The Regressed Princess - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: I Fade, She Grows

Eleanor flipped through Marcella’s textbooks; the parchment was filled with the languages of neighboring kingdoms.

The continent of Moon-Mist had no universally agreed-upon phonetic symbols. However, since several nations occupied the same landmass, their official languages shared significant commonalities in grammar and vocabulary, making them relatively easy to learn.

The translation manuals weren’t particularly interesting; she set them down after a brief glance. Having spent over a decade as a lord and decades as a Queen in her previous life, she was already fluent in the official languages and dialects of various nations.

As she listened to the lecture, Eleanor’s lips curled into a subtle smile. She recalled memories of inspecting territories and giving speeches on Andra’s behalf. This world generally lacked entertainment and widespread education; the “linguistic arts” of her original world, combined with temple fairs and performances, would be a total game-changer here.

In this life, she could try organizing popular events in Nolanna to stimulate the nobility’s spending habits for infrastructure development.

While Eleanor was fantasizing about extracting gold from the nobles, the tutor’s tone suddenly shifted.

“Everyone, we all know the request Mihir City recently sent to the King.” She pulled a scroll of papyrus from behind her and slapped it onto the podium—it looked like meeting minutes.

An actual case study from the royal court. Eleanor immediately perked up; she was keen to know what major events were happening in Nolanna. Even if she couldn’t use the information now, it could be vital later.

The tutor didn’t keep them in suspense and began reading in a steady voice.

The gist was that Mihir City was suffering from a famine. They hoped the King of Nolanna would grant a tax reprieve for the year and provide an additional emergency fund. As for whether this fund was an interest-free loan or a grant—well, the City Lord hadn’t specified. The “respectful” tone was merely a mask for the two words: “Need money.”

The tutor tossed the copy aside, her gaze sweeping over the three princesses. “What are your Highnesses’ thoughts?”

First was the Eldest Princess, Dasha. She hummed softly and gave a soft-boiled answer: “Mmm, Mihir City is a… valuable supporter. I agree with reducing the taxes. As for that money… well, we simply have to give it.”

The Second Princess, Ophelia, smiled. “Sister is right.” After speaking, she lowered her head and continued sketching a graceful mermaid on her papyrus with a quill.

“Third Highness, what is your view?” The tutor’s gaze toward Marcella was significantly more intense; this was the Crown Princess, after all.

Her high-hopes-laden Crown Princess scratched her ear and asked blankly, “Huh? What were you guys talking about?”

Eleanor quietly mouthed words and gestured: Look at the front~ Look at the scroll on the desk.

Marcella let out an “Oh” and answered quickly, “I forgot my homework! Don’t worry, Tutor, I’ll definitely make it up tomorrow!”

Everyone simultaneously developed expressions of constipation. They silently covered their faces; even Dasha slapped her forehead with a palm the size of a fan.

The tutor, being experienced, didn’t bat an eye and simply reread the question.

Marcella crossed her arms, swinging her legs under the desk. “Oh~ that’s easy. Mihir City has lots of horses. We take the money there and buy horses.”

The tutor seemed to find a spark of brilliance in that answer and clapped her hands in relief. “Very good. Mihir City is a vital trade hub for our country, connecting us to the neighboring kingdoms of Hetuya and Beilai. It also possesses the finest stud farms in our land.”

At those words, Eleanor’s memories cleared up a bit.

Mihir City partially bordered Enlin. After she and Andra arrived in Enlin, they had spent some time worried that Mihir might cause trouble behind their backs. However, she vaguely remembered that Mihir never betrayed Nolanna. After Andra led the army to repel the Hetuyan invasion, the Lord of Mihir sent respectful greetings, stating they would follow the banner of the Little Princess and the Hetuyan Heir.

When Andra and Eleanor officially married, Mihir and Enlin were naturally incorporated into Hetuya as part of the dowry. Everything had been perfect.

Judging by the trajectory of her past life, she shouldn’t need to guard against Mihir. That City Lord was a keen judge of character and had decisively chosen a true leader in a chaotic world.

However, the key variable was Andra.

Eleanor unconsciously gripped her quill, drawing jagged lines on her draft paper.

Perhaps her own reputation played a role in the past—the Lord of Enlin, the Little Princess of Nolanna, was indeed famous for her virtue. But without Andra’s world-shaking sword, would that old fox truly have surrendered so submissively, handing over the stud farms and trade routes without a fight? The answer was clearly no.

So how do I gain Mihir City’s loyalty in this life?

“Princess Eleanor.” The tutor had walked over to her at some point, gently tapping her ink-stained draft paper. She looked at Eleanor with the eyes one uses for a child, shaking her head slightly—a silent reproach.

“Tutor, I was thinking—” Eleanor instinctively looked up. “Mihir City’s location is quite dangerous, isn’t it? Not just its coordinates, but its status.”

Seeing the ten-year-old princess speak with such gravity, Mahani’s first reaction was to smile, followed by shock. She froze for several seconds before answering softly, “You needn’t worry; the King will handle these matters.” The tutor’s hand pulled back as if burned, and she paced back to the podium.

