A Monster in a Maiden's Skin

Having been abducted in the dead of night and told by a strange man that her kingdom was on the verge of destruction, Aurora showed not the slightest hint of panic.

Despite being quite wary of the soldier before her, Aurora maintained sufficient grace and politeness, her demeanor and words displaying a maturity that belied her age. Her actions were nothing like those of a young princess as pure and ignorant as a blank sheet of paper, one who had never left the palace.

"Why do you say the kingdom will be destroyed in a few years? What evidence do you have?" she asked.

The soldier laughed:

"You may have heard of Engeland, a neighboring country that always covets our land and resources, a powerful military empire, a domineering nation of robbers!

"I used to serve in the army. A few months ago, my comrades and I captured an Engeland nobleman. He had been invited as a foreign guest to a grand event in the kingdom more than a decade ago.

"According to him, at that event, the Black Witch Maleficent cursed our Rose Kingdom, decreeing that the kingdom would be destroyed in a little over a decade! Counting from now, there are probably only five or six years left!

"When that time comes, the kingdom's lands will be covered with thorns and tribulus, and everyone will die miserably, bleeding from all seven orifices.

"However, the King has deceived us, deceived all of us! He has not revealed the secret to the people."

Clearly, the soldier did not know that the Aurora before him was the source of the curse.

"The nobleman also said that Engeland is considering revealing the secret, telling the truth about the curse to the people of our country.

"Once everyone knows the secret of the curse, the entire kingdom will fall into chaos. Everything will become a mess.

"But don't be afraid, I can protect you and take you away from the kingdom in advance."

As he said this, the soldier tried to straighten his back, trying to show his masculinity.

Honestly, the soldier was skeptical about the captured nobleman's claims. But that didn't stop him from presenting it as an established fact to the princess before him.

He believed that a terrible crisis could throw an ignorant girl into a panic, and this was his chance to win the princess's heart!

Even if the girl didn't believe his words at all, he had The Tinderbox, which he could use to forcibly take her away! Anyway, there would be plenty of time to build a relationship in the future.

After listening to the soldier's impassioned speech, Aurora's expression remained unchanged, still looking doubtful.

The soldier felt a little impatient and added, "It was the parasitic royal nobles who angered the terrifying Black Witch, but we have to bear the disaster.

"If I were king, I would do better, and I would never dare to offend a powerful Witch!"

Unexpectedly, Aurora retorted righteously, "Even if everything you said is true, the culprit should be the Black Witch Maleficent who cast the curse on the kingdom! If the King has committed any crime, it should be the crime of cowardice.

"He should declare war on the Black Witch, even if it means using the entire country's army and hiring all the Magicians he can, to kill the culprit and end the curse. Even if everyone dies in battle, it's better than sitting and waiting for the end to come."

For 10 years, Aurora, who was raised by Rhine and the 12 Witches, deeply loved this land and this country.

She loved listening to the sound of the babbling streams, cherished the hustle and bustle of the streets and alleys, would play ball with the children in town (and no one could beat her!), explored the kingdom's long history from books with the scholars who were her teachers, and was even teleported by Rhine, her magic-wielding mentor, to many of the kingdom's famous sites.

Although she wasn't sure if what the strange man said was true, she still felt anger from the bottom of her heart when she heard that the kingdom was about to fall into chaos and be completely destroyed in a few years.

The soldier was stunned.

He didn't expect that this beautiful girl, who was as lovely as a flower and barely reached his waist, would actually rebuke him in such a stern tone.

And to say such terrifying things as "gather the strength of the whole country to kill the Black Witch" and "even if we die in battle, it's better than sitting and waiting for death"!

The soldier felt a sense of unease.

This beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes carried a dangerous aura that frightened him.

Why did she refute him, why did she say such things?

Wasn't she the princess who had been hidden in the depths of the palace since birth and had never been in contact with the world? No, it shouldn't be like this.

She should have listened obediently, trembled with fear after hearing him tell about the kingdom's future, and snuggled into his arms.

Then he would stroke her soft blonde hair and comfort the trembling princess in his arms!

The soldier felt a little unhappy: he was an adult, a soldier who had experienced life-and-death struggles, and a mere little girl was not qualified to reason with him.

"I'm doing this for your own good, beautiful Princess – if you really are a princess. When the kingdom is really in chaos, you will understand."

