My heart pounded loudly.

I had been trying to avoid this moment, but somehow I had run straight into it.

"Tell me, what is your name?" she asked with a trembling voice. "Where are your parents? Where do you live?"

She grabbed my shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes.

I needed to escape.

If I stayed here, everything would be over.

"I-I'm Sasa," I said, putting on the cutest smile I could manage.

But it was useless.

The way she looked at me told me she already knew.

I looked exactly like my mother.

There was no way I could fool her.

Thinking quickly, I pointed into the distance.

"Look! A plane!"

"A... plane?" she asked in confusion and looked at the direction I was pointing.

I didn't wait. I take the change.

I turned around and ran.

At this rate, I could probably win a gold medal at the Olympics.

"Your Majesty! The girl got away!" a guard shouted.

Emily stared at the empty spot where I had been standing.

Her expression remained calm, but her eyes were filled with emotion.

"It's not a coincidence," she said quietly. "She is the one. She is Bellatrix Ambashiro, the youngest princess of Ambar."

One of the guards frowned.

"Your Majesty, what is a 'plane'? I've never heard of it before."

"Neither have I," Emily replied. "But that doesn't matter."

Her gaze became serious.

"Find her. Bring her to the palace before she disappears again. Prepare everything for her arrival."

Another guard hesitated.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't we confirm her identity first? Many people have pretended to be the missing princess. What if this is another trick?"

Emily shot him a cold glare.

The guards immediately lowered their heads.

No one dared to speak again.

*****

"Huff... Huff..."

I collapsed behind a building and held my chest.

My luck was awful.

Why did every life I lived become a disaster?

I had escaped the heroin, but then I suddenly realized something.

I had left my bread behind.

Remembering that soft cream bread tears welled in my eyes.

"Is this fair?" I groaned. "A cute little girl like me is will die in hunger."

"Haha. Cute? Who told you that?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

The voice came from above.

Looking up, I saw a boy sitting on a rooftop.

He looked a few years older than me.

"Who are you calling stupid?" I snapped.

"You," he replied without hesitation.

"Do you really think shouting about being hungry will get you free food?"

With surprising ease, he jumped down from the roof.

He landed perfectly on the ground and walked toward me.

"If you want something in this world, you have to take it yourself."

I blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me."

Before I could refuse, he grabbed my hand and dragged me away.

A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a bakery.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Just watch."

The boy looked up and gave a signal with his hand.

Suddenly, a small blue bird flew down from the roof.

It started flying around the baker's head, distracting him.

While the baker was busy chasing the bird away, the boy rushed forward and grabbed two loaves of bread.

"WHAT?!"

My eyes nearly popped out.

Did this guy have some kind brain problem.

The boy ran back, grabbed my hand again, and pulled me away.

We didn't stop until we reached a quiet alley.

I immediately shoved him.

"What are you doing?! That's stealing!"

"Hey, calm down."

He laughed.

"What else was I supposed to do? I once asked that baker for food, and he hit me with a broom."

".....Saying I was a monster."

The blue bird landed on his shoulder.

The boy tore off a small piece of bread and fed it to the bird.

Then he handed the rest to me.

"Here. Eat."

I stared at the bread.

Then I looked at him.

No one had ever shared their food with me before.

My anger slowly disappeared.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

The boy froze.

He looked at me like I had two heads.

"Yeah... whatever," he muttered, turning away.

But I could see a small smile on his face.

"Next time, you're stealing the food yourself."

"What?!"

"You heard me."

He pointed at himself proudly.

"Today's lesson was only practice. Next time, it's your turn."

I stared at him.

Had I really gone from being a starving beggar to becoming a thief?