I just realized that Sophie's body seems to be athletic because I swear I've been running past my limit, but it seems her body can take a long run. I took a glance from the back and saw that they weren't catching up to me. When I ran outside the castle, I frowned at the sight of a large front yard and the gates were miles away. The scorching sun pierced my skin and sweat started to run down my face. I could feel my feet aching from running away and the shoes were one of the reasons. I took off my shoes and threw them to the side as I continued to run. I saw a big bush near the gate. I just needed to get past the gate guards and wait for the gate to open so I could escape. I sneak into the bush as the guards from the castle go to the gate guards.

"The Grand Duchess has escaped from the castle, keep an eye on the gate she might be heading here." said the castle guard.

"The Duchess is awake?" the gate guard was shocked about the news.

"Yes, it seems like she's been awake for a while since she can run that fast." the castle guard replied.

"Yes, sir. We'll keep an eye out here," he said with a salute.

I hid myself in the bush and waited for a few more minutes. Then, suddenly a carriage was going outside from the castle and the gate opened. The grand carriage made me wonder who could've ridden in it. I shoved that thought away and thought how could I get in or somehow use this opportunity to escape?

The guards stopped the carriage for a few inspections, the guard took a glance at the window and greeted its passenger. The guard was on the left side of the carriage and I was on the right side, I sneakily opened the right side door and snuck inside the carriage. I hid under the carriage seat as it was big enough for me to hide. The passenger did not see me but was wondering why the door suddenly opened. The passenger shuts the door close and the carriage starts to go. I snuck myself despite the big ass gown, I tried my best to scoot it inside so that the passenger wouldn't notice me. 

"It's quite rude to get inside someone's carriage especially if it's uninvited."

I felt as if I was splashed with cold water because I was caught by the passenger of the carriage. It was a man's voice since it was deep. I didn't move and was hesitant to get out.

"Show yourself this instant or my sword will be the one to drag you unalive," he threatened as I heard a sword being unsheathed. I shoved away my hesitation and got out of the seat as fast as I could and bowed in front of the passenger. 

"Well, this is a surprise. I heard that you were bedridden and in a coma," he said.

I raised my head and saw another gorgeous man with features that were out of this world. He had long blonde hair that was neatly tied in a braid and his eyes were magenta with a hint of red. I was in awe because his features were so handsome and at the same time beautiful. He looked manly and beautiful and could be mistaken as a woman. I brought myself back into a trance and bowed again to him.

"I am so sorry I invited myself into your carriage. I was running away from that place, Mister... " I trailed off and waited for his response.

"Sassanico" he replied.

"Sassanico? Well, again my apologies for barging in. I was trying to escape the guards and the maids, Mister Sassanico."

I waited for him to slap me or throw me away from this carriage, but to my surprise, he patted my shoulders and I looked at him. He smiled at me and I just felt my heart beat faster.

"Your Grace, you shouldn't burden yourself I was just teasing you. Please have a seat first and we'll talk about this escapade," he said and I followed his orders. I sat on the seat in front of him and I looked at him. He was smiling at me as if we knew each other. I tried to remember him from Sophie's memories but nothing.

"I was visiting the Grand Duke for political reasons but it seems that he's in the capital. I did ask about you, but the House of Griffith said you were in a coma. Initially, I was asking for you, but still, they insisted you were unavailable. Yet here you are in my carriage trying to escape." he said with a chuckle, I was quite confused about why he was telling this all to me.

"Pardon me, but who exactly are you? I'm sorry I couldn't remember you, I lost my memory due to the accident." I said with a slight bow.

"Oh, I thought they were kidding about you being in an accident. So, it's true you've lost your memories." His smile was replaced with a sad look.

"I am Sassanico El Filidez, Your Grace. I am the crown prince in the Halvanicca Empire which is a thousand miles away from the Helinian Empire. I came to visit my good friend which is you, but seeing you like this I should've visited you sooner."

"Crown Prince? Oh, I am so sorry for my rudeness your highness!" I tried to bow again but he stopped me from it. 

