CPSMBD Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Kidnapped

"Heh heh, me being the Crown Prince. Violetta, you should show me proper respect now. Use honorifics, got it?"

I ignored my brother's teasing. He wrapped a large towel around his head and lounged on a beach chair.

"Take good care of Friedrich. We'll be in big trouble if anything happens to him or if he gets lost."

"I understand."

I left the beach with the Crown Prince. The guards, who naturally thought he was my brother, didn't stop us as we walked away.

"The marketplace... it won't be dangerous, will it?" the Crown Prince asked me with an anxious expression. Having never visited a market before, he was clearly worried.

When I'd gone with my family, it had never seemed particularly dangerous.

I boasted a little to reassure him. "Don't worry. If anything dangerous happens, I'll protect you."

After saying it, I realized that I, with my slightly more worldly experience, really should look after the Crown Prince.

'Perfect! Since Friedrich doesn't know much about the market, I'll protect him! And of course, I'll be an excellent guide.'

The marketplace, not far from the beach, was bustling with crowds from the entrance. I feared we might get separated in the sea of people.

"Friedrich, let's hold hands."

The Crown Prince jumped at my suggestion.

"Hold hands? W-why?"

"There are so many people. What if I accidentally lose you?"

"But... but it's improper for a boy and girl to..."

The Crown Prince's face turned red.

'He's still young but surprisingly old-fashioned.'

I grabbed his hand firmly.

"No... this isn't right..."

What's not right about it? It was better than losing the Crown Prince.

Though he kept muttering protests, he didn't pull his hand away.

Pretending not to hear his objections, I pulled his hand and exclaimed, "Friedrich, look! They're putting on a show over there. Let's go watch!"

We squeezed through the crowd gathered in front of a small puppet theater stage and found a spot to stand.

The puppeteer manipulated thin strings attached to the puppet's body, making it walk and dance as if alive.

Unfortunately, we seemed to have caught the end of the show, as it finished shortly after we arrived.

"I wish we could have seen more. Don't you?"

"Yes! It was amazing!"

The Crown Prince's cheeks were flushed with excitement. Seeing how much he enjoyed it; I knew I'd made the right decision bringing him here.

We bought sweet candies with the allowance my mother had given me and browsed the various goods for sale in the market.

"We should head back now."

"But there's still so much we haven't seen. We just got here - can't we look around a bit more?"

The Crown Prince was right - we'd been there less than an hour. But we couldn't stay too long since we'd snuck out.

"We can't. If we're gone too long, our parents will worry."

The Crown Prince reluctantly nodded at my words.

"...Alright."

We turned back and headed toward the mansion.

The marketplace had become so crowded that we were gradually pushed toward the outer edges of the street.

That's when it happened.

A man suddenly emerged from the shadows of a building, covering the Crown Prince's mouth and pulling him away.

"Huh?"

The Crown Prince struggled against the man but quickly went limp.

'What are they doing to Friedrich!'

I tried to scream for help, but when the man pressed a thick handkerchief over my nose and mouth, my consciousness rapidly faded.

When I came to, I could hear two men talking.

"Finally... got... him."

As my mind cleared, the fragments of conversation became more distinct. I pretended to still be unconscious and listened carefully to their conversation.

"We thought kidnapping would be impossible with all the security. Who would have thought he'd walk right into our hands?"

"See, Brother? If you stay close by long enough, an opportunity always presents itself."

"True enough. But when is he going to wake up? Shouldn't it be time by now?"

"I'll try to wake him, Brother."

The kidnapper shook the Crown Prince's body.

"Hey, wake up."

"That's not going to work anytime soon."

I heard the kidnapper, who spoke informally, hitting the Crown Prince's body.

'How dare you lay hands on him?'

Still pretending to be asleep, I suddenly opened my eyes, lunged at the man, and bit his hand hard.

"Argh! You little rat!"

The man swung his hand to shake me off.

I crashed to the floor but quickly jumped up and stood in front of the Crown Prince.

"Don't hurt Friedrich!"

The kidnapper I'd bitten shook his hand and frowned.

"Ugh. Why did we bring this useless girl anyway?"

"The magical device reacted to her too. I brought her just in case."

The kidnapper looked down at me and laughed mockingly.

"Oh really? Then you're next, little girl."

"You... do you know how important he is? If you don't want to get hurt, let us both go right now!"

"What? You think I kidnapped him without knowing? He's the Crown Prince."

"H-how did you..."

I took a few steps back.

They knew everything when they kidnapped him. The Crown Prince had been their target from the start.

"Don't worry, little girl. We'll just take what we want and send you both back without a scratch."

"No! You can't take anything! Kidnapping the Crown Prince - aren't you afraid of the consequences?"

The kidnapper smirked.

"Nope. Not scared at all. Shall we begin?"

They carried the still-unconscious Crown Prince to a platform in the center of the room and secured his arms and legs to the floor.

After the kidnappers tied his hands and feet, the Crown Prince, who had been completely limp despite all the commotion, began to groan.

"Ugh, what is..."

Thankfully, it seemed Friedrich was regaining consciousness.

"Oh, finally awake, are we?"

The kidnapper said in an amused voice.

"What... who are you people?"

Friedrich's confused voice rang out. He struggled against the ropes binding him, but it was useless.

"You don't need to know that."

"Release me at once!"

"Hey now. If I was going to listen to that, I wouldn't have kidnapped you in the first place."

"What are you planning to do to me?"

"What? Curious? You might wet yourself if you knew."

The kidnappers laughed loudly as if the mere thought delighted them.

It seemed like these kidnappers might really harm Friedrich. I jumped up and rushed at the kidnappers. I had to save the Crown Prince from these villains somehow.

"Aaaaaaah! Stop! Stop it!"

But I was just a small, powerless child.

I could do nothing against strong, full-grown men.

One casual gesture from them sent me tumbling to the floor again.

"Ugh. Don't we have anything else to tie this brat up with since we're out of rope?"

"Sorry, Brother. I didn't prepare for this situation."

The kidnapper who sighed deeply warned me.

"Little girl. Try that one more time and you'll really get it. So stay quiet until it's your turn."

I had no intention of listening to the kidnapper's words. But since I didn't know how to save Friedrich, I could only sit there watching what they were doing.

Then I remembered what my brother had said.

'Strike first to win.'

Someone weak needs to quietly prepare and catch the opponent off guard.

I glared at the back of the kidnapper's hand where I had bitten him earlier.

The reason my first attack on the kidnappers had been effective was because they hadn't expected me to attack then.

My hand on the floor touched a small piece of stone.

I grabbed the stone and clenched my fist tightly to hide it.

'Just wait. I won't let you do anything to Friedrich.'