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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Mistaken Identity
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Rustle.
In the darkness, I carefully adjusted the hood pulled low over my head. I had to completely conceal my bright silver hair, which stood out even in the dark.
'Alright, I made it out safely.'
Pretending to be so shocked by the news of my father's injury that I had taken to my bed, the maids quickly lost interest in me and were busy whispering in the drawing room.
I took that opportunity to slip away and successfully snuck into the Empress's palace.
'It's certainly quiet.'
I knew beforehand that security would be lax today, but there were so few guards on patrol it made me wonder if this was even allowed.
'Were they all summoned somewhere?'
Did the Empress take them all with her when she went to the Emperor's palace?
'Whatever the reason, this must be why they haven't caught the thief.'
It was strange, but it worked in my favor.
Suppressing my presence as much as possible, I tiptoed through the garden and approached the Empress's palace building.
My small, slender frame was quite advantageous for moving quietly. I had no trouble weaving between the low-hanging branches of the ornamental trees without touching them.
Hiding among the trees, I took a deep breath and reviewed my plan.
'The worst-case scenario for me is getting caught by the guards.'
If that happens, as disappointing as it would be, it's better to give up on the treasure and choose safety over arousing Cavalla's suspicion.
'Then, I'll use the excuse I prepared. I'll calmly explain that I was worried about my father and came to find out any news, since I can't freely enter the Emperor's palace.'
If I say that, Cavalla wouldn't dare kill me, a princess.
'Publicly, Cavalla pretends to dote on me, and the guards know my face, so they can't act too threateningly.'
As long as I keep my wits about me, I'll be safe.
'I've already secured a surefire escape route for when I have the treasure.'
The only dangerous part is entering Cavalla's bedroom to find the magic key.
At first, my heart was pounding so hard I thought I might die, but as I moved forward, I grew more confident in my movements.
I quickly approached Cavalla's bedroom.
'I wonder if there's an open window somewhere.'
I was moving along, hidden in the shade of a fir tree as tall as I was, its branches and sharp leaves growing densely, testing each window along the corridor near Cavalla's bedroom.
Clatter.
I heard a faint sound from somewhere.
'What was that?'
Startled, I quickly squeezed between the branches and crouched down.
Peeking through the branches, I saw someone peering out a window from inside the corridor, not far from where I was.
'Are they trying to open the window? A maid?'
The unlit corridor was dark, so I couldn't see the person clearly. I could only make out the silhouette of a woman in a skirt.
I thought it must be a maid opening the window for ventilation.
How fortunate. Once she leaves, I can slip inside through the open window...
'Huh?'
My jaw dropped in astonishment.
The woman leaped out of the open window.
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
'Could it be... the thief?'
The woman, who had jumped from the window as nimbly as a squirrel, gathered her skirt and started running in my direction.
Then, the corridor she had emerged from lit up, and I saw a crowd of guards rushing over.
"Where is she?"
"Where did she hide?"
"There!"
One of the guards pointed at the open window.
'Don't come this way! Stay away!'
Cursing the thief for running in my direction of all places, I squeezed myself as deep into the branches as I could.
But then.
"...!"
"...?"
The moment the woman, running at full speed, passed the fir tree I was hiding behind, our eyes met.
As soon as I locked eyes with her, I knew the wanted poster hadn't been an exaggeration.
In the light cast by the guards' torches, her voluminous, curly red hair bloomed like a wildly blossoming flower.
I was momentarily stunned by shock and confusion.
In that daze, I didn't notice the cold metal wrapping around my wrist. It happened in an instant.
Click.
"What the—!"
I jumped back and looked down at my wrist to see one half of a pair of shackles, the kind used on criminals, dangling there.
What was happening?
I stared at the woman in bewilderment. She gave me an arrogant grin and suddenly shrieked. I had no time to stop her.
"Over here! The runaway is over here!"
"Huh...?"
I think I understood what was happening.
This foolish woman, not knowing I was a princess, was trying to use me as a scapegoat.
"Hey! We'll both get caught!"
I cried out in frustration, but the damage was already done.
"There she is!"
"Block her escape!"
In an instant, we were surrounded by guards.
'I never imagined I'd get caught like this.'
I let out a small sigh as I looked at the guards surrounding me.
This was the exact worst-case scenario I had imagined earlier.
'My treasure...'
It was a shame, but I had a contingency plan, so I calmly composed my expression.
The guards must have already recognized my face.
Besides, it would be hard to confuse her flamboyant red curls with my straight silver hair.
But just as I thought that, something absurd happened.
"Seize that woman and lock her up!"
One of the guards pointed at me and shouted.
How could they not recognize me, even with my hood up?
Dumbfounded, I pulled off my hood and scowled at the guards who were trying to grab my arms.
"What do you think you're doing? Can't you recognize me? Open your eyes and look closely!"
Her hair is red, and mine is almost white!
It was so ridiculous that I forgot to act timid as I usually did.
But even with my face fully revealed, the guards didn't recognize me and just scoffed.
"What's this rat-faced wench babbling about?"
What? Rat-faced wench...?
I may not have been treated well in the palace, but this was the first time a guard had ever cursed me, a princess, to my face like that.
They grabbed both of my wrists as I stared wide-eyed in shock, and firmly clasped the shackle that had been dangling from one wrist onto both.
Meanwhile, the thief who had used me as a scapegoat was quietly slipping away.
"You're supposed to catch her! How dare you lay a hand on me! I am Princess Chloe!"
I struggled and shrieked.
Then, I happened to see a reflection of curly red hair in a windowpane behind the guards.
The color was so vibrant that even the reflection in the glass was striking.
'What the...'
The thief was clearly running away in the distance, so why was I seeing the reflection of a thief being caught by the guards in the window in front of me?
And why was the thief in the reflection mirroring my movements perfectly?
'What is going on...?'
Could it be magic?
As I stood there dazed and confused, the guard holding me yanked my arm roughly.
"How dare a gypsy like you speak Her Highness the Princess's name, you vermin!"
the guard who had seized my arm roared.
My frail body, devoid of any strength, swayed like a reed in the wind.
Even then, I was utterly bewildered.
'A gypsy? Not a thief? Is she both...? But why is the guard talking as if he already knows about the thief?'
The guards already know the identity of a thief who secretly broke into the palace?
Just then, another guard beside him brought a finger to his lips and whispered.
"Knock her out so she can't make any more trouble. We have to deal with this quietly, without anyone knowing."
Immediately after, before I had a chance to explain, I felt a sharp impact on the back of my neck.
"Ugh!"
I felt my body collapse limply, like a marionette with its strings cut. My vision went black.
Just before everything disappeared, the last thing I saw was the thief, who was vanishing into the distance, glance back over her shoulder.
She was looking at me, a confident smirk on her face. As if to say that nothing I said would make any difference.
And with that, I lost consciousness.
