𝑵𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒁𝒂𝒍𝒇𝒉𝒂𝒓

Chapter 2

𝑵𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒉'𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑽𝒊𝒆𝒘

I had been resting my chin on my palm for a while now, staring out the carriage window. I should be happy—after all, I finally got out of the Rose Palace, where I had been living in the Empire of Zalfhar. I should be happy. That palace was grand, huge, and filled with servants attending to my every need. But honestly? I felt like a prisoner there. I wasn’t allowed to leave, nor could I step outside without being closely watched. Out of all the princesses, I was the only one who had to live like that.

I heard that Princess Alheya always had her fiancé following her around, and she was the one constantly avoiding him. I pity her, though… but right now, I should focus on myself.

“Your Highness, are you even listening?”

I frowned and turned to Khana, who was looking at me with concern.

“What did you say again?”

She sighed and shook her head, making me raise a brow. 'What’s with that reaction?''

“I said we still have four days of travel before we reach Alfieren Empire.”

That’s it? I simply nodded and looked out the window again.

“You seem deep in thought, Your Highness. Is there something bothering you? You can tell me, maybe I can help,” she said sincerely.

I turned to her, incredulous.

“You know, I admire you. For someone so small, you sure talk a lot. Do you have gossiping in your blood or something?”

She scratched her head, looking confused. I could practically see the question mark floating above her head.

“Huh? What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Nothing. Just forget it. And stop calling me Your Highness over and over again. That’s not my name. Do you want my ears to explode? Just call me by my name, tsk.”

Her eyes widened in shock as she frantically shook her head and waved her hands.

“T-That’s not allowed! It would be disrespectful to call you by your name so casually, Your Highness. You’re a Royal Princess, and I am of much lower status than you.”

I crossed my arms and gave her a pointed look.

“If I remember correctly, you’re a noble’s daughter. You’re the child of a Marquis, right? Besides, didn’t you say you see me as a friend? We’ve known each other since childhood.”

Oh well, I only remembered all of this because of the memories that randomly surfaced in my mind. I was still confused about why I knew so much about this place.

“B-But even so, my status is still much lower than yours. Even though I’m of noble blood, even though I’m your friend, even though we grew up together, it doesn’t change the fact that there is a huge difference in our social standing. You are a Royal Princess.”

She anxiously rambled, looking on the verge of tears.

I stared at her, dumbfounded. Why is she so cute? She looks like a little puppy.

I sighed. It looked like I really wouldn’t be able to change her mind, no matter how much I wanted her to call me by my name. Honestly, I would’ve preferred if she called me "Big Sister" instead. Ever since I was a child, I had always wished for a younger sister, but unfortunately, I was an only child.

Then, I suddenly had an idea.

“Fine, I won’t force you to call me by my name anymore. Then… I want you to call me ‘Miss’ instead. And I will not take no for an answer, Khana.”

I looked at her seriously.

“M-Miss?”

I nodded. It was much better than Royal Princess or Your Highness. And looking at her now, she seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen.

I liked her cute emerald green eyes. She was small—but not too small, just the right size. She had straight orange-brown hair that reached her waist. Apparently, hair was a big deal for women here. They weren’t allowed to cut it. That’s why my hair was so ridiculously long. Luckily, it was still silky, healthy and well-maintained.

I turned my gaze back to Khana, eyeing her handmaiden uniform—a red and black dress that reached just below her knees. Did she not have any other clothes? Why was she always wearing that? Sure, she was my handmaiden, but I never really treated her like a servant.

“Oh, and by the way. Stop wearing those uniforms. We’re no longer in Zalfhar Empire. You’re still my handmaiden, but never wear those ugly uniforms again. I want you to wear normal dresses from now on. Throw those uniforms away.”

She was such a cute girl, and she only had one type of outfit? And worse, it was a maid’s uniform?! No way. As her Royal Princess, she was my personal assistant, meaning I had the final say.

"Don’t worry, my dear Khana. I’ll make you look even cuter and more adorable—just for my eyes."

She stared at me, completely speechless. I simply gave her a sweet smile.

For a moment, we sat in silence. She was just staring at me while I looked back out the window. Then, she finally broke the silence.

“Miss… are you sad?”

I raised a brow at her question.

“Hm? Why do you ask?”

Her serious face suddenly softened, looking close to tears.

“I-I just feel really bad for you, Miss. You never even had a debutante ball because right after you came of age, the Emperor of Zalfhar immediately chose you as a tribute to Alfieren Empire. You never had the chance to be introduced to society. And now… this is what you’re facing. Aren’t you scared, Miss?”

I stared at her, shocked by the long and emotional speech she just gave while trying not to cry.

But what really made my mind stop was her next words.

“I-I also heard that the Emperor of Alfieren is terrifying. He kills anyone he doesn’t like. People call him a demon because of it. Originally, Princess Elena was supposed to be the tribute, but she begged the Emperor not to send her. Instead, she pointed to you, and the Emperor immediately agreed. And as a tribute, that means you belong to the Emperor of Alfieren. He can do whatever he wants with you.”

I froze, my brain completely lagging.

“And not just that, Miss. According to Princess Elena’s maids, the reason she refused was because the Emperor of Alfieren is supposedly old, fat, and extremely ugly. He always wears a mask, and anyone who sees his face is immediately killed.”

Khana was crying again, but my focus was on something else.

That damn red-haired chicken. She really pushed me into this situation?!

