It only took about half a year for the state of the Empire to return to normal, with changes of course. I also taught the temple my modified spell for translating someone’s Talent, it’s hard to say how big of an influence it will have since it won’t really have any impact unless a really rare Talent gets discovered. It took another half year for mom and me to be able to return to our house in the countryside. Alexia returned to her hometown for the time being while Bel started helping her dads in order to learn how to take over once they retire. It was a lot easier to convince mom to let me start being active as an adventurer. At first she wanted to tag along but she gave up once we both remembered I’m still officially an E-rank adventurer. It didn’t take as long as I expected to get to C-rank.
Most E-rank requests are either gathering herbs or miscellaneous helping around the town. I’m hopeless when it comes to herbs so I did the helping around which was actually a lot of fun. Most people were very grateful for the help since most low rank adventurers prefer to collect herbs since it pays better, especially considering the effort for some of the requests. And now that I’m at C-rank, mom agreed for me to take requests that take longer to complete and thus I am now part of an escort for a merchant's caravan that goes to different small villages within the kingdom.
Aside from me there are 3 other adventurers that got hired as an escort. They said they worked together as a party since they started as E-ranks and it took them about 10 years to get to D-rank.
They are Rebecca, she said she is the party's tank but she doesn’t seem to have a shield, William, the attacker of the party using a spear, and Fern, the healer of the party, she apparently has the rare medicine Talent. I am pretty curious how they are going to fight together but I also hope it doesn’t come to that, not that it would be much trouble but it would definitely be easier.
The route we are going to take isn’t supposed to be very dangerous and I mostly tag along in order to see lots of different places in the kingdom and travel around while getting paid for it. Tanya, one of the leaders of the merchant group is approaching us where we are waiting until they are ready to depart.
“We finished preparations and are now ready to leave. Thank you for accepting the request and keeping us safe despite the modest pay.” She then looks at me, “And thank you Miss Lucina for accepting a D-rank request despite being a C-rank adventurer.”
The party looks at me with wide eyes.
Right Tanya came over just when I was about to introduce myself to them.
“Thank you for going along with my selfish request of tagging along despite being a higher rank than you requested."
Rebecca looks like she just realised something, “So that’s why the guild recommended us to take this request!”
I give her a questioning look, “What do you mean?”
“Well you see, we might be D-rank but that rank only really applies for us as a party since we did all requests together. Our individual ranks would be in the upper E-rank unless we can show power that is high enough but the guild is pretty strict with that since doing requests alone is very different from doing them in a group, especially so if you have a fixed group compared to a group of people who maybe never met before. We also only recently made it to D-rank so I think the guild recommended this request to us so we can see the difference between us and a solo C-rank.”
I can see why the guild did that but it’s a bit questionable since my actual strength is far beyond C-rank.
Ad wouldn’t have made a suggestion like that since he knows about my actual strength but Ad and Cerys moved to the capital because their child is about the same age as Emelia’s, so nothing I can do about it now. Let’s just hope nothing ridiculous happens on the way and I’m able to hold back enough to not give them the wrong impression.
William looks at me with a sparkle in his eyes, “Miss Lucina, if I may ask, what kind of weapon do you use?”
“I don’t use any, I have the Magic Talent so I use spells.”
He points at the folded scythe on my hip, “Then is that your wand?”
While I never actually used my scythe as a wand it might be a good idea, “Ah, yes it is.” I take the scythe from my hip and show it to them without unfolding. “I do think we should go now. We shouldn’t let our clients wait too long and we can still talk about those things on the road.”
I put the scythe back on my hip and started walking towards the caravan. William looks a bit dejected but still followers together with Rebecca and Fern.
The first day was uneventful, probably because it was just a day trip to the next village. On the way I talked with Tanya. She and the other caravan leader, Leonora, founded the Reyes Trading Company together after getting married and while they could make higher profits with different routes they decided to do this one because it’s important for all the villages to be able to get supplies and not that many merchants are interested in doing so. She said the people in the villages are always very grateful when they arrive and that makes it worth it to them.
