The Little Red Princess

PROLOGUE

The moonlight glistens amongst the dark and empty sky, and as the cold breeze fills the silent forest at nightfall, a dangerous and eerie atmosphere lurks the Empire Grounds.

The raven haired woman, with her disheveled sleeping wear, runs through the tall and unsettling trees as fast as she can. Panting over and over, she struggles to catch her breath and loses stamina from carrying a baby in her arms. Her child, a new born, whimpers as she picks up her running pace.

'I'm sorry my little flower, please bear with this a little bit. We're almost there'

she chants in her head saying it'll be fine. She keeps on running until someone caught up to her. Surprised, thinking it was him, she looks back but it turns out to be someone else. A man, with brown hair and white streaks in his bangs, stood behind her. She notices his brown and white fox ears, and his long ends pushed out under his kimono. Ah, it was Kyu, her nine tailed fox keeper spirit.

"Master, I held them off for a little bit, but it won't last long" He said, worrying about the lady with her baby in her arms.

Kyu was the woman's guardian spirit- they are keepers who makes a pact with a human to protect them with full loyalty until they die. However, Kyu is a rare kind of spirit, he was a nine tailed fox, the only one of his species to exist in the country.

"Don't worry Kyu, I'm almost there" She said as she runs faster with her baby protected in a blanket for warmth despite the cold weather.

They finally reached their destination and stopped on their tracks. A tiny cottage is seen beside a small pond on the right. The woman entered the empty cottage with Kyu.

"Master Rena..."

Kyu softly spoke as he watches Rena kneeling down, caressing the infant. The baby relaxes as she feels her mother's fingers. Rena smiled and she placed her baby on a small comfy couch.

"Kyu, I want you take care of my baby"

"What do you mean?" Kyu furrowed his brows as he feels that he will not like his master's next words.

"His Majesty wants me. I don't know what has gotten into him to the point that he has gone berserk" Rena's tears started to slowly fall as she looks down, gripping the fabric of her dress.

"I will try to talk to him" She continued.

"You know you can't" Kyu cuts her off.

"I know that! ...But I am still his wife. I want my daughter to live" Rena sighed hopelessly. Kyu stared at her in pure shock, he can't believe what she's saying. His Master is going to sacrifice her life! "But Master Rena, you can come with us! You don't need to stay here"

"If I come with you and my daughter, he can still track us. His Majesty can sense my magic already because of our bond" Rena walked towards the sleeping infant and crouched down.

"He didn't get a chance to recognise her magic yet since she's still too young" She kisses the baby's soft cheeks as the infant response with a smile. Kyu still feels uneasy as he see's his Master's decision. He has no choice but to listen to her, he graciously obeys her every order before, but with this order is what he couldn't accept so easily.

"Kyu. I want you to take my child far away from here, the Empire. I want you to replace your pact with me to her, as you will serve her next and find a person who can raise my baby and with you protecting her" Rena exclaimed with her determined eyes staring right into the nine tailed fox's shining red ones.

Kyu widened his eyes as he heard his master's command. "Are you sure you want this, Master? I promised to serve you until I die and-"

"Kyu"