Chapter 16
Rustle.
In the darkness, I carefully adjusted the hood pulled deep over my head once more. I had to completely hide my bright silver hair that would stand out even in the dark.
‘Good. I’ve gotten out safely.’
When I heard my father had been injured, I pretended to be shocked and collapsed in my bedroom. The maids quickly lost interest in me and busied themselves gossiping in the sitting room.
Taking advantage of that moment, I successfully slipped out and snuck straight into the Empress’s palace.
‘It really is quiet.’
I had already heard today’s security would be lax, but this was almost too much—there weren’t even any guards patrolling.
‘Did something come up and they all got called away?’
Maybe the Empress had taken them all with her to the Emperor’s palace?
‘No wonder they couldn’t catch a thief like this.’
It was suspicious, but it worked in my favor.
I concealed my presence as much as possible, tiptoeing past the garden and sneaking closer to the Empress’s residence.
My small, slender frame made it easy to move quietly. Even between the low-hanging branches of ornamental trees, I had no trouble slipping through without disturbing them.
Hidden among the trees, I took a deep breath and reviewed my plan.
‘The worst-case scenario is getting caught by the sentries.’
If that happened, as much as I’d hate it, it would be better to abandon the treasure than to arouse suspicion from Kabala.
‘I just need to calmly explain the excuse I prepared—that I came to check on my father since I can’t freely go to the Emperor’s palace.’
Surely Kabala wouldn’t kill me, a princess, over that.
‘Publicly, Kabala still pretends to favor me. And the sentries know my face, so they can’t act too aggressively.’
As long as I stayed calm, I’d be safe.
‘I already mapped out a secure escape route for when I leave with the treasure.’
The only risky part was getting into Kabala’s bedroom to find the magical key.
At first, my heart was pounding with fear, but the farther I advanced, the more confident I became in my movements.
I approached Kabala’s bedroom swiftly.
‘I wonder if there’s a window left open somewhere.’
I was moving carefully along the corridor closest to Kabala’s bedroom, hiding under the shade of a conifer tree about my height. Its dense, sharp leaves concealed me well as I checked window after window.
Clink.
A faint sound caught my attention.
‘What was that?’
Startled, I quickly crouched deeper between the branches.
Peeking through, I saw someone peering out a nearby corridor window, not far from where I was.
‘Trying to open the window? A maid?’
The hallway was dark, so I couldn’t see clearly, but I could tell from the silhouette that it was a woman in a skirt.
I figured she was trying to ventilate the room by opening the window.
Lucky for me. Once she passed by, I could sneak in through the open window…
‘Huh?’
I gasped, stunned.
The woman suddenly leapt out the open window.
In that instant, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘Wait… could she be the thief?’
The woman, nimble as a squirrel, landed gracefully, clutching her skirt tightly and began running in my direction.
Then the hallway behind her lit up—and a swarm of guards came rushing in.
“There she is!”
“Where did she go?”
“There!”
One of the guards pointed at the open window.
‘Don’t come here! Please don’t come here!’
I groaned internally, cursing the thief who was now running straight toward me.
But then—
“…!”
“…?”
As the woman sprinted past the tree I was hiding behind, our eyes met.
The moment I saw her face, I realized the wanted poster hadn’t been exaggerated.
Under the guard’s lantern light, her vibrant red curls fanned out wildly like a blooming flower.
I was so stunned that I froze.
Because of that, I didn’t even notice the cold metal closing around my wrist until it was too late.
Clack.
“What the—?!”
I jumped and looked down to see a single cuff of a prisoner’s shackle dangling from my wrist.
What just happened?
I looked at the woman, confused. She gave me a smug grin, then shouted at the top of her lungs before I could stop her.
“Over here! The runaway woman is here!”
“…Huh?”
I began to understand the situation.
This idiot didn’t know I was a princess and was trying to use me as a decoy.
“Hey! If you do this, we’ll both get caught!”
I shouted angrily, but it was too late.
“There she is!”
“Don’t let her escape!”
Within moments, we were completely surrounded by guards.
‘I never imagined I’d get caught this way.’
I sighed softly as I looked at the soldiers surrounding me.
This was the very worst-case scenario I’d envisioned.
‘My treasure…’
It was a shame, but I kept calm—just like I’d planned.
The guards should’ve recognized my face by now.
After all, that woman’s bright red curls and my nearly white hair weren’t exactly hard to tell apart.
Or so I thought—until something ridiculous happened.
“Seize that woman!”
A guard shouted, pointing at me.
Seriously? Just because I was wearing a hood?
I pulled my hood back and glared at the guards trying to grab my arm.
“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you recognize me? Look closely!”
She’s red, I’m basically white!
I was too dumbfounded to even act timid like usual.
But even with my face fully visible, the guards didn’t recognize me—they just scoffed.
“What’s this rat-faced wench babbling about?”
Rat-faced—what?!
I wasn’t treated like royalty in the palace, sure, but no guard had ever dared insult me to my face like this.
They gathered my hands and locked the dangling shackle around both wrists tightly.
Meanwhile, the thief who used me as a scapegoat was slowly sneaking away.
“You should be catching her! How dare you lay a hand on me! I’m Princess Chloe!”
I yelled, flailing.
Then I caught a glimpse of something strange—her red curls reflected in a glass window behind the guards.
The color was so vivid it stood out even in the reflection.
‘What is that…?’
The thief had clearly run far ahead. So why was her image still reflected in the window right in front of me—being held by guards?
And why was the reflection mimicking my every move like a mirror?
‘What’s going on…?’
Was it magic?
I was still dazed when one of the guards yanked me roughly.
“How dare a filthy gypsy speak the Princess’s name, you vermin!”
He barked as he dragged me by the arm.
My frail body staggered like a reed in the wind.
And yet, one question nagged at me.
‘Gypsy? Not just a thief? Both…? But why is the guard speaking like he knows the thief?’
They already knew about the thief who snuck into the palace?
Then, another guard nearby whispered, placing a finger to his lips.
“Knock her out so she can’t make a scene again. Do it quietly so no one notices.”
Before I could say anything, a sharp blow struck the back of my neck.
“Ugh!”
Like a puppet with its strings cut, my body crumpled. Darkness consumed my vision.
And the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the thief glancing back at me.
She smiled confidently—as if to say, There’s nothing you can do now.
And with that, I passed out.