When we arrived at the first village this proved to be true. It was late when we arrived so we all headed to bed. The villagers offered us a place to sleep but I declined and went into my own tent.
In my tent I decided to write a letter to Emelia and grandma. In the letter I tell them about how I got to be C-rank now and how mom made a big fuss about how being an adventurer is dangerous and I added what I learned from Tanya today. I think it would be a good idea to pay merchants as an incentive to take routes like this. It’s not that big a deal close to the capital since it's possible to make a decent amount of profit there but out here it’s almost like charity work. I don’t know too much about the finances of the Gairyn Kingdom but I think it should be possible and that should also reduce prices both for the supplies the villages need but also the things the villages produce which would increase prosperity for the whole kingdom. I wrote a similar letter to Lauren but instead of suggesting to do that I suggested investigating if it’s possible and or necessary to begin with.
It’s too bad it’s hard to create the magic tool for sending letters and the mana consumption is too high, otherwise communication would become a lot easier. After sending out the letters I headed to bed.
I get woken up by my tent's alarm going off. Bel and Alexia recommended to me to have one to begin with because apparently I let my guard down too much.
I get up from my bed and get dressed and then leave the tent. Outside Rebecca is lying on the ground and Fern is taking care of her but she doesn’t look injured. William and Leonora look at the entrance of my tent with a concerned look.
I rub my eyes while still half asleep, “What happened?”
Leonora looks at me, still looking concerned, “It’s soon time to head out so I asked Rebecca to go and get you but when she tried to enter the tent she got sent flying back.”
“Ah. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you about the alarm system of my tent. Shouldn’t Rebecca be fine though since she is the tank of the party?”
Fern answers this question without looking up, “The way she tanks is a bit special. She uses magic to create barriers and similar to tank. She didn’t expect to get attacked from trying to enter your tent so she didn’t have anything prepared to defend herself.”
I walk over to where Fern is taking care of Rebecca, “Interesting and sorry for the inconvenience. Next time you need me while I’m in the tent just throw a rock or something against it.”
With saying that I cast a spell on Rebecca. The alarm on the tent doesn’t actually have much force and even a child shouldn’t get harmed by it but I did add paralysis just to be sure so I undid that right now.
Rebecca sits up soon after, “Aren’t you a bit too paranoid?”
“I don’t know. My friends told me I’m not careful enough and insisted I do something like that.”
Leonora shakes her head, “Just what happened that would warrant something this ridiculous?”
Before I can answer Tanya walks over to us, “If you finished with what you’re doing we are ready to leave.”
I help Rebecca up and we all walk over to where the carriages are ready and on the way I ask, “Isn’t it still a bit early to leave?”
Fern looks at me confused, “What do you mean? It’s already past noon.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for sleeping in.”
We started to move and Leonora informed us that we will have to camp out this time as the journey to the next village is going to take until evening the next day. A few hours into the trip we are attacked by a pack of wolves led by a direwolf.
“I protect the caravan, you guys go fight the wolves, they are E-rank so it should be fine but be careful about the direwolf, it’s a D-rank monster.” They nod in my direction and move forwards and I make a barrier around the caravan so I can observe them without having to worry about protection.
Rebecca takes the lead and casts multiple barriers around herself before using a spell that looks like it attracts the attention of the wolves on her. Fern stays in the back holding bottles in her hands while William charges the closest wolf with his spear impaling it in the process.
The remaining wolves take a step back in response but the direwolf hasn’t made a move so far. The wolves look like they are going to charge at William but before they can start Rebecca casts a spell again and they turn back towards her. Rebecca’s shield looks like it’s about the break when Fern throws two of her bottles in the direction of Rebecca. One of the bottles is filled with a blue liquid and the other has a dark purple hue. The bottle with the blue liquid hits Rebecca’s shield and breaks but surprisingly the liquid itself just passes through it while the dark purple one hits another wolf who lets out a cry of pain.