"Don't burden yourself, Your Grace. You may not remember, but we were close friends enough to set aside the formalities," he said again this time with a smile that could sink a thousand ships.

I felt my face blushing from his smile, but I cleared my throat and said, "Your Majesty, If we were close, you could've heard about my accident two years ago. If you could tell me what you know about it, it could help me a lot." 

He sighed and held his chin, he was thinking about what I said. "Your Grace, we were penpals. We got to meet each other because of your mother. Your mother is one of the highest guests in our empire, if you ask me about it, my apologies I do not know. But I do know that your mother is a special being and holds something that greatly contributed to our empire. The last time you wrote to me, was weeks before your accident. You told me you're planning to run away from Griffith. I wanted to help you, but I was too late. I just heard you were in an accident and I couldn't visit you because the Grand Duke always denied it. It took me 2 years to leave my royal duties and ask to visit you unofficially."

"I didn't know about what happened to your accident, my apologies but we can help you," Sassanico said and he flicked his fingers.

"We?"

Suddenly a woman sat beside me, she had red short hair and green eyes looking at me fiercely. Then she suddenly hugged me tightly and was practically sobbing her eyes out. "Sophia!" she sobbingly said to me.

"Now, now, Alec. Be careful, your grace doesn't recognize you."

"What? Why?" she asked as she stopped hugging me.

"Sophie lost her memories and was in a coma," he said to the woman.

When I say "woman" I'm not just saying any woman, I mean a beautiful charismatic woman. She was around Sophie's age but her physique is mildly muscular. She seems to be working out and her charisma is something else, she is intimidating like a soldier and she is sexy and beautiful. Her short crimson hair was in a boy-cut but she was still a sexy-looking woman.

"My poor Sophia, who did this to you? Tell me, for I will slit their throats and extract their blood for they do not know who they're messing with!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry but I still don't know who could- - I don't even know what happened during my accident," I said.

They both looked at each other with a worried look and Sassanico suddenly held my hands, I felt my cheeks heating up again.

"Pardon me, Sophia. I need to inspect something," he said.

He closed his eyes and muttered some words that I didn't understand. His hands glowed and there were little specks of light floating, I felt a heat from his hands and my body felt lighter than ever. A few minutes later he stopped and removed his hands from mine.

He sighed before he could speak to me, "Your mana is unstable, Sophia. Perhaps that's why your body and memories are replenishing slowly."

My brows furrowed as I didn't know that Sophie had powers, all I know from her memories is that she didn't show any of her powers or see her using them. Does she have powers? And if she does, what kind of power is it?

I bowed my head and kept thinking, What now? What do I do? Where do I go?

"I wish we could help you in any way we can, Sophia. But our time here is only limited, we've been traveling for a long time. We need to go home. If you ever need our help, you can tell us now." Sassanico said and Alec gave me a sad smile as if they were sorry for what had happened to me.

I gathered my thoughts for a moment and tried to solve Sophie's problems. "Do you know Reagan, right? You know his face?"

They both nodded in unison. "Great! Then, can you find him and give him my letter? And if you could, tell him that it's urgent."

I did write a letter beforehand and I brought it which was inside my pocket. I carried this letter every day in case I plan to escape or I plan to deliver them. This was a good opportunity for me. I know that I shouldn't easily trust them but my gut feeling is telling me that they can be trusted. And in her memories, they seem to be trusted friends.

They accepted my request and Sassanico gave me money that could help me for my escape. "This is the least we could do, Sophie. I hope whatever you're planning will bring happiness to your life. We will carry out your request. We know a good inn nearby, you can stay there. I already paid for your expenses there, show them this emblem." Sassanico said and handed me a golden emblem.

"I wish I could kill those people for you, Sophie. But my master," Alec said.

"Don't worry, Alec. I'm quite fine, I'll handle this. Thank you, both of you. Somehow I felt relieved that I have friends like you guys," I said.

The carriage suddenly stopped and I looked out the window, we were in front of an inn. I didn't notice that we were miles away from the castle.

"I think I should go now. Thank you for helping me, Sassanico, and Alec. I'll repay you guys and hope we see each other again." I said as I exited the carriage.

