sun into my eyes.

I should have known that there was someone protecting the gates. Why would someone frail like him protect the gates anyway. I can't even talk my way out, since I don't know the language. What is this irony. All I could do was give him a quick bow, as if I understood, and walk back to where I came from. This is quite the predicament. Dejected, I walked around the inner garden.

The fresh fragrance was gently tickling my nose. While I felt the plants between my feet, I ran my fingers through the bushes. A light breeze was caressing my body, making me feel afloat. The sun rays gently kissed the flowers, creating a colorful scenery. Occasionally I could hear the birds sing and the leaves rustling. Amidst everything, a single tree stood erect and slowly I made my way towards it. Meanwhile the morning dew was still lingering in the air and stimulated my senses. As I leaned against the tree, I slid down and sat on the ground. I felt the grass wettening the thin fabric I was wearing. Around this place, a lot of servants were passing by. They met up and chatted for a while before they departed again. Sometimes they would even sit down on a nearby space, and sometimes they would ask if I was feeling well.

I was sitting under the shade cast by the tree and listened to the chattering servants. Quietly, I fell into a trance.

Only after the sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon, did I regain my consciousness. It took me about eight hours until I had learned the language. I would have been faster if it wasn't for the fact that not many traverse this path. Normally, it would have taken only half the time. It also didn't help that nobody came when dawn broke in. Damn you, guard.

What time is it now, I wonder. I think it's around midnight. I should go to sleep now.

Ah, that reminds me, I don't know where my bedroom is.

Well whatever. I'm too tired anyways. I felt my conciousness slowly fading away and my eyelids growing heavy. Soon, amidst the stars, I fell into a deep slumber.

-

The next morning, I was awoken by the morning sun. It has been a long time since I had slept in the open, surrounded by nature. It felt quite soothing.

After I woke up, I had time to calm my mind.

Now that I had successfully mastered the language, it is finally time for me to see what's outside those gates.

"Ah, miss, it is not good to leave like that." The guard said, almost blinding me with his shining armor. However this time, I am fully prepared.

"I understand sir, it is just that my mother always had a weak body. Recently I heard rumors about her health deteriorating, so I only wish to see how she is faring," I said, while clenching my fists and avoiding his gaze.

It was uncommon for anyone to joke about their family, so the guard didn't hesitate to believe me and spoke, "this is indeed quite unfortunate, I shall get a carriage and some servants for you to get ready."

I bit my lips and stared him in his eyes, my eyebrows twitching and tears welling up, I stuttered, "No, it might be too late if we wait this long. If my mother were to draw her last breath without me supporting her, how would I dare meet her in the afterlife? If my mother was suffering, while I was busy caring about my own well being, how could I still call myself a filial daughter?" I paused, and lowered my tone, "don't you also have a mother, how would you feel if she died, even though you had a chance to save her?"

"But miss, your safety-"

"It is but just a few meters. The chance of anything occurring to me is low. On the other hand, if she were to die, would you bear the responsibility? I don't think I could forgive you if that happened. But if you leave me through, I shall put a good word in for you. Speak, what is your name. I will make sure to tell the prince about you, and let him handsomely reward you," I told him.

"Miss, it is my duty as the guard to protect you," the guard said, and after contemplating about it, he added, "but I guess if that was the cost of another life that you hold dearly, such a protection would be counterproductive. Okay, I understand. Go now, make haste, and come back as swiftly."

He took the bait. Delighted, I gave him my thanks and soon ran away.

Guilt, fear and salvation. The most common form of persuasion.

First, I had to suggest something which made him feel conflicted. Talking about my mother had done the job, but that wasn't enough. I had to really bind him into my story, make him involved and give him an active role. So, I told him that she might die, if he doesn't let me through.

The second step was to induce fear. It is similar to the first step, but there's a delicate difference. Guilt makes the victim believe they are on the same side. If I lose something, he would feel bad, too. Fear however, shows him that he stands alone. If he loses something, it wouldn't matter to me. A threat is the most obvious choice, the intent must be sufficiently hidden behind a facade, though.

I added a lot of If-clauses. Because I wanted him to associate those sentences with the truth. The special thing about If-sentences is that it rouses the imagination, which then makes them feel reasonable and logical. That then causes him to make an association between what he can imagine and the truth. So if I told him the obvious truth using them for a while, he would also swallow the hidden lie.

That is where the point lies. If-clauses don't need to be true to work.

'If it doesn't rain today, I will die.' Obviously, that's not true. But it still works grammatically. In essence, no one would take it seriously, either.

However, before, the guard was bound by the idea, that whatever he could imagine, has to be the truth. And as he could imagine any sentence as long as it is grammatically correct, he would also believe that to be the truth, too.

This is what I call the "cause and correlation effect".

Also, by adding a false time constraint, it limits his thinking, and renders him unable to think as clear as he used to.

The last step is salvation. Offer a solution to his problem. This is the most important step and must be handled with great care. Especially the timing is important here. If the victim is given a solution before he feels the urgency of the matter, he will reject the idea. On the other hand, if the solution is given too late, he might find one himself.

But if those three steps are executed in a smooth way, it most often opens a path for negotiations.

As I took my first step out of the palace, I was greeted with a surprising scene.

In front of me, a narrow dirt road spread into different directions. I was still not wearing any shoes, so I was able to feel the cold sand rubbing against my skin. As I carefully walked around I realized that the buildings were densely packed, and mostly made out of wood, with a touch of sandstone.

No building would reach higher than 2 stories. The wood was cracked, while the stone had gone brittle, dust was gathering around the rooftop of their houses. An intense smell of horse manure and alcohol would sometimes be carried by the wind. Still, I felt the fragrance to be oddly satisfying. Occasionally I would walk past a peddler, intruding into the daily life of the citizens. In the meantime, I had walked past a cathedral and an inn. The cathedral was lavishly decorated while the inn was bigger than most homes. The laughter of children and a bard playing his music were the most prominent sounds that I had heard. In the far distance, the crenelated city wall stood fiercely. It was when I encountered the second child selling flowers, did I realize that I had really travelled to another world.

Finally I was lured in by the aroma of bread coming from a nearby bakery. After I looked around, I had noticed that I had strolled to a plaza or some sorts. In the middle stood a monument, while on the periphery many different sorts of shops, mostly selling food, were set up.

A large smile appeared on my face. This was exactly what I've been looking for.

My stomach grumbled. I hadn't eaten for at least a day.

I was really hungry.