Runaway Princess

“Try not to get into trouble, Trevor.”

Those were the words my father imparted to me the day I left Livrebrook province for the capital.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of you for successfully being admitted to Arcana Academy.” He had squeezed my shoulders and smiled warmly. Then his expression had darkened. “But the capital is full of…schemers and serpents. The nobles you meet there…they’re different from those in the countryside. You cannot think of them as human. They’re predators wearing the skin of people. They will exploit every advantage to subjugate you. Do not fall for their plots. Do not get involved with them. Keep your head down, focus on studying magic and graduating. Promise me that.”

“Yes, dad.”

At that time, I had genuinely made the promise because I trusted my dad. Even though I had come from another world, the 10 years or so I had spent in this one had endeared me to my current family. My parents here were identical to my parents in my previous world. If anything, I could have sworn they had reincarnated here along with me.

As such, I had made the promise without hesitation. And I would have kept it if I hadn’t been presented with the current moral dilemma.

The curse placed on Duke Ombre. If I left it untouched, it would continue to consume him. Having read a wide range of books regarding the esoteric, I was fairly sure this belonged to the category of curses designed to hollow a person’s soul. That wasn’t something my conscience allowed. Even though dad warned me to be cautious about the capital nobles, he was also the same man who raised me to be upright.

“It is our duty as nobles to uphold justice and protect the people!” He would often proclaim when bringing me around his territory and speaking to his subjects.

I had seen how happy the farmers were when they spoke to him regarding the harvest…the relief of administrators when they attempted to negotiate annual taxes, and he was willing to accommodate whatever difficult circumstances they had encountered. The merchants who were enthusiastic about traveling to our territory for trade, exempt from unreasonable tolls and pricey tributes.

Therefore, how could I stand by and watch?

That said, I had no idea how to approach him. I couldn’t simply stroll up to his estate without an appointment and tell him, “You’ve been cursed, I’ll lift it for you.” That would get me thrown out of his manor faster than the legendary Kaneda Masaichi pitching a baseball in my old world.

Even though I managed to locate the Ombre estate by pestering passers-by and sheer luck, I ended up pacing back and forth along the black, cast-iron gates that encircled his palace-like estate. A forest of meticulously pruned trees and flowers in full bloom, tended to by an army of gardeners, was visible behind the barricade, though most of the view was blocked by lush hedges. The gates themselves were glowing subtly with defensive enchantments, projecting an invisible barrier that kept out trespassers.

I watched from outside, racking my brain to come up with a plausible explanation. As I pondered, I realized I didn’t know how to even book an appointment.

Dad was notorious for shunning other nobles, so there was never a need for me to learn how to arrange formal meetings. And unlike my previous world, there were no channels for me to simply drop an email or make a phone call to the right department.

“Maybe I should ask for advice…” I began, then stopped. Oh. I didn’t know anyone in the capital. The new academic semester for Arcana Academy was set to begin in a couple of months, which meant I couldn’t rely on asking the teachers there for help either.

Perhaps I should just try knocking on the main gates and being honest, after all?

Before I could resume my journey in that direction, the rustling of leaves ensnared my attention. I spun and saw a nearby hedge shake violently before leaves flew and scattered in a verdant mess.

Shouts clamored in the distance. I strained and made out several words.

“Stop her! Stop the young lady from leaving!”

“Please stop, Young Lady! You know you’re not allowed to leave as you please!”

“Stop at once and return to the manor, young lady! This is behavior most unbefitting of a noble!”

“Young lady, even if you leave the manor, where will you go? Do not be rash!”

The butlers and maids sounded flustered.

“Catch her! Before she gets too far!”

“Don’t let her run away!”

As if to punctuate this, the hedge shook once more and a figure burst out of it, leaves and twigs tangled in her dress. A shock of black hair followed a darting shadow, as the delicate-looking figure leaped up the towering iron gates with surprising agility, nimbly vaulted over its sharp edges and landed gracefully in front of me.

