The Royal Palace. Guest Hall.

In the room, there was a round table and four chairs around the table.

Two people were sitting at the table. They were a handsome young man and a dignified middle-aged man.

The young man was the eldest son of the House of Wintergale, Daniel Wintergale.

The middle-aged man was the current king of the Kingdom of Hundred Winds, Elias Azurestorm.

King Elias and Daniel were conversing and drinking tea.

"Why don't I see the princess?" asked Daniel.

"She's just a bit shy," replied King Elias, "but she should be here soon."

"I knew there would be problems with this girl at the last minute; she couldn't have agreed to this meeting so easily," thought King Elias.

"She nearly killed her opponent during a regular sword practice session, and you call her shy," thought Daniel.

Daniel did not want to come to this meeting and be a candidate for the princess's suitor. He had heard about the princess's character: she either locked herself in her room reading books or went out and tormented the knights. He had heard how she crippled several knights during regular sparring, and these knights were in full armor. However, it was an invitation from the king himself, so his family could not refuse.

Half an hour later.

The tea in the teapot had long run out. Daniel drank the majority of the tea, while King Elias was simply pouring it.

"Even if this girl doesn't want to meet, she could have sent someone to say she won't be meeting or find a reason to decline the meeting. She always dodges all important gatherings with fake illnesses. Is she deliberately putting me in an awkward position?

King Elias was currently very angry. Even as a king, a man of influence, it was awkward for him to keep Daniel here. All the words about politics and life had already run out.

Daniel was the best suitor he could find for his wayward daughter. He was perfect: handsome, intelligent, and cunning. In two years, he had raised House Wintergale's business and influence to unprecedented levels. Under his leadership, House Wintergale had almost become the first noble house from the last noble house.

He knew his daughter wasn't interested in the duties of a queen, and it was almost impossible to change her. He had tried countless times. So he chose Daniel. When Eleanor became queen, he would take over the leadership of the kingdom, and she could live as she pleased.

There was a small bell on the table to call the servants. The king used the bell, and a maid entered the room.

"Find the princess and bring her here by any means necessary," King Elias said.

The maid left.

Daniel and King Elias were silent. There were no more words for conversation. Continuing the fake conversation was awkward for both of them.

Ten minutes later.

A trembling maid entered the room.

"Where is the princess? I said to bring her here by any means necessary!" shouted King Elias.

The maid took out a letter from her left sleeve and handed it to the King with trembling hands.

"The letter refusing the meeting. I wonder what her reason is," thought Daniel.

"A letter? After putting me in such an awkward position, she's going to get away with just a letter. Regardless of the reason in the letter, she'll receive a harsh punishment today. A month without books, alright, a week without books."

The king began reading the letter, inwardly, of course.

A minute later.

Daniel was very curious about what was written. During the reading of the letter, the king's expression changed three times: first, incredible shock, then incredible anger, and finally, relief.

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"Perhaps this outcome is the best for both her and the kingdom," thought King Elias.

King Elias knew that Eleanor's escape was possible; from childhood, she had always been angry whenever her marriage was mentioned. But he didn't expect her escape to happen so suddenly. He regretted that she didn't even meet him before leaving.

He wasn't angry with her because he deeply loved his daughter. He wanted to make her free as she wished, but the rules created by the founder couldn't be violated: the eldest child must inherit the throne, and marriage was a natural thing for girls.

As for Eleanor's safety, King Elias wasn't worried at all. His daughter was brave, strong, cunning, and incredibly clever.

The king closed the letter, turned to Daniel, and said:

"Bad news."

"What news? Has something happened to the princess?" Daniel asked with concern on his face. Of course, his concern was false.

"My daughter has been kidnapped. And the kidnappers are demanding half the kingdom. I cannot give them half the kingdom. So I won't be able to get my daughter back," said the king, with a falsely mournful expression.

"Shame I couldn't even catch a glimpse of her face," said Daniel, also with a falsely mournful expression.

Kidnapping the princess from her room was impossible. And the kidnappers' demand for half the kingdom was utter nonsense in his heart. He knew the king fabricated this lie in an instant, even his grief was fake, but as a subject, he could only continue to play along.

☆☆☆

Near the gates of the capital.

