Chapter 2

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: The Princess Who Wants to Die and the Cursed Grand Duke (2)

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The sensation of someone else's lips pressing against mine was a first. I'd received cheek kisses from my parents, older brothers, and little siblings before, but lips were entirely new, leaving me feeling strange and flustered.

My heart pounded not from excitement, but because I had no idea what to do next.

Then, Elise's words came to mind.

"A lady just needs to stay still, Your Highness. If you take the initiative, you'll seem wanton, so act like you know nothing and remain passive. The man will take care of everything. Just follow his lead."

I didn't have the luxury to act on my own anyway. Since I truly knew nothing, I stayed still, and as Elise had said, Lucas handled it all.

I remember it feeling like an eternity. None of what followed was particularly enjoyable, but I didn't push Lucas away. He was a man who might one day become my husband, and if that happened, I'd have to accept even more than this.

After that, Lucas kissed me often, but I never felt the "world-shaking, explosive sensation" described in popular novels. It wasn't horrible, though, so Roxiana decided this must be one kind of love.

The journey from the Grand Temple back to the Kanta Kingdom dragged on tediously. Roxiana longed to return home as quickly as possible, reunite with her family, share stories of her time away, and bask in their warm embrace.

The incident happened on the third day.

"Wh-what is it?!"

"We're under attack!"

"The coachman's dead! Get the princess to safety first!"

The carriage jolted to a halt amid panicked shouts, then lurched forward again at full speed.

She heard the knights yelling as they drew their swords.

Ching, chaaang-!

The clash of steel on steel grew distant. The carriage veered off the road, shaking violently.

Pale-faced Rasha stared at Roxiana in terror.

"Y-Your Highness... It's an ambush... an ambush... What do we do?"

Roxiana bit her lower lip and peeked outside by nudging the curtain aside from the carriage window. Dense trees whipped past unnaturally fast.

Born a princess of the Kanta Kingdom, she'd lived her life in the safety of the palace. Even outings to the capital's bustling streets came with a swarm of escort knights. This was her first trip so far away, but her father, Victien IV, had assigned an entire elite knight unit for her protection.

"Father worries too much. The biggest threat on the road to the Grand Temple is just bandits, and elite knights for that?"

Who had said that?

Right—her third brother, Naufride. He'd shaken his head at their father's overprotectiveness but gripped Roxiana's shoulder firmly and said,

"Roti. No matter the danger, keep your wits about you. Got it? If it comes down to it, bite like you're determined to take one down with you."

"You're the one who worries more."

She also recalled her second brother Ian chuckling beside him, and her nieces and nephews clinging to her skirts, begging her not to go.

This was no time for nostalgic memories of such blessed peace, not in the midst of crisis.

"Your Highness."

A familiar face appeared at the carriage window.

It was Robert, one of her escort knights.

Seeing the face of the man who'd shadowed and protected her like a guardian since childhood eased her fear a little.

"Robert, what's happening? Magical beasts?"

The carriage kept racing on, with Robert riding alongside on horseback. Worry etched his features.

"Not magical beasts, but..."

That was as far as he got.

Puk-!

Something streaked through the air and pierced Robert's throat. Roxiana realized a beat too late that it was an arrow.

Robert clutched the shaft in his neck, but another arrow flew and buried itself in his chest.

Not even a scream escaped him. Roxiana forgot to breathe, staring at her crumbling protector.

For over a decade, the royal family's wolf had steadfastly guarded her. She watched in a daze as the sharp brown eyes, unblunted even in middle age, lost their light.

"Kya啊啊啊啊啊!"

Rasha's scream filled the carriage. Only then did Roxiana snap back to reality.

"Not magical beasts?"

Then what could overwhelm the royal family's elite knights so easily?

"Not mere bandits. They couldn't stand against knights."

She could only conclude they'd known in advance that the Franche royal carriage would pass this way and ambushed them. Their archer was exceptionally skilled.