After saying that, the soldier commanded the giant dog beside him, whose eyes were as big as teacups: "Take this girl and leave this place!"

The soldier had used the dogs to deal with robbers on the road and knew how terrifying these three dogs were! They were incredibly strong, their skin was as hard as rock, and their bones were as strong as steel.

The soldier even suspected that the three dogs alone were enough to defeat the King's guard – ordinary troops would have their morale collapse at the sight of such monsters. As long as he was willing, he could become the new king at any time.

The dogs opened their huge mouths, as big as vats, and lunged at the blonde, blue-eyed Aurora, wanting to forcibly take her away! Unexpectedly, the little girl, who was not even up to the soldier's waist, was unusually agile, dodging the dog's movements with a practiced sidestep to the left.

Aurora's movements were so fast that they left afterimages in the air.

"Ah?"

The soldier shuddered in surprise.

The girl's tumbling was so practiced, as if she had rehearsed it a thousand times. Even he couldn't see it clearly.

What was going on?

Wasn't she the beautiful Princess? Why was she so skilled? As a true soldier, he knew very well that neither he nor his colleagues in the team had such skills!

"It's okay, it's okay, it's just a little girl. At most, she's a little agile. I'm not afraid of a little girl, am I?"

The soldier comforted himself while instinctively retreating, distancing himself from Aurora.

The girl's movements were smooth and familiar, like a battle-hardened warrior, using the momentum of rolling to the left to stick to the wall.

The soldier's eyes widened, and he suddenly understood the golden-haired girl's target! His sword was hanging on the wall! The next second, with a crisp sound of unsheathing, the sword was pulled from the wall.

Aurora stood holding the sword.

Nothing gave her more security than a weapon in her hand.

The dog, bigger than a Lion, did not forget the previous command and pounced on Aurora again.

The golden-haired girl moved, and the sword cut through the air, making a sharp whistling sound! In just a moment—a brief moment that the soldier's naked eye could not capture—the dog fell, falling into a pool of blood.

The seriously injured dog trembled and struggled on the ground, letting out painful wails. The entire inn—no, the entire street—was awakened.

Scalding hot blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly dyeing the entire luxurious room red.

"How is this possible?"

The soldier could hardly believe his eyes, even suspecting that he was dreaming.

Since summoning the dogs with The Tinderbox, he had never seen the three dogs shed even a drop of blood! These three big dogs were almost like wish-fulfilling monsters, capable of doing anything.

Aurora stood on the dog's pool of blood, her pure white nightgown stained crimson.

The blood-soaked golden-haired girl walked slowly, her gilded hair and half of her beautiful face covered in blood, the blood dripping from the sword in her right hand, but her expression was as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened.

This strange and eerie scene turned into a blade of fear, deeply piercing the soldier's heart.

Monster!

This was a monster in a girl's skin!

"Heavens, what kind of creature did the dogs bring back!"

The soldier ran out of the inn in a panic, wiping The Tinderbox several times, his hands trembling with fear, almost unable to hold the treasure.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The other two big dogs appeared in the night.

One dog's eyes were as big as cartwheels, and the other dog's eyes were as big as the top of a round tower.

"The Tinderbox… reneging on your word, the soldier who injured Grandma Rosa, it really is you…"

As soon as she saw the soldier take out The Tinderbox, Aurora understood everything.

The soldier in front of her was the culprit who attacked Grandma Rosa and stole The Tinderbox! Aurora chased after him, her eyes sharper than ever.

The soldier was afraid, completely afraid, he had never been so afraid—not even on the battlefield.

This sharp killing intent was almost touching his back, causing his sweat to soak his vest.

"She's going to kill me, for sure! She must want to kill me!"

The soldier fled in a panic towards the end of the street, into the depths of the night, almost crying.

"Dogs, attack her, protect me!"

He ordered the dogs as he ran, as if the monster in a girl's skin would eat him if he was even a step slower.

The two dogs pounced on Aurora at the same time! The dog with eyes as big as cartwheels bit Aurora's shoulder, this time the girl did not dodge.

But it was useless, the sharp teeth could not even leave a scratch on the girl's skin.

The dog with eyes as big as the top of a round tower also bit Aurora's body with its teeth, but it was equally useless.

The two dogs used all their strength, trying to bite through the girl's body, but it was like biting something harder than iron.

Crack! The teeth of the two large dogs broke at the same time!