482: Dadao
“Y-your Highness! P-please, this is a restricted area!” shouting came from down the hall. Remi recognized the voice as belonging to one of the guards, Richard.
“We… We can’t allow you to go further!” another trembling voice called out, Charlie, if Remi wasn’t mistaken.
“You can’t?” a certain female voice asked, amused.
“T-the Captain will have our heads,” Richard attempted to explain.
“And what do you think will happen if you attempt to stop me? At the very least, if you remove yourselves from my sight, you’ll get to live a few hours longer, hehe.”
“Ugh…”
“P-please, princess—”
“No! Either shut up and get out of my way or stand your ground.”
Neither Richard nor Charlie uttered another word. Not even twenty seconds later, a door opened and certain princess in a gothic black dress and with a big feathered top hat slowly walked through it.
An unwelcoming, dimly lit room with uneven stone walls, a scratched wooden table, a few chairs, and some damaged crates with supplies. Opposite to the door through which the gothic princess entered were the many thick vertical metal bars that isolated the solitary cell for which this room acted as a guard post, with one guard on duty.
The princess looked at the guard from head to feet. Sitting on one of the chairs, barely dressed, her hazel hair a mess, sweaty from either fear or exhaustion. The guard’s eyes were red as if she just spent the last hour crying her heart out. All in all, the guard looked like she’d belong in the S.E.C.R.E.T. District rather than guarding anyone of importance.
“One prisoner, one guard,” the princess said as walked forth, straight toward the cell where another girl laid on a bed of straws. “Do they think so little of your abilities, little sister?”
“Samira…” Mary said her sister’s name and sat up on her so-called “bed”.
“Oh, you certainly have looked better,” Samira said when she saw Mary a little closer, and the “dress” that the princess was given. Though it wasn’t just the potato bag dress that caught Samira’s eyes. “Does it really get that hot in here?”
“Only for those of us that have a beating heart,” Mary replied.
“Ha! That’s rich coming from the ‘Bloody Mary’,” Samira laughed a little. “Where’s the armor you stole?”
“Not stolen—a birthday gift,” Mary said.
“A gift? From whom?”
“From me, obviously. It’s not like any of my dear sisters would be so caring.”
“Weren’t you the one that did her utmost to avoid your entire family for over a month on your last birthday? Mother was very sad.”
“Good.”
“Oooh, what tough little rebel!” Samira laughed. “Stealing from the royal treasury, fucking and killing, but hiding behind your family name whenever its convenient.”
“I have so many role models to be inspired by,” Mary remarked without even a hint of a smile.
“Speaking of birthdays, Melody’s is coming up. Mother is hoping you’ll be there too.”
“Pass.”
“I don’t think it was a request.”
“Pass.”
“If I cut your arms and legs off and dragged just your useless torso back to the castle, I don’t think mother would mind.”
“…”
“What you did in the Forge was a new level of stupid, even for you,” Samira said, her smile disappearing in an instant.
“I was bored,” Mary shrugged. “Who cares if I killed a few nobodies that were there to be killed anyway.”
“Don’t play dumb! I’m talking about your ‘experiments’. Even though I warned you before, you still... No, you know what? This is fine!”
“What?”
“You heard me,” a smile returned to Samira’s lips and grew wider. “Stay here! It looks like you even managed to make a friend here already.”
“E-eh?” a short sound escaped Remi’s lips.
“I’ll talk to the captain about extending your stay in this lovely little place,” Samira continued, ignoring the guard behind her.
“You have no right!” Mary jumped up. “I’m the Sixth Princess! I’m free to go wherever I please!”
“Is that so?” Samira asked and dark mist spread around her.
Out of that mist a black skeleton materialized. It grabbed one of the vertical metal bars and squeezed through the gap between the bars. Its skull squeezed and deformed into a long, narrow shape and did not return to normal even after it entered Mary’s cell, armed with a long rusty dadao sword.
“So, Sixth Princess, which limb shall we remove first?” Samira asked.