Sakura blossoms were a common sight in this land. This land of Kin and Elves known to the world as Alfheim. The sight of these falling petals resembled a pink snow that covered the ground. As such was the sight of the land during spring time. A crisp spring breeze blew through the Imperial Castle.

A grand sight indeed from the sight of the normal person. The Imperial Castle was a massive complex, occupying a vast amount of space. The grounds itself was as large as a small village outside of Yggdrasil. Inside the castle walls were several buildings, all dedicated to the maintenance and governance of the country of Alfheim. They were all similar in design, having large gently curved roofs, supported by posts and lintels.

But the main spectacle was the Imperial Castle Building itself.At the center of the series of four buildings that made up the Imperial Castle Building was a large keep, standing at sixty meters in height. From the outside, the castle had at least seven floors. Surrounding the main keep of the castle were three smaller keeps, forming a cluster of towers around the main keep. The space between the Main Keep and its Subsidiary Keeps was occupied by a large garden filled with ponds and sakura trees. Keeping in style with the rest of the buildings, the castle had a curved roof at each floor. The roof was decorated with statues of foxes at the north, east, west, and southern parts of the castle.

At the entrance of the castle was a large red doorless gate, composed of two thick wooden posts. At the very top, the posts were connected by two more wooden posts with the top most being curved in a concave manner. In front slightly off to the side of the gate were two large statues representing the guardian spirit of Alfheim. A large dragon that snarled fiercely at all visitors.

And it was here at this gate that…

“PRINCESS SHIRAYUKI!”

A younger Shirayuki ran past the gates, glancing over her shoulder. An angry foxkin woman ran after her waving her fist and carrying a book in her hand. “WE HAVE YET TO FINISH THE ROYAL LESSONS!”

“Screw them!” she stuck her tongue out. Channeling her body’s prana to her legs, she ran even faster, kicking up dust and stray petals. And so starts another day for me. I wonder where Red and Kaguya are? She wondered as she sprinted down into the Capital Mall. Officials looked on as a white blur sped past them, instantly knowing who this person was.

After a few minutes, Yuki had arrived at the usual spot. She jumped up to the top of the tree, grabbing hold of the branch. Pulling herself up, she sat there, staring back at the castle. It seemed so large from where she was. She reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a piece of bread she had stolen from the handmaidens during escape.

A familiar smell entered her nose, causing her lips to curve upward. “Red, how long are you going to stand at the foot of the tree?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my Lady.” A voice said.

She yelped slightly as the branch shook from the newly added weight. She looked up from her meal and saw Red, sitting on the same branch next to her.

“Running away again? Lady Mizore and Lord Jun sent me here to find you.” He offered her some bread balls on a stick.

“Really? Mom and Dad did?” she took the stick without a second thought.

“They sent me and Kaguya.” He took out another bread balls on a stick and took a bite. “Well, she should be on her way here right now.”

“Ugh, Kaguya’s gonna make me go back.”

“You kind of have to. You are the-”

“And that’s the problem. It’s not that I mind, it’s just a lot of pressure to be someone I’m not. I am the Princess but…” she trailed off and looked at the world beyond the castle walls. Yuki stared off into the various houses of the common people and the world beyond that. “I don’t want to just be stuck here forever. And I don’t want to become them.”

“...” Red remained silent as he watched his friend looking longingly out into the world beyond. It was no secret between these two that she wanted to see more. “Well, maybe when you’re older, you can go on diplomatic missions with Lady Mizore and Lord Jun to different countries. Which is why you need to study.”

“Screw that. I’ll just be a walking doll at that point,” she said.

“You are anything but that. A walking doll doesn’t use swords or know magic,” he retorted.

“I will become the Queen one day. But… I want to do it on my own accord. Not anyone else’s.” Yuki reached her hand out and closed her fist. “Speak of the devil…” her red eyes drifted down to see her retainer standing at the base of the tree.

“My lady! Come down from there. Red and I can only pretend to be lost for so long!” Kaguya said.

“I’m coming!” she hopped down from the tree, landing in front of Kaguya. She smiled and patted her black haired retainer on the back. “Come on, before they send Aunt Lilia here.”

A week had passed since she ran out on her lessons. Yuki found herself sitting in a classroom alone. The class was for her and her alone after all. She glanced out the window, looking past the wall towards the town. The city of Gimle from what she heard was a lively and bustling city.

“Princess!”

“Yes!” she looked towards the teacher.

“Have you finished answering the questions on how General Sun was able to win the Battle of Utgard during the Great War?” the teacher pushed up her glasses.

“Yeah, I did. Can I go now?” she asked, handing her the paper.

