Knights of The Dauntless Princess

Chapter 26: Escape

"What!? The princess left!?" Ranz exclaimed.

"We believe she secretly followed your men to Fardowsa!" Cyrus said. "We need to save her before it's too late! If they recognize her, her life will be in danger!"

"Yeah, that's for sure! But what will you do?" Ranz asked as he frowned.

"Nothing complicated," Dravis casually replied, turning his back away, "We'll just go after the princess and eliminate them all! —he glanced at Ranz— Do you want to come along?"

Dravis's words took Ranz aback, but after a moment, he grinned and said, "That sounds like fun. Alright! I'll join you!"

****

"Are you okay?" Nina asked Amara, who simply nodded, her eyes filled with sadness and bewilderment. "Amara."

Nina glanced at the other women inside the cell. Some had been there for almost a month, seeming almost disconnected from reality. Others were filled with fear, while some still clung to hope, believing they could escape.

Leonard's men arrived again, and fear enveloped the women as they were looked over sharply. Nina hugged her sister Noreen tightly while Amara glared at them with anger from the corner of her eyes.

"You, you, you… you…" one of the men pointed at some of the women. "And also you, come with me!"

They forcibly took Nina and separated her from Noreen and Amara.

"Big sister!!! No, don't take her!!!" Noreen pleaded, trying to free her sister.

"Shut up!!!" the man shouted and kicked Noreen.

"Noreen!!!" Nina's cry echoed as she tried to break free from them. She elbowed one of the men on his jaw, causing him to release his grip momentarily. She ran towards Noreen, but she was caught again by another man.

"You b*tch!" the man yelled, slapping Nina hard across her face.

"N-Nina!!!" Amara struggled to stand due to what Leonard did to her. Still, she managed to stand and tried to attack the man.

She grabbed a hidden blade from her thigh and swiftly thrust it at the man's forehead, ending his life. The three other men turned alert and lunged at Amara as they saw what she did to their comrade.

Nina and Amara stood side by side, ready to defend themselves from the men's relentless attacks. They fought them, and they didn't let them overpower them. After a few moments, they managed to overcome their assailants, and they killed them.

They looked at the other women and gestured for them to escape the cell, but the women averted their gaze. Amara was puzzled why they didn't want to leave despite the chance to be free.

"Why? Why don't you want to leave this place!?" she asked.

"Y-You don't understand," one of the women said, trembling. "We want to be free, but… we don't want to die!"

Amara was confused by their response and glanced at Nina, who also couldn't comprehend what they were saying.

"This whole place is a prison! If we leave, they will surely kill us… like what they did to the other women who tried to escape before!" another woman said.

"But we won't be able to leave this place if we don't try! We won't be able to go back to our loved ones if we just stay here!" Amara spoke up, thinking of Cyrus, Lillian, Dion, and the one who held a big part in her heart, Dravis.

"They promised to send us back to our families after ten years of working here," another woman said while tears streaming down her face. "We think we'll just endure it for quite some time. After that, we hope we can return home."

"And how sure are you they'll keep that promise? Ten years is a long time! Don't you know how much your families miss you?" Nina asked.

They fell silent, unable to answer, realizing that Leonard's promises might be empty. But fear of death weighed heavier on their hearts.

Amara saw that they couldn't force the women to escape with them. She clenched her fists and spoke again, "Fine, stay here! We'll just ask for our friend's help, and we'll come back for you! I won't let you all remain trapped here!!!"

Amara turned away from the women and exited the cell. Nina and Noreen followed her while the women looked on, hoping they could succeed in their escape.

"Take care," one of them said.

Nina and Amara nodded before running away. As they fled, Amara's mind was haunted by what Leonard did to her, fueling her determination to free those women from an ignoble fate.

They followed the route Amara remembered, passing through the familiar halls. Some guards tried to catch them, but they fought back and defeated them without hesitation. However, when they finally glimpsed the way out, numerous guards surrounded them!

"And where do you think you're going?" a terrifying voice spoke; it was Leonard.

Amara and Nina became alert while Noreen stood fearfully behind them, trembling at what was happening.

