The action takes place in the year 232.
- Wow, what a beautiful flower
A girl with fiery, wavy hair, but surprisingly straight bangs, and ruby eyes,
standing in the middle of a huge clearing of beautiful, azure-colored flowers, screamed.
- They say that they are useful for colds and diseases.
Added a personal knight of the princess - Roy Hoover, who guarded the territory where Melissa was.
- It's Mommy's birthday today! How I would like to give her the whole glade of these beautiful flowers!
The little princess said enthusiastically.
"Your Highness, don't go far away! And hurry up. You know it's dangerous to be here if someone sees us now....
Before she could finish, Melissa interrupted him
- Then you will protect me! Isn't that right?
"Er... naturally, Your Highness.
Hoover replied sheepishly.
- Well, I've already collected almost everything, now, the last one....
The princess was about to pluck the last 11 flowers, already almost touching with her small fingers, when suddenly
something or someone very cleverly caught Melissa and hid with her in the bushes. The princess only had time to contemplate how the arrow that was intended for her
stuck into the tree that was next to her. When she came to her senses, she slowly shifted her gaze to her savior.
It was a boy, about 12 years old, with snow-white hair, like the purest snow, and with crystal blue eyes.
The little princess looked at the boy with surprised eyes and just as she wanted to say something, the boy closed her mouth.
- Shh!
The boy said, putting his finger to his lips and gazing intently into the *burning rubies*.
"Was that the prince?"
One of the Arctarganir hunters was surprised. He was tall, thin, with shining eyes, with a tail and wolf ears.
"Didn't he really help this stranger?"
The second hunter said sarcastically. Short, plump and also with shining eyes, tail and ears.
- Hey, you!
The knight Hoover called out to these *gentlemen*. And he came closer to them.
- But where has the princess gone...?
The knight said to himself, looking for the baby princess with his eyes.
- And what are you doing here, you fox freak?
- Now we'll teach you a quick lesson.
And the hunters began to attack the knight.
- I need to help my knight!
Melissa exclaimed anxiously, almost coming out of the bushes. But the voice of the boy who saved her stopped her.
- Stop! You'll only get in the way there.
And after these words, the boy took the princess by the hand and adds.
- Come on.
Melissa clearly didn't like it that someone completely unfamiliar to her grabs her by the hand and takes her somewhere, and also forbids her to help her *friend*.
She pulls her hand away and stops.
- Stop it! I'm not going anywhere with you, even if you saved me, but I don't know you. Could you at least introduce yourself.
The boy turned around.
- OK. I am Prince Michael del Caretto.
- Ooo...
Melissa stared at Mikael for a few seconds and then changed her face, smiling carelessly.
- And I'm a princess!
The red-haired beauty clapped her hands.
Mikael looked at her for a while, took her by the hand and led her on. Melissa, in turn, put her arm around his arm and said, mimicking everything with gestures:
- Since you are a prince, and I am a princess, and you saved me, that is, the princess, so now we have to get married!
Mikael stopped abruptly and started.
"W-what?"
The prince turned to the princess and pulled his hand away from her embrace.
- And you didn't think that I didn't save you at all!
- How is that?
- Maybe I just decided to kidnap you myself!
Melissa smiled even wider and shook her head negatively.
- no.
Mikael was at a complete loss. Embarrassment and fear merged together in him, which turned into a kind of anger. And he asked angrily.
- Why!?
"You don't look like a kidnapper at all!" You're good, kind... Prince Charming!
- Yes, how do you, baby, even know what I am? We just met!
- I don't know! I just feel that way! Most likely, I just fell in love with you!
Melissa took Mikael's hand and put it to her rosy cheeks, caressing her.
- What!?
Mikael blushed noticeably, it was very clearly visible on his spotlessly clean, white skin.
- Yes!
Melissa confirmed and snuggled tightly into Mikael's arms, closed her eyes.
- I love you!
And after these words, Melissa turned into a small, fluffy, red-haired kitsune in the prince's arms and fell asleep from overcooling.
- !?
- Oh, shit!