“Lady Lumiere?” I gaped in shock as I recognized her. Clearly, this wasn’t her first time escaping. Her movements were those of a well-practiced warrior.

“Sir Trevor? What are you doing here?”

“Actually, I’m here to see your father…”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence before several gusts of wind erupted. The runes along the steely frame of the gate flared violently, but while the specialized barrier kept out intruders, it clearly allowed residents to safely exit from the inside.

As if to prove it, several people dressed in black and white uniforms flew over the gate, riding atop magically conjured thermals and passing through the shimmering, transparent screen as if it wasn’t there. They landed nearby, turning to glower at Lumiere, who assumed a defensive stance.

Seeing their attires, I surmised that they were the butlers and maids of the Ombre estate. Despite their servant livery, their postures gave them away as seasoned veterans. There was a focus in their eyes, a sharpness in their movements, found only in those who had survived combat.

“You can’t even cast magic, young lady. What makes you think you can survive by yourself outside?”

“Be a good girl and return with us.”

“Don’t worry, the confinement will only last a few months at most. As long as you behave yourself, his lordship – your father – will lift it. Eventually.”

“You don’t understand! Father doesn’t plan on lifting the confinement, ever! Now that the engagement is officially annulled, he’ll be confining me to the manor for life! I’ve lost all semblance of freedom!”

Lumiere clenched her fists and glared at her butlers and maids, who were busily casting spells. Even though I could roughly guess the situation, it still looked like mages bullying someone who couldn’t use magic.

She was about to turn and run, but I stepped between them, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her behind me so that I could shield her. The butlers and maids stared at me, astonished.

“Who are you?”

“Lady Lumiere’s friend. We, uh, just met yesterday.”

“Who the hell is your friend?!”

I ignored her and focused on the platoon of butlers and maids assembled before us. “If you want her, you’ll have to get through me first.”

“This isn’t the time to be playing white knight! Let go of me!”

“Don’t worry, I might look like this, but my skills might be useful…”

“I said, let go of me!”

I felt a tug on my sleeve, then watched, as if in slow motion, her slip past me like a ghost. Then a jerk on my arm.

Suddenly, my world was inverted, the sky and ground flipping. Instinctively, I curled, realizing that Lumiere had just thrown me over her shoulder in a classic judo move. Fortunately, dad had taught me how to counter that, and in reflex, I bent my legs and landed on my feet while seizing her wrist and yanking.

“You?!”

Lumiere kicked (which was not a smart thing to do when wearing a skirt), but I managed to block with my elbow. Rolling, I grappled with her, just as I was trained to do, and we ended up tangled in the dirt.

“Let me go!”

“Only if you stop attacking me first!”

“You…”

This time, it was someone else. I looked up and realized that I was now surrounded by the butlers and maids, all of whom had drawn enchanted blades. And unlike the young noblemen from yesterday, these guys actually appeared to know how to wield their weapons.

“How dare you touch our young lady in such an uncouth manner?”

“Let go of her, you fiend!”

“Another lascivious move, and I’ll cut you down!”

“Oh…sorry.” I raised my hands in surrender and backed away from the fuming Lumiere. She glanced around, saw that she was also cornered, and her shoulders slumped. She spun to glower at me.

“You again! This is your fault! If you hadn’t interfered, I would have gotten away!”

Somehow, I doubted that – her pursuers clearly were capable of magic, whereas she had to rely solely on her physical abilities. But I wasn’t stupid enough to worsen my situation by arguing.

As if to affirm just how f-ed I was, the lead butler stepped forward, his gleaming lance pointed at my throat.

“You’ll be coming with us,” he declared coldly. “If you refuse to cooperate with our interrogation and attempt to resist…”

He made a slashing motion at my throat. I gulped and continued to signal my surrender with my raised hands. One of the maids hurried forward to unlock the barrier enchanting the gate, the runes flickering and the shimmering screen fading to allow entry from the outside. As they frogmarched me into the estate, with a prickly Lumiere in tow, I suddenly saw a cause for optimism.

At least I found a way into Ombre Manor! This might be my chance to meet the duke!