The bearded coachman hired by Eleanor returned with purchased food and water. The coachman sat on his coachman's seat and drove the carriage towards the seaport.

Inside the carriage, Eleanor was still lying down and eating dried meat.

"All that's missing is a book to read, and everything would be perfect," Eleanor said with her cheeks stuffed with food.

She hadn't eaten since waking up. Therefore, she was very hungry.

"Big sister, I found a pouch with gold coins. No, not just gold coins, but there's also a pouch with silver coins," Evelina said, pulling out two pouches from her cloak.

Eleanor saw this and coughed.

Evelina put the pouches aside and quickly handed Eleanor a water flask.

"It seems my preparations were too extreme," Eleanor thought.

Night.

Eleanor's carriage arrived at the port town of Big Hook. It was a small town built by sailors, near the seaport.

Eleanor slept on the couch inside the carriage, while Evelina simply sat on another couch. Evelina was interested in the views during the ride, so she looked out the carriage window and didn't sleep all the way to the seaport.

"Big sister, we've arrived," Evelina whispered softly, trying to wake Eleanor up.

Eleanor didn't wake up and slept like a log. Evelina approached Eleanor's ear and tried to wake her up again. Still no results. Evelina had to resort to extreme measures. She grabbed a water flask, opened it, and splashed some water on Eleanor's face.

"Aah!"

Eleanor screamed and woke up.

"What are you doing?" Eleanor yelled at Evelina.

"You asked me to wake you up when we arrived here," Evelina said.

"Couldn't you find a better method?" Eleanor was still angry.

"The usual methods weren't working, so I had to do it," Evelina said innocently.

"It's useless to talk to you; it seems I've spoiled you too much," Eleanor said and tried to get up.

"Hmm?" Eleanor couldn't get up.

When she tried to stand up, her back started to hurt. She also felt a strange tingling sensation in her head.

"Evelina, help me stand up," Eleanor said, reaching out to Evelina.

"I told you it's not a good idea to sleep inside the carriage," Evelina said, but still helped Eleanor.

Evelina was the first to step out of the carriage, followed by Eleanor, who held her temples.

"I'll never sleep in a carriage during travel again," Eleanor concluded to herself.

Eleanor looked at the port town and noticed that most of the lights were off.

"It seems the chances of finding decent accommodation are minimal, and it will be a stroke of luck if we can find any lodging at all," Eleanor thought.

The coachman, who hadn't left, approached them.

"Young ladies, as you can see, it's late, and all the inns are either full or closed, and finding a simple room to sleep in is very difficult. However, I have a sister here. She owns a small tavern, and there's always a spare room available. If you don't mind, I can take you to her. I must warn you, though, the conditions in the room aren't luxurious," the coachman said.

"The conditions don't matter; lead the way," Eleanor said.

The coachman led Eleanor and Evelina to his sister's tavern. Today, he had made a significant profit because of them and even felt a bit guilty, thinking he had simply deceived two children from a noble family. So, he decided to help them a bit.

After five minutes, they arrived at a two-story building. Above the establishment's door hung a sign with the inscription "Golden Wave". Lights were on outside, indicating that the establishment was open. They simply opened the door and went inside.

As the door opened and closed, a bell attached to it chimed.

On the ground floor, tables and chairs were arranged. Eleanor and Evelina randomly chose a table and sat down, while the coachman remained standing.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman descended from the second floor. She was the owner of the tavern. When she saw the little brother, she smiled and embraced him.

" Little brother, it's been a while since you visited your big sister. I thought you forgot you even had a sister. And even now, when you come to visit me, you come so late," the tavern owner complained.

"Sorry, big sister, but it's not about that right now. These two young ladies need a room for the night," the coachman said, pointing to Eleanor and Evelina.

"So, they're your clients, huh? Here I was thinking you finally brought me my nieces. So, you're still unmarried as always," the tavern owner said.

"I don't want to hear that from a thirty-year-old virgin," the coachman complained, but of course, he didn't dare say it out loud. He knew how furious his sister got when he brought up this topic.

"I can't help it if women are blind and can't see my charm," the coachman said, stroking his thick beard.

"What charm are you talking about? I've told you before that the beard doesn't suit you," the tavern owner shook her head.