Living as a Low-Class is the Princess's Dream!

Chapter 7: Kidnapped (2)

I left the capital with my knapsack and set out to find the kidnapper. Days and weeks passed by in a flash yet I still have no clue of the perpetrator's location. My clothes were already ragged and I didn't even bother washing my dirty face. I was just shivering on the street because of the cold when a woman stopped by and knelt in front of me.

The description of the Imperial Princess's kidnapper's features suddenly came to mind.

'She has bobcut raven hair and chocolate doe eyes, she also has a graze on her left cheek. She has a slim body and her skin is pale...'

Is it her?

I saw something on her back so I leaned on her right but she then stood up.

"Do you have a home, little guy? If you don't, wanna come with me? I have a small house in Nivernais and I'm sure it's enough for the three of us." She said with a smile that I almost forgot what she really is.

"I don't ma'am, please take care of me."

"Fufu, my daughter will be very happy to hear that." I pretended to be confused by tilting my head.

"I'll tell you on the way..." She looked around, sighed in relief and gazed back at my direction. "Let's go little guy." She took my hand and we hurriedly left.

We were just trekking through the thick forest when the sun set so we stopped and set up camp. She did all the work from building the tent to gathering some firewood. She put some edible mushrooms from a huge rock nearby, some lemongrass we found on the way and two pieces of meat from her bag into the pot and cooked it together with some water and salt.

While the soup was cooking, she broke the silence.

"Say, what's your name?"

"Heinrey, ma'am."

"Age? Your parents?"

"Twelve, I don't have parents. I've been on the streets as long as I can remember."

"Would you like me to be your new mother? You just gotta do as I say." I nodded. "Weren't you curious about my daughter?" I concurred.

"Yes I was, but you told me that you'll tell me so I just waited for you to do so." She chuckled at my response.

"Yeah, that sleeping girl behind me is my daughter. She was special since she was born, she has the signs of the Imperial family when she's just a commoner. Haha, it was troublesome just avoiding the attention of those arrogant nobles! Treat her as your own sister okay?"

"What's her name, mom?"

"Her name's Sunni, her late father was a knight in the Imperial Palace so he named her after Sunni Palace. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" I nodded as I always did.

Hah, what a perfect cover! If I wasn't the Grand Duke's son and was just a normal teen, I would've probably believed her! Rebels really live up to their infamous reputations!

"I just noticed this so don't get me wrong, why are you looking at me with such a stern gaze? Are you suspecting me?" I balked at her questions.

Well, I can't help it.

"It's nothing but we probably have to sleep early tonight so we could continue the journey first thing in the morning. Is it already cooked?" She laughed at my sudden change of the subject then she nodded. She got some bowls and spoons from her bag and put some soup in it. She gave me one of the vessels.

We consumed the potage and she cleaned up. She dozed off pretty quickly so I sneaked out far from the campsite.

I reached to my pocket and poured my mana into the disc-shaped metal thingy and the worried face of the Emperor greeted me. I looked around to make sure the woman isn't around and I focused my attention in the transmission artifact.

"Endless glory to the sun of the empire, Your Imperial Majesty the Emperor! This lowly nephew of yours shall now report to you about Her Imperial Highness the Princess." He nodded. "I've located the kidnapper and the safety of the Princess is confirmed. I request a little bit of time so I could get her trust, about three years. After that allotted time, you may send the Imperial knights near the border of the town Nivernais." I turned off the artifact and went back.

I slowly came beside the cursed princess and moved the blanket away from her face.

There's no mistaking it, this is the Imperial Princess! Too bad she's asleep like she's dead, now everyone who knew her mourned for her. She signified the sun itself, after all.

"W-What are you doing..? It's so late already so go back to sleep..!" The female rebel suddenly said that surprised me. I nodded and slept on the grass.

The woman woke me up and fried some quail eggs on the rock. We ate breakfast then continued our journey to Nivernais, famous for being neutral.

Nivernais was what's left of the great Empire called Galaxia. About a thousand years ago, there was only one empire that existed and the Emperor was highly respected by the people as their own gad. They even killed some of their children as a sacrifice so the Empire would prosper.

Despite having many concubines, the Emperor only loved one woman named Nova. She was a woman of strange origins, she had jet-black hair and eyes that changes color based on her emotions. For this reason, the Emperor got interested and suddenly fell in love with her.

Based on some stories being passed down for generations, she claimed that she was from another world. She described her life as a 'manhwa artist' who died of 'asthma'. Of course, no one believed her except the Emperor himself.

He proved her assertions right because he used the forbidden magic, Time and Space. As what he wrote in his diaries, he got a glimpse of where Nova came from which is called Earth. He saw strange vehicles that were entirely different from carriages drawn by animals or humans. He also saw towering buildings and people wearing peculiar clothes.

He left a note before he died with Nova saying: "I shall return in this world, regardless of form and race... even if I'll be an elf or a dwarf... I shall meet my beloved Nova again..."

Nova contradicted the Emperor's words by saying: "When I return, I'll do anything to keep us apart. Being together with me is breaking the Natural Law, so keeping myself away from you is the only way for our souls to be saved..."