◦•●◉✿ 𝑭𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 ✿◉●•◦

After four long days and nights of travel, we finally reached Alfieren Empire. The only thing I wanted now was to rest. My body was exhausted.

But no. We were currently stuck at the massive entrance of the Empire because the soldiers of Zalfhar and Alfieren were arguing.

Apparently, only I was allowed to enter, and the Zalfhar soldiers had to return home. My guards refused, insisting they had to escort me to ensure my safety.

The result? A full-blown argument.

"Only the Royal Princess of Zalfhar is allowed inside. We will personally escort her to the Imperial Palace. That is the Emperor’s order!"

“That’s unacceptable! We must escort her ourselves to ensure her safety! How can we trust that she will be safe in your hands?!”

I massaged my temples.

They had been yelling back and forth for so long that I was starting to lose my patience.

At this rate, we’d be stuck here all night.

That’s it.

"Khana, get my cloak and wear yours. Also, pack some gold coins."

If they wanted to waste time arguing, I’d take matters into my own hands.

If they won’t let me in properly, then I’ll just sneak in myself.

Khana immediately followed my orders. I adjusted the black cloak I was wearing. I checked my outfit—it was fine. I was only wearing a simple off-shoulder lavender dress with a black corset around my waist. I specifically chose to wear something simple since we were traveling. I also had black boots on, which matched well with the black cloak. I quickly pulled up the hood to hide my face because I knew I would attract too much attention, especially since I wasn’t from here.

I glanced at Khana. She was wearing a cute orange knee-length dress along with a black cloak, and like me, she also had boots on. That was my suggestion, since wearing extravagant clothes while traveling would just be inconvenient. Especially if I wore sandals with heels—not only was it impractical, but it also didn’t fit the situation. When I saw that we were both ready, I peeked through the window and confirmed that we could sneak out unnoticed.

"A-are you really sure about this, Miss? Are we not going to get in trouble? I’m feeling nervous about what we’re about to do," Khana said with hesitation. I grinned at her and grabbed her hand.

"Oh, come on, Khana. Stop overthinking things like that. You know, instead of waiting here for who knows how long until those foolish soldiers finish their argument, why not take a little tour with me, right?"

And just like that, she had no choice but to follow me as I pulled her away. We successfully snuck out, slipping past the bickering soldiers as if we were invisible. A huge smile spread across my face when we finally got away from the entrance and reached the capital of Alfieren. I never expected it to be this big—it was even larger than the capital of Zalfhar. I had only seen the capital of Zalfhar and some towns and villages in passing when we left, so I had no idea that places like this existed. I had never been outside the Rose Palace before—I was always closely guarded.

To be honest, I must’ve looked like a child, completely fascinated and excited by the sights around me. Especially when I saw unfamiliar food stalls. I was about to head over to one that looked like it was selling dumplings when I suddenly felt Khana grab the sleeve of my cloak. I turned to her and saw that she looked very nervous.

"Are you really sure about this, Miss? W-what if the Emperor of Alfieren finds out?"

Eye roll.

"The heck I care about that Emperor. This is all his soldiers’ fault for blocking our way! They tested my patience, so they should suffer the consequences. And please, Khana, stop worrying about them. It’s better for us to explore and have fun, don’t you think? Now, come on, let’s buy some of those!"

She let me drag her along. She still looked conflicted, which made me smirk even more. I needed to keep an eye on Khana. She was too innocent, and I had to make sure no pests would hover around her. As her older sister figure, I had to protect her. It was my duty, after all. Hmph. Men’s eyes were getting sharper these days, psh.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏'𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑽𝒊𝒆𝒘

As Naviah happily explored the town with Khana, completely mesmerized by the sights, she remained unaware that someone was watching her from the shadows. The observer was astonished and could hardly believe what they were witnessing. They couldn’t help but be intrigued.

From the moment chaos erupted at the empire’s gates, this person had already been there, silently observing. They hadn’t planned to stay long in Alfieren—only long enough to complete their mission before leaving. But something unexpected had caught their attention, making them linger to investigate.

They had witnessed, with their own eyes, how the princess managed to escape unnoticed with her handmaiden while the soldiers were too busy arguing. It was impressive how effortlessly she slipped out of the carriage without catching anyone’s attention. Her movements were swift, as if she had done this before. They watched as she calmly passed by the oblivious guards, ensuring that her anxious handmaiden followed safely. She walked into the town without a care, vanishing from the soldiers' sight.

Countless thoughts flooded their mind about what the princess could be planning. She could be quietly gathering intelligence around the capital to use against Alfieren. Or perhaps she was a spy sent by the Zalfhar Empire. But as they continued to observe her, all their theories were proven wrong.

Instead of acting like a spy, the princess was… marveling at the town like a child. She looked like someone who had never stepped outside her home before. They could hardly believe that all their assumptions had been completely off the mark.

They let out a deep sigh and glanced at the sky upon hearing the screech of its eagle. Without hesitation, the person pulled out a flute and played a peculiar tune. Soon after, three men dressed in black, their faces partially covered, appeared before him. The three immediately bowed in respect.

"Captain!!"

They spoke in unison.

"Make sure to guard the Royal Princess and return her at the exact time."

The three nodded in understanding. After giving the command, the captain swiftly leaped away, moving as if he were one with the wind.

Before leaving completely, he glanced down at the growing commotion among the Imperial Guards of Alfieren and Zalfhar, who were panicking over the sudden disappearance of a princess that should have been safely inside her carriage.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he thought, "This is going to be exciting..."

And with that, he vanished.

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ 𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒅 ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