It started with the appearance of a strange man in the princess castle where I lived.
Formerly this 27-acre castle was inhabited by Aunt Briana who is now a Grand Duchess. Almost all the rooms are covered with marble floors and surrounded by ivory pillars with a dash of gold pattern. Including my room. Regarding the facilities, don't ask. Libraries, private clinics, various entertainments, heated pools, horse races, and all kinds of drinks and food are also available here. However, unfortunately I'm too bored to surround this place.
How can i live in a luxurious place like this?
Of course because my father, Derich De Barbaria, was the king of Barbaria- the kingdom on Earthcoal known to have the most military forces. Not only that, my mother was an adopted child in the family of Grand Duke Winterson, who was also part of the Hunt family. The two families belonged to the famous noble families in Barbaria.
"Princess, sorry for the commotion." A palace guard had interrupted my thoughts. He was still twisting the intruder's hand as I stood a few feet in front of him.
Undoubtedly, the mysterious man who came uninvited was quite handsome. A tall body with short, dark hair covered by an ankle-length black robe. Perfect nose, almond eyes behind a black mask and tawny skin. With his hands clasped behind his back, his blue eyes gleamed as he looked at me. I saw that his ankles were covered in blood, as if they had been caught in a mousetrap.
"Let him go, he is my guest." Unconsciously I made a lie and the guard immediately obeyed. They knew that Princess Lumina De Barbaria really liked to invite men into her room. Nothing more than exchanging wine and fondling. Yes, that's one of the entertainment for me.
Then, here is the stranger now, in my room. I push him down to the floor, then quickly pull his mask off. As expected, the man is more handsome without wearing a mask. He immediately stand up, taking a close look at the tendrils of ivory walls that adorned the room. His iris then catch the only large glass window here. Intending to approach the window, I pull his robe first after tightly closing the door in my room.
"Who are you?" I ask, trying to stay calm. "And what are you doing in my palace?"
He thought I just saved him? Of course not. Entering here is like being trapped in a lion's den. What more if he meets me. The man turn around and look at me in silence. He tug at the black cloth I was blocking, but I'm not let it go. I pull him even harder and limped away from me. Apparently he chose silence.
The robed man open the window with his big hand. He intends to run away from this place with legs like that, really? I put on a crooked smile and fold my arms on my chest. "You can't get out of here alive, except with my help," I say later.
The man glance out the window and seem to understand what I meant. Not waiting long, he close the window. More than a dozen men in red robes were guarding down there. He won't get away easily.
"Why are you silent? I just asked what your name was." The silence made me a little angry. It's been helped, even acting like this.
"I... have many names."
The baritone voice that come from his thin lips then make me squint. Never had I heard such a deep voice before. Do you have many names? How dare he answer like that. What family is he come from? Suddenly several questions come to my mind.
"Princess Hazel, I don't mean any harm, so I beg of you to be kind." He suddenly bends one knee in front of me. Both of my eyebrows raise. Not because of his behavior, but because he just said my sister's name. Did he think I was Hazel for saving him? It's ridiculous. I stifle a laugh. Turns out there were a man in Barbaria who didn't recognize me. I purposely not introduce myself properly as Lumina. I think this is a very rare occurrence. Interesting.
What should I do with this innocent man? It's impossible to just let it go. I have to find out why he came here.
"You can spend the night here," I say with a small smile. Not long after, I opened the door again and glanced at one of the maids who was still standing guard there, "Bring me some medicine for the wound. Now."
***