The teacher sighed and took the paper. “Princess, please take your studies more seriously. These are things you need-”

“To rule Alfheim, I know. But how can I know what to do if I don’t know the people? All I know is history and other subjects,” she said.

“Princess, please don’t concern yourself with commoners. Your duties are to the loyal family, not to some random beggar in Gimle. Now, I think you have the rest of the day to yourself since your subjects are do-” the teacher was unable to finish as a gust of wind blew past her.

She had a brilliant idea as she ran out of the castle. It’s around noon. Red should be done with morning training. And the guards are changing shifts in fifteen minutes. If we time this correctly, we can get into town!

“RED!” she yelled, waving as she watched a red haired boy exiting the training grounds.

At the sound of his name being called, Red turned around and saw Yuki running towards him. He wiped some sweat off his brow as he sheathed his blade. “Princess?”

“Red, come on! Now’s the day! The guard shift finally lined up with my classes ending. Come on!” she grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards the gate.

“Wait? Go where?” he asked, allowing himself to be taken.

“To Gimle! I wanna see what life is like there. I’ll be Queen one day right? I have to know what people are like so I can make good decisions!” Yuki had an excited tone. Being trapped inside one place for sixteen years made her long for more.

Red smiled. Despite being naive, her heart is in the right place, he thought.

“Come on! Stop walking! We have like… 10 minutes before the guard shift is done and there’s a regular patrol!” she said.

“Well then.” Red suddenly grabbed and carried her in his arms.

“E- Ehh!? Red, what are you d- doing!?” Yuki yelped. Her face was now fully red, color erupting all over her face.

“You said we had 10 minutes. I’m faster than you right now so I can get us out of the gate in no time,” he said. He channeled prana into his muscles and took off with great speed towards the gate.

The capitol city of Gimle was nothing like she had read in the books. It was lively yes but the expressions of her own people could not be captured in words. She walked next to Red, her hair having been dyed black and eyes turned blue by an illusory skill she learned from her aunt.

“Why am I hiding my looks again? It’s not like people know what I look like. I never come down here,” she said.

“Yeah but the nobles know what you look like and the Aristocratic Faction’s been at odds with your parents for a while now,” Red said, walking next to her.

“Yeah… woah! Look over there!” Yuki ran from his side and over to a group of kids. She squatted down next to them, watching them spin tops to clash with each other. “What’s this?” she asked.

The boy next to her looked up, noticing her presence. “It’s a game. We spin tops to see who knocks all the other tops over!”

“Cool! Can I try?” she asked, smiling cheekily at the boy.

“Yeah! Here!” he handed her his top and string.

Yuki wrapped the string around the top and aimed at the circle where the other tops were. She pulled the string and watched the top clash with the other ones. Behind her, Red watched with an amused look on his face. This was the most fun she’d seen her have in a while.

“Hu! I WON!” she raised her arms in triumph.

The kids around her cheered for her. They stayed there for a few more minutes until the sounds of their parents could be heard. The kids bade the two good bye as they went their separate ways.

“What else is there? Ooh! Let’s go there!” she ran off once more, causing Red to sigh in exasperation.

“Princess! Wait!” Red ran after her. As he pushed through the crowd, he heard her yell in anger.

“HEY!”

He pushed past the crowd and saw Yuki standing there a bit dazed.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Some punk kid took my pouch! It had my favorite necklace in there!” she said. “I’m going after him.”

“Milady, please wai- and she’s gone.” Red lowered his hand as Yuki vanished from her spot. He saw her running across the roof, looking down at the crowd.

Yuki jumped from roof to roof, keeping an eye on the child. When she saw him turn into an alleyway, her eyes narrowed. Disappearing in a burst of speed, she landed in the alleyway in front of the kid.

The child cried out in surprise as he ran into her, falling on his butt and dropped her pouch.

“End of the road, kid. You have some nerve stealing from people,” she said, bending over and grabbing the pouch.

“It’s always like this. People like you are all the same!” he yelled.

Yuki raised her eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Milady!”

The boy turned around and saw Red running towards them. He had his sword drawn and ready to detain the person who dared lay their hands on a royal. Frightened at the sight of the blade, the boy ran past Yuki down the alley.

The Princess stood there, watching as he disappeared into the shadows.

“Milady, are you alright?” Red asked, walking up to her.

“Y- Yeah. Red, what did that boy mean when he said that people like me were all the same?” Yuki stared at the long alley.

“Let’s head back before the King and Queen look for you. It’ll be a hassle for us and the town’s people to have the royal guard looking through the entire town,” Red said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Y- Yeah,” she said. Yuki turned around to follow Red back to the Summit. Tuning one last time towards the alley, she sighed. Without wasting another second, Yuki walked after her friend as troubling thoughts filled her head.