- My body temperature is too low for a kitsune, especially for such a baby.
Mikael looked sadly at this defenseless fox in his hands, at this little life that was in his power.
Mikael took off his winter fur cape and carefully wrapped Melissa in it. He carried her to the gate on the ground of kitsune-Honshu, and put her next to him.
The young prince looked at the *fox* a little more, after which he quickly left so that no one would have time to notice him.
When Mikael reached his native palace of the Arctarganir and noticed that there were only a few of their imperial troops left,
he decided to go to the throne room to his father, the emperor.
- Your Majesty, the Emperor, and where did the whole army go?
- Hello, my son, the glorious Prince Michael. You've been hunting for so long, but I haven't seen any success this time. What happened this time?
- Father, I asked you a question, answer it to me, and then ask your own.
- Hmm...
The emperor stood up and slowly walked towards the prince.
- They went to seize Honshu lands. Ha ha ha.
Approaching Mikael, His Majesty patted him affectionately on the head and added.
- It's high time to exterminate these humanoid, tailed creatures!
The Emperor went to the big window.
"When you inherit the throne, Honshu land will already be ours and you will not be disturbed by this pathetic semblance of people.
Mikael's face was in complete horror. His eyes darted frantically from one side to the other.
- Kitsune... heck!...
Mikael, like a bullet, ran out of the palace! And rushed through the trees with super-speed, like a vampire.
When Mikael got to the place, he saw too terrible a picture. Everything in Honshu burned with a fierce, scarlet flame.
The prince entered this hell and walked slowly through this poor land. Houses and trees were falling apart, burning to the ground.
Screams, screams, helplessness, death - all this was before the eyes of a 12-year-old boy.
Mikael lowered his head down and remembered Melissa's sweet face, her smile, laughter. Angry, he hit the tree with his claws and fell to his knees.
- Gh! I don't care! You were just a cute little girl, but you would have grown up just the same as the others anyway!
He clasped his hands together.
- It's better to get rid of you while you're still small!
Mikael raises his head with perfect indifference, but emptiness in his face, and leaves this place suffering from the complete madness of bloodshed.
.
.
.
It's been 11 years. 243 year.
- Your Highness, I can safely say that he will be charmed by you!
The maid of the Alliste manor said.
"I hope so, Jenny.
Melissa sat in front of the mirror and peered at her reflection. Completely immersed in the memories of the past.
.
.
.
Melissa woke up on the back of her older brother Reggie. Melissa Ginger's mother was running nearby.
- Let's run quickly!
Ginger shouted in an excited voice, holding her older brother's hand. Melissa looked first at her mother, then at her brother.
- Mommy, brother, what's going on?
- Oh, honey...
Ginger wanted to answer her little girl's question, but she couldn't find the words so as not to frighten the child.
So Reggie took the initiative
- We were attacked by wolves!
- what?
The princess, trying to comprehend the meaning of what she heard, ran her eyes.
- But we're all here except.... Where's Dad?
Ginger stopped abruptly, her face was gripped by a deep sadness that called for tears.
She went up to the baby and gently stroked her cheek.
- He .... is no longer in the same world with us. Children, we must survive with you at any cost! So that your father's sacrifice will not be in vain!
This news completely stunned Melissa, she couldn't believe her ears, didn't want to believe it.
Ginger led the children further behind her.
- Daddy..
- We need to get to the human world!There we will be saved.
- Our grandmother is there!
- yes... Then we will need to run to that bridge, and from there there will be a gate nearby.
Ginger pointed in the direction she mentioned above, but suddenly an arrow hit her right in the arm.
- Ah!
Queen Kitsune screamed. A terrible pain engulfed her entire arm and she began to go numb.
- Well, where are you chanterelles going? You certainly won't escape from here!
There were about 10-15 ice wolves in front of them. But Ginger pulled herself together and turned to the children.
She gently took Reggie by the shoulders and turned to him.
"Reggie, please hold Lissa as tight as you can and get out of here!"
