The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 82

“Escape?”

 

Allen blankly repeated the word.

 

“Yes. Escape.”

 

“I…”

 

Allen hesitated. He didn’t want to let Selena go. The thought tore at his heart. But he had no idea how he could help her escape.

 

“On the day I leave, wait in advance. When you see the chance, sneak into the carriage and hide,” Selena said firmly, her eyes full of determination.

 

“And when we arrive, as soon as I get off, take me and run.”

 

Allen swallowed hard. What Selena was asking was a huge challenge for someone as timid as him.

 

“Ah… alright.”

 

But he didn’t hesitate for long. To him, Selena was like the truth itself—something he could never refuse.

 

When we get out…

 

That night, Allen paused while washing his face and stared into the mirror. A fifteen-year-old boy met his gaze with clear eyes.

 

Could I really live with Selena?

 

If he ran away with her, neither of them could return to the orphanage. That meant they’d have to find a way to survive on their own. But the worry didn’t last long. Though it would still be a few years until he reached adulthood, he figured he could find work. He was larger and stronger than most boys his age.

 

If Selena can be with me… I can do anything.

 

He could do physical labor. It wouldn’t be enough to live comfortably, but it would put food on the table. And once he became an adult, he would have more options.

 

So, on the day Selena was to be adopted, Allen hid in the yard, waiting for the carriage to arrive.

 

How long had he waited? Finally, a carriage pulled into the orphanage yard.

 

The merchant they had seen before stepped out of the carriage. He followed a waiting nun into the orphanage. Once the merchant entered the building, Allen slipped out of the bushes. In his hand was a toad.

 

“……”

 

The coachman was nodding off and didn’t notice Allen sneaking up from behind. Allen quietly lifted the coachman’s collar and slipped the toad down his back.

 

“Ugh…! What the—?!”

 

The coachman twisted and thrashed as the toad moved inside his clothes.

 

“Where the heck did this come from?!”

 

As the coachman frantically tried to get the toad out, Allen slipped into the open carriage unnoticed.

 

The inside was fairly spacious. Allen looked for a place to hide.

 

In one corner, he saw a large basket that looked like it was used for storing luggage. It was big enough for a person to fit inside. Allen crawled in, curled up, and held his breath.

 

A moment later, the carriage door opened, and he heard people climbing in.

 

“Her name is Selena?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“Her name and her face are both beautiful.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Selena answered bluntly to the man’s comment.

 

“I’ve always dreamed of having a beautiful girl like you as my daughter.”

 

Selena gave no reply. She was probably listening with her usual expressionless face.

 

The merchant kept making pointless small talk, and Selena responded coldly and reluctantly each time.

 

After a while, the carriage stopped. Allen heard the door open and the two get out. He climbed out of the basket and quickly followed them out of the carriage.

 

They were standing in the garden of a grand mansion. Allen threw the stone he had prepared at the merchant’s head.

 

“Argh!”

 

The merchant let out a short scream and grabbed the back of his head. He turned around and looked at Allen in disbelief.

 

“Who the hell are you?!”

 

“Let’s go, Selena.”

 

Taking advantage of the man’s pain and confusion, Allen grabbed Selena’s hand and ran toward the front gate. The merchant tried to chase after them, but perhaps due to the pain, he couldn’t move quickly.

 

We have to get out of here. We’ll find our own freedom.

 

“Stop them!” the merchant shouted.

 

At that moment, several unfamiliar people appeared near the gate. They were dressed entirely in black with hoods pulled low over their faces.

 

Who are these people…?

 

Allen was confused. Selena was supposed to be adopted into the merchant’s household. So why were armed people suddenly appearing at the gate?

 

“Catch the sacrifices! One of them came to us willingly—what luck!”

 

Sacrifices…?

 

The word didn’t sound normal. Allen couldn’t believe his ears. Selena also looked visibly shaken.

 

But they had no time to think. Allen ran, pulling Selena with him.

 

“Ah!”

 

But they didn’t get far. The people in black quickly caught up, and one of them grabbed the back of Allen’s neck.

 

“Take the two of them to the facility and lock them up. Prepare for extraction.”

 

“No… no…”

 

Allen shook his head. This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t adoption. It was a nightmare.

 

But there was no way to escape. Both Allen and Selena had their arms seized and were dragged away by the people in black.

 

“No! No!”

 

Allen shouted with all his strength, but it was useless. They didn’t listen. They just dragged him away as if he had said nothing.

 

“Damn, that kid’s strong. He even made my head bleed. He needs treatment.”

 

The merchant muttered, rubbing his throbbing head. He watched the two being dragged off with cold, uncaring eyes, then turned and walked away.

 

 

Frederick stopped his horse. The knights, including Ned Hassler, also halted behind him.

 

“……”

 

Frederick scanned the area with his eyes. He and the Royal Knights were tracking the source of a monster that had appeared during a jousting tournament.

 

The monster’s appearance matched the report he had received. Most agreed it had come from the east. So, he had led the knights eastward and searched the nearby forests and plains.

 

“I can’t see anything clearly,” someone said.

 

Nothing stood out. If they could find its nest, it might help, but it looked like they would have to search even farther out.

 

“Captain, over there—it looks like a cave,” Ned pointed.

 

It was a cave nearby, likely home to many wild animals.

 

“Let’s check it out.”

 

Frederick led the knights into the cave. Everyone was on edge, holding their weapons tightly in case the monster suddenly appeared.

 

“See anything?”

 

“Not much… But there seems to be something piled up over there.”

 

Ned, who had gone ahead, pointed to something deeper inside. The group followed him—and when they saw what was piled there, they were left speechless.

 

“Bones…?”

 

“Aren’t those skulls?”

 

One knight pointed, and sure enough, there was a human skull. Beneath it were more skulls and various other bones.

 

“Let’s take a closer look.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“These small ones… They look like they belonged to children.”

 

The most noticeable skull was very small.

 

“My god… What is this…?”

 

“What were they doing here?”

 

Frederick picked up the skulls, limbs, and pelvic bones one by one, examining them closely.

 

“The smallest ones look like they belonged to four- or five-years-old. The bigger ones are maybe ten or twelve.”

 

The skulls varied in size, but none were from adults.

 

“Who would bring children’s bones here and stack them like this?”

 

“I don’t know. But they don’t look old.”

 

The bones were clean—no dust, no damage, no decay.

 

“But if they’re recent, how are only the bones left?”

 

“We need to find out exactly what was done to them. This might still be happening. And they’re using children.”

 

But where had they gotten so many children?

 

“There must be a method for gathering them…”

 

Frederick’s face darkened with thought.

 

“We have to report this to the Crown Prince immediately.”

 

“Yes, sir.”