021 | My Lady

Hello there, my name is Lisha.

I am certain that I am the very personification of beauty with my straight black platinum hair that flows down below my earlobes. Might I add that my lovely blue irises are charming as well? Well, according to the standards back in Regna.

My current situation is complicated and I do NOT like thinking about it.

To summarize, I'm the daughter born to a maid. My "noble" father disregards me while my stepmother hates me to the bone. That's most likely the reason I'm on this trip that takes almost a week to travel by carriage. I'm going to visit someplace to further educate myself, according to my mother.

Though her bewitching smile can't fool me. She simply wants to kill me at any given chance. I was given little to no personnel. I have one maid that is sitting with me, three knights on horseback following us, and the one coachman in front that's driving the carriage. All of them are people that my mother assigned, I doubt the knights are of any use. Just from looking at them, I can feel that they will either run or get slashed down instantly.

"Tch."

"My lady, is there something wrong?"

This maid's name is Elly. She has light brown hair with two pigtails and she is dressed in a soft green uniform. I'm simply in a white dress that looks to be made of material even worse than her uniform.

"Pardon me, just getting tired from the long journey."

"We are almost there my lady, as a noble, please refrain from doing anything to disrupt your image of elegance."

So she says. She keeps a fake face on all the time. As expected of someone on mother's side. Since the day she was appointed as my personal maid, she's been taking jewels and other expensive items slowly. When she enters my room to clean, she'll find herself an opportunity to take something. Well, whatever, it's not like anything is rightfully mine. No one supported me back in Regna. I was just the bastard daughter, too unsightly to look at.

"How much have you saved up, Elly?"

"Thanks to her highness, I've been getting extra pay for doing good work!"

"Hah, is that so? I'm glad that you cherish money like the thief you are."

"Whatever does that mean, my lady? I believe there's a misunderstanding-"

"Quiet."

"Yes, my lady."

Hmph. That'll satisfy my boredom for the next few minutes.

I can see you, you know? You don't have to clench your teeth so hard. It looks like you want to kill me, Elly.

Seems like half an hour or so have passed and I was getting bored of the same scenery outside. Just tall trees and sometimes the occasional pond. I saw a frog though. That was my only entertainment for this hellish journey.

"My lady?"

"What is it?"

"What do you want for your twelfth birthday?"

I scoffed, "Are you a dumb*ss? My eleventh birthday just passed a week ago."

"Oh my! Lady, you shouldn't use such profane manners of speaking! When you're in Yanalia you must keep your dignity as a-"

"Shut your mouth, maid. I never gave you permission to talk, nor did I ask a question."

"M-my lady, it was simply a wholehearted suggestion-"

"Do I hear a dog yapping? I don't believe we brought any ANIMALS along. Did we, Elly?"

I stared at Elly in the corner of my eyes, she was furious but she was holding it in. She was clenching her hands so hard that her nails pierced slightly into her skin and caused her palm to start bleeding.

"Oh dear, you poor maid. You should take care of yourself more often! Here, allow me to apply a bandage for you."

"Thank you, my lady, but it's not necessary."

"If you insist."

The ride was awkward once again but I was in a more cheerful mood. She may be a maid sent by my mother, but she's not particularly a threat to me. I'll have to thank my mother for sending me such a nice piece of enjoyment.

We made a turn in the road and onto a mud path. The carriage was a bit shaky but we got over it and returned back to smoother paths. We were going slightly downhill in some sunken part of a cliff. After a few minutes, the horses were squealing and when I peeked my head out the window, they had already runoff. The knights' horses that were following behind us were also going mad.

"What's happening?"

Elly had a sinister smile on her face, "My lady, you must stay inside the carriage. I fear that the rates of bandits appearing on this road have increased."

Well, well, well. If that's not the most bullsh*t thing I heard all day, I don't know what is. Your face says it all, Elly. Whatever, I'll play along for now.

"Go call the knights."

Elly nodded with a bow and exited the carriage, slamming the door behind her.

"What a funny maid."

The knights had abandoned their horses as they ran off uncontrollably. Then, just as Elly predicted, I heard the noise of battle. I felt better if I went outside. For all I know, those bandits could probably drop a boulder on top of my carriage. After all, we were at the bottom of the hill.

I opened the carriage door and an arrow struck right beside my face, piercing slightly into the carriage.

I already knew what was happening but asked anyway.