When the blue liquid touches Rebecca her shield starts to glow once more and looks as strong as when she first used it again and the wolf that got hit by the dark purple liquid falls to its side, presumingly dead or at least close to.
There are now only 2 wolves and the direwolf left but William has trouble getting his spear out of the wolf he just killed. The direwolf seems to notice his struggle and jumps towards William and while Rebecca tries to use her spell again it doesn’t seem to affect the direwolf.
Just before the direwolf reaches William Rebecca jumps in front of him, blocking the attack with her shield but breaking it in the process. The remaining two wolves, who now are left unattended, start running towards Fern who seems to be in a bit of a panic and is fumbling to take out more bottles from her pouch.
Before they can reach Fern I hit them with my still folded scythe and surround both William and Rebecca in a protective barrier and then throw my folded scythe at the direwolf which penetrates its body.
Oops, I used too much strength.
Fern stumbled back when the wolves attacked her, so I help her up and then go over to Rebecca and William.
“You guys okay?”
Rebecca takes my hand to get up, “Are you sure you are just C-rank? This amount of power seems more like that of an A-rank at least.”
I pull William’s spear out of the wolf he impaled and give it back to him, “Well, strength wise I would be at least A-rank since I usually spar with my mom but I’m still lacking experience so it would be arrogant to say I’m a higher rank than I am.”
William looks at me in shock, “Just who is your mom?”
“You might know her, she is Eliza, an A-rank adventurer, best known for her refusal to be S-rank because, and I quote, ‘it would be too much of a hassle’.”
All three of them stare at me with their mouths open as I walk back to the carriages and remove the barrier surrounding it.
I walk over to Tanya and Leonora, “Do you want to take a break here and dismantle the wolves or should we take them with us until we either arrive at the next village or camp for the night anyways and do it then?”
They both think for a moment before Tanya answers, “It would be better if we could wait until we arrived at the next village but I don’t think we can safely transport the corpses until then.”
“That’s no problem, I can just put them in this bag.” I show them a bag I use to transport my materials for forging but it’s currently empty, “It has increased space inside and time passes a bit slower than outside of it.”
They both smile at me, “Then, if it’s not too much of a hassle, you have our thanks.”
I go back and put the corpses into the bag and we continue on our journey. Since we have a few more hours until we camp out for the night I turn to the trio, “Do you always fight like this?”
“Y-yes but usually it goes better.”
They all look a bit dejected. “Do you mind if I give some pointers?”
They look at each other for a moment before Fern answers, “Please do.”
“Okay. First, Fern. Is there a reason you throw the potions instead of having Rebecca carry at least the mana potion?”
“I’m the healer of the party so that should be my job, no?”
I shake my head, “No, if the healer is idle during combat that is a good sign. A healer is more of an insurance for if things go south and maybe provide support with buffs and debuffs. Most healers also use magic for that so they can safely do this from a distance. Let’s say you throw a healing potion but you miss and hit the enemy with it instead. That would cause a lot of trouble instead of actually helping but that could be prevented if William and Rebecca have their own potions to be used in such a situation. Second thing for you. Where is your weapon?”
She looks a bit flustered, “I don’t have one.”
“And why not?”
“B-because I have my potions and Rebecca and William to protect me so I thought I don’t need one.”
“Yet you would have been at least injured today if it wasn’t for me because they weren’t able to protect you in time and you were too surprised to even take out a potion. You need to be able to at least defend yourself in an emergency.”
She looks very dejected and looks at her feet. “Now William. Is the spear you are using your compatible weapon?”
“No. I actually wasn’t able to find it yet but since my Talent is Spear it should be fine, no?”
“No, it’s actually the opposite. Because your Talent is Spear you can exert more force from it than other people but the barbs towards the tip make it hard to pull it out if you actually manage to cut that deep. Your spear and your fighting style just isn’t compatible and you should also have let go of the spear and used a second weapon to defend yourself or at least dodge the attack when the direwolf attacked. Because of that Rebecca had to take the hit for you which made it possible for the other wolves to go for Fern.”
