4- Running from Pursuit

Evelyn was about to explain, but the voice of the woman who was chasing them alongside the two knights interrupted him.

"As much as I want to explain what happened, we'd better run farther for now." With that, they started running again.

"So I'm right, you truly woke up as a princess in this world," he asked, and Kayla nodded.

"And those three are this woman's family's trusted servants," She explained further.

"Kayla Bail Ryder is this woman's name. She's the only daughter of the Emperor of this country, Bart Carson Boone Ryder."

"Oh, surprisingly, you have the same first name as this woman but different middle and last names," Evelyn replied.

"I figured," Kayla responded, her lips curling into a faint, ironic smile.

"I'm glad you trusted me even though you have the same name as this woman," he added.

"How could someone possibly know something we've only been through without you being my elder sister?" Kayla pointed out, causing him to laugh.

"Right, you've become smart," Evelyn complimented, his tone teasing but affectionate, which made his younger sister shrug her shoulders, a small, proud smile playing on her lips as she met his gaze.

"By the way, are we in China?" He inquired, his eyes darting around the place they were passing through.

"We are," Kayla confirmed.

"How's that possible?" He asked in bewilderment.

"Same question," Kayla added.

"Strange," Evelyn said, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Have you noticed that we can understand them, and they can understand us, even though we spoke in English?" He looked at Kayla, searching for an explanation, but his sister only replied.

"I have noticed,"

"How can this be? Are we inside a novel? Did we transmigrate into a story I've read?" He started to speculate, his voice rising with disbelief and concern.

"Are you serious? If we're in the novel you read, why am I here too? Didn't transmigration only happen to one person?" Kayla responded, her tone edged with frustration.

"Who says transmigration is limited to just one person?" Evelyn countered, sounding defensive.

"Let's not dwell on this," Kayla said with a sharp sigh, tired from running.

"It's not important right now; overthinking it will only cause unnecessary stress," she added.

"Right. By the way, did you only wake up today?" Evelyn asked, attempting to refocus their conversation.

"No, I woke up three days ago. How about you?" Kayla pointed at him.

"Me? I just woke up. Oh, and this man's name is Ye Run Chu something."

"Ye Run Chu sounds nice," Kayla commented.

"Yeah, it's better than yours," He replied with a snicker, his eyes gleaming with mischief, and the other could not help but respond with an exasperated eye roll.

"Tsk! At least mine is in English," Kayla shot back, her voice tinged with smugness. She then dashed off, her laughter echoing as she ran faster than him.

"Wha—hey! I haven't replied yet, you! Hey, mind your step! You are not wearing any slippers, Kayla!" Evelyn shouted, sprinting after her.

"You know what, I don't know if you already know this, but no matter how you run and hide, your big daddy will still find you," He said with a teasing glint in his eye, munching on one of the boiled chicken legs his twenty-year-old sister had ordered for him.

"I know that already," Kayla replied with a sigh, her eyes fixed on him as he ate noisily.

They were now settled inside an extravagant restaurant, taking a much-needed break from running.

"So, are we going to continue running away? Or..." Evelyn slowed his tone, noticing the growing irritation on his sister's face.

"What?" he asked innocently, feigning ignorance.

"Can't you eat quietly?" Kayla snapped, her frustration evident in her voice.

"Why? You don't like this sound?" Evelyn began munching more loudly, a playful grin spreading across his face as he savored his younger sister's irritation.

Kayla could only sigh and glare at him, exasperation on her features. It was a familiar look that spoke of years of dealing with her elder sister's antics.

"Why did you have to be reincarnated as a princess? Such a problem," Evelyn suddenly turned the subject serious, a hint of frustration underlying his words.

"It's not like there's an option to choose in the first place. I mean, look at you, and look at me. We woke up, and here it is," Kayla remarked, causing him to choke slightly on the food he was munching.

"Ahem! Right. At least you're a woman, unlike me," He pointed.

"You're complaining like you don't like being born like this. I remember you used to say, 'What if I were born a man? How would it feel?' And now that you're experiencing it, you must have felt satisfied," Kayla said.

"Correction, I'm not complaining, and yes, I'm quite satisfied," Evelyn grinned, his eyes sparkling with genuine contentment.

"By the way, how are your feet? Should we buy some shoes after this?" He added, concern evident in his voice.

"A bit itchy, and yeah, we should buy some later. I don't think I can walk any further from here; there are just too many little rocks on the path," Kayla answered, a hint of irritation creeping into her tone as she glanced down at her dirty feet.

"Going back to the topic, I don't want to return to that place. I mean, life there might be easier and wealthier..." she explained, and Evelyn nodded in agreement.

"But freedom is exceptional," they both said in unison.

Kayla picked up the cup with warm tea from the table and sipped it carefully.

"Either way, you don't have a choice. You have to go back; this body isn't yours alone. It belongs to the daughter of the Western Emperor," Evelyn reminded her gently, causing her to exhale sharply.

Kayla set the teacup back on the wooden table, losing interest in drinking it further.

"This situation spoils my mood," she said, sounding upset.

Evelyn looked straight at her, pondering a solution until his eyes lit up as if he had found one. 

He stood up from his chair and approached his younger sister, whispering, 

"How about this..."

Kayla straightened up, her eyes widening with excitement as she understood what he had whispered.

"Will that work?" she asked, and he nodded firmly. 

"Of course," he said with confidence.

The twenty-year-old woman's face immediately lit up with relief, and she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're here. I would have died without you," Kayla murmured, her voice trembling with emotions.

Hearing her say such a thing, Evelyn chuckled softly. He reached out and gently caressed her back, a tender smile on his lips.

"All right, all right, why say such a taboo thing? Come on, hurry and let go, or my smell will rub off on you," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Kayla immediately released him and wrinkled her nose playfully. 

"Hey!" He retorted, but his sister just laughed, her eyes sparkling with gratitude and affection. 

The young adult man couldn't help but pat his younger sister's head, saying. 

"It's good to see you smiling again and laughing like this. I've missed it," 

His words seemed to take Kayla by surprise, leaving her staring at him in a daze.

"Sorry, did my words seem too much?" he asked, smiling. The young woman before him nodded.

"But, it's all right. Having these moments with my elder sister, or rather, elder brother, feels refreshing," Kayla said with a genuine smile.

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