Chapter 45: More Annoying Than the Empire...

　　(Selenia`s POV)

　　My falling asleep so fast was odd, and I now knew exactly why& No longer was I in the carriage, I was currently in a cave. My hands were tied up behind my back. Looking around the cave, it was somewhat dark.

　　I could see some light coming from one end of the cave, which is probably the exit to it. I didn`t see Cirilia or Resoria around me. Hopefully, they`re safe, and I was the only target. I& I honestly would lose my mind if those two were killed&

　　Woman: "Are you awake?" She asked.

　　The woman looked to be a paladin of some kind. Why the fuck would a paladin kidnap me? Her golden hair was long and shiny& She truly looked like some kind of holy warrior.

　　Selenia: "No. I am Selenia." I reply with a cheeky tone.

　　Rem: "&Smug. But that is fine. I have no intentions on killing you, after all. My name is Rem." She replied.

　　Selenia: "Oh? Then why did you kidnap this princess?" I ask.

　　Rem: "Someone said that you were a demon. Considering that you showed up out of nowhere and became a princess, I assumed that you had mind controlled the royalty of Sooven." She explained.

　　Selenia: "Demon? Miss, I am a blessed person. Resoria was someone I once saved, so she likes me very much. Which is why she "kindly" asked her father to adopt me." I explain.

　　Rem: "No lies& So it seems that I was indeed tricked." She said with a sigh.

　　Selenia: "Tricked? It was probably someone from the Empire. There have been so many attempts on my life lately." I reply.

　　A necromancer, and now they have lied to a paladin? Paladins aren`t loyal to any church, or anyone really. Resoria told me about them, and how if I ever need help, go find one to help me. Common sense is being tested at the moment&

　　Rem: "How evil& I will find the one that informed me that you were a demon and kill him. That would be the only just thing to do." She said with a thinking pose.

　　Selenia: "Yeah. So& could you release me now?" I ask.

　　The rope that was binding my hands wasn`t normal at all. No matter how much strength I use, I can`t break it.

　　Rem: "No. And don`t bother trying to escape those restraints. That is holy rope. It blocks the powers of both holy and evil. Without your blessing, you`re just a child." She replied.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

　　Selenia: "Why can`t you release me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

　　Rem: "Isn`t that simple? After making the entire convoy fall asleep, I took you. But those one woman woke up before I could escape. That was less than a day ago. Now, even in such a short period of time, the entire empire seems to have my face up on wanted posters." She explained.

　　Selenia: "Ah, so I am a hostage?" I assume.

　　Rem: "As much as it pains me, yes. Though, now that I know that you`re actually a blessed person, I am struggling with keeping you hostage&" She said with a sad tone.

　　Selenia: "Just release me. I swear that I will convince Resoria to not pursue you at all." I say with a serious tone.

　　Rem: "Unfortunately, to survive, I must keep you as a hostage. I have already been excommunicated. Since I am no longer a paladin, I don`t have to only do good things anymore. In fact, I cannot find and kill the one who set you up." She replied.

　　Selenia: "Then what is your plan, Paladin Rem?" I ask.

　　Rem: "&Escape." She answered.

　　Before I could ask her anything more, the woman walked out of the cave. Shit& This is what happens when you get in between women and their wives& Trying their best to save me, they ended up making it harder to escape from this damn woman&

　　Days Later.

　　Rem has been dragging me along for a while. Despite saying that she didn`t have to be a good person anymore, she was very kind. She made sure that I ate food and drank water, as well as let me use the restroom.

　　Of course, it`s not like she was there right next to me. And it wasn`t like I was restricted as much as when I woke up a few days ago. Instead, I now had a long rope tied around my waist. The rope was very good at restricting my power, though I could walk around a decent bit. The rope did have some slack, after all.

　　Rem: "I am surprised that you havent tried to run away or tried to kill me, Selenia." She said with a confused tone.

　　Currently, it was night. Rem and I were sitting around a campfire. I was enjoying some soft and tasty bread. Despite being a hostage, Rem`s treatment of me was pretty good. Rather than a hostage, I felt like I was just reluctantly traveling with her.

　　Selenia: "If you try to rape me, I promise that I will try to run or kill you." I reply before returning to my soft bread.

　　Rem: "&"

　　Selenia: "If you want to keep our current relationship, then don`t do anything like that." I say with a laugh.

　　Rem: "Where do you think that I should go?" She asked.

　　Selenia: "I don`t know?" I reply.

　　Rem: "Surely, as a Princess you know of some good places, right?" She asked once more.

　　Selenia: "Hah. That is very funny, Paladin Rem. You see, I have only been a princess for less than a month. Before that, I was just a random, unknown child." I reply.

　　Rem: "I see&" She said with a sigh.

　　Selenia: "I am sure that there are many places that you could escape to. But I just don`t know of any. It is funny, not that long ago, I couldn`t even read." I say with a sigh.

　　Rem: "Couldn`t read? How old are you?" She asked.

　　Selenia: "I am about 8 years of age. Pretty young, I would say. And I was born into a worthless family." I reply.

　　Rem: "That`s wrong to say about your family, Selenia." She said with a stern tone.

　　Selenia: "I think that my mother died in childbirth, as I never saw her. As for my father, he tried to rape me before he decided to take his own life. He left me on my own, and to survive, I had to join Sooven`s military." I explain.

　　Rem: "&"

　　Selenia: "?"

　　Rem: "I am sorry for what I said. I wasn`t aware of your circumstances." She said with a remorseful tone.

　　This woman wasn`t in the right mindset right now. If she was, Rem would ask me more specific questions. For instance, I haven`t tried to kill or run away from her. But I have left a trail that Resoria and Cirilia would easily recognize.

　　It pains me somewhat& This woman is clearly someone good, but the empire set both me and her up. I will be able to get through this and live my life. But Rem will lose her place in the world. I guess& I have to somehow convince those two&