Escape from the evil lady

It was the middle of the night. The duke's youngest daughter's room was dark. The girl herself was sleeping quietly on her bed.

At this time, a shadow flickered in the dim room. Kaena de Ronan stared at the sleeping girl for a while. There was a strange expression on her face.

«If it weren't for the circumstances, I could have stayed here without thinking about anything…» a thought flashed through her head.

Noticing a stray strand of wheat that had fallen on her forehead, Kaena carefully put it aside.

The Crown Princess took a deep breath. She went to the table, took a piece of paper and a pen, and then began to write something. Moonlight streaming from the large windows penetrated the room, outlining the contours of her face. There was a soft smile on the girl's lips.

«For now, I have to go back. There are matters that I should solve first.»

When she finished writing, she also quietly placed the pen on the table.

The next moment, a slight coolness penetrating through the open windows announced that the Crown Princess had left the Duke's estate.

***

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already high above the horizon. My throat was dry overnight, so I got up to pour myself a glass of water.

And then I noticed that my room was incredibly quiet.

«Hmm? Where did she go?»

Usually, the commoner always slept on a cot next to my bed, but she wasn't here today. Moreover, I discovered that the girl was not in the other part of the room either. I started looking for her everywhere, but she seemed to have disappeared. This alarmed me.

Maybe she went out somewhere?

After thinking about it, I calmed down, because I decided that she would be back soon.

I went to my dressing table to pour water from the carafe, and then I found something that looked like a note there.

«Hmm? What is it?»

As soon as I picked it up and began to examine it, my eyebrows involuntarily lifted up. This handwriting… Each letter was like a separate piece of art. I was wondering who could have left such a great letter for me.

But anyway, the main thing is its contents.

«I will be gone for a while. When the time comes, I'll come back for you.»

At that moment, I felt my soul sink.

I didn't expect a commoner to leave so suddenly without even warning me about it.

«At least she could at least say goodbye…»

It seemed to me that a needle of disappointment pierced me to the very heart. Yesterday she promised that she would take responsibility for me, and she looked quite serious. And this morning she just disappeared. Although we hadn't even met, I had an ambivalent feeling that I had been abandoned.

Catching myself at that thought, I laughed mirthlessly.

«Well, it was probably just empty words.»

It's not like I didn't expect something like this. In fact, I've long been used to relying only on myself and not relying on other people. But for some reason, I felt especially offended that she was the one who did this to me…

I sighed, feeling a certain emptiness in my chest. Then I tried to pull myself together.

«On the other hand, her rescue was my initiative from the very beginning. So, in fact, she doesn't owe me anything.»

«Yes, that's right. She and I are just strangers.»

Looking at the situation this way, it became a little easier for me.

«But what did she mean by 'when the time comes, I'll come back for you'?»

Being in a state of depression, I stood motionless in one place for a while. It seemed like time had stopped around me. But at that moment, my maid's voice was heard.

— My Lady, it's me.

I raised my head for the first time in a long time. Elisha came into the room.

— Good morning.

— Good morning, my lady…

When the maid greeted me, she looked surprised. When she spoke again, she was worried.

«My Lady, your complexion is not very good. Are you feeling well?»

«What, my complexion?»

I was confused for a moment and touched my face. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that I was indeed a little pale.

Well, it is true that a person's psychological state is always reflected on his face.

However, I didn't want the maid to worry for no particular reason, so I answered with a smile:

— Yes, I'm fine.

Hearing my answer, Elisha breathed a sigh of relief.

— By the way, my lady. I haven't seen the commoner since this morning. Do you know where she is?

When the maid mentioned it, I tried to look as calm as possible.

«I don't think she's coming back anytime soon,» I said slowly.

Hearing my answer, Elisha shuddered and bowed her head low.

— It means… She muttered, as if she had guessed everything herself.

I confirmed it with a faint smile.

— Yes, she's gone.

***

In recent days, the servants had been involuntarily alarmed by the sudden change in the behavior of the younger mistress, who spent all her time in seclusion in her room.

«My lady is acting strangely.»