Ginger looked at the children with deep sorrow and sadness and recoiled, but Reggie grabbed his mother's hand and asked
- But... what about you?
- I'll distract them and join you later.
Kitsune replied with a smile.
- Come on! Faster!Run!
Reggie took Melissa firmly and ran as far as possible, as their mother had told them.
Ginger shouted after them in tears
- Take care of each other!
Reggie didn't turn around, but Melissa, on the contrary, not only turned around, but also tried to get off her brother.
- Brother, no! What about Mom!? We can't leave her there!
- Mom told us to run. But she will join us soon.
Melissa wasn't even listening to her brother. She started pounding him on the back, asking him to let her go. But one of the ice wolves appeared in front of them.
- Where are you going, kids? Our emperor will be happy to have you at the table!
Reggie hugged his sister even tighter. Ginger, having dealt with those wolves, ran to the children. But noticing that they were attacked,
her eyes lit up with a terrible fire, and 9 tails appeared from behind!
- How dare you touch my children!
And with all the fury she threw herself at the wolf. She dug her claws into his neck, and blood sprayed out in a beautiful stream.
- kh! kh!
Enraged, kitsune turned to the children and screamed.
- Run! Come on!
The children obediently ran. Ginger watched them go, but suddenly, waiting for the moment, she was attacked from behind. Her arms and legs were pinned down so that she could not move, and they began to strangle her.
Melissa turned around and saw the whole picture and immediately freed herself from her brother's arms and ran to her mother.
- No! Mommy! I have to help her!
Reggie grabbed Melissa's arm tightly.
- Wait, Melissa!
Melissa turned to him. She was all in tears, her face was not just scared, her eyes were wide open,
in which both fear and surprise are read, something even similar to madness. Her facial expressions were motionless, as if frozen. And she barely spoke
- But, brother, we have to help Mommy soon! Otherwise...
The little girl clutched her face with her hands. Reggie squatted down next to her.
- Melissa, Mommy wants us to survive, otherwise we will all be killed!
- I don't want to leave without her!
Reggie hugged his sister.
- Lissa, you have to! Don't worry, if at least we survive, then one day we will take revenge on them all! Every single one!
Reggie grabbed Melissa very tightly in his arms and ran away. Melissa no longer had the strength to resist,
her physical and emotional states were completely exhausted, so she just squeezed out of herself
- Mommy....
..
.
243 year.
"Your Highness?"
Melissa averted her gaze and moved away from the mirror.
- Yes, I'm on my way.
The girl was already getting into the carriage, when suddenly, her eyes were attracted by children with their hands tied, who were taken around the corner by an adult man.
- Well, don't kick! We still need to take you out of the country unnoticed!
- Let go!
The first boy began to beg, as he was immediately interrupted by the second.
- Yes, at least get on your knees, you know that they won't let us go anyway!
- Stop it!
Melissa boldly approached them. The boys' eyes sparkled at the sight of her and they exclaimed together
- Beautiful!?
Melissa looked at the men with contempt.
- What are you doing? Untie the children immediately!
One of the men definitely did not like the trick of this lady. He stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest
- And who are you? Let me ask you something.
Melissa repeated his gesture and also came closer.
- I'm Melissa Landau. The future empress of this country!
Melissa looked them in the eye and after a few seconds, slowly turned around with her eyes closed.
- Guards, seize them!
Two guards hurriedly approached the smugglers.
"Oh, Her Highness the Crown Princess. Maybe you'll change your mind when you find out they're wolves.
Melissa started up and looked at the boys with surprised eyes.
- Wolves?
One of the smugglers who had slipped away unnoticed from the eyes of the guards was about to hit the princess from behind... But
- What's going on here?
From afar, a rough, authoritative voice sounded, the silhouette of a tall man approaching.
- Brother!
One of the boys shouted. This man effortlessly knocked out the slaveholders and two guards, then pointed the sword in Melissa's direction.
Melissa turns around.
- !?.
* It's him... The Emperor of Arctarganir*
The princess was shocked, but quickly changed her expression, which is not true of the man opposite.
- You....
