Remesis knew this would happen.

  The first thing the Emperor would do when they arrived in the North was try to get rid of his daughter. There couldn't be a better chance for this. If in the capital he was restrained from direct assassination by the first Emperor's oath, in the North things were completely different.

  If the cursed children died in a place full of monsters and barbarians, no one would suspect it was the Emperor's doing. At least officially, that's how it would look. In fact, even if some courtier thought so, no one would make a fuss about it.

  The devil's spawn living in the servants' outbuilding poisoned the pious Imperial Palace with its very existence. There was no one at court who did not wish for Asil Nara Ashelot's death. So everyone would simply turn a blind eye.

  Although Remesis knew this, she could do nothing about it. How could an eight-yearold child prevent an assassination attempt by a force as powerful as the Emperor? Even if the girl told her father everything, he wouldn't pay any attention to her words.

  Therefore, Remesis had no choice but to handle it herself. In childhood, she had very little physical strength. She couldn't help Asil in a fight, but at least she brought a knife to somehow defend herself.

  Remesis was prepared for this and just waited, holding her breath, for the carriage door to open.

  But, of course, in her first life, everything that happened was a complete surprise to her.

  A small child could not expect to be wanted killed literally for no reason. The girl was so scared she huddled in the corner of the carriage, simply waiting for her death. At that moment, she didn't even realize that the lifeless bodies in the end would not be theirs at all.

  It was after this incident that Remesis's fear of Asil began. She could no longer look at her as a normal person.

  In this life, the girl's behavior was no different from her previous life. Asil showed not the slightest sign of panic. Her face wore a frozen, immobile expression, and her eyes narrowed. The princess gripped her seat with her hands, ready to jump out at any moment.

  It was in moments like these that Remesis clearly realized how different she was from ordinary people. After all, compared to her, Asil was now really just a child. But her reaction said exactly the opposite.

  Every second in the carriage felt like an eternity.

  Finally, a creak was heard from outside, and one of the mercenaries flung the door open.

  Remesis stopped breathing.

  "Now, you cursed brats, just no trouble…"

  The guard's speech was cut short as someone sank their teeth into his throat. Blood gushed everywhere as the other guards didn't immediately understand what had happened.

  The pale man managed to resist only for a few seconds. Death came instantly, after which the body crumpled to the ground in convulsions. The bloody corpse in the snow looked terrible.

  "What the hell…!"

  The guards were stunned. Fear mixed with bewilderment was on every face without exception.

  The man looked as if he had been savagely mauled by an animal. But in reality, it was a child. The cursed crown princess. Her mouth was covered in blood, and her eyes blazed like an enraged bear's.

  When the guards saw the girl covered in their comrade's blood, they were horrified. "Monster!"

  All three attacked her with furious cries. Remesis realized it was time to act. After all, even if Asil was unimaginably strong, it was hard to deny this was an unequal battle.

  Last time, it ended roughly like this.

  Although all the mercenaries were killed, Asil was seriously wounded during the fight. Remesis was too scared to help her in any way, so she could only watch helplessly as she dealt with them herself.

  Now Remesis was still scared. If only because she was just a child. However, now she managed to pull herself together.

  And so, when the guards attacked Asil, the girl crept up from behind unnoticed and plunged the knife into the back of one of the mercenaries. She was weak, but she threw her whole body weight onto the knife.

  When something small pounced on him, the guard became enraged. He grabbed the girl by the hair and began shaking her. Remesis tried to scratch his face with her nails.

  But fighting a two-meter tall knight proved too difficult. He was squeezing her throat tightly, and the mercenary had already drawn his sword, about to strike.

  Just at that moment, another person's blood splattered on Remesis.

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  Bam!

  The next moment, the mercenary's hand lost its strength. The man crumpled to the ground, and fresh bite marks from Asil appeared on his neck. She had no weapon, and the girl was indeed fighting like a beast.

  Remesis also fell to the ground, breathing heavily from suffocation. Recovering a bit, she sat up and stared at the black blood oozing from the body next to her. It was a terrible sight. Nausea always rose in her throat when Remesis smelled blood. Even after so many years of living in the harsh North, this habit had not been eradicated.

  Remesis felt like she was going to be sick.

  She slowly raised her head and saw Asil next to her. As it turned out, by the time she came to, all the mercenaries were already dead. Dead bodies lay on the ground, attracting the real predators that were everywhere.

  To avoid encountering them, they needed to leave as soon as possible.

  Remesis trembled, experiencing genuine fear. The girl before her was covered in someone else's blood. Her amber eyes were still full of rage, and her bloody mouth moved silently. Asil was breathing heavily, her strength running out.

  Remesis managed to stand up and approach her. Asil stared at her impassively.

  Although this sight could frighten anyone, Remesis did not hide or run away. She was afraid of the child who had easily maimed four people. But she pretended not to be afraid.

  "…"

  The silence between them was broken only by the northern wind and Asil's ragged breathing.