"The coachman must've been felled by an arrow too. If he'd charged with sword drawn, the knights would've stopped him."

They'd shot the coachman from the front, then exploited the knights' confusion to strike from behind. The dense woods provided perfect cover for archers.

"Who could it be? Who's targeting the Franche royal family?"

She racked her brain for hostile nations, but none near the empire would dare such a reckless raid. Kanta maintained cordial ties with neighbors, and no one would risk war amid the magical beast threat.

"No, the enemy's identity isn't what's important now."

It would reveal itself soon enough. What mattered was surviving the moment.

"Rasha."

Roxiana gripped the knees of Rasha, who was still screaming.

"Rasha! Pull yourself together!"

Her sharp cry finally silenced Rasha's wails.

"Y-Your... Your Highness... Sir... Sir Robert..."

Rasha's voice trembled endlessly, but Roxiana's green eyes stared steadily, unyielding. Gradually, Rasha's shaking subsided.

"Rasha, listen carefully. The carriage is still intact, so they don't plan to kill us right away. They're probably after kidnapping us."

Rasha nodded through her tears. There was no time to comfort her.

"They've planned this for a long time and they're skilled. We can't fight them off. So when the carriage stops and they reach for us, don't resist. Do exactly as they say, meekly. And don't try to protect me."

"B-but Your Highness..."

Roxiana shook her head, eyes fixed on Rasha.

"Rasha, you can't protect me. I can't even protect myself. Resistance would just mean pointless death. For now, comply and bide our time."

She spoke calmly to ease Rasha's fear, but Roxiana couldn't fully suppress the creeping dread.

The coachman was dead, and some knight must've taken his place. Robert, who'd been riding alongside, was killed, yet no sounds of the driving knight battling the enemy.

It was suspicious that the attackers left the carriage driver untouched.

"If the knight driving is one of them, it makes sense."

If her guess was right, this plot had been brewing for years—long enough for a spy to embed in the royal knights.

Her fingertips grew ice-cold.

"Is my family... safe?"

When the carriage finally stopped and the door flew open roughly, Roxiana knew her prediction was spot on. The knight opening it wore the Kanta royal knight uniform, but dozens of mercenary-looking men stood behind him—mixed with more in royal uniforms.

There was more than one traitor or spy.

Rasha burst into tears again. Roxiana wanted to cry too, but she glared at the knight and asked steadily,

"How long?"

The knight lifted his blindfold and replied,

"From the start."

They traveled blindfolded for what felt like forever. With no sight, she couldn't tell days from hours or their destination. She only knew meal times when the carriage stopped and food smells wafted in.

Rasha refused to eat, but Roxiana devoured every bite on the plate before her. She had to stay healthy for whatever came next. If rescue came, she couldn't be a burden due to weakness.

Blind and utensil-less, she tore bread and meat chunks by hand and shoved them into her mouth.

"Even a princess can't resist hunger."

"She probably never dreamed of eating slop like this. Pathetic sight."

Their mockery didn't matter. Survival came first. She clung to the resolve, wish, hope of enduring somehow and reuniting with her family.

Even as her hair grew greasy from days without washing, her skin roughened, and foul odors clung to her, Roxiana didn't despair—not until the blindfold came off and she realized where she stood: the Kanta palace.

At first, Roxiana thought she'd seen wrong. After so long in darkness, her eyes must be playing tricks. Because nothing before her made any sense.

The Kanta palace audience chamber, familiar as her own bedroom from birth until now.

But the high chair wasn't occupied by her father, Victien IV. Nor was the queen's seat beside it held by her mother, Angelia.

The guarding knights, the ministers lining the long carpet's edges, none were whom she knew. Even the tapestry crest on the wall behind the throne wasn't the Franche royal emblem of Kanta.

Thus, Roxiana stood frozen, unable to even blink as she scanned the chamber, before finally forcing words out.

"Lucas, what on earth...?"