"Hm? What are you doing there?"

Elly and the coachman were standing beside a group of bandits with a sneer.

The three knights circled me with their backs facing me so they could cover me. Looks like mother had weaker knights escort me. The coachman and Elly seemed to be in on this plan as they were mingling along with the bandits.

We were heavily outnumbered. I counted 15 bandits and one of them, presumably their leader held a large one-handed battle-ax. He had some sort of animal fur tied around his waist. He was like two meters tall and had the bearded face of a typical forty-year-old villain. He was a tan man and he wore nothing above his waist. He was bulky as well.

What a big belly...

I talked to my knights, "If you guys don't keep your guard up, you'll get snapped in half by the big guy over there."

The three of them shivered as they made eye contact with the bandit leader.

One of my knights was brave enough to speak.

"M-my lady, please run as fast as you can. We will do our best to buy you some time."

"My knights in shining armor, how could you risk your lives! For little ol' me?"

"We're may just be new recruits, but we're still knights! We will-"

I knew it. Mother purposely swapped out my original escorts with these idiots.

I sighed, "F*ck no, get your a** out of here before you guys die."

The knights seemed to be even more surprised at me than the bandit leader.

"My lady?!?!"

Elly and the coachman looks like they were having fun. They laughed with the bandits as they were merely spectating our conversation.

"Screw off. How about you guys run as fast as you can. You have families don't you?"

"But my lady! You also-"

"Don't."

Looks like even these idiotic knights know of my position back at home. I'm nothing worth mentioning to any of my "family" members. They're not even worth calling people, much less family.

What mother sends bandits to kill her daughter? What father ignores her daughter and barely speaks to her?

"My lady..."

"You three. Just leave. Please. As my last request."

The three exchanged some concerned looks with each other. Even under the helmet, it was obvious.

I shouted over to the bandits, "You will allow them to leave, won't you?"

Their leader bellowed in laughter. When he spoke, he had an accent.

Did mother go to the extent of hiring foreign bandits? Unbelievable.

"Ye say we shall let'em leave, yea? Course ye three can go! We were given lotta gold to take ye only!"

"You heard him, leave. Quickly before they change their minds. YOU have to take care of your sickly mother, and YOU need money to buy back your assets, while YOU are dependent on this job to provide housing for you and your five other siblings."

The knights were astonished I knew about their background. I have my ways. If you wish to survive in an aristocratic world where nobody is on your side, information is placed at a higher priority of importance.

"Each of you, leave me your dagger and then run."

"We will never forget about you, my lady."

"Yeah, yeah~ go on~ I know I'm amazing."

The knights removed their dagger that was sheathed around their waists and dropped it on the ground. They then made a run for it.

My unsightly maid, unfortunately, had to say something, "You can't let them get away! They'll bring reinforcements to get you guys!"

"Shut ye mouth! All ye had to do was bring the girl to us. Ye master is a good customer, yea?"

The coachman was then decapitated by one of the bandits with a sword.

Elly screamed. She turned around and tried to run away but the bandits caught her arms and legs and brought her to their boss. What a fantastic view this is.

"Girly, ye think ye can order me as ye please? Ha! I let'em run so we can track them later to kill! They will lead us to the closest town to pillage!"

I was not going to let that happen. I guess it's time to intervene.

"Hey!"

The leader turned around, "Oh? Ye stay right there or else you gotta die with an arrow through your head, yea?"

"F*ck off."

I threw one of the daggers the knights left me with and it plunged into one of the bandits' foreheads.

"One down. Fourteen left to go."

That seemed to have enraged their leader.

"Get'em boys."

A few of the bandits rushed towards me. I grabbed the remaining two daggers and held them in a reverse grip. They were a bit heavier than I expected. I guess it's because I'm so small.

"How dare you kill our brother!"

"Quit yapping already."

They slashed their swords and I was stepping back and to the side, dodging their attacks very carefully. When one of the bandits was open, I rushed towards him.

He did a wide sweep attack and in return, I did a frontflip allowing me to go over his blade and wrap my legs around his neck, choking him in place which gave me the opportunity to stab his temple.

I removed my dagger before the other bandits had time to react.

"That lass is the target. I won't allow more of ye to die. I shall kill her myself. Boys, kill this girly and tend to ye brother's wounds after."

"Aye, leader. Will do."

I heard Elly scream again, "SOMEONE HELP!!"