Chapter 6
“Oh my god.”
People looked devastated at the place with their mouths open.
The mound of dirt that hit the small road continued to make noises and fell under the cliff.
It was a landslide.
The range was not wide, but it hit exactly their way.
Knights and maids from the wagon looked at the mound dirt that was still collapsing with absurd eyes.
“If Her Majesty hadn’t stopped the carriage, we’d be in there…”
The knight swallowed his saliva.
It was all thanks to the princess that they were able to avoid the landslide without hurting themselves .
“Stop the carriage for a moment.”
When the princess suddenly stopped the carriage, the commander of the knight, who had lost his patience, rushed in.
He began to shout and verbally abuse Daphne by saying things like she is nothing but a commoner and she was going to die anyways.
Just when people around began talking.
Boom!
The landslide began with a thunderous sound.
“The carriage on which Her Highness the Princess was in was broken, but honestly, I don’t think there’s any damage.”
At the words of one knight, other knights nodded.
The princess’ old wagon was completely broken.
In fact, the wagon was so old that it wouldn’t look strange even when it would collapse..
It was fortunate that no one was dead nor the injured.
“Then, is there only punishment left?”
At Daphne’s words, the eyes of the people there gathered together.
A young princess sitting on a flat stone with a cloth and a contemplated knight stood.
“The witness should write a report for His Majesty instead of me.”
Daphne was not looking at the commander of the knight.
The place where her golden eyes were staring at was a black-haired maid.
The maid held her hands tightly without doing anything.
Her gaze moved around and she bit her lips as if she were anxious.
“Um, we are out of paper and ink right now… I’ll get it, so wait a minute…”
“Here you go! I brought it for you.”
Before the maid could run away, Mariel quickly held out the paper and ink I had.
The maid stared at Mariel with fierce eyes, but Mariel shrugged as if she had no idea.
“Write it down.”
The knight commander forgot what he was supposed to do, and poured out abusive words to Her Majesty the Princess, who warned him of danger but he chose to ignore it.
“As a result, you put me in danger and almost ruined His Majesty’s plans. Please report everything.”
The knight commander’s face turned white even more.
Didn’t the emperor order the princess to be safely transported to Duke Bertrand?
He said he would allow the knight’s transfer to the 1st Knights once this was done…
‘You can’t put the princess in danger!’
In addition, this time, the princess herself warned him of danger, but he ignored it.
There was no way he could escape this situation .
‘No, I still have a way to live.’
The knight commander glanced at the black-haired maid.
Although they haven’t said it publicly yet, the two were engaged to be married.
‘She wouldn’t have written down all the words of the princess.’
Just write it down and send a messenger, and then go up to the capital and take care of it.
‘Aren’t you an abandoned princess anyway? At least they are commoners… If we arrive only in Bertrand, the Emperor’s wrath will subside.’
Until then, he would just have to stay in the capital.
His father and his fiancée’s family will help him.
If his image collapses before the marriage, it would be a disgrace for both families.
Perhaps his fiance thought the same, and when their eyes met, she nodded slightly.
After she had made her decision, her hand movements became faster.
“I will send it right away.”
Then she immediately folded her paper and tried to tie it on the messenger bird’s ankle.
“Come here.”
Daphne pulled the paper from the maid’s hand.
“I should check. Right?”
“Wait!”
Daphne opened the paper to avoid the maid trying to take the paper again.
And she read it as it is.
“While passing through the trail, a landslide occurred. The princess is safe and one of the maids and I will return to the capital to post a report. The maid’s name is…”
That was it.
“You must have thought of the imperial family and His Majesty the Emperor in a ludicrous way.”
Tuk.
Dropping the paper, said Daphne coldly.
“Hold it.”
“Ha, but…”
The knights hesitated. Daphne laughed coldly.
“Are you saying that you will leave the sinner alone who ignored the emperor’s order?”
What the emperor wanted was simple. To have Daphne, his doll, arrive at the Bertrand’s safely.
However, the head of the knight and that maid were sinners who had jeopardized the order.
“And I think you guys keep forgetting, but I’m also part of the royal family.”
Although it was only the name, the imperial family was still the imperial family.
In other words, if the commander of the knight and that maid weren’t dealt with, as Daphne wanted…
“You and your family will not be safe. And, you know that too.”
Daphne leaned forward. A crooked smile caught her mouth.
“I hope you don’t think I have no preparation.”
“…!!”
Daphne’s threats worked better than her expectations..
The knights’ eyes began to tremble. She could see them glancing at each other as if saying, ‘what do we do?’.
That’s right.
They hoped that it wouldn’t be such a problem to ignore Daphne. But when they arrive at the Bertrands…
It was a dangerous situation where everything would be revealed within a single letter.
Even the princess in front of them seemed to have something to believe in.
And those who are here now had no desire to protect the commander of the knight at the risk of such danger.
“…!!”
As soon as the situation was over, the knights rushed in.
“You guys!”
The head of the knights and the maid struggled, but they couldn’t escape.