Although Camilla had preferred to stay in her room before, from time to time she still went out for a walk or did some business of her own. But in the last few days, she refused to leave her room and even began to eat less. This behavior, of course, looked unusual.

«So you're saying that she became like this after that commoner left?» The Duc de Valt frowned.

«It is, Your Grace.»

The butler reported daily to the head of the family about the situation in his house.

«The last time I saw the lady, she looked pretty sickly.»

— Is it painful? What do you mean?

Her face was pale and haggard.

Victor de Walt sighed heavily. He dismissed the butler.

— Okay, you can go.

As soon as the door closed and his subordinate's footsteps faded, the Duke furrowed his brows. Was this commoner worth all the trouble?

At the thought that his daughter was not in the best condition right now, the Duke felt strange. For a moment, he even had the thought of visiting her. But then…

«Annette.»

The Duke de Valt's eyes hardened as he thought of his wife. There was a framed portrait of the late Duchess on his desk. Every time he looked at him, the man felt pain. And now, her blue, lake-like eyes were watching him from the canvas.

The Duke sighed heavily.

In the end, he decided to just leave it as it is.

***

While the summer breeze entered the room through the slightly open windows, Elisha saw her mistress lying on the sofa, sighing from time to time.

It has been more than a week since the commoner left the manor. I haven't heard from her yet.

Elisha was so alarmed by the sight of her unhappy mistress that she spoke with caution:

— My Lady, the weather is good today.

— hm… It looks like it.

But her weak response made the maid look at her with even more pity.

«It's the first time in a long time that I've seen her so lifeless.»

This view reminded the maid of the «old» Camille, whose emotional state was unstable, and the girl often fell into despondency. But nothing like this has happened since she returned from the hospital.

«Did parting with a commoner affect her so much…?»

Fearing that in this situation her mistress might fall into severe depression, Elisha decided to do something.

The maid understood that this thought might be too presumptuous, but she couldn't just sit back and watch her mistress, who was literally wasting away before her eyes.

«My lady, how about a little walk outside?» There is no strong wind blowing today, and the sun is warming in the garden.

Upon hearing the maid's suggestion, the duke's youngest daughter reacted without much enthusiasm.

— I don't really want to go out.

The lady's indifferent response confused her somewhat, but Elisha did not give up trying to get her way.

— Uh… Then maybe I should call the dressmaker at home? You love dressing up so much!

— Some other time.

— What about the food? I can buy you your favorite treats.

No matter how many options the girl went through, nothing worked on Camille. She was genuinely touched by the intentions of the maid who was trying to cheer her up, but it really wasn't necessary. Right now, she just wanted to be alone with herself.

— good… Then I'll leave you alone.

As soon as Elisha finally gave up and said those words, a faint smile appeared on the ducal lady's face.

— thank you.

Camille's smiling face looked both sweet and sad at the same time. This made her personal maid droop even more.

«Okay, if that's how it turned out… I just hope the lady gets better soon.»

***

It's been a week since I started spending time in my room.

«The Duke is most likely making plans for my upcoming marriage right now.»

A sigh involuntarily escaped my lips. I've been brainstorming as hard as I can for the last few days, but no matter how much I strain my brain, I still haven't been able to come up with a way to avoid getting engaged.

No matter how I looked at it, I had only one option left.

I'm going to have to run away from here soon.

Despite the fact that in the event of my escape, an idle life of luxury was out of the question, I would still be able to earn some money by selling the jewelry that was currently in my possession.

I think I can still make a living somehow by starting my own business. And that meant that I would have to work for the rest of my life…

Just thinking about it made me climb the wall.

«Even if I was reborn as the daughter of a millionaire, in the end, what good is that?!..»

While continuing to sigh with resentment at my miserable life, I suddenly heard a noise outside the mansion.

There were shouts of knights, which was very unusual, and the sounds of galloping horses. Something is not right here.

It is quite an unusual phenomenon for this mansion, where it has always been peaceful and calm. Although no, there was only one reason why the knights could gather in battle formation. The Duchy is in danger.

I didn't think that someone could really attack us, because there were no prerequisites for this. But still, why are the knights moving in groups?