Rebecca interjects, “But as the tank it’s my job to keep the party safe so it’s not his fault!”
“Your job is to keep the whole party safe but your highest priority should always be the healer. If the healer is injured you have no one who can get them fixed up again unless you return to a town which isn’t often a viable solution. On the other hand if you or William are injured then Fern is able to provide medical assistance right then and there. But since you are already talking as well, where is your weapon?”
She averts her gaze, “I-I’m the tank and I use magic, I don’t need a weapon.”
“So what was your plan after jumping in to save William?”
She doesn’t reply and looks dejected.
“If you really want to improve from here on out William needs a spare weapon and ideally find his compatible weapon and Fern and Rebecca you too should find an easy to use weapon you can use in emergencies, for Rebecca I recommend something that can be used defensively and for Fern I recommend something that is easy to carry. And while your teamwork isn’t bad it’s very chaotic without someone being the leader, which I also recommend Fern to do since she is at the back which gives her a good overview.”
They went quiet for the rest of the day and it soon was time to set up camp.
Everyone set up their tents quite fast but I left mine in my backpack. After we all ate I addressed everyone, “I’m going to take the night shift so all of you can rest properly.”
Fern looks at me with a hint of surprise, “Are you sure? Staying up all night and being on guard isn’t easy? We are enough people to have a decent rotation.”
“I slept in today already so I think it’s better if I stay up and not have a repeat of this morning. Besides I know a spell that allows me to stay awake without repercussions.”
Everyone looks at me with wide eyes and Rebecca asks, “Can you teach me that spell?”
“No. I don’t know why but apparently I’m the only one who can use this spell. My friends asked me the same thing when they learned about it and we tried it out but it didn’t work at all and both of them are far stronger than you are.”
Rebecca is thinking for a bit, “I see. Would it be okay if we have a rotation anyways?”
“Suit yourself.”
And with that everyone but me and Rebecca went to bed. I take out a book about magic and start reading.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A few hours pass and Fern gets out from her tent and switches places with Rebecca and another few hours later William switches with Fern. They all took their shift very seriously and didn’t let their guard down despite knowing I would be able to handle every problem.
And just like that it was morning. It seems we were really unlucky yesterday when we encountered the wolf pack because nothing really happened and we are now arriving at our next stop just as the sun is about to set. The village chief greets Tanya and Leonora but I don’t pay too much attention to it because I’m starting to get tired. I would use my spell again but since we are at the village and are going to stay here a day at least I think it’s better to just wait until I can go to bed.
“L-Lady Lucina. What are you doing here?”
I turn to where the familiar voice is coming from and see Alexia standing behind the village chief.
Before I can answer, the village chief turns to Alexia, “Oh, you know each other?”
Alexia looks at me conflicted so I answer for her, “We were in the same class at the academy. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ahh, my daughter told me about you. Miss Bella Ordno, right? It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”
Alexia now looks at her dad in horror.
“Not exactly. I apologise for not saying my name sooner. I’m Lucina, Alexia and Bella both helped me a lot during my time in the academy.”
He thinks for a moment before the realisation is all over his face but before he can say anything Alexia nudged him in the side and gave him a deathglare. He regained his composure, “I’m sorry, of course. I’m really proud of my daughter and I hope you will enjoy your stay here.” He then turned to the rest of my party, who had a quizzical look on their face, “You all must be tired. Let us show you where you can rest for the night.”
We all went to bed and the next morning after breakfast Alexia asked me to talk. We sit down at the dinner table in her house and a girl who looks a few years younger than Alexia joins us.
“This is my younger sister, Violet.”
I look at Violet, “Nice to meet you. What do you two want to talk about?”
Alexia looks at Violet and then at me with a serious expression, “Violets Talent is Plants according to the ceremony but after what you showed us at the empire I think it might not be correct. Our father refuses to actually let her try out her Talent to see what it might be able to do and insists it’s something like being good at taking care of plants. Don’t get me wrong, she is very good at doing that but I just get the feeling it’s not that.”
