One Last Curse

The young girl was just holding a small pouch where she put the small white ball in. As the carriage started their journey, she was only riding at the back where the luggage and foods were located. Since this morning, she only had an apple and bread but maybe because the body she was in was used to being starved that she does not feel bothered being hungry.

It was already dark when they left the Empire. They already crossed the river connecting the two continents and were on their way to the Hapra Forest. However, they did not arrive at the Hapra forest but stopped at the entrance of the forest. Then she was asked to carry some stuff as they decided to rest there.

As the errand girl, she was asked to do things here and there. Until then, three carriages arrived coming from another direction. A group of people in commoner clothes came to them as they greeted each other. A mature man with golden hair seemed to be their leader. He was tall and by the way he talked, he seemed to be a noble.

“Hey, kid, get the wine!” Her boss called for her and commanded her.

She nodded and got wine. She served it as she could feel many eyes looking at her.

“You got an interesting girl out there.” The man with golden hair spoke, while intently looking at her. She got uncomfortable so she decided to leave but then her boss suddenly grabbed her hand making her stop.

“Do you like young girls? I will sell her with one thousand gold.”

Her eyes expanded as fear travelled throughout her body. She did not expect to have heard such a thing in real life. When she was an Emperor, she revolved with formal communication but hearing this, it is disgustingly alarming.

“This girl hasn’t been touched and is very diligent. You can have her as a maid or… you know.” Her boss had a silly smile on his lips while looking at the man with golden hair.

She tried pulling out her hand but the body she was in was very weak. She wanted to speak so bad but could not speak well. She looked at the man with golden hair and signalled him by shaking her head. However, her hope shattered upon seeing his lips curve.

“Alright, I will buy her for a thousand of gold.”

No! This is bad! How can she do what she was asked? If she goes to another group, the Largoth Imperial knights will have a problem!

“That is a good decision, my lord! Please take her as you please!” Her boss cheered as he laughed loud and drank more wine. He then pushed her towards the man with golden hair.

She bumped into the man’s body but when she was about to go away, his hands were wrapped around her waist. Her eyes went wide when his hands travelled to her hips and then to her back. Her body trembled in disgust.

“This should be worth five-hundred gold, man. She is slim and dirty.” The man who’s holding her laughed.

“My lord, she is yours forever. You can make her gain weight when she is with you. I can assure you that that girl will be a beauty when she grows up.”

“Ha, that’s a good idea!”

She was taken to another carriage and was alone there while the others talked. There were two guards looking out for her as she was told to change inside the carriage.

Her body was trembling in disgust. It felt like her back was still being touched by that man. She wanted to cry to such disgusting indecency however she should not look weak. She is an Emperor and she will get through this!

She waited in the carriage until the man with golden hair went inside it as he closed the curtains. He sat opposite her as she looked away because of his intent to stare.

“I have no intention of touching you, little girl.”

Her eyes went wide as she turned her head to meet his eyes. He had a gentle smile on his lips as if it was genuine.

“I feel bad to have done such a thing a while ago. Please understand that I had to do it for show.” He explained as he leaned her back to his seat. “Good thing I have seen you there. Those people will be no good for you.”

She looked down, feeling guilty of cursing him in her mind, earlier. She misjudged him.

“You could not speak?”

She nodded.

“Oh, but good thing you can understand me.”

The carriage started moving, making her panic upon remembering the Largoth Imperial knights. Panicking, she went to open the curtains to open the door only to be stopped by the man by grabbing her hand.

“Do you plan on killing yourself?” The man scowled. “Those men were hired to be bait in the Hapra forest.”

Her eyes went wide upon realizing what the plan was. Is this man the one who hired the mercenary to go to Hapra forest? And to fool the Largoth knights?

“They will be eaten by wild boars, later. You should thank me for saving you out there.”

She could not move as she got even more troubled that the Largoth knights will be exterminated once they follow the mercenary group! Those Largoth knights will— She decided to stay calm and just sat there silently. She needs to know their plan. She needs to help the Largoth knights somehow.

“Did you know that there will be a war between the Largoth Empire and Corstan Kingdom?”

She shook her head to hear more about it.

“The Emperor of Largoth was planning on conquering our kingdom after finding out that one of our towns was blessed with clean water. Five years ago, when Emperor Esteban crowned his son to be the next Emperor, some of the Largoth towns suffered from drought.”

