Young women who had been abducted in the past were mostly from the common folk, particularly those living in slum areas, where many people didn't care much about the plight of those in the slums.
Some women from noble families were also abducted, but their parents' ranks weren't high enough for their cases to be solved even now.
This had been going on for years, and during certain months, the number of abductions would rise.
Viana took a bite of warm bread and pondered how to solve this problem.
Her eyes rested on Reyes, sitting across from her, eating without lifting his head from his plate.
Suddenly, a wild idea crossed her mind.
She spoke calmly after swallowing the bread she had been chewing, "Reyes, do you trust me?"
Her eyes fixed on her personal Royal Guard, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Reyes lifted his head and looked back at the Princess before answering, "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't still be here with you now."
She smiled at his response, then said again, "I'm going to walk alone after we leave this restaurant."
"I am sorry, Your Highness. For this request, I cannot comply," he replied, placing his knife and fork on the plate.
Viana calmly scooped a spoonful of her soup and sipped it, ignoring Reyes' scrutinizing gaze.
"Do you intend to make yourself get kidnapped?" he asked coldly.
She smiled again and replied, "You only need to follow me from a safe distance."
Her green eyes sparkled under the dim light of the restaurant at midday, looking at Reyes with a challenging gaze.
He stayed silent, staring at the Princess, but his jaw tightened.
"Your Highness, I cannot let you put yourself in danger."
She chuckled softly and placed both hands on the table, clasping them under her chin.
"That's why I trust you to save me," she said with a mischievous smile.
Reyes froze, staring at the Princess as she challenged him in that way, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
"Every word of yours is an order to me," he whispered in resignation.
Viana smiled again and took a few spoonfuls of soup and bites of bread before finally standing.
She walked past Reyes, who was still seated, then whispered, "I'll be waiting for you..."
His body stiffened, and the Princess, with a smile still on her face, pulled her hood tighter to cover her face.
She headed for the exit and stepped out.
Reyes immediately grabbed his sword, which had been placed on the table, and followed her out of the restaurant.
***
She walked alone, calmly passing through the streets and alleys around the capital, allowing a few strands of her blonde hair to peek out from under her cloak.
After a while, she realized she was being followed—and not just by Reyes.
Smiling slightly and pulling her hood further down to conceal her face, she moved away from the bustling streets, heading toward an alley not far from there.
***
"What is this spoiled Princess thinking? Isn't she afraid of dying?" he muttered as he kept walking.
In his mind, the Princess turned out to be quite different from what he'd heard all along.
Many people said she was a spoiled Princess who always wanted things her way.
But in reality, after spending the past week following her wherever she went, the Princess was the complete opposite of what people said.
At times, he even found his heart racing or himself drawn to her unexpectedly mature and intelligent demeanor.
But suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he saw two men emerge from a narrow alley and begin following the Princess.
He followed the men who were trailing Viana until the Princess turned and entered a deserted alley.
The two men, without hesitation, followed the Princess and then captured her.
Reyes, who was behind them and saw the Princess struggling in their grasp, reached for his sword but then sheathed it again.
Before leaving, she had instructed him not to act until she reached the place where the other women were being held captive.
While he felt the idea was reckless and could get her killed, he couldn't go against it. She was the Princess, after all, the third commander who governed this kingdom.
So, he had no choice but to let her be taken captive and closely followed behind.
***
Viana was forcefully taken to an old, abandoned manor at the far end of the city. First, she was placed in a temporary hiding spot near the capital, and then she, along with the other women, was moved to the manor.
The entire process lasted three days, and she was sure the palace had already sent out a search party to find her.
She winced as a rough-looking man, likely in his thirties, shoved her into the underground prison.
Angrily, she glared at him, only for the man to laugh at her expression and say, "What's wrong? You want me to treat you even rougher than this?"
Viana snorted and turned her head away, only to meet the eyes of another prisoner. Around ten young women, all strikingly beautiful, were crouched against the prison walls.
Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, causing everyone who had been staring at the Princess's face to turn their gaze toward her stomach.
Her face turned red, and she walked to the edge of the prison wall, sat down, and leaned against it, holding her hungry stomach.
Fortunately, after everyone remained silent for thirty minutes, a man arrived carrying a tray.
The aroma of whole-grain bread filled the air, making the women's stomachs feel even hungrier.
The man pushed the tray, filled with bread and drinking water, into the prison through the metal bars.
Viana took her portion of bread and water, then sat back down.
'I hope Reyes gets here soon...' she thought while chewing on the tasteless bread.
While finishing her bread, she observed the women in the prison.
Most of them appeared to come from the common folk, but there were also some who seemed to be from the slum areas.