I think for a moment, “I can use the spell but only if Violet agrees to it. I don’t feel comfortable revealing someone's Talent if they don’t want to.”
We both look at Violet expecting an answer. “I don’t care. It’s not like it will change anything.”
I take that as permission and cast the spell but I use the version that doesn’t translate the Talent and next to Violet the words ‘Plantis Loqui’ appear. Alexia looks at me questioningly and Violet looks at the words with a hint of fascination.
“Alexia, if you don’t mind could you let me talk to Violet alone for a moment?”
She looks at me with an eyebrow raised for a moment before letting out a sigh and getting up to leave. “Fine.”
After Alexia left I turn to Violet, “You already know what your Talent does, don’t you?”
Violet looks away, avoiding eye contact, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s like Alexia said, I’m good at taking care of plants.”
“Okay then. You should know in order to use this spell properly you need to know the actual language, which I do.” As I say that I change the spell to translate the name of the Talent and now it shows ‘Speak to Plants’.
“How can that be? Everyone told me it’s just my imagination.”
“Even Alexia?”
“N-no, she was the only one who believed me but I started lying because everyone treated me like I’m some sort of freak and I didn’t want her to get hurt as well.”
I hold back my anger, even though it’s been over almost 120 years now I remember how I used to get bullied because I was different. “I have a suggestion but it requires for Alexia to know about everything and actually agree as well but the most important thing is that you are okay with telling her. I’m sure she won’t think differently of you but the choice is yours.”
She takes a moment to think and then answers in a small trembling voice, “Okay.”
I get up from my chair and walk outside where Alexia is waiting and tell her to come back in. Violet looks a bit scared while Alexia looks concerned.
“Before I explain things I have a question for you Alexia. Why did you decide to come back to this village instead of staying with Bel? As a future Duchess you should be learning the ins and outs of what is going to be expected together with her, am I wrong?”
Violet looks at Alexia in surprise and mutters, “Duchess?”, while Alexia gets flustered, “I can’t just leave Violet here by herself. Father isn’t a bad person but he isn’t exactly sensible so I intend to stay until Violet attends the academy herself next year. But I’m also supposed to take over for my father as village chief so I wasn’t able to bring up my relationship with Bella.”
“Okay, I can work with that. Let’s start out with Violet's Talent. Her Talent is ‘Speak to Plants’ which gives her the ability to communicate with plants. Because of that I want to hire her into the research department after she graduates from the academy. I consider her invaluable for the prosperity of the Kingdom, so I order you, Alexia Barnes, as well as the future Duchess Bella Ordno to ensure her safety however you see fit. You are still technically my personal knight so my order outweighs the wishes of your father. There are enough people in this village that can take over instead of you but I only have 2 personal knights. Of course I won’t force you to follow this order.”
Both of them are thinking for a while, I’m sure this is a lot of information for both of them to process but Violet seemed to have regained some of her composure, “I have so many questions. Just who are you to hold that much authority? Why is my Talent invaluable to the Kingdom? Who is this Bella Ordno? Since when is Alexia a knight?”
Alexia is still in deep thought so I decide to answer, “ Well, let’s go through one question at a time. For starters let me properly introduce myself. I’m Lucina Renata Stallard, first princess of the Gairyn Kingdom. I have two personal knights appointed to me, Alexia Barnes and Bella Ordno, after they protected me during our time at the academy and we became friends even before that. There are many different rare plants in the world and one thing they have in common is that they are extremely hard to cultivate, but I think that if we would be able to actually communicate with those plants and directly learn their needs and wants we would be able to do precisely that. Rare plants often have beneficial properties so being able to grow them ourselves instead of having to find them out in the wild would improve a lot not just for the Kingdom but many other nations. If anyone finds out about you there will be a risk of them trying to kidnap or harm you so I think it would be best if you had protection next to you who both you and I can trust.”
Both look at me shocked.
I understand Violet but why is Alexia shocked?
