The Regressed Princess - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Hunting

A wager? Eleanor desperately wanted to refuse.

She detested gambling, especially since her mother’s expression was clearly off. Those strong arms held the little Princess firmly on the horse. Eva did not mount; instead, she scrutinized her with a meaningful gaze the way one examines a rose, a cat, or… an insufficiently familiar enemy. This gaze, common for objects or the dying, made Eleanor shudder.

Why is Mother looking at me like that?

I haven’t done anything suspicious in this life yet; it’s mostly been the same as the last… No, wait.

Eleanor trembled violently. Fortunately, Eva held her shoulders firmly, preventing her from falling off the horse. She realized the crux of the matter with trepidation: the first thing that had changed wasn’t Eva, but herself.

In her previous life, Eleanor’s love and respect for Eva had been wholehearted. Living in the palace day in and day out, even her occasional outings were spent wandering through prosperous urban areas with guards, witnessing a “peaceful and beautiful ancient commoner’s life.” Before the age of eighteen, she had seen very little of human suffering. Even if she felt deep down that slavery was wrong, she wasn’t naive enough to blame the ancients within it; any revolution would be something she’d push for when she grew up.

Thus, in her past life, she hadn’t cared at all about the ministers’ opinions or street-side rumors; she simply felt that the Eva who doted on her was the best mother in the world. Every time she developed a new gadget, she would present it immediately, and her visits to Eva were driven by genuine admiration.

But this life was different.

Now, she possessed fragmented memories and knew exactly how many cruelties this King of Nolanna had inflicted upon the people. Nolanna’s superficial prosperity was built upon the exploitation of nobles and royalty. The leisure of the citizen class came from the oppression of slaves. Ignored famines, suppressed rebellions, various false cases arising from official inaction or active malice… by modern moral standards, one could fire a Gatling gun at Eva for quite a while.

Consequently, she could not treat Eva as a true mother in this life; for now, she was just “living under someone else’s roof and forced to bow her head.” One layer of mist was peeled away, only to reveal more. Her method of controlling variables hadn’t accounted for Eva; now Eva was also a suspect for her murder.

Seeing the little Princess sitting blankly on the horse without speaking, Eva impatiently shook the reins and urged: “Speak, do you want to wager with me or not?”

Who wants to wager with you!

Even if she thought “no,” Eleanor could not afford the risk of defying the Sovereign. She clutched her golden pendant and whispered softly: “Alright, I’ll wager.”

This was a dangerous change. Perhaps in her past life, a spoiled daughter’s request would have prompted a trusted mother to grant gardens and scholars with a wave of her hand. But the current King of Nolanna would not indulge a princess with ulterior motives; to obtain anything, one had to be interesting or useful enough. She no longer said fake things like “as long as Mother is happy,” and even her voice was no longer cloyingly sweet.

“Oh~?” Eva laughed, amused by this new demeanor. The King nodded approvingly: “That’s right, as expected of my daughter. Listen well, our wager is.” She raised her finger toward the back mountain, tracing the winding procession before pausing at the forest. “Hunting.”

Buzz!

The nobles watching from the slopes and the long bridge couldn’t help but break into noisy chatter. This was pure bullying—how could a King in her prime compete in hunting against a little Princess? Eva smiled and rested her hand on her sword hilt; the rustling noise stopped instantly.

“Very good.” The King seemed satisfied with the display of awe and traced a circle in the air. “Rest assured, who would have the heart to bully my dear little Princess?”

That title… Eleanor shuddered and stole a glance at Andra.

Andra met her gaze and nodded, as if to say: Stay calm, trust me.

Ha, trusting you is useless. Eleanor suppressed a laugh and turned back to listen to her mother.

Eva proceeded to explain the specific rules. “My daughter may hunt any birds or beasts, while for me~ pheasants, rabbits, and any prey smaller than a rabbit do not count.”

Hearing this, the expressions on the onlookers’ faces relaxed. Oh~ it seemed the King wasn’t intentionally picking on the little Princess. No one knew how many times this back mountain had been scoured; the prey replenished there were mostly prolific rabbits, pheasants, and a multitude of colorful small birds. By setting these rules, the King would surely have to spend more time heading deep into the mountains to hunt.

Eva knew what they were thinking and immediately added: “My little daughter is too young, so the competition time is only three hours, and she may set out half an hour early. If she wins, I will grant her a large manor on the outskirts of the city. If I win, she only needs to prepare three interesting gadgets before her birthday banquet.”

Many people nodded: that wasn’t too much of a lopsided match. From the rules, both time and prey were heavily biased toward the little Princess, while the King had to waste time entering the deep mountains. Besides, the consequence of the little Princess losing was about the same as a light penalty. They didn’t think about the subjective definition of “interesting”; after all, the King had always doted on the little Princess, so why would she make things difficult for her over such trifles?

