"Run," the boss choked out, his eyes wide with absolute terror. "Thousand Strings predicted our ambush! It's a trap! Run!"
The kidnappers did not even hesitate. They scrambled, diving deep into the thick forest and abandoning the kidnapping operation entirely, terrified that invisible spatial traps were about to swallow them alive.
From the muddy ditch, Princess Mirelle watched the terrifying kidnappers flee in pure panic.
She looked at the black carriage rolling smoothly to a stop on the road above. She did not know anything about Adventurers. The nobles had always taught her that Adventurers were just dirty, uneducated peasants.
Looking at the pristine silver crest that had just terrified a dozen armed kidnappers, Mirelle simply assumed the carriage belonged to an influential, terrifying noble family.
Driven by pure survival instinct, she scrambled up the embankment. She ripped open the carriage door and threw herself inside before the mysterious noble could drive away.
Inside the carriage, there were no elegant wooden benches or velvet seats. The entire interior was just a flat, padded floor covered in thick rugs and dozens of soft pillows, specifically designed so Kian could sleep horizontally without rolling off a chair.
Kian opened one eye. A filthy, incredibly smelly, mud-covered child had just flopped onto his expensive rug.
What is this? Kian thought, a deep frown forming on his face. Did Lexi stop the carriage to pick up a stray beggar? Great. Now there's a dirty orphan ruining my rug. She smells terrible. If I kick her out, she'll probably start crying. Crying gives me a headache and completely ruins my nap environment. Besides, stopping the carriage will ruin our travel speed and delay my escape from the scary Branch Manager. It is way too much of a hassle to kick her out right now. I'll just drop her off at the next town's orphanage.
Kian let out a long, exhausted sigh. He kept his face completely stoic and casually tossed a half-eaten piece of dry bread onto the rug next to her.
"Wipe your face, eat that, and stay quiet," Kian ordered flatly, picking up his comic book. "I am trying to read."
Mirelle clutched the dry bread, completely confused.
The carriage belonged to a terrifying noble, but there were no seats? And this man was just lying on the floor in plain clothes, reading a picture book?
She was too terrified to speak so she just nodded slowly, huddling in the corner, waiting to determine if she was actually safe.
The carriage rolled forward again, leaving the sleeping knights behind.
For the rest of the day, Mirelle didn't talk out of fear, and Lexi never talked because she simply had nothing to say.
By the second day, Kian could not take it anymore. The smell of the drying swamp mud in the enclosed carriage was ruining his reading experience.
When Lexi stopped the carriage near a clear, rushing river to let the horses drink, Kian pointed at the door.
"Get out and go wash in the river," Kian ordered the twelve-year-old girl. "You smell like a wet dog."
Mirelle blinked, insulted but too scared to argue. She climbed out of the carriage. When she returned twenty minutes later, her skin was clean and her bright blue hair was washed, but she was shivering in her soaking wet, ruined silk dress.
Kian dug into his leather travel bag and pulled out a spare linen shirt and a pair of plain trousers. He tossed them at her.
"Put those on," Kian said.
Mirelle went behind a tree to change. When she came back, she looked ridiculous. Kian was a grown man, and she was a tiny twelve-year-old. The shirt hung all the way down to her knees, and the sleeves completely swallowed her hands.
Kian sighed, grabbing a pair of iron scissors and a handful of metal pins from his bag. "Come here."
Mirelle stood completely still as Kian lazily chopped the excess fabric off the sleeves and the bottom of the pants with the scissors. He did not bother sewing anything. He just aggressively pinned the loose fabric together so she would not trip over herself.
What is he doing? Mirelle thought, staring at him in sheer bewilderment. Imperial tailors take three weeks to measure and sew a single dress! This man just chopped his own clothes apart and pinned them to me in two minutes!
Mirelle looked down at the jagged hems and the cold metal pins poking against her ribs.
"This is a complete fashion disaster," Mirelle blurted out, entirely offended. "I look like a scarecrow sewn together by a drunken tailor."