I don’t have to wonder that long because Alexia is next to speak, “Lady Lucina, I thought you didn’t want people to know that you’re the first princess, why did you say it this easily now?”
I give her a warm smile, “You know what my Talent is. Even if people found out it will blow over again in a few years or maybe I will just start travelling around places where they won’t recognize me but no matter which it is, those few years for me don’t compare to how much the lives of not only the two of you but a lot of other people in the Kingdom would improve.”
Violet nudges Alexia and whispers to her, “What is her Talent and what does she mean with that?”
Alexia looks at me with a conflicted look so I answer for her, “My Talent is ‘Eternity’, there isn’t much known about it but from the meaning of it and the fact I’m a bit over 120 years old it’s pretty safe to assume that my lifespan is endless or at the very least quite long, you can ask your sister more about it later if you’re interested but be aware that it is technically a state secret.”
They are both in deep thought, “You do have until tomorrow to think about it since that is when we leave.”
They are both in deep thought and I think they might need to talk between themselves before coming to a conclusion so I leave the house and walk around the village for a bit. It looks like Rebecca and Fern found some weapons as they are now trying out different ones. Their form looks questionable at best but that’s understandable given they didn’t use any weapons before that and they should be fine with enough practice. Tanya and Leonora are busy discussing things with Alexia’s father and unloading goods as well as loading new ones. I don’t think anyone needs me at the moment so I’m going to take a walk in the forest.
Walking around the forest is very relaxing to me but after a bit of walking it turned eerily quiet. Not the normal forest quiet but not even birds or the leaves rustling in the wind can be heard. I look around me between the trees but I don’t really see anything out of the ordinary until one of the trees in front of me starts giving off a green glow and a humanoid shape emerges from it. What is coming out from the tree is a Dryad, a humanoid creature with bark-like skin, green hair that can easily be mistaken for leaves and green glowing eyes, who are considered the guardians of a forest.
As the Dryad approaches me they start talking, “Thank you for helping out my kin.”
“Helping your kin? But you are the first Dryad I met.”
I take a step back as the Dryad gets closer with an arm reached out and then a bright green light coming from their hand blinds me. When I can see again everything returned back to normal and the Dryad disappeared without a sign of them ever being here.
I wonder what that was about.
Still thinking about that, I walk back to the village. Just as I arrive in the village Fern rushes over to me, “Lucina, the village chief’s daughters have been looking for you for a while and they look pretty frantic.”
“I didn’t think I was gone that long. Do you know where they are?”
She nods and then leads the way to the village centre. Violet is standing behind Alexia who has a very angry expression and opposite of them is their father with an equally angry look.
I approach Alexia, “What’s going on?”
Alexia answers without letting down her guard, “Apparently our father promised Violet to the Viscount who manages the territory the village is in against her will and because of that won’t allow her to leave.”
I turn towards the village chief, “You are aware arranged marriages go against the law, right? Especially forced ones.”
“She is my daughter and a part of this village, this is her duty!”
I let out a sigh, “I would expect something like that from a shitty noble of the empire and not the leader of a small village here. Besides, the only one allowed to reject a recruitment offer from the royal family is the recipient of it.” I turn towards Violet, “This mess gives me the assumption you made your choice?”
She looks at me with a slightly frightened expression, “Y-yes, I would like to accept.”
I give her a warm smile and then turn back towards her father, “And that settles it. Any more and I will consider it obstructing the prosperity of the Kingdom.”
The village chief turns red with anger, “Do you even know who the Viscount is?! And who do you think you are, acting like you speak for the royal family?!”
“Well, you see, usually being part of the royal family gives you the right to speak for the royal family.” I grab a brooch from my pocket, it’s a special item grandma gave me which serves as proof of being a part of the royal family that works similar to the adventurers guild card but a bit more intricate, and show it to him, “And I don’t know who this Viscount is but I don’t mind giving them a visit to talk things over.”
