Takara wasn't willing to be marched out of the garden. She kept trying to fight and yell through the cloth in her mouth, so Katsumi was forced to lift the princess and carry her over her shoulder. She clung on to Takara's thin legs as tightly as she could with one arm, and kept the knife ready in the other hand. Luckily the princess was fairly thin, otherwise lugging her around would have been much more difficult and dangerous.
Making sure to keep to the shadows as much as possible, Katsumi moved around the edge of the garden until she reached the tall hedge that formed the estate's southern boundary. On the other side of the hedge was a shallow stream, and across the stream was the dark safety of the forest.
The hedge was tall and thick, designed to help keep burglars and animals out as well as be ornamental, but Kei had cut a weak spot in it the previous night. Kei was good at these things, so the hole was concealed and very difficult to spot unless you knew what to look for. Katsumi, however, knew exactly where it was.
She unceremoniously dumped the annoying princess, grabbed her under the armpits and began to drag her backwards through the hole in the hedge. Takara understandably didn't like this, and kicked desperately, but it was no use. In a few moments, the two women were on the other side of the hedge and outside the estate.
Katsumi turned around, about to haul Takara back up on her shoulder, and gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected to see this... |