Once the King finished introducing the rules, the favored officials immediately began to cheer and make bets amongst themselves. However, a small group, including Andra, looked somber. They all thought of the same thing.

No matter how generous the rules are, the Princess doesn’t even know how to ride a horse!

“Your Majesty.” A voice broke the eerie atmosphere.

Andra stepped out from the shadows, her hair gleaming in the sunlight. Her expression was peaceful and humble, but her tone was firm: “Her Highness has no weapon; I fear she cannot draw your bow.”

More than just unable to draw a bow? The “joyous” atmosphere stalled. Everyone knew the little Princess couldn’t shoot; this Hetuya brat was clearly being sarcastic, implying the King was a bully.

Eva laughed nonchalantly: “Hetuyan, what does this have to do with you?”

“I am the protector of Her Highness.”

“Mother, she is my.”

Both spoke at once. Eleanor couldn’t help but click her tongue: there was no such title as “protector” in the Princess Guard; were you a self-proclaimed Guardian Knight? But she didn’t speak up to refute, because the situation had already shifted. Perhaps Andra truly possessed some special charm. No one voiced a doubt, and even Eva wasn’t provoked, simply shrugging. “Fine, but there was never such a thing as absolute fairness anyway.”

As she spoke, Eva suddenly turned and casually slapped the horse’s haunches: “Set off then, my clever little daughter~ Haha.”

“Hee—” The horse cried out in surprise and accelerated abruptly. Eva had already let go of the reins; the unguided horse bolted. The guards instinctively spurred their horses, wanting to intercept the steed from the slope, but they slowed down when they heard Eva’s merry laughter, fearing they would spoil the King’s “diversion.”

Only one figure moved like a flash, leaping across the gap and onto the slope in a few strides, snatching the reins from the hands of the groom.

“Huff, huff…” Andra’s heart was pounding. It was likely irrational, but she unhesitatingly mounted the horse and spurred it forward. No one tried to intercept Andra; they were either too busy watching the show or happened to make way.

Andra’s horse galloped fast, and she soon saw the Nolanna King’s snow-white steed uh, it didn’t seem to be acting crazy?

“Heehee…” The white horse actually slowed its pace. The little Princess sitting on top held the reins in her right hand, while her left hand carefully stroked the horse’s neck, whispering gently into its ear. She had actually stopped the horse using such gentle methods?

Andra felt it was incredible. Was the horse the Nolanna King rode always this docile?

“Andra?” Eleanor turned back and saw Andra’s figure, then suddenly giggled: “Haha, it really is you.”

Too bad the timeline has changed; you didn’t trigger the “saving the damsel” plot… The little Princess’s smile vanished in a flash as she turned her head away proudly. Andra didn’t understand why the little Princess laughed or why she stopped. She rode to Eleanor’s side, keeping her right hand ready to reach out, guarding against the horse bolting again.

A moment later, Eva arrived leisurely on a chestnut horse, followed by the trembling attendants and ministers.

“Hey, Lily.” Her mother found a delicate set of bow and arrows from somewhere and tossed them toward her with force. Eleanor patted the horse’s neck and wanted to move toward them, but Andra reached out quickly and caught them with ease.

Eva gave them a meaningful look, finally turning to Eleanor: “When did you learn to ride?”

“I… I like ponies.” Eleanor feigned shyness, tucking her head behind the horse’s neck.

Naturally, it was in my previous life.

Before she reached adulthood, she never had to ride; she was always surrounded by people whenever she went out. Carriage bumpy? Add leather tires, soft cushions, and a balance shaft. Still uncomfortable? Then let Manzhu and Andra carry her. Too slow? Simple she could share a ride with Andra. As long as Andra held the reins, no horse would ever throw the person on top.

However, one eventually grows up. When Andra headed to the battlefield, how could she, as a wife, slowly travel by carriage in the rear? Eleanor learned to ride and soothe horses in just three days. If time was urgent, she would travel day and night to reach the next location, using her moving voice and oratorical skills to soothe the populace, or using interests and reputation to persuade important figures.

Eva made no effort to hide her suspicion, but unfortunately, no matter how sharp her gaze, she couldn’t see through the possibility of rebirth. The King could only laugh sullenly and toss her hair: “Go then, don’t waste the half-hour I granted you.”

“Thank you for your care, Mother.” Eleanor bowed on horseback. She took the bow and arrows from Andra’s hand, lightly kicked the horse’s belly, and rode toward the forest.

Andra followed on her horse. Before the King could speak, she volunteered: “Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will certainly guard Her Highness well.”

Her use of “guard” shut down any further comments. Eva was momentarily silenced, looking at her back with a frustrated laugh. She waved to the guards: “You, you, and you, follow them. If the Hetuyan royal daughter dares to cheat, chop off the thumb of her left hand.”

“Yes!”

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