“Princess. You shouldn’t be here…”
Serdin approached me with a meaningful look and started to speak.
Gulp. I swallowed involuntarily.
Wh-what am I doing here!
Surely he didn’t hear what I said.
Feeling nervous and uneasy, I waited for what Serdin was about to say.
“Princess! Where are you?”
“Where could she have gone? If anyone finds out that the princess is missing, there will be big chaos.”
“She can’t have gone far. Hurry up and find her.”
Voices searching for me were getting closer.
It was the noble children.
They had finally realized I was missing.
Why did they have to come looking now?
I was concerned about what Serdin was going to say, but he had already closed his mouth.
“Princess, there you are! Why are you wandering around alone!”
At that moment, the children found me and approached.
“Princess, you shouldn’t be wandering around alone like this.”
“That’s right. You’ll only make us have to take responsible…”
Zaynan grumbled in agreement with Derek, but Miller interrupted him by poking him in the side.
Trying to smooth things over, Miller spoke up.
“You might get lost. Even if it’s the palace where you live, it’s still vast. So, please come back with us, princess.”
As Miller took a step closer to me.
“Wait a moment.”
Zaynan suddenly widened his eyes and stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
His sharp question was directed at the person behind me.
Zaynan recognized Serdin immediately.
“You’re the hostage prince. What are you doing here?”
“………..”
But Serdin ignored him and kept silent.
The children’s expressions grew more hostile.
It seemed like they were about to cause trouble.
Is this really okay?
“What? He’s the hostage prince?”
“Why is he here?”
“Could it be that he did something to the princess…!”
The voices of the noble children who gathered around me grew increasingly harsh.
Just as I feared.
Zaynan approached Serdin again with a sharp voice.
“Why are you with the princess? Get away! We don’t know what a hostage prince from an enemy nation might do!”
He even waved his hand as if shooing away a bug.
As expected.
Even though Serdin was a prince, this was the Promian Empire, not in Ilnord.
If a fight broke out with the noble kids here, Serdin would suffer the most.
So, in this situation, Serdin was a complete underdog.
He had no parents or family to protect him here.
Therefore, there was no need to treat him like a prince. Zaynan rudely jeered at Serdin.
“Wait. Did you intentionally wait until the princess was alone? Were you planning to harm her?”
To Zaynan, Serdin was already a confirmed villain.
“Princess, don’t worry now, we are here to protect you!”
Zaynan spoke with a determined face, as if he were a hero, telling me to trust him.
Watching him, I felt like I was looking at a child overly immersed in a role-playing game.
“Hmph. Things won’t go as you want, hostage prince.”
But Serdin calmly opened his mouth, as if Zaynan’s words didn’t affect him at all.
“But when I arrived, she was alone. Did you leave the princess by herself?”
“What are you talking about!”
But it was a bit late.
You clearly flinched just now.
As expected, Serdin noticed it too, judging by the slight smirk on his face.
“Ignore the hostage prince. Let’s take the princess back quickly.”
Zaynan, who had been glaring at Serdin, turned sharply and spoke.
“Derek, hold the princess’s hand.”
“O-okay.”
The children were already excluding Serdin and talking among themselves about me.
Derek took my hand and tried to lead me away.
“…..Princess?”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that, the princess isn’t moving.”
I wasn’t budging, which flustered him.
I wished they would just give up, but Zaynan’s grip on my arm tightened.
As he started to pull my arm more forcefully, my body was being dragged along.
I’m dizzy. And it hurts!
“Princess, let’s go over there and play. Are you upset because we left you out earlier? This time, we’ll do whatever you want. So please come along.”
Zaynan was trying hard to maintain a polite demeanor, but the more I resisted, the more strained his face and actions became.
“Why are you so disobedient?”
Zaynan finally lost his temper and snapped.
Hmph, why should I listen to you?
Besides, you’re acting so ignorantly and forcefully.
No matter how hard you pull, I have no intention of moving, not even a bit!
Go ahead, try it.
“What should we do?”
As Derek muttered nervously, Zaynan glared and spoke up.
“We need to take her somehow. Derek, you carry the princess.”
“What?”
“It’s not even that far.”
“Alright, fine.”
Derek, still confused, approached me and turned his back.
At the same time, Zaynan and Miller grabbed me from both sides and tried to force me onto Derek’s back.
Let go of me!
I felt uneasy and didn’t want to be carried by these kids.
“We’ll take you there, so hurry up and get on!”
But with the three of them working together, I had no choice but to be carried.
Put me down, you idiots!
I was annoyed and kicked my legs.
“Why are you still here? Get lost already.”
Zaynan snapped at Serdin, who had been watching us from a distance.
“Why are you staring at us so unpleasantly without leaving?”
Zaynan forcefully shoved Serdin’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
What are you guys doing? Why push someone who’s just standing there?
Despite falling on his backside, Serdin silently stood up again.
“………..”
“You’re so unlucky.”
Zaynan, still glaring at Serdin, looked around and picked up a stone.
Are you seriously picking up a stone here?!
What are these brats doing?
I struggled to stop him, but Miller joined in.
What kind of nobles are this ignorant?!
“Get lost! You’re just a hostage prince, so don’t loiter around here!”
Zaynan threw the stone, and it flew towards Serdin in an arc.
Are you crazy?!
Even a small stone can cause serious injury if it hits wrong!
This can’t go on.
One has to be hit by the stone they threw to come to their senses.
The stone thrown by the children was just about to hit Serdin’s head.
‘Stone, become a boomerang.’
I cast a spell to change the direction of the stones they threw. The effect was immediate.
“Ouch!”
“Ah! Who threw that?!”
“Ouch! I got hit twice!”
Zaynan and Miller screamed, clutching their heads and bodies.
The stones they threw at Serdin had come back to hit them. However, the kids had no idea what had happened.
“Who threw it?!”
“I didn’t do anything…”
Zaynan looked around frantically, shouting, while Derek, though not hit, was flustered and confused.
“Everyone, get down! If there’s a place to hide, go there!”
Miller, regaining some composure, hid behind a tree and shouted.
But in the chaos of stones flying everywhere, Zaynan, already agitated, didn’t hear him.
“Ah! If anyone keeps throwing, I’ll throw back! So stop it!”
“Zaynan, calm down. None of us… Ah!”
What a bunch of idiots.
But watching them jump and fall was quite amusing.
That’s what you get for being so arrogant in front of me.
This is almost like a light punishment.
The kids started pointing fingers and shoving each other, and a fight broke out. Serdin, looking confused, watched the scene unfold.
Suddenly, my view tilted.
What?
Derek, who was carrying me, stumbled.
He got scared and was hit by a stone while panicking.
I left you alone for my safety, but you couldn’t stay still?
This was bad.
‘I’m falling!’
“Wait. Be careful there…”
Serdin reached out just as I closed my eyes tightly.
Thud!
In the end, Derek caused an accident.
With a dull thud, I hit the ground.
‘Ugh…!’
It was an unexpected fall, and the impact was greater because I was unprepared.
Damn, it hurts. I almost cried.
“Violyana!”
As I fell, Serdin rushed towards me.
