Chapter 3 (Part 5)

This is serious.

She now understood why the Royal Knights had been so busy lately—something unusual was happening in the capital.

Although the Royal Knights were working hard to maintain order and keep an eye on the situation, it was impossible to save everyone. So she hoped the issue would be resolved as soon as possible.

With a heavy heart, Reina walked to the place where she had promised to meet Toby, when a shady man approached her. His face and manner of speech were unusual, and his slouching posture made him look even more suspicious.

“Miss, can we talk for a moment?”

Thinking that talking to him would only involve her in more trouble, she ignored him and started walking quickly. Although the area was deserted, she figured he wouldn’t bother her once she reached the busy town square.

“I said, let’s talk.”

But the man persistently followed her. She tried to run away, but he caught up and grabbed her wrist. The strong grip forced her to stop.

“Why should I? I have nothing to say to you, so let go.”

“I have something to say. My comrades were just taken by the city guards.”

No wonder he was so persistent; he must have been part of the group that threatened the girl earlier.

Were they moving in groups?

“And so?”

Reina looked at the man warily. At the same time, she quickly scanned the surroundings to see if he had any accomplices.

Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone else, but she couldn’t let her guard down. She needed to find an opportunity to escape.

“I got a glimpse from afar. I think you were involved. I saw that pink hair just a moment ago.”

Even though she had hidden her face with a cloak, he had seen her pink hair.

He’s not from the Solloi Empire.

She realized that the man was from another empire because pink hair was rare in the Solloi Empire.

Only m*mbers of noble families, especially those from the Lennox family, had pink hair, and anyone familiar with the nobility would know that.

“Let go of my hand.”

Not wanting to get involved in more trouble, she tried to shake off his hand, but despite her training, it was impossible to break free from his grip.

In the end, Reina pulled out an artifact she had kept in her pocket, and the magical tool emitted a bright light, blinding the man.

It was a magical tool given by Kyle, the only mage in the Solloi Empire and Richelle’s lover.

“Ugh… My… eyes!”

While the man groaned in pain, Reina shook off his hand. She hurried to go in the opposite direction, but suddenly two men appeared in front of her.

So he wasn’t alone after all.

She started to back away slowly, looking for an escape route. The tension between them was palpable.

She quickly scanned the area for a place to run. But it was a mistake.

More men began to appear from other directions. Their numbers increased until there were about ten of them.

It’s a trap….

Even with the artifact, it was impossible to handle all of them alone. The men completely surrounded Reina, leaving no space for her to escape. She bit her lower lip hard.

Seeing so many of them moving together confirmed that the men who had threatened the girl earlier were not just ordinary thugs.

As expected, they were likely human traffickers. She had suspected it, but she hadn’t anticipated they would be so organized. If she wasn’t careful, Reina herself could be kidnapped.

Should I scream? Will someone come running?

It would be fortunate if a Royal Knight or guard came, but the problem was if a civilian arrived instead. They might end up being taken hostage by these men too.

After considering her options, she realized that her best chance was to handle the situation on her own. She needed to create an escape route using the artifact before being captured.

Reina aimed the magical tool at the man who seemed the weakest. The artifact emitted a bright light, blinding the man’s vision. Three men covered their eyes, crying out in pain.

Seeing that the formation surrounding her had broken, she dashed towards the gap. However, escaping was not easy in a situation where she was outnumbered.

Before she could use the artifact again, a sudden and powerful blow from behind caused her to lose consciousness.

* * *

Feeling a heavy and unpleasant pressure on her body, Reina woke up with a start.

“Huh.”

Her arms were shackled and raised above her head, and a strange man was unb*ttoning her shirt.

Recalling the situation before she lost consciousness, she quickly realized that he was one of the men who had surrounded her.

She hurriedly looked around to see if his comrades were nearby. The log cabin only had the man inside. She could hear voices outside, suggesting the others were standing guard.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Trying to appear unfazed, Reina glared at the man with murderous intent.

“Can’t you see?”

“If you so much as touch me, you’ll lose your life!”

“Ha, acting tough while tied up.”

The man laughed as if he couldn’t believe her warning.

“If you mess with me, your organization will be destroyed. If you’re not ready for that, you’d better not start.”

Reina glared at the man, issuing a stern warning.

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

He seemed unaware that Reina was from the Duke Lennox family. Perhaps because she had come straight from training and was wearing simple trousers, he didn’t suspect she was a noble.

“If you mess with someone from the Duke Lennox family, you won’t get away with it.”

“Duke’s family? Before that happens, you’ll be sold as a slave. Once you’re in another continent, your status here won’t mean anything.”

“If you touch me, you’ll find out that’s not true. This could escalate into a continental conflict.”

“Who would be scared of that? Miss, stop bluffing. You’re not even related to the royal family, so why the fuss?”

But I am related to the royal family…

Reina tilted her head in confusion. 

Could it be that he didn’t know the emperor’s hair color was pink because he was from another continent?

“I’m indeed the emperor’s niece.”

“If you’re the emperor’s niece, then I’m the emperor’s brother. Hahaha.”

The emperor’s brother was Duke Lennox, Reina’s father. If her father heard this man impersonating him, he would have executed him on the spot.

Do I not look like a noble?

Feeling oddly offended that he didn’t believe her, Reina felt it was unfair. She had always tried to speak and act with grace, but he didn’t recognize her efforts.

Nobles were usually deceived, but this kidnapper didn’t seem to know.

Realizing that talking was futile, she sighed. It didn’t seem like she would be released easily.

“A noble lady wielding a sword? That’s ridiculous.”

The man’s gaze fell on Reina’s sword, which was lying on the floor. Apparently, in his country, noble women didn’t wield swords.

It was rare in the Solloi Empire as well, but if they were going to kidnap someone, they should have done more research.

It was frustrating that the man didn’t know Reina was the only noble lady who wielded a sword in the Solloi Empire.

“So, are you done talking? I’ve been nice enough to listen because you’re pretty. Now, let’s get back to business. You’re too valuable to sell right away, so I’ll have you first.”

Seeing Reina remain silent, the man resumed unb*ttoning her shirt.

As he undid the strings of her dress, her chest became partially exposed.

“Stop it! Stop, you bastard!”

Despite her fierce resistance, the man’s hands didn’t stop, and he ended up tearing off all the b*ttons. Her chest, hidden under the shirt, was fully exposed.

“That’s a rather cute chest.”

Cute? And ‘rather’? What does that even mean?

She felt anger rising, not from the shame of exposing her chest, but from being mocked for its size.

“Get off me right now! You’ll regret this!”

“Oh, I’m so scared. Let’s see how your chest tastes.”

Just as the man’s hand was about to touch her chest, Reina managed to free her legs.

Now!

She quickly pinched and twisted the man’s side with her toes.

“Aaagh!”

The man screamed in pain as she pinched him hard enough to leave a bruise, and she used the opportunity to shake him off, making him fall to the floor.

Without giving him a chance to recover, she kicked him with both feet simultaneously.