Chapter 18
“Princess, you need to wake up now.”
“Ugh… it’s cold…”
It was early dawn, before the sun had risen.
A sudden cold wind poured over my skin, making my body shrink.
The culprit was Mia. She had opened the window wide—and even pulled away my blanket.
“Come on. The young master said he wouldn’t wait even one minute, remember?”
“…Sigh.”
Right. That’s true.
I rubbed my face and barely forced myself to sit up.
Maybe because I was younger now, mornings felt especially hard.
“Mia, what time is it?”
“Four o’clock. Even if you start getting ready now, it’ll be tight.”
Mia patted my back as if urging me.
Back in the imperial palace, no maid would dare touch the princess’s body.
But Mia treated me casually, like a granddaughter.
It still felt unfamiliar and strange,
yet after a few weeks, I wasn’t embarrassed or bothered anymore.
“By the way, this is the first time you’re leaving this early.
Is the western road very rough?”
“I haven’t heard that it is.”
“Then maybe the young master is nervous.
Since it’s his first time escorting royalty, he wants to leave at dawn.”
Mia smiled kindly.
Inside, I scoffed.
Nervous? Him? Ridiculous.
After training with him for ten days, I knew one thing—
Damian Carter was not the type to feel nervous.
More likely…
He just wants to annoy someone who hates waking up early.
Royalty usually wakes up late.
When I was in the palace, I had never woken before 9 a.m.
Damian definitely knew that.
Ten days ago, I would have been furious.
But now, I simply accepted it.
Even if he acted annoying like this,
he didn’t behave badly when it truly mattered.
…And I felt a little grateful.
“I’ll pack lightly. Bring me water to wash first.”
“It’s already prepared. I warmed it for you.
You should also wear thicker clothes. Dawn is chilly.”
Mia busily laid out my clothes.
“How about this hooded coat?
It blocks the wind and is light—perfect for you, Princess.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I nodded and accepted it.
Nothing like this ever happened in the imperial palace.
Maids didn’t choose my clothes or give opinions.
If they did, they would be punished.
I simply wore dresses based on my mood each day.
Cold or hot didn’t matter.
I only cared about decorating myself like a peacock.
Everyone else just tried to please my mood.
I shouldn’t get used to this so quickly.
A strange feeling rose inside me.
Mia’s warm scolding,
the daily changing meals,
the unstructured days—
all of it felt precious.
Could I have grown up in a place like this
if I hadn’t been the princess?
While watching Mia move around,
I suddenly looked outside the window.
It was still dark.
By now, pursuit should have started…
I had pushed the schedule forward as much as possible,
but it still wasn’t completely safe.
And if my guess was right,
the Emperor would have sent the First Prince.
I really don’t want to meet that bastard.
To reach the western continent,
we had to pass a road leading toward the capital.
It was the same road I used when escaping to the Grand Duchy.
There is another route to avoid it…
But that would double the three-day journey.
That would be even more dangerous now.
In the end,
the only choice was to prepare for meeting him.
After reaching that short conclusion,
I hurried to finish getting ready.
“Mia.”
“Yes? Do you need something?”
“There’s something you need to prepare.”
* * *
Exactly 5 a.m.
When I arrived at the main gate,
Damian was already there.
He was checking the saddle,
but when he saw me, his eyes widened.
“…What is that outfit?”
His gaze scanned me from head to toe.
What’s the problem?
I looked down at myself.
Instead of a dress, I wore comfortable pants.
A dagger sheath hung at my waist.
And the hooded coat Mia gave me.
It was a perfect travel outfit.
“What’s wrong with it?
Isn’t this suitable for a week-long trip?”
Damian made a strange expression.
What now?
“Even if I overlook the pants…”
He pointed at my waist.
“You learned self-defense for a few days and came wearing a sword?”
Oh, this?
“Yes.
You never know what might happen.
I should protect myself.
You said I shouldn’t rely entirely on you, remember?”
“So you plan to swing a dagger yourself?”
Damian sighed.
“To someone untrained, a blade is a dangerous—”
“I know.”
I cut him off.
“And I never said it was a blade.”
“…What?”
I grabbed the sheath and pulled out the handle.
Instead of a metal blade,
there was only a tree branch covered in pollen.
“What is this?”
Damian looked completely dumbfounded.
But unlike before,
his tone wasn’t cold—
just honestly shocked.
“It’s early spring.
There were many birch flowers behind the mansion.”
“So?”
“I thought it might be useful.
Car” etc.
He stared at me for a long time.
“Princess.”
“Yes?”
“If your mind or body is weak,
we should cancel the trip and let you rest in your room.”
He was basically calling me crazy—
just in a roundabout way.
Before, I would have been angry.
Now, it was just funny.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
I smiled brightly.
“More importantly, shouldn’t we leave?
It’s already 5:03.”
I pointed at the clock while putting the branch back into the sheath.
“You said you wouldn’t wait even a minute.
If we delay like this, coming early has no meaning.”
Damian still looked like he wanted to say something.
But in the end, only a sigh came out.
“Did you get struck by lightning somewhere?”
Hey, I can hear that.
Then he simply lifted me
and placed me on the horse.
He treated me completely like luggage now.
Sadly,
with these short legs, I couldn’t resist him at all.
“I didn’t prepare a carriage on purpose.
Riding horses is faster.”
“Yes, I prefer that too.”
If we were attacked in a carriage,
it would be harder to escape.
Damian climbed up behind me,
then asked after a moment of thought:
“…Would a carriage be better after all?”
His tone sounded uneasy.
He didn’t think a princess could endure the western journey on horseback.
“It’s fine.
You said we need to return quickly.”
I scoffed, gripped the saddle tightly,
and straightened my waist.
Ten days ago,
I could never have done this.
A clear result of training.
When I proudly shrugged my shoulders,
Damian shook his head as if exhausted.
“Let’s go.”
With that short word,
he urged the horse forward.
The gates of the Grand Duchy opened,
and we stepped onto the road
where darkness had not yet lifted.
The dawn air was cold.
