Escape from the evil lady

Focusing on the noise outside the mansion, I did not immediately hear someone knocking hard on the door of my room. A lump of anxiety unconsciously rose in my throat. Finally, I went over and opened the door.

— My Lady! — my personal maid was standing on the threshold with an extremely agitated and pale face.

— What is it?» I asked immediately.

To be honest, I didn't like what was happening at all.

Elisha's eyes were as big as a deer's.

«Oh, my lady, there's this… this.» The panicked maid moaned, breaking off in mid—sentence every now and then.

In the end, I couldn't stand it and rushed to the first floor myself. The situation must have been really bad, as the Duke's knights took up their positions with the intention of defending our estate. Even the staff of the mansion gathered at the entrance.

Based on this, my expression became more and more puzzled.

I ran outside. When I stood at the entrance to the mansion, a group of marching knights could be seen from afar. The man standing in front of their formation was the Duke's knight commander. Gilton Ramsay. Since this was the man who led the knights, I finally realized that the situation was serious.

The knight's worried eyes lit up at the sight of me.

— My Lady!

He hurried over and quickly came up to me.

— Sir Gilton, what's going on…?» I asked in an agitated voice.

«My Lady, please, you must leave the manor immediately.»

His words took me by surprise.

— what?

— His Lordship has given us an urgent message,» he reported seriously, «Right now, the Crown Princess's enemy troops are moving towards our mansion. In the worst case, we will have to fight. Therefore, the Duke's first order was to ensure your safety.

— …

My eyes widened. Emotions prevailed over reason. I was so shocked that I couldn't control myself for a while.

— The crown…? The Crown Princess? I asked, pausing.

It seemed to me that the Duke's subordinate had messed up something. The Crown Princess? It's just not possible. The main villain of this novel should have been dead. What kind of resurrection is this?! I would rather believe that the cold blockhead who was my father actually loves me. It was so absurd.

But the knight commander looked extremely serious, and apparently he didn't have time to explain all this to me.

«My Lady, you must be safe and sound. If you stay here, you'll make the Duke worry!»

I couldn't even find the words and was silent.

«…»

It seemed so unimaginable to me.

— Please leave immediately! — He repeated to me again.

After a minute of silence, during which I was just in a stupor, Elisha reacted first. Being a competent maid, she hurriedly grabbed my hand, and readily stated:

«I'll make sure my lady is well.»

The knight nodded at her with a serious face.

«I'll have the wagon ready immediately.»

I felt like I was in a daze when I was forced to return to my room, supported by the maid, like a little chick. Elisha closed the door of the room and looked into my eyes:

— My Lady, please get ready!

After these words, I shuddered and finally came to my senses. Although I still didn't fully realize what was happening, but in order not to cause unnecessary trouble, I decided to just do as I was told. I silently nodded to her in agreement.

Elisha chose clothes very quickly and brought them to me. It was quite different from the one I usually wore. The design of the dress was comfortable and simple. After changing my clothes in a hurry, I got into a carriage that did not have the duchy's emblem on it.

The knights who were supposed to accompany us lined up around the carriage.

At that moment, I finally bothered to ask:

— Where are we going?

The personal maid who followed me said:

«My Lady, we're going to drive to the border of the empire.»

«The border of the empire?»

This news made my eyes pop out. Why would the Duke suddenly decide to send me abroad? Is this really related to the sudden attack on us? I was in real confusion and my thoughts kept slipping into a negative channel.

«It can't be that this old man crossed the path of someone influential…?»

Even so, I was surprised that the case was so serious. His daughter even had to go on the run. Although not so long ago my main problem was financial well-being after leaving home, now, apparently, my own life was at risk. After my rebirth, I couldn't stop being «lucky».

In fact, with all these thoughts, I was trying to push out of my head the thoughts about the crown princess that I first heard from the knight. They were so out of my mind that it was easier for me to think of any other reason.

When I was in a somewhat detached state, the knight commander, who slightly lifted the curtain and looked inside the carriage, asked:

«My Lady, are you ready?»

I shuddered and only nodded my head slightly.

«I can't go with you because I have to stay and protect the duchy. But you will be accompanied by three of the best swords of our house.

— good.

The white-haired knight nodded to me eagerly and pulled down the curtain.

— We can go now!

At that moment, the horses started up, and the carriage began to move.

I felt like I was on pins and needles. I watched with worried eyes as the de Walt residence became more and more distant. For some reason, I got the feeling that this was the last time I saw this place as it is.

Resting one hand on the window, I silently stared at the passing landscape.

Elisha, who was sitting across from me, couldn't help but notice my nervousness and tried to calm me down. I looked up when her warm palm rested on top of mine.

— I understand well what you are worried about. But don't worry, everything will be fine, my lady!

