The Destined Princess and the Hidden Knight

Chapter Seven

I pulled my knees close and rested my head on them. Hand moving to the bread kept in front of me, I picked it up with my shivering hand and took a bite. Quickly I finished the one piece of bread with some corn and packed the rest. Wiping the tears off with the back of my hand, I hurried home.

The street was empty and my paces were long. I knew Father wouldn't be at home and I needed a change of clothes yesterday. Some of the water was still left in the bucket and I considered it my luck and took a quick bath. Changing into the only other pair of my learning place attire, I kept the blue cardigan safely on the upper shelf and the rest of the food near the mattress for when father would come back. 

Doing a quick peek outside, I made my way to the learning school. My body felt like it had gotten used to the cold and pain by now. Maybe I was liking the pain, as it was the only thing that was letting me know that I was alive. 

A princess's body should be flawless

I bit on my lower lip and shook my head, trying not to cry thinking about what had happened since yesterday. It would only make my day worse and today, unlike yesterday, I would be able to enjoy the dance and make some money. It would be enough money to move to a different place, maybe somewhere on the outskirts of the kingdom, we might even get a little farm and grow our food and earn money from it. 

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room and strode towards my usual spot. Though even my gaze was on the ground, I could feel some court girls had taken the bag of another girl and were refusing to return it, going through the contents of it. She was standing whispering no, and not able to do anything. 

As I reached my spot, my foot hit on an alcohol bottle and it rolled across the room reaching to the back. I slowly bent down and picked it up, taking the bottle to Gift and placing it on her spot. 

"Oh look, like father, like daughter" Gift giggled calling me out, as I stood there.

"Are you a coward like him too? Hiding after committing a crime?" 

That was enough. I picked up a book from her side and hit her with it.

One time

Two time

Three times

"How dare you" She jumped on me, pushing me back, hitting on my chest, till my back was to the wall. Without waiting I hit her again with the book, not stopping to take many hits, I kicked Merry who was about to attack me. As both of them jumped on me again, holding my hair and my right hand, I kept elbowing Gift with my left hand while kicking Merry with my right leg. 

In a few seconds, both were down on the ground when Freya approached me with a knife in her hand. I had no idea how she got it but probably from her father. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my sleeves and took a deep breath. 

My gaze stayed on her, as my panting increased. I kept glancing at Gift and Merry who was still on the ground all while keeping my eyes on the knife in Freya's hand. 

Yes, she could jump on me, and even though she didn't have the arms to make a deep thrust, the knife was blunt enough to cut anywhere on my body. I didn't blink as she charged at me with the knife, I dodged it moving to the right and holding her right hand, pushing the knife on the ground. I turned around holding her hair in my hand and banged her head against the wall. 

She fell immediately to the ground.

I took deep breaths and looked around. No one was looking at me with pity now, they were all scared, scared from a drunkard's daughter, a criminal in making. 

Picking up the bag of the girl, I handed it to her while all three of them shifted back in fear.

A chuckle left my lips as I picked my bag and made my way outside the room, glancing at the court lady who stood there without saying a word and walking ahead, leaving the place for my good. 

The day was still bright when I had left the place and I was in no need of a ride, now or ever. I have left all hope to be a princess or even a court girl so there was no need to study now or learn anything. If my father wanted me to have a good future, he would have told me what was going on, if my mother wanted me to be a concubine, she would have never left me behind when the time was dark. None of them cared enough to stay or to tell me the truth. Why should I stay then? For whom? 

"Classes are permanently closed until further notice" 

I stood in front of my class and blinked several times. 

It was my class then who closed it and why, I looked around and saw a few court girls who were waiting for me.

"What happened?" I asked at a loss of any other word.

"Princess Aria, she is gone and so is the space for the class" they looked down as if guilty for delivering this message to me when it wasn't their fault at all. 

I looked at them and faked a smile, "you all don't need to feel bad, we will find a new place soon" even while saying this, I knew it would be impossible, not with my condition, not with what had happened right now, or yesterday, it would be difficult to get any kind of money, but it would just break their heart more. Even though some were there to learn for their Prince, others have picked it as a hobby to come out of their caged household and spend time with other girls in this free space. It was yet another end to my dream. 

I turned back and headed to my house now. That was the last place I wanted to be, but that was now the only place I could be in.

As usual, the knights were waiting in front of my house, ready to inspect me, when I had no idea about anything. I grabbed my bag and took out one book, throwing it at the first knight and the rest of the bag at the other one. Glaring at each made a grunting sound, I didn't wait for them and turned around, ready to run.

I knew they would be behind me as soon as the one who had fallen from the horse got up and got back on. 

I didn't look back and kept running, running, hearing the clopping sound, getting louder, taking a narrow street and then the farm, getting lost in between the tall grass. 

Lost like I was...