Mahani’s expression was unnatural. She seemed to want to say something to the other princesses, but her gaze fell on Eleanor as if seeing something out of place, and she kept her mouth shut.

Was she afraid the topic was too deep? Or did she feel that there was now an extra “big mouth” in the classroom who wasn’t convenient for discussing politics?

Eleanor sighed silently: Setting aside the Eldest Sister, the Second Sister was mediocre during her reign, and as for Marcella she’s only reliable in a fight. Damn it, how is our Nolanna supposed to get better!

The tutor skipped the previous question and began explaining the trade and connections between cities. Nolanna and most countries on the continent were still in a state of slavery. Although they had feudal monarchs, each country contained many city-states. These cities were nominally subordinate to the royalty but were actually governed by complex relationships. To be a qualified ruler, one had to balance the delicate relations between city-states to become a true “King of Kings.”

Eleanor’s thoughts gradually drifted out the window toward Andra. Andra had been a very qualified King of Kings. Her method of breaking the deadlock was well-paced: first, use marriage to firmly grasp the various nobles; then, have the Queen popularize education to train grassroots officials; finally, her noble-blooded and powerful children grew up to replace the mediocre aristocrats…

Snap.

The quill fell to the floor. As Eleanor picked it up, she glanced at the back of the classroom. This room didn’t just hold the first-row students; it also held many of the King’s “other children” and noble study companions.

Maybe… I should team up with them to deal with Hetuya?

Eleanor scrutinized every face, observing their appearances and the names above their heads. Blue, Green, Blue, Purple, Blue, Blue… Excluding the two princesses, the most talented people in the Nolanna royal family were only Blue. It was a desert of talent.

The two Purples were the princesses’ companions: Flora and Karin. She ran the two names through her mind but had no memory of them. Perhaps they weren’t used by Ophelia in the past? Or they shone in fields she didn’t care about. Regardless, they weren’t famous generals; she couldn’t use them for now.

“Sigh…” Who can I find to defeat Andra and Atilla?

Eleanor let out a soft sigh. Her sister next to her suddenly stood up and shouted, “Tutor! My sister has a headache! I’m taking her back to rest!”

Mahani smiled. “Third Highness, please sit down. Someone will escort the Little Princess back.”

“Tsk~~” Marcella rolled her eyes and sat back down. Under everyone’s indulgent gaze, Eleanor rose, bowed, and slowly left the classroom. There was indeed no point in staying; attending class with her sisters wouldn’t solve her problems.

“Highness…” Coral reached out toward the little princess but caught only air. Eleanor didn’t notice the small gesture, walking forward with a mind full of worries.

She’s become so independent, hasn’t she? Coral felt a bit of a loss, but she soon smiled and quickened her pace to follow.

They returned to the Hanging Gardens. As they reached the middle of the long bridge, they heard the sound of clashing blades again. Eleanor couldn’t help but look down.

A flash of sword light swept through the crowd. Andra’s hair fluttered through the overlapping shadows, carving a beautiful spiral after each metallic ring. She smiled silently as she fought, her right foot kicking off the ground, her core power spinning out a crisp series of clangs. For a moment, her sword-dance was like rain.

“Whoa—” The other girls cried out and retracted their stances, but their blades seemed drawn by a magnet, getting tangled in the spiral and falling one by one.

“So strong.” Coral rested a hand on Eleanor’s shoulder, her eyes wide with genuine admiration.

“Yes, she is strong.” Eleanor smiled wryly. She is so strong that I can’t avoid her no matter what I do. Anyone facing such a nemesis would have a massive headache. Whether it was her sisters, Atilla, or the rulers of other nations in front of the future Andra, they were all like newborn lambs thinking they could break a giant wolf’s fangs with tender meat.

Swish.

The silver sword light ceased in the next rotation. No one else on the field could continue fighting Andra. The girl with golden-red hair sheathed her blade and nodded to those around her. As she turned, she saw the princess on the bridge and deliberately pressed her fingers to her lips, making a gesture akin to a kiss.

Eleanor’s lips instinctively quirked up before she quickly suppressed it. Her face began to flush, and her breathing quickened: the Andra of her past life and the girl before her overlapped. A phantom Andra walked toward her, while the real Andra remained where she was.

Andra drew her sword again. This time, she didn’t force those who had fallen to continue. Instead, she walked alone to the corner of the training ground and began striking wooden dummies with methodical precision.

“Highness Eleanor.” “Highness.”

Manju and Thorn ran toward her, passing through the “phantom” of Andra. They hadn’t been in the crowd earlier; their arms and thighs were still bandaged.

Eleanor smiled at them. “You’re back.” She was about to habitually tell the sisters to rejoin the ranks when she suddenly froze.

As the Little Princess’s personal guards, Manju and Thorn had to be by her side at least eight hours a day. In her past life, she had been obsessed with hogging Andra’s time; when they were together, it was all romance and play. Consequently, before going to Enlin, Andra only had time to practice in the training grounds late at night when everything was quiet.

But now…

Gulp. Eleanor swallowed hard as she watched Andra training with fiery intensity in the yard.

She was going to be even stronger than in the previous life?!

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