Other knights also did not want to obey the orders of the princess, but now they had no choice but to follow Daphne’s order.
Otherwise, they would be punished for insulting the royal family.
The commoner princess, who had only been seen as a joke so far, awakened the fear of the imperial family, which was deeply rooted in their bones.
“Your Highness!”
“It’s my fault, Your Highness!”
The two were dragged away.
Daphne gave an order looking into the eyes of the knight standing behind her.
“Send those two sinners to the imperial family.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”
The knight immediately bowed his head.
When the ordered knight left, only cold silence circulated among the people to the extent that the disturbance was overshadowed a while ago.
Until a few hours ago, everyone was looking down on Daphne.
“…”
Now everyone is looking at her waiting to see what else she would say.
‘It’s done.’
Daphne looked at those people and fiddled with her hair.
At least, during the rest of the trip, no one will ignore my words.
‘I’ve just taken care of the two most rebellious people.’
“We’ll need another wagon. Move the luggage from my wagon to that wagon.”
The carriage Daphne pointed to was a luxury carriage that the maids were riding.
The eyes of the remaining two maids grew bigger.
“Your Highness… If Your Highness gets on that, how can we…”
“Of course, I have to get a new carriage. Don’t let me walk, you guys.” (t/n: yes ma’am step on them sis)
Daphne smiled and continued.
“You can get it from the last village you stopped by. Right?
Daphne’s carriage disappeared, so they had to get another carriage.
But the problem was that this is the countryside.
“There’s no way we can get a carriage in the countryside!”’
The carriage in which the maids rode in was quite luxurious.
However, most commoners used cheap public carriages, so even if you get a carriage, it will be a common carriage.
Or a wagon.
‘I don’t like public carriages either. It’s a carriage that carries livestock.’
It had sounded so terrible to the point of fainting .
“Hang on. Are you telling us to get on the wagon?””
“Then should you ride a cart?”
The maid, who had taken a step forward, immediately shut her mouth.
Daphne climbed up, and boarded the wagon where the maids came , the corner of her lips slightly lifted upwards .
A knight quickly opened the door.
The wagon was comfortable, perhaps quite luxurious.
Leaning against the soft cushiony wagon chair, Daphne laughed.
“Now, it’s going to be a comfortable trip.”
“Yes, that’s right, Your Highness!”
Mariel, who got on the carriage with her, smiled brightly as if she were relieved.
And as Daphne expected, it was without any problems.
“We’ve arrived at the Shadow Castle.”
Daphne arrived at the Bertrands.
~*~
‘Long time no see.’
Daphne pulled down the curtains and lifted her head to look up at the castle.
Shadow Castle.
As the name suggests, the black castle with no gaps contrasted with the white snow, making it look even darker.
‘No, it hasn’t been that long.’
She died only a few months after settling in the castle.
‘Come think of it, from then on, I think Alan was wary of me.’
He did not hide his displeasure from the moment she talked about wanting to break Kale’s curse.
He had suddenly got so angry on the morning of the day she went down, and his attitude has subtly changed after she left.
‘Tsk, you little bastard.’
Such a guy was the male lead of a rofan novel.
‘Isn’t that a disqualification for a male lead?’
Daphne licked her tongue, with a thin dress and wore the fur that Mariel had borrowed from another maid.
It was for adults, so it was heavy and dragged on the floor, but there was no other option.
All the clothes the emperor bought for her t were too thin to wear.
Meanwhile, the carriage going up the winding village road also began to slow down.
They had arrived in front of the castle.
“I think we have arrived, Your Majesty.”
Was it because of tension or fear?
Mariel, with a bluish complexion, grabbed her trembling hand.
She looked out the window and then looked back at Daphne.
Seeing her gaze moving, Daphne thought it was the latter.
‘Hah.’
Daphne could see why Mariel was so terrified.
It wasn’t just because of Kale, who was cruel.
It was because of Daphne herself.
‘If I die, Mariel dies too.’
If she can’t persuade Kale.
If she fails to faithfully play the role the emperor wants she will be disposed of.
Only the other two maids will still survive and return to the capital.
They had parents with power, and they were people with talents chosen by the emperor.
However, Mariel will die with Daphne.
‘I can’t let go of the maid who has taken care of me for the longest time in the first place.’
In addition, hasn’t Daphne treated Mariel like her own hands and feet since her memory came back?
Thanks to this, the perception that Mariel is Daphne’s person had been embedded in people around them.
‘I wish I had a family to look after me.’
Unfortunately, Mariel couldn’t even expect that.
“I’m the only one left for Mariel.”
If Daphne lives, Mariel also lives.
If she dies, Mariel dies.
And this was also the result Daphne aimed for.
‘Now Mariel can’t betray me.’
Trust and friendship.
Such shallow emotions were now unbelievable.
They are definitely sweet, but one day they will be shattered and killed with sharp debris.
So, Daphne would rather have a clear relationship from beginning to end.
Or just a relationship that keeps a moderate distance.
“Should we get off, Mariel?”
Daphne smiled and looked at her faithful maid.