After saying that I ignore him and gesture for Alexia and Violet to follow me and walk over to Tanya and Leonora. “I’m sorry, but it seems like I will have to leave the escort. Alexia will replace me and I can assure you she is just as capable as I am.” They look at me stunned, probably still processing what happened but I ignore it and turn to Alexia, “I will pay a visit to the Viscount please take my place in as the escort for them and take Violet with you. Once it’s over, go to the Ordno Duchy, I will send her a letter informing them about the situation and your arrival beforehand. Knowing the Dukes they will welcome you with open arms.”
I then put up my tent and go into the workshop area. I’ve been working on a protection brooch like the one I gave Alexia and Bel three years ago but more standard issue. I’m mostly happy with how it turned out but it’s quite a bit weaker than Alexia’s and Bel’s but that’s to be expected provided it’s a lot easier to make. The only thing that’s still missing is the phoenix symbol on it. I usually hide it as it’s still kind of embarrassing to use it but people recognise it as proof that I made it so I’m pretty much forced to use it.
It doesn’t take that long to add the phoenix since I got used to making it and I leave the tent with the brooch in hand. Outside Alexia and Tanya are discussing things and Leonora and Violet are just standing awkwardly to the side. I walk over to Violet and give her the brooch, “Keep this with you at all times. It’s a protection magic tool and it also serves as a way of identifying people that are under my protection.”
I think Alexia overheard me because she is giving me a death glare so I add, “It’s a prototype so I don’t know how strong it is but it should probably be enough for most situations.”
Alexia lets out a sigh and walks over to us together with Tanya, “We decided it’s better to leave today instead of staying another night so we have to get ready. Thank you for doing all of this for us.”
She gives me a bow and then walks over to her house, Violet following her.
“Your highness, I hope we didn’t offend you while you were travelling with us.” Tanya and Leonora both look at me with an expression that’s a mix of conflict and agitation.
“If I wanted to be treated like a princess I would have told you about my identity from the beginning. Thank you for taking care of me during the journey and please take care of Alexia and Violet.”
““It’s our pleasure.””
They both give a courteous bow and with that I leave towards the direction of where the Viscount lives.
It took a whole day but I finally arrived at the Viscounts castle. I get stopped at the castle gate by the guards.
“State your business!”
I show them the brooch of the royal family, “I have a few things to talk about with the Viscount.”
Both of the guards stand at attention, “Of course your highness.” One of them leads the way inside and shows me to a drawing room, “Please wait here, the Viscount will be with you soon.”
I sit down on a couch and soon after a maid enters and serves me tea. She has a very controlled and neutral expression the whole time but for some reason I feel like she is very nervous, almost frightened. After pouring the tea she takes a position to the side of the room out of the way and it doesn’t take much longer for the Viscount to arrive and take a seat opposite to me.
“Your highness, what can I do for you?”
He looks a bit nervous while asking me this, “I heard someone for a village that is under your protection promised you his daughter so I came here to see what that is all about.”
He seems a bit more relaxed now, “Aah, I can assure you the woman agrees to this so it’s fine.”
“Oh? Is that so? Then why did I have to interfere and stand up for her?”
He starts looking a bit angry and clicks his tongue, “I didn’t think it had to come to this. Come in!”
As he says that the door opens and a woman in a white coat enters the room, “Is this the next test subject?” She stops and looks at me and then starts grinning, “Oh, V, it’s good to see you again! We lost a lot of precious research when you escaped, you know.”
How does she know that name? How does she know about me?
“It got hard to replace all the test subjects with you gone but since we got you back we will be able to make progress again!”
It feels like I have an unclear memory of this person, “Who are you and how do you know about me?”
She ignores my questions and continues with her speech, “It’s quite interesting that you actually got older now. You were with us for 115 years but I’m pretty sure you only aged about 1 or 2 years in that time and as soon as you get away you age normally. I wonder what the reason for that is.”
I remember now, she was one of the higher up researchers when I was at the institution. She only came by once in a while so she wasn’t around when mom rescued me.
I start getting angry, my vision turns red and I grab my scythe, unfolding it in the process.