  Only then did Remesis notice that she was wounded. Although Remesis managed to divert the attention of one of the mercenaries to herself, it didn't prevent her from ultimately getting injured. However, the girl herself was not omnipotent either. She knew that one way or another, they wouldn't be able to get out of this fight completely unscathed.

  Asil silently watched as Remesis retrieved her belongings from the carriage. It was good that she had asked Seila to pack only the essentials. At least now she wouldn't have to leave her large luggage here.

  Remesis slung the bag over her shoulder, which shouldn't slow her down too much on the road. Then she approached Asil, who was still watching her. Her gaze was cold and wary. Perhaps if she really were a beast, she would now bare her teeth and growl at Remesis.

  The girl sighed, and cold steam escaped her mouth.

  It was already getting dark. They needed to get to the nearest shelter as soon as possible — before they got stuck in the middle of a snowy wasteland.

  Remesis took her hand. Asil stared at her silently. Bewilderment appeared on her once empty face. She could easily pull her hand away, but Remesis held it tightly.

  It was like trying to train a puppy to a leash. At first, it doesn't want to obey you at all.

  But Remesis remained unshakably calm. If she were her former self, she would never have dared to do such a thing. She would never have approached such a dangerous person. And certainly wouldn't have taken her hand.

  But now Remesis only said:

  "Let's go, Your Highness. It will be dark soon."

  "…"

  Asil hesitated, but still moved forward as Remesis led her.

  They walked across the snowy field, and not far away, as far as Remesis remembered, there should be a cave. The girl led her there to rest and tend to her wounds.

  Remesis felt strange doing things that were completely uncharacteristic of her. She still couldn't believe she had the courage to so easily take Asil's hand.

  After all, in her first life, Remesis had simply abandoned her…

  Seeing the shocking sight of four guards dropping dead right before her, Remesis ran away from her wife as far as possible. Being an ordinary child, she was, of course, terribly frightened. Who in their right mind would want to stay near such a person?

  Remesis abandoned the wounded Asil and fled. But… In the end, after a few hours, she still returned.

  All because Remesis realized she couldn't survive in this place alone. Only by some miracle was she lucky not to encounter any monsters or other dangers on her way. As it happened, Asil was the only one with whom she could be safe.

  So Remesis simply hid behind her like a living shield.

  She kept her distance, not daring to come closer, and as soon as a threat arose, she ran away. She returned as soon as Asil dealt with the danger and continued to follow her.

  Essentially, that's how she managed to survive this journey. Just following Asil like her shadow. They didn't communicate or help each other in any way.

  At this rate, it took them several months to reach the northern capital, Fortress Nord. Their journey took so long because of Asil's illness. The princess was wounded after the fight with the mercenaries, and on top of that, it was very cold. Asil came down with a fever and needed two weeks to recover.

  All she could do was reach the nearest cave, and then simply faint. Remesis, who was following her, could not help her in any way. Where would an eight-year-old girl get medical knowledge? And even if she had it, Remesis still wouldn't have dared to approach her.

  As a result, the girl simply huddled in the corner of the cave, in constant fear of being discovered by predators or barbarians. The dry rations she had brought from home quickly ran out, and Remesis starved for a long time.

  Asil was unconscious for a long time. Her body grew cold, and her eyelashes became covered with frost. Remesis thought she had died. But, to her great surprise, the princess's body managed to overcome the illness on its own. After two weeks, she was even able to go hunting. Then their hunger passed, and Remesis tasted wild animal meat for the first time.

  Besides meat, there was no other food in the North. Because of the cold climate, no plants grew here. So, overcoming her own disgust, the girl ate clumsily fried meat without salt. Asil could even eat raw carcasses. She didn't know how to cook, so it was enough for her to simply skin the meat before eating it.

  Those days were truly terrible. Remesis didn't even want to remember them.

  That's why this time, the girl decided to do things differently.

  Asil was indifferent to the existence of her wife, and Remesis was afraid of her. Such were their relations, which did not change even when they grew up and lived in the castle. Despite the fact that Remesis did not feel warm feelings for her spouse, Asil still remained her only secret weapon.

  To take revenge and secure Asil's support in the future, she first needed to build a trusting relationship with her. This was her priority task at the moment.

  It took them about an hour to reach the cave. Inside the stone shelter, it was also cold, but at least there was no snow here. Remesis helped her sit down, then began to take out the medicines she had brought from the estate.

  She was, of course, not a doctor, but she had still read several books on medicine. Even unprofessionally, the girl would be able to provide at least some first aid. Nevertheless, Remesis hesitated before voicing her request to the princess.

  "Your Highness… Could you remove your outer clothing? I will dress the wound."

  Asil, as usual, remained silent. Remesis took this as consent and reached for the buttons on her bloodied jacket. Only at that moment did Asil intercept her hand. Her golden eyes looked at her searchingly. For the first time, she spoke hoarsely:

  "Don't touch… Don't touch me…"