Escape from the evil lady

After the wedding ceremony took place, most of the guests left the ice castle the next day. Even as a guest of such an important person as the Duchess de Lune, few people wanted to stay in the cold northern region, where there was nothing but snow.

The only exception to this was unexpectedly the Crown Princess of the Empire.

This unprecedented phenomenon has caused a lot of rumors among the public.

This was mainly the reason for the Empress's excitement. The woman ordered her servant to report on the Crown Princess' every move in the northern territory. And what was her disappointment when her worst expectations were fulfilled.

— …I definitely heard that Her Highness is going to stay at the residence of the Northern Duchess for a few more days.

— Why?!.. — the Empress clutched the arms of the throne with her fingers, — Do you know what they were talking about? Is everything really going to revolt…?

The man in dark clothes guiltily bowed his head in front of his mistress.

«Unfortunately, we were unable to find out…» he stammered, «The security in this place is extremely tight, and even getting into the territory of the main possessions turned out to be difficult. The only information our people have managed to get is this… The mercenary faltered on the last words.

— Come on, tell me immediately! The Empress demanded.

«Her Highness and the Northern Duchess definitely got along well…»

Valencia Gross de Ronan turned very pale.

«They're even going to go hunting together…» the servant added hesitantly.

For the Empress, this news turned out to be the last straw. Joint hunting is not such a harmless event as it might seem at first glance. For a long time, aristocrats have used such events as an excuse to establish working or friendly relations. People who were in no way related to each other would never do that.

The woman's blue eyes twinkled.

«I had no idea that things had already gone this far…»

Is it possible that taking part in the hunt on the part of the northern Duchess also meant her indirect agreement to support the coup?!..

The Empress tightened her grip on the arms of the throne.

«I have to… I must prevent their monstrous plans at all costs!»

***

The mask of composure that I had been strenuously maintaining on my face lately was about to crack. Damn it, I really couldn't figure out what this crazy woman was thinking!

— Do you like it here? — the question that the main villain asked me after finishing the meal together that day.

The expression on her face when she said those words made me wary.

«In my current position, it would be rash to show sincere joy. She might decide that I'm living too well for a hostage, and then…»

Swallowing at the thought of the horrific consequences of any rash act, I replied:

— Uh… The trip went pretty well.

«So you're happy?»

For some unknown reason, the main villain for some reason continued to insist on my answer. Deciding that nothing terrible would happen, I still ventured to add:

— well… I was glad to see an old friend I hadn't seen for a long time.

As soon as I said that, the princess's expression turned strange again.

She sighed softly.

And, as it soon turned out, the very next day I found out the true meaning of this question. We unexpectedly stayed at the ice residence for a couple more days. I couldn't believe that it was only because of my unintentionally dropped words. Why on earth would Kaena de Ronan, an emotionless psychopath, listen to my wishes?

And my doubts turned out to be well-founded.

It turned out that the time of our arrival coincided with the date of the national competition of the North, held only once every few decades. It was a famous hunt in the Edelweiss Forest. Why famous? The fact is that there were rare animals in this forest, some species of which lived directly only in this area.

For example, a white deer, whose skin was considered extremely valuable. Only a person of at least imperial rank could afford a raincoat, gloves or any other piece of clothing made of this material.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to hunt here for many remained only a pipe dream.

The Northerners did not tolerate outsiders and rarely allowed outsiders into their territory, much less into such valuable places. The only exception, of course, could only be members of the imperial family. That's when I realized why Cayena de Ronan suddenly decided to stay here…

«Wasn't the main villain one of those who prefers to collect rare and valuable things?»

In the novel, some attention was paid to this trait of her personality.

Unleashing endless wars, she collected trophies from every victory she managed to get. It could be jewelry, castles, or even human remains. And the white deer could certainly be considered such a treasure.

«She must want to hang that animal's head somewhere in her castle.»

Imagining this sight, which fully corresponded to my ideas about the monstrous lair of the main villain, I winced a little. On the other hand, it would be better if it were a deer rather than a living person… Although I felt sorry for the poor animals too, I couldn't do anything about the ambitions of the crown princess.

Therefore, when the day of the hunt came, I planned to sit in the castle instead of watching the massacre of the unfortunate animals. But the main villain suddenly insisted that I absolutely have to go with her.

«Your Highness, I will only be in your way… — my attempts to get out of this mess seemed futile.

— No, you have to go. I will feel uneasy if I leave you here alone,» the princess looked around with hostility, as if we were not visiting, but in an enemy trap.

Of course, I immediately guessed what she meant.

«Well, she obviously doesn't want to let me out of her sight. After all, by staying here, she won't be able to keep following me either.»

I sighed heavily, but still I could only accept it. Who am I to contradict the main villain?

Although in any case, I wasn't going to run away from here or do other reckless things behind her back, taking advantage of her absence. After all, I'm not that desperate.

In general, when we arrived at the place, I was only pleased that I was not the only one in a similar situation. Jeremy was also forced to go on this hunt. Being the consort of a princess, although nominally, he was also the prince of the north. So he had no right to sit in the castle at such a moment.

Thus, once in the forest, the guy and I were soon completely alone. The whole procession, led by the Duchess and the Crown Princess, rode far ahead, while we deliberately «trudged» behind. Both women were obviously enthusiastic about catching the so-called «silver» deer, which was considered even more rare than the white one.

And since Jeremy and I didn't have to do anything like that, we could say we had a regular walk through the woods.

— We didn't finish the last time.

Jeremy suddenly turned to me as we were driving along a narrow forest path. The silver-gray mare I saddled was incredibly beautiful and surprisingly obedient. Although I had no previous riding experience, it turned out to be not as much of a problem as I thought.

— Hmm?

The guy took the reins and slightly sent his horse forward to catch up with me.

«You still haven't said what you're going to do,» his friend's voice sounded serious, «Are you really going to just put up with it?»

I looked down, even though I knew what he was talking about, but I couldn't answer him.

After Camille honestly told Jeremy about her situation, the guy couldn't just accept it. The thought of his girlfriend being held hostage by a bloodthirsty crown princess haunted him. Except that he was able to verify it with his own eyes, and Cayenne de Ronan was really obsessed with the duke's daughter.

— I may be powerless myself, but… How about asking the imperial family for help? Jeremy suddenly suggested.

— what?

— The Emperor and the Empress… I mean, she's their daughter. Shouldn't they be controlling her?

«Control? The main villain?»

Being well aware of the Crown Princess's relationship with her parents based on the content of the original novel, then it was probably just the opposite.

So when I heard such an offer from him, I just smiled bitterly.

«Forget it,» I waved my hand, «Even if I somehow manage to contact the emperor, it's all the same…

I didn't finish my thought, because at that moment my gaze abruptly turned in the opposite direction. Quite by chance, I noticed a shadow passing through the trees. And the next moment…

— Look out! I shouted before Jeremy could figure out what had happened.

An unknown arrow was flying straight at us, and it's just a miracle that I reacted in time and managed to push my friend aside. I also managed to avoid injury myself. However… Because of the sudden commotion, the horse under me got scared and reared up.

Everything happened too fast.

— Camille! Jeremy's desperate voice reached me, but the picture quickly flashed before my eyes.

Unable to resist, I fell off my horse, and, it seems, flew somewhere into a ravine.