"Get out of our way!!!" commanded Amara.

"You have the audacity to order us around! Have you forgotten... that you're no longer a princess, Amara?" Leonard grinned widely, giving meaning to his words.

Amara's eyes narrowed as the despicable man recognized her. She tightly gripped her dagger, glaring fiercely at Leonard.

"How can I ever forget? Well, I don't care! Set us and the other women free from this hellhole!!!" Amara defiantly yelled.

Leonard laughed and dismissed her words, "Didn't I tell you? Everyone here is my slave, so whether you like it or not, I'll do whatever I want with you all!!! Take those women!!!"

At his command, his men rushed towards them simultaneously. Amara and Nina tried to fight back but were outnumbered and soon vanquished. They were captured again. They tied their hands, leaving them defenseless.

"See that? Now, you believe I am the master here? I can do whatever I please, so if you want to live, be obedient to me!" Leonard laughed wickedly. "Take those two women to the auction! It started a while ago. Sell them to our clients, but leave the princess here! She'll stay with me. I need to punish her."

Amara shuddered again upon hearing Leonard's words, especially when he leered at her while licking his upper lip.

As Leonard had said, Nina and Noreen were taken to the auction area, leaving Amara lying helplessly. Leonard grabbed Amara's hair and dragged her into his room. She felt like her head would be severed from the excruciating pain of being pulled, but she couldn't do anything, restrained as she was. They passed by the cage where the other women were still imprisoned. The women looked at her with pity, thankful they didn't join her.

Meanwhile, Nina and Noreen were brought to the auction. It was like a theater with a large stage; many wealthy men were there, watching. The place was dimly lit, with the spotlight only on the stage. Nina's heart pounded, and she couldn't help but shed tears. Her mind was clouded, and she couldn't think clearly about escaping that place.

"And here is our next item up for auction tonight," announced the speaker. Two men pulled Nina up on the stage. Noreen cried as they were separated again, but they were helpless this time. "A beautiful and fresh daughter of a farmer! Look at her face! It was so sweet and charming! Very beautiful!!! Look at her body! She has bulging breasts, a petite waist, a nice ass! Oh, man! What the hell, she's ugh!!! Look at her complexion!!! Isn't she stunning?"

A man raised his hand immediately, bidding, "One hundred thousand!"

"One hundred fifty!"

"Two hundred!!!"

"Three hundred thousand!!!"

"Three hundred thousand? Anyone else!?" the speaker asked.

A man in an elegant hat stood up, holding his number, "Five hundred!!!"

"Going once? Going twice?" The speaker grinned widely and slammed the gavel, saying, "Number 53? Sold to Mr. Seno!!!"

Upon hearing that, Nina couldn't believe her ears, and tears streamed down her face again. She couldn't accept that all of that was happening to her at that moment.

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry. Can I take my prize now?" the man asked.

"Huh? Ahh, yes, of course, sir! Come down here," the speaker said, and the man came down.

The man approached Nina onstage, and the guard handed him the rope that bound Nina's hands. The man was looking downward at her hands, and he noticed her trembling and sobbing in fear. The man smirked.

"Don't cry. You are free now... Nina," the mysterious man said, surprising both Nina and the speaker as he suddenly cut the rope binding her.

"Wait! What are you doing, sir!?" the speaker asked, as he was startled. The man who bid for Nina lifted his hat, and the speaker's eyes widened. "Wait, y-you're not Mr. Seno! W-Who are you!?"

Nina stared at the man in front of her, unable to believe who he was.

"Sorry, but... your guests are having a swimming party at the lake right now," the man nastily grinned, and suddenly, all the men in the audience stood up and removed their hats and capes. "My men and I will be your company tonight. Is it alright?"

Nina covered her mouth, tears forming again in her eyes. "R-Ranz!"

"Are you ready?" Ranz asked, smirking. "Let's bite them with our fangs to show them our anger!"

Nina wiped her tears away, and with a determined expression, she nodded at Ranz. Ranz turned to his men and gave the signal. "Let's go and take them all down!"