I smiled faintly at her words. Yes, I really felt better when I had at least one person I knew next to me.

— Thank you, Elisha.

The carriage quickly entered the Yurishina forest. From here, the fastest route to the southern border of the empire began. If we're lucky, we'll be able to reach the border before midnight. We were just lucky that the Duke's residence was so close to this place.

The carriage was silent for a while. Then Elisha suddenly spoke up.

— My Lady, I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure to serve you.

I looked at her in confusion:

— What are you talking about?

— Just in case… I want you to know,» a faint smile appeared on my maid's lips.

Suspecting something was wrong with her words, I resolutely shook my head.

«You said yourself that everything would be fine, right?» «So save those words for another occasion.»

Elisha stared at me and blinked in confusion for a few seconds. Although she had recently tried to revive me, she was obviously just as nervous herself. It is understandable. All of a sudden, what the hell started. Everyone was out of place right now. All we had to do was show off and support each other.

I patted the maid's hand affectionately, as if comforting a child. She hesitated for a moment, then pressed her lips tightly together and tried to smile.

«Yes, everything will be fine,» she nodded, agreeing with my words.

I knew this would happen. At least, I believed in it.

After leaving the residence, we drove through the endless green land all day. Everywhere you look, there is grass, trees and the sky. The carriage rolled along a poorly paved dirt road, causing it to shake and bounce from side to side. It was like the rhythm of a cradle. Such a long journey in a shaky, enclosed space has rather tired me.

Eventually, after relaxing a bit, I decided to lean against the wall and rest. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. It seemed to me, just for a moment. But as soon as I opened my eyes, the wagon shook violently. Startled, I cried out in surprise:

— What happened?!

Our carriage suddenly stopped in the middle of a forest road.

— Look out! We've been attacked!» One of the knights accompanying us shouted from outside.

My face turned very pale.

«Attacked? What does this mean?»

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, I was speechless. However, it seems that the words about the attack were true. To protect myself from the monstrous ringing of metal and screams, I covered my ears with my hands. Elisha and I sat down on the floor in horror and fear and did not even dare to look out the window. I closed my eyes tightly and my whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

«Let it end!» — I prayed for only one thing.

And, as if responding to my pleas, it took no more than ten minutes for the belligerent roar of the knights and the terrible sounds of slaughter to stop. This meant that one of the sides had won. However, I didn't dare to guess who it was. The maid and I held our breath in fear, as if we were in the middle of a minefield.

So some time passed.

The ominous silence became more and more unbearable.

Finally, Elisha, who had been sitting with her face buried in her skirt, slowly raised her head. Since there was no other option, it only remained to check what had happened. The maid's eyes were full of anxiety. However, she somehow found the courage to get up first.

«My Lady, I'll go out and see what happened.»

I immediately shook my head negatively.

I wanted to shout at her: «Are you crazy?!»

I was afraid to be completely alone in this carriage. But the maid took on a more determined look. The girl understood that my safety and care for me primarily rest on her shoulders.

Of course, I wanted to talk her out of this crazy prank, but it was too late.

«My Lady, I'll just check what happened. Don't you dare come out!» The maid closed the door without waiting for my answer.

I shut my mouth before I could make a sound.

After her departure, Elisha never returned. The next five minutes dragged painfully long. I was afraid to imagine what had happened. In the end, I realized myself that continuing to sit here is not an option. At this rate, I might just die here from exhaustion or starvation.

«Well, come what may.»

Swallowing, I yanked on the handle of the carriage. Then, still in front of her, she carefully stepped onto the ground. The first thing that almost immediately caught my eye was that the grass around was not green. Everything was flooded with a scarlet liquid. It was like I was in hell in an instant.

My worst expectations were fulfilled tenfold.

Especially when I belatedly realized that I had stepped on someone's hand. With a startled cry, I recoiled when I realized that the body of one of the knights who accompanied our carriage was lying under me. More precisely, the whole clearing was strewn with the bodies of our soldiers. They were piled on top of each other like sandbags.

«W-why… Why is everything like this?!»

My stomach, which had been tense since the beginning of the trip, twisted painfully. I tried to keep the nausea rising up my throat. The terrible sight in front of my eyes completely stunned me.

At some point, my gaze fell on a body in a maid's uniform. A girl in a blood-spattered dress, with a wound on her stomach, lay among other bodies like a lifeless doll. Then my legs finally gave way.

«no… Not that…»

I gasped when the pain brought tears to my eyes. It seemed to me that it couldn't get any worse, and I was about to go crazy. Maybe it's just a monstrous dream? And when I wake up, will everything be all right? This naive hope was melting away in my soul with every passing moment.

— Camille? A familiar voice suddenly touched my ears.

I raised my head and slowly turned around. At the same moment, my heart sank.

There was a man standing behind me, whom I did not expect to see here at all.