"Take care of yourself, Sophia. Also, take this. You're in hiding, right?" Alec said as she hugged me tightly. She also handed me a cape which I covered myself into.

"Be careful, Sophie. We'll send a letter if we ever find Reagan." Sassanico said.

"Thank you, I'm forever grateful to both of you," I said as I bowed to them.

As we waved goodbye, I felt relieved that there were still people that Sophie could trust. Then, memories of young Sassanico, Alec, and Sophia flashed in my mind. I saw them playing with each other in fields of flowers. They indeed were childhood friends and I also saw Sophie's mother from afar, watching the children play. It was a wonderful memory of her childhood.

***

As I entered the inn, strange looks were given to me by the customers. They were drinking and most of them were men which I think were mercenaries and adventurers. I went directly to the inn owner and showed them the golden emblem. The inn owner's eyes widened and his frowning face was instantly replaced with a welcoming friendly smile.

"Right this way, Madam." he led me upstairs where the rooms were located.

After walking a few rooms, we arrived at the door of my room. Before the owner left, I requested paper and a quill for me to list my thoughts and plans.

I went inside the room and scanned it. It was very spacious for a single person and clean. There was a big bed with a thick mattress and fluffy pillow and blanket. I locked the door of my room and I just realized that it was a very tiring day. I feel drained and want to sleep.

Suddenly I heard a knock on my door, I stood up and asked, "Who is it?"

"Madam, I have the things that you've requested." It was the inn's owner.

I opened the door and saw the owner holding a tray of food alongside the things I'd requested. I raised one eyebrow and said, "I didn't order food."

"It was ordered by the benefactor of our inn that we serve you in our utmost service," he said.

"Benefactor?"

"The one who owned the emblem, Madam."

"Oh, thank you."

He bowed and served the food on my room's table.

"If you ever need something, Madam please pull that rope near your bedside. A maid will be serving you," he said again.

"Alright, you may leave. Thank you." I said.

As the owner left, I went to the table and inspected the food. Surely, this isn't poison. It was a warm soup with a lot of vegetables and meat and a freshly baked loaf of bread. My mouth watered as I looked at the food. I realized I was hungry. I savored the food and felt full after finishing up. 

"Now that's warm good food," I exclaimed. I pulled the rope and instantly someone knocked on my door. I opened the door and saw a young girl. "Are you the maid?" I asked.

"Yes, Madam. My name is Kila." she bowed.

"Kila, nice to meet you. I'm Sophie. Does the inn have a nightgown I can change into?" I asked again.

She bowed and said, "Yes, Madam Sophie. I will prepare for it immediately."

"Thank you, Kila." as I said that she looked surprised for a moment. I guess she rarely gets a thank you here. She walked away and I saw how cute she ran. I also felt sad because at such a young age she was already working in this inn. She's around 15 yrs. old.

While she was preparing, I wrote my thoughts and plans for this new life. First, I must know what happened during my carriage accident. My gut feeling tells me that there's more to this 'accident' than it looks. Second, the marriage contract between me and the Grand Duke. There must be a loophole or a condition that could be beneficial to me. I could use it against him and take this as an opportunity to divorce him. But the problem is, where did Sophie keep the copy of their marriage contract?

"Madam, everything is prepared," Kila said.

I prepared myself to sleep, took a bath, and changed into my nightgown clothes. I saw my table clean and Kila was holding a towel in her hands.

"Let me dry your hair for you, Madam," she said.

I went to the vanity table and she dried my hair with the towel. I chatted with Kila and asked her a couple of questions just to ease her nervousness. Earlier, she was shaking while serving me. I thought to myself maybe the previous customers weren't kind to her or her boss. As we talked, she was smiling as she told her life story. She brushed my hair after and I bid her goodnight.

My body is screaming to take a rest. I flopped into my bed and dozed off immediately.

"There you are, Grand Duchess."

It all happened too fast. When I heard someone was in my room, suddenly my body reacted. I opened my eyes and saw a black-masked man holding a knife and aiming for my chest. But to my surprise, I was holding his arm stopping him from stabbing me. Sophie's body is strong!