Kian didn't even look up from his comic book.
"If you complain about the free tailoring, I will take the pins back and glue the fabric together with sticky tree sap," Kian muttered lazily. "Now wash my cup."
Mirelle froze. "Wash... your cup?"
"Yes," Kian said while pointing at a dirty wooden cup near his bag. "Wash the cup, orphan. Then go to the river and fill it with fresh water."
Mirelle, the Imperial Princess who had dozens of servants and had never washed a single dish in her entire life, stared at the wooden cup in pure shock.
But she was terrified of being thrown out into the wilderness, so she awkwardly grabbed a rag, walked to the river, and started scrubbing the wood with her clumsy, trembling hands.
When Mirelle finally trudged back from the river, holding the clean, dripping cup, Kian pointed at it again.
"Good. Now go back to the river and fetch me some drinking water," Kian ordered lazily.
Mirelle froze. The young princess desperately wanted to scream at him. Now I have to walk all the way back down the slippery rocks! Why didn't you just tell me to fill it with water while I was already standing in the river?!
But looking at the terrifying, unbothered face of the man who had effortlessly scared an entire syndicate of elite kidnappers into running for their lives just by existing, she swallowed her heavy anger.
She was far too terrified to complain or disobey his ridiculous orders. So, she turned around and marched miserably back to the water.
The absurdity of the situation only escalated on the third day.
Lexi opened the carriage door and looked at the blue-haired girl.
"You drive the carriage," Lexi told her bluntly.
Mirelle's jaw dropped open. "M-Me? But I don't know how to handle horses! I've never driven a carriage before!"
"Figure it out," Lexi said.
Lexi easily climbed up onto the very roof of the carriage, lying back to enjoy the cool breeze and the scenic view, leaving the Imperial Princess to clumsily hold the heavy leather reins and navigate the bumpy dirt roads.
Inside the carriage, Kian was fast asleep, completely unaware that he was actively committing high treason.
Making the Emperor's daughter wash dirty cups, wear chopped-up peasant clothes, and drive a carriage was a crime punishable by immediate decapitation.
If the imperial knights or the nobles found out, they would mobilize the entire army to hunt him down.
But Kian was just happy he did not have to fetch his own water anymore.
On the roof, Lexi looked up at the passing clouds, thoroughly impressed by Kian's absolute ruthlessness.
Taking the spoiled, sheltered Imperial Princess and forcing her to do manual labor like a common peasant, Lexi analyzed, a rare, terrifying smirk crossing her face. He is completely ignoring the Emperor's authority. If the Imperial Knights saw this, they would declare war on our Clan. But Kian is sleeping peacefully. He already calculated the political fallout and determined the Emperor can't touch him. He is intentionally training the Princess to survive the harsh reality of the real world. His teaching methods are absolutely terrifying.
During their stops, the nightmare continued. While Lexi vanished into the woods to hunt wild boar, Kian unfolded his portable chair.
"Prepare the vegetables, orphan," Kian demanded, tossing her a heavy iron knife and a basket of wild roots Lexi had foraged. "Slice them thin for the hot pot. And make sure the water boils."
Mirelle dragged a flat rock over to sit on. She had dozens of palace chefs; she had never cooked in her entire life. Her small hands were already blistered from holding the heavy carriage reins. She gripped the knife clumsily.
The sharp blade slipped off a hard root, slicing directly into her index finger. Mirelle gasped softly and swallowed her tears as bright red blood welled up. She quickly hid her bleeding hand, terrified of receiving a harsh punishment.
"You are holding it wrong," Kian sighed lazily, not even looking up from his comic book. "Keep your fingers tucked and stir the pot before it burns."
Mirelle nodded miserably, sucking on her bleeding finger before awkwardly stirring the boiling water.
She tightly gripped the heavy iron knife again. Surviving this ruthless noble meant suffering through these agonizing peasant chores in complete silence. If she complained, he might just execute her.