Chapter 18
“Your Highness, you need to wake up now.”
“Ugh… it’s cold….”
It was early dawn, before the sun had even risen.
A sudden rush of cold air poured over my skin, making me curl up instinctively. The culprit was Mia. Not only had she thrown the window wide open, she had even yanked the blanket off me.
“Come on. Didn’t the Young Master say he wouldn’t wait even one minute longer?”
“Sigh….”
Right. He did.
Rubbing my face, I forced myself to sit up. Maybe because I had become younger, it was especially hard to clear my head in the mornings.
“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 along.
When I was in the imperial palace, no maid would have dared to lay a hand on the princess. But Mia behaved without hesitation, almost as if she were dealing with a granddaughter.
It was still unfamiliar and awkward—but perhaps I had grown used to it over the past few weeks. It didn’t make me flustered or uncomfortable anymore.
“By the way, this is the first time you’re leaving so early. Is the road to the west rough?”
“I haven’t heard that it is.”
“Then perhaps the Young Master is nervous since it’s his first time escorting royalty. Seeing as he wants to depart at this hour.”
Mia smiled kindly.
I scoffed inwardly.
Nervous? Him? What a joke.
After ten days of training together, I had learned at least that much. Damian Carter was not the type to feel nervous.
More likely—
‘He just wants to irritate me because I hate waking up early.’
Royalty typically woke up late. When I was in the imperial palace, I had never risen before nine in the morning. Damian probably knew that.
Ten days ago, I would have been furious. Now, I simply accepted it.
Even if he acted annoyingly like this, he wasn’t cruel when it truly mattered.
…If anything, I was a little grateful.
“I’ll keep the preparations simple. Bring me some water to wash first.”
“It’s already prepared. I warmed it up for you. You should dress warmly, too. The dawn air is chilly.”
Mia moved briskly, laying out clothes.
“How about this hooded cloak? It blocks the wind and it’s light—perfect for you to wear.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I nodded, accepting the cloak at her thoughtful suggestion.
Nothing like this had happened in the imperial palace. Maids choosing clothes for me or giving opinions on my attire? They would have been punished for such boldness.
I simply wore whatever dress suited my mood that day. Whether it was cold or hot, I busied myself decorating like a peacock. Everyone else just scrambled to match my mood.
‘I shouldn’t get used to this so quickly.’
A subtle emotion stirred in me. Mia’s warm nagging, the changing daily menus, the unstructured days—all of it felt strangely welcome.
Could I have grown up in an environment like this instead of as a princess?
Watching Mia move about busily, I suddenly glanced out the window.
It was still dark.
‘By now, the pursuit should have begun….’
I had pushed the schedule forward as much as possible, but that didn’t mean we were completely safe.
And if my guess was right, the Emperor would have sent the First Prince.
‘I really don’t want to see that bastard.’
To reach the western continent, we had to pass one of the roads leading toward the capital. It was the same route I had taken when fleeing to the Grand Duchy.
‘There is a way to detour around it….’
But that would double the three-day journey.
‘Right now, that would be even more dangerous.’
In the end, the only option was to prepare for the possibility of running into them.
Reaching that brief conclusion, I hurried to finish getting ready.
“Mia.”
“Yes? Do you need something?”
“There’s something you need to prepare.”
Exactly five in the morning.
When I arrived at the main gate, Damian was already there.
He was inspecting the saddle. When he saw me, his eyes widened.
“…What is that outfit?”
His gaze swept over me from head to toe, not exactly approving.
What was the problem?
I looked down at myself.
Instead of a dress, I wore comfortable trousers suitable for movement. A dagger sheath hung at my waist. And the hooded cloak Mia had prepared completed the look. It was perfect travel attire.
“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t this appropriate for a week-long journey?”
Damian made a strange expression.
What now?
“I’ll overlook the trousers.”
He pointed at my waist.
“But you’ve learned a few days of self-defense and now you’re wearing a sword?”
Ah, this.
“Yes. You never know what might happen. I should protect myself. Didn’t you say I shouldn’t rely entirely on the Grand Duke’s son?”
“So you plan to wield a dagger yourself?”
Damian sighed.
“Do you understand how dangerous a blade is in untrained hands—”
“I know.”
I cut him off.
“And I never said it was a blade.”
“…Excuse me?”
I grasped the sheath and pulled out the handle.
Instead of a blade, a pollen-covered tree branch stuck out where steel should have been.
“What is that?”
Damian looked utterly dumbfounded.
But unlike before, there wasn’t that cold edge in his tone. He genuinely seemed baffled.
“It’s early spring. There are a lot of birch blossoms blooming behind the estate.”
“And?”
“I thought it might be useful. It’s easier to carry it like this than just waving a branch around.”
“……”
Damian stared at me.
For a long time.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re mentally unwell, perhaps we should cancel the trip and have you rest in your room.”
That was his roundabout way of asking if I had gone insane.
In the past, that would have made me angry.
Now, it just amused me.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
I replied with a bright grin.
“Shouldn’t we leave instead? It’s already five minutes past five.”
I slid the branch back into the sheath and pointed at the clock.
“You said you wouldn’t wait even a minute. If we delay now, what was the point of me coming early?”
Damian still looked like he wanted to say something.
But in the end, all that came out was a sigh.
“Did you get struck by lightning somewhere?”
I heard that.
Then he simply lifted me and placed me on the horse.
At this point, he handled me like luggage.
The unfortunate truth was that with these short legs, I couldn’t exactly resist him.
“I deliberately did not prepare a carriage. Riding will be faster.”
“Yes, I prefer that too.”
If we were attacked in a carriage, escaping would be difficult.
After mounting behind me, Damian hesitated briefly before asking,
“…Would you prefer a carriage after all?”
His tone suggested unease. He clearly doubted a princess could endure the journey west on horseback.
“It’s fine. Didn’t you say we have to return quickly?”
I scoffed lightly and gripped the saddle tightly, bracing my core.
Ten days ago, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. A result of training, I supposed.
I shrugged my shoulders as if to show off. Damian shook his head, looking exasperated.
“Let’s go.”
With that brief command, he urged the horse forward.
The gates of the Grand Ducal estate opened, and we rode out into the road where the darkness had not yet fully lifted.
The dawn air was cold.