She paled upon hearing the news that it has actually been five years since Crown Prince Lorenzo became the Emperor. What happened to Esteban? How many years did he lead the Empire? Is he still alive?

“Many Largoth people immigrated to the Corstan Kingdom. It angered the Emperor that his people were starting to leave his Empire…”

Hearing this man’s explanation, she could not believe that the Empire her family built had come to ruin. She could not believe that those things she had done had gone astray and her people started rebelling against the Empire her family took care of for so many years.

“I have talked too much. What is your name?”

She came back to her senses when he suddenly asked for her name. She looked at him and shook her head as she did not know what her name was.

“You have not gotten a name yet? Then I will give you the name… Daneris. I am Reginald, by the way.” He reached out his hand to her but before she could even touch his hand, their carriage suddenly stopped as they heard a commotion.

“A wild boar has attacked the first carriage! Protect the Crown Prince at all costs!”

She panicked upon hearing that. She felt many presences of wild animals throughout the surroundings. She looked at Reginald who just took his sword out of his hilt.

“Your highness!” A knight knocked on the door as Reginald immediately opened it.

“Take this horse, your highness. We are surrounded.” The knight announced. He had a horse with him.

“What?”

Roars of wild boars penetrated their ears and because everyone was busy, she just watched Reginald jump into the horse. He looked at her for a few seconds before he looked at the knight who came to them.

“It is up to you if you let her be eaten.”

Her eyes went wide upon hearing what Reginald just said as she watched him leave without batting an eye to her once again. Daneris was left alone in the carriage after the knight a while ago just left her there.

She was speechless of how she just assumed that Reginald was actually a good man a while ago. A small laugh came out her mouth. Why did she even trust him in the first place? He is not a good man just when he said that he will feed the mercenary to the boars. He is not a good man just because he ‘saved’ her from them. Now, she is left alone with the Corstan knights fighting the boars for the Crown Prince escape.

So that man, Reginald, was actually the Crown Prince of Corstan Kingdom? She took the pouch out of her sleeve and took the small white ball. She immediately threw it to the ground and it made a little sparkle as it flew to the sky and there it exploded. This will be her thank you gift to Reginald.

However, she knows that no matter what she will do, she will not be saved by the Largoth knights as it is already late for that signal. There were too many wild boars and the Crostan knights were outnumbered.

After making the firework explode, she went out of the carriage and took the sword of a dead knight. There she attacked the wild animals with her weak and small body. It was a bit convenient that her body was light, making her defeat many wild boars. It is also thanks to her knowledge on how to haunt them. Luckily, after seeing her skills, some boars ran away as others also attacked her.

So then, she finally falls to the ground after defeating all of the wild boars. Her left hand was cut off because it was bitten. She was covered with animal blood and was full of scratches. While looking up to the bright moon above her, it was suddenly covered by a familiar face.

It was the Captain of the Largoth knights earlier. He was definitely aiding her and was trying to cover her wound and stop her bleeding but she could not feel her body anymore.

‘Ahh his eyes were as red as a peony flower.’ She thought upon seeing the Captain’s red eyes behind his silver hair.

Is she going to die again? Will this be the last or would she live another life again? No, this should not be the end. She still needs to build the Largoth Empire back to what it should be!

“Dan the Emperor of Argot!” (Damn the Emperor of Largoth.) She suddenly exclaimed, wanting to talk after realizing that she can actually speak if she practiced it. She only found out about it during her fight with the boars.

The Captain who’s aiding her stopped upon hearing her speak for the first time. She is even cursing the Imperial family.

“Whatta loaf of bubshit you did to my Empire!” (What a load of bullshit you did to my Empire.) She screamed but then she vomited blood.

She was then silenced as she looked at the Captain who was stunned by her exclamations. “You have no need to aid me, mister…” She showed a small smile before she closed her eyes and did not breathe anymore.

The Captain stopped aiding her as he was silenced by the small smile he just saw from the young girl lying on the ground. He looked down as he laughed silently in pain.

“Why… were you so selfless…”

He could not believe that a young girl can be so selfless. He could not accept the fact that this young innocent child just saved the Largoth Empire by killing all those wild boars that no one dared to fight. This young and innocent child just sacrificed her life for the Empire while the higher ups were drinking lavishly to their luxurious chambers.

After that incident, the Captain and his group solved the war by threatening the Emperor of Largoth. He took the initiative to rebel for the good of the Empire. After ten years of controlling Emperor Lorenzo, he died in his old age without a wife and children.