The secret escape from the kingdom of Azeroth was the most unplanned thing in my life. Moreover, none other than the second prince, Razor Blanche, became an accomplice in this case.

Having quickly completed all the things at the academy, we prepared literally in one day before leaving the country. In addition, I also wrote a letter to my father, in which I informed him of my plans. For sure, he will be shocked when he receives it, but I had no time to doubt.

Even if in three years, when we return, the Archduke continues to hold a grudge against me for the sudden departure, I was ready for this. As well as to the fact that leaving the house and all my friends, I will have to face the unknown.

Having no idea what lies ahead, I put everything on the line to save our future.

All this period of time, until the main threat finally subsides, Razor and I were going to spend in a neighboring friendly empire. She had good connections with the kingdom of Azeroth, and according to the guy, there should be enough aristocrats ready to take us in.

We planned to stay in a lull until the world of this novel finally changes course. Since the main trigger in the form of me will disappear, the Crown Prince and Rachel will be able to continue to lead their normal lives, and will soon forget me. The enmity between them will also cease to matter.

According to Razor's forecasts, in a couple of years Philip will sit on the throne, and by that time it is likely that he will find another worthy queen. And as for Rachel… After becoming the Duchess of Cassius, she will completely go into business, and most likely even forget my name. In addition, according to the original plot of the novel, Rachel will already be married at that time. So, there will definitely be no place for me in her life.

I just hoped that all my efforts to work on it would be justified, and Rachel would not end up as in the original. It would be good if she just lived a normal life and started a family. After the experience, it was the only thing I wished for her.

Now, before the danger subsided, I had to "dissolve". The second Prince was right when he said that he would never wait for a person he had only known for a couple of months. The bond between us was still too short to fight for it.

In this regard, both he and I believed that everything could still be fixed.

After all, couldn't we just stay and wait for death? It will be better if we take up the correction of our future with our own hands.

Since the reason and place of our further stay had to remain a secret for most people, we decided to make the departure as inconspicuous as possible. To achieve this, they did not specifically resort to the help of the imperial and my family.

Pretending to be ordinary travelers, the guy and I bought a guard and a means of transportation separately. Of course, before escaping, they took enough money with them to not starve all these years.

They were hired warriors from an independent organization who would definitely not give away our location to anyone from the kingdom. They were supposed to accompany us until we arrived in another empire. In general, the plan looked quite successful, and did not allow excessive risks.

Going on the road, which will take us about two weeks, I still felt anxious. As if fearing that the pursuit of us could begin at any moment, I constantly looked out the window.

Razor was sitting on the opposite seat of the carriage, and watching my actions, he just grinned.

"Don't worry so much," he remarked, "I've thought it all out. Even my father won't be able to figure us out that easily.

"I know," I said, "it's just… I still can't believe we're doing this.

— Running away from home for the first time? the guy chuckled.

I snorted.

— And as if you often did it…

— In fact, yes, — he answered unexpectedly, — As a child, for the sake of entertainment, I often ran away from the palace. But I could not have predicted that everything would go so far.

— That's for sure, — I smiled ironically, because it really was my first such experience.

Even in my previous life, before my illness, I never thought about the typical teenage rebellion in the form of running away from home. And becoming the daughter of an Archduke is even more so.

Life is really unpredictable. A couple of months ago, I could not have imagined that I would secretly escape from the country hiding my identity. And my companion in this "crime" will be the main villain.

I could only trust him.

Sighing, I turned back to the window, the views from which became my only entertainment for the coming weeks. However, I had already managed to get used to long trips, and I did not feel discomfort.

And so it happened. Time flew by unnoticed, and soon we were at the borders of the kingdom of Azeroth. Behind them, the neutral territory began, and after a short interval, the borders of another empire. I considered it a happy sign that during this time, nothing special happened to us.

It won't be long before we're completely safe.

"You see," Razor said, "I told you everything would be fine.

I nodded. The resolute look of the guy calmed me down considerably.

With joyful relief, I began to wait for us to overcome the last obstacle, and I would see completely unfamiliar lands.

A new life should begin for us very soon.

But… Who said that fate will obey my plans? So this time something happened that I absolutely could not have suspected.

This world has once again tripped me up.

Bam-m!

A moment, and our carriage almost turned over from the sudden braking.

Everything happened so suddenly that I didn't even have time to come to my senses. A bloody battle had begun outside, and it could be understood by the characteristic sounds. The screams and clanging of swords did not stop for several minutes.

Razor and I immediately realized that we were being attacked.

— Who dared?! — He breathed out indignantly, - Have these street urchins finally lost their fear?

I was scared when I realized that the case smelled fried. And there is very little left before we would have crossed the border.

Clutching the hem of my dress, I prayed to all the gods of the world, if only this would end as soon as possible.

— Do you think they will cope...? I said, even afraid to twitch.

"That old man said they were the best hired guards in the empire. If they can't even beat the tramps, then what have we paid them for?

I stopped.

— And y-are you sure it's just bandits...?

"Who else could it be?" — The prince snorted, — The trip was held in secret. No one from outside could find out that we were in this carriage.

The guy's words sounded convincing, and I decided to trust him.

While we were hiding in the wagon, the battle between the hired warriors and the unknown attackers continued for some time. Then everything gradually quieted down.

This meant that one of the sides eventually won.

That's just who...?

Since I was afraid to stick my head out, Razor decided to check everything himself. I was worried about him because he didn't have enough physical strength to resist criminals.

— Maybe it's not necessary? I asked excitedly, when he was already reaching for the latch on the door, "Let's wait a little longer…

— I'll just take a look, — he replied, — Leriana, sit here and don't go out. Wait for me…

The guy could not finish, because he barely managed to recoil to the side. The next second, the door of our carriage was "opened" with a kick.

I was horrified when the door flew off its hinges and we were completely defenseless.

Cold air blew, and leather boots with blood on the soles immediately left traces in the white interior. In addition to the usual clothes, a dark cloak was thrown over one of the bandits. The gloves were also stained with a crimson liquid.

— Stay back! — I screamed out of fear, cowering in the corner, - Or I...!

"What can a beauty like you do to me?" — a cheeky female voice came from under the hood, which finally drove me out of myself.

Wasting no time, it took the unknown a couple of deft movements to knock us both out.

But before the gloved hand reached my neck, I managed to see a scarlet strand of hair. The same shade as all her clothes were stained with.

I fell unconscious on the carriage seat, and finally I heard only a quiet grin:

— Girlfriend Kassiev, I finally caught you.