Previously…

Chaewon finds herself kidnapped by none other than Baron Kim, which is her father. She had been tortured for foiling that man's plan to turn over Estelle Kingdom through killing the crown princess, Minjoo and replaced her with his own son, Chaeun. However, Chaeun turned out never to inherit the throne and set Chaewon free…

***

“Wait, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Chaewon tried her best in calming down the hiccupping princess in front of her. She stared in disbelief upon listening to Minjoo’s words. Sure, she might be captured by Baron Kim and passed out for a few moments but for her not to realize time has passed for almost a week, Chaewon had a hard time to believe that.

“I think it is wise for us to head back. Some of the guards will notice our presence at this rate.”

Sakura voiced out her thoughts which were quickly being agreed by the others. Having no other choice, Chaewon gives in and holds her question as they all headed back towards the palace using a secret path to avoid being detected by others. The reason behind their stealth movement is related to the diplomatic bond between the Estelle Kingdom and Wiz Empire. If a noble from another country is caught snooping around the other country’s noble, war might be erupted and thus, Sakura took serious care in securing Chaewon as silently as possible and headed back in lightning speed.

“Minjoo, tell you maids that you want to be alone. Unless you called for them, ensure that your quarter is clear from anyone.”

Heeding to Sakura’s words, Minjoo is quick to dismiss her maids while her cousins and the others are waiting in the balcony with bated breath. They are fortunate to be able securing Chaewon before sunrise as it will be difficult moving through this city during the day. People are b left and right in this town as it act as the central of Estelle Kingdom.

“They’ve left. You are all clear to come in now.”

Peeking through the curtain, Minjoo called out her friends after getting changed by her maids. She is actually quite embarrassed to show her pajamas in front of Chaewon but she wouldn’t dare to let the girl be frozen outside. Minjoo can tell that Chaewon’s complexion is a bit paler than usual and she swears to see traces of bruises on Chaewon’s body.

The group of children creeping inside Minjoo’s room, forming a circle on the thick, snow colored carpet. Chaewon is surprised upon seeing her leg sink inside those fluffy carpets. Well, she could use some fluffiness in her life after living a quite hard life.

“Tell me, how can all of you be certain that a week has already passed?”

Didn’t wasting any moment, Chaewon is the first to ask her newly found friends about their shocking information. Minjoo is pouting at Chaewon and she knows the reasons behind those pouts but she didn’t have much courage to look at the princess for now. Thus, Chaewon directed her gaze at the young boy with short, brown hair which is known as Sakura.

“Well… I guess that you might be poisoned or hypnotized for you not to be able to track the real time flow in that dungeon.”

Upon seeing Sakura hesitating while talking to Chaewon, she couldn’t help but feel there’s something being hidden from her.

“But that mustn’t be the case, right? If I’m poisoned, I’ll be sure to pass away already as I didn’t have any resistance to poison. Hypnotized is also unlikely to happen as I can clearly remember what happened while being trapped there.”

The battered girl flared her nose as she thought that it is utterly ridiculous for Baron Kim to be that lenient. Not when he was actually planning to reap Chaewon’s soul without sparing any second thought. That alone sends shivers down to the seven years old’s spine.

“Told you she’s a sharp one.”

Chaeyeon nudged Sakura while attempting to whisper but failed miserably as Chaewon can definitely hear every bit of words they are talking about.

“Shut up, Chaeyeon.”

A groan and long sigh escapes Sakura as the young heiress brings her palm to the back of her neck. She seems to mull about something which Chaewon couldn’t comprehend at all.

“Look, I myself am not sure how the heck you are trapped in there for a week aside from my reasoning from earlier. It’s just too ridiculous alright?”

“Not when you’re dealing with Baron Kim. Bet he used the Dark Power.”

A stifling silence filled the room as all attention was on Chaewon who looked nonchalant upon bringing up that matter. A soft touch coming from Minjoo somehow eases this raging storm inside her mind as Chaewon is aware of the consequences of bringing up such matters openly.

“Hey, isn’t that illegal?”

Nervous voice of Hyewon resonates in the room as her eyes filled with worries. She steals glances at Sakura who tried hiding away her perturbation upon hearing those banned magic practices. Moreover, Hyewon is more worried about Chaewon as the child looks somewhat calm even after mentioning those taboo words. Everyone literally waited for Chaewon’s answer while holding their breath.

“If it’s Baron Kim, it’s not impossible. He would do anything to bask in power, even sacrificing his own flesh and blood.”

Hint of forlorn can be detected in Chaewon’s gaze and voice. As much as the girl hated her family that much, she couldn’t change the fact that they are the one who brought her into this life. A tiny piece of her heart just longed to be loved and cherished just like what every child deserves too but then she knows, it’s too much to ask from the likes of them.

“What do you want to do next, Chaewon? Do you want to get revenge and punish Baron Kim for all his misdeed towards you?”

That sounds tempting.

The girl with reddish hair closed her eyes while puckering her lips, calculating her next move. As Sakura already offered, Chaewon will follow this cousin of Minjoo to the neighboring country and receive some proper