Escape from the evil lady

The forest where the hunt involving the Northern Duchess and Crown Princess of the Ruwens Empire had taken place had been turned upside down.

The search for the Duke's youngest daughter had been going on for several hours now, with no results so far. The situation, which was already in a bad way, was getting more and more heated.

— My fiancée has disappeared in your territory, — Kaena de Ronan gritted her teeth, — Duchess, how are you going to take responsibility for this?

Sparks flared between the two dignitaries. However, Selina de Lune, keeping her face unperturbed, calmly answered her:

— Your Highness, what has happened is undoubtedly my share of the blame… My men failed to take care of the security properly. I will do everything in my power to help you in your search.

— Really?» the Crown Princess grinned wickedly, «You should know that if a single hair falls from Camilla's head, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist grabbing your dear hubby by the neck and snapping it.

— .....

Kaena's gaze was reminiscent of a beast stalking its prey. She slowly looked around at the prince of the north, who was standing off to the side as if to say, «I am letting you go now, but I will come to finish you off.» Under this gaze, Jeremy, who had only miraculously escaped mortal danger not so long ago, nearly had his heart stopped.

— Your Highness, are you threatening my husband again? — Selina intervened sharply, — Didn't we agree to refrain from making any accusations until after the trial?

The Crown Princess snorted irritably.

— Duchess, that is your decision. In turn, I have the right to sentence anyone whose residence falls under the jurisdiction of this Empire to execution.

— I also told you that I'm not going to stand by!

Because of these two, the temperature in the already cold forest dropped another ten degrees.

At this rate, the joint hunt, which was originally supposed to be a pleasant entertainment, threatened to turn into a declaration of war between the North and the Hailos Residence.

In this oppressive atmosphere, Jeremy's body tensed until it became a frozen statue. The surroundings were so quiet that one could hear the blowing of the north wind. Of course, he blamed himself first and foremost for what had happened.

«Camille protected me from that arrow, but I couldn't protect her…» — This thought painfully chided the northern prince. If only he had been the first to notice and prevent it, things would have turned out differently.

Jeremy de Lune was at a loss: who could that arrow have belonged to? And perhaps even more importantly, who was its ultimate target. It could not be that one of the angry servants of the ice castle was so displeased with the fact that he became the duchess's husband that he even dared to make an attempt? At this thought, the boy nervously bit his lip.

However, this was not the most important thing now. First of all, it was necessary to find Camilla. Jeremy hoped with all his heart that nothing serious had happened to his friend.

Otherwise…

Kaena de Ronan's rage, which was like a beast off the chain, would simply destroy them all. It would have disastrous consequences not only for those present here, but also for the entire northern region. It seemed that a declaration of war between the residence of Heylos and the Duchy of de Lune was just around the corner. And Jeremy sincerely hoped that they could all avoid the most dire outcome.

If this woman really wanted to take his life, the baron's son would be mutilated, and his entire body, from head to toe, would be thrown into the icy river.

And that wasn't a metaphor, that could have been his immediate future!

As Jeremy shook his whole body and prayed desperately at the same time, salvation came suddenly, when he wasn't expected at all.

«!!!»

Camille de Walt suddenly emerged from the forest as if nothing had happened, and perhaps it was Jeremy de Lune who breathed a sigh of relief at that moment more than anyone else.

«Are we all saved?!»

— Camille!

The crown princess's golden eyes opened wide in surprise.

Not a split second later, Kaena jumped up and enclosed the girl in her arms. She hugged her tightly. Enclosing her in an embrace so tight she could have broken, Camille nearly suffocated from lack of oxygen at that moment.

Everyone present froze, catching their breath.

— What happened? Where were you? — The princess immediately began to question her, finally pulling away.

Kaena stared intently into her face. Perhaps because she had been out in the cold for a long time, the girl's body was shivering and her face was pale.

The Duke's youngest daughter hesitated, hesitating for a long time before she could formulate her answer.

— Ah, I… I briefly lost consciousness after falling off my horse. But fortunately, nothing serious happened, ” she mumbled as she realized.

«Fainted?» — Jeremy was somewhat surprised to hear that version.

If it was true, he would have been able to find the girl for sure, since he had searched the area thoroughly himself before reporting the incident to the others. Although those words seemed strange to him, he wasn't the one who was most concerned right now.

— Are you sure you're alright? — Kaena couldn't stop asking her that. She scrutinized the girl from head to toe, looking for any scratches.

— Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, — Camille replied stammering.

Kaena frowned and gave the forest in front of her a murderous look, as if she wanted to burn it to the ground. Still, she had to suppress her anger now. After all, there was a matter far more important than this.

— Don't move.

Suddenly, everything in front of the Duke's daughter's eyes shook.

Finding that the villain of the novel had picked her up in her arms like a princess, Camilla was embarrassed and exhaled sharply.

— Uh… n-no need. I can walk on my own.

The girl was terribly embarrassed to be in this position in front of so many people, so she began to stammer. But Kaena let her words pass her ears.

Instead of answering, the Crown Princess swiftly went somewhere, carrying the Duke's daughter in her arms.

— We're about to get into the carriage.

Piercing eyes the color of molten gold and a tense face. It seems that she really was very angry.

— But where to… — Camille hesitated and asked.

— We're going back to the Halos residence, — the princess said sharply.

Hearing that we were leaving the northern residence so abruptly, I looked at her in surprise. The way she said it, however, made it clear that the decision was non-negotiable.

I looked back guiltily at Jeremy, who seemed to want to say something to me, but couldn't. He and the others remained standing behind me while the Crown Princess swiftly carried me away.

Before the forest thicket finally disappeared from my sight, I looked back at her one last time.

The Duke's daughter's face reflected excitement.

«Her second